Is it possible to do this or buy one?
I heard the usb to fdd chipsets are hard coded for 1.44mb only so hooking one up to a 5.25 drive won’t work?
What about a usb to ISA to FDD adapter stack?
1. never seen one
2. No do not think it would work but I always thought one could be built (USB to external floppy that supports 1.2Mb) but am no where smart enough to do something like that...
3. do not know.
Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun
1) VLSI SCAMP /286@20 /4M /CL-GD5422 /CMI8330
2) i420EX /486DX33 /16M /TGUI9440 /GUS+ALS100+MT32PI
3) i430FX /K6-2@400 /64M /Rage Pro PCI /ES1370+YMF718
4) i440BX /P!!!750 /256M /MX440 /SBLive!
5) iB75 /3470s /4G /HD7750 /HDA
https://shop.deviceside.com/prod/FC5025
Not sure if it's still available, though.
It's a reader/backup device only, also.
But a nice little alternative to KryoFlux for sure.
The software also seems to run on beloved OSes like Win98SE/XP and Mac OS Tiger (PPC/Intel), too.
http://www.deviceside.com/screenshots.html
Edit: @zyga64 Ah sorry, we were writing same time. 😅
"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel
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zyga64 wrote on 2023-09-22, 05:16:
> Compatible software is required
so this works like https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle while I think OP wants something that reports being standard floppy drive when plugged in.
rasz_pl wrote on 2023-09-22, 05:21:zyga64 wrote on 2023-09-22, 05:16:> Compatible software is required
so this works like https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle while I think OP wants something that reports being standard floppy drive when plugged in.
Something like the good old Catweasel ?
But that was an ISA or PCI card and is hard to find..
It came with device drivers, if I remember correctly, so that a drive letter was available.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_Computers_Catweasel
"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel
//My video channel//
OK for some research looked into this a bit more and found this interesting topic: https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.cpm/c/PmdqVp-z_Xc
note David Given mentions of TEAC FD-05PUB, USB ID 0644:0000 and it claims supports
(bytes x sectors x cylinders x tracks)
512x18x2x80, 1440kB
512x16x2x80, 1200kB <-----
1024x9x2x77, 1232kB
and : https://www.edaboard.com/threads/floppy-disk- … adapter.396097/
so there may be a way to build/mod one.....
added: some of my 3.5" USB floppy drives will read and write 720k disks but not format them. Need to see if their microcontroller also supports a 1200kb.
If we could find other prebuilt adapters (like the Teac mentioned) and it can read 5.25" 1.2MB then we could build an external box, only need a 1A +12v and 1A +5v psu inside it....
Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun
An IDE Optical drive external case should work fine for the power, the interface may be useless tho. SATA one will work if you swap power plug.
So there's levels of "working"
For boot, it's gonna need hacked USB hardware and hacked motherboard BIOS, since legacy mode USB boot is 1.44 only as far as I am aware. This is also the only way I know of a USB floppy will work invisibly in DOS.
To just read things, a simpler hack of an older USB floppy part/interface may get you able to read under Win98 or possibly 95 osr 2.5 .... NT based gets less and less floppy support per iteration so I don't think this will go as far as working perfect on 7, because there's even some issues with 1.44 on 7.
Then there's the weird way with half old stuff, half new stuff. half DOS half windows...
First you'd need a totally parallel port 5.25 floppy, I know Tandy did one, maybe backpack brand too... those I know are standard parallel, there was also I think Dell, Toshiba and IBM units that may have used some floppy lines routed to parallel port on machines they were intended for, so might not work on other machines. Anyway, presuming you have a standard parallel one, you can then get a quality USB parallel port interface, many are simple printer ones, I have one that is actually a Targus port expander for USB that seems to actually work with everything that can stand not being on fixed port address or IRQ (i.e. not stuff that doesn't work if you change parallel port parameters in the CMOS setup if you have a real parallel port even or try to use it on a PCI parallel port card).... So with both of those you have the DOS drivers (non boot) for the parallel card and the windows drivers for the USB parallel. You can either try to use in a DOS session under 9x, or use a VM or emulator that the OS (with the USB parallel drivers) can pass through the parallel port to, allowing the DOS drivers to work..... maybe.
Edit: another thought, god knows how many you'd have to open, but you may find an external IDE enclosure that has a general purpose i/o chip on it capable of floppy.... however you might be SOL for drivers.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
BitWrangler
True ! you might have to open many to find one that works and has the controller and drive as separate, is why I commented on those labeled FD-05PUB/quote]
giantclam wrote on 2023-09-23, 01:17:
Thanks good info but we (me) already looked into those but want something not add-on hardware and software based but just plug-n-play like a USB 3.5" floppy drive.
Problem with Device Side Data's FC5025 USB is that it cannot write to the disk.
I know Sphere478 asked about reading but w/o the ability to also write it is only 1/2 useful to this vintage group IMHO
Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun
Oh I forgot another rare and difficult to find option... SCSI floppy drives existed, for a value of exist between rare as hens teeth and barely. So USB SCSI to SCSI floppy might be a route... but I bet you'd have to resort to 386BSD or ancient linux to get it working.
Edit: search terms hint RX33 scsi floppy VAX
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
Turn of millennium there were some around, but not sure anything is in production/stock at the moment.
Edit: Firewire to SCSI was more popular for Mac, which may be handy for getting SCSI into an HP notebook as they favored it also.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
Sphere478 wrote on 2023-09-23, 04:35:Does a usb to scsi even exist?
Yes, example ' Adaptec USB2Xchange '
Software/driver support isn't that great.
Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port
Sphere478 wrote on 2023-09-23, 04:35:Does a usb to scsi even exist?
Surprisingly-- YES-- but $$$$$
http://computercableinc.com/ccinc/products.js … MD50%29&id=3322
Have you seen this video?https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjd2jSHBw7E&pp= … DUsMjUgZmxvcHB5
A guy made one working in DOS, but not in Windows.
Bondi wrote on 2023-09-23, 09:52:Have you seen this video?https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjd2jSHBw7E&pp= … DUsMjUgZmxvcHB5
A guy made one working in DOS, but not in Windows.
It's probably a crippled windows usb floppy driver. I've heard that the floppy support is crippled as of late. So he should plug the drive into his android phone and test it on something else.
https://youtu.be/watch?v=Bjd2jSHBw7E
