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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Maximite as a Floppy Drive Emulator
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Nick Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
The Maximite scene appears to be stalling so I thought I'll try trigger some discussion... Emulating floppy drives seems to be proving popular out their in the retro computing world. Anyone have any ideas if it is possible to connect a maximite to an old system (TRS-80, Apple, etc) and have the Maximite act to the system as a real floppy drive? The Maximite would write files to the SD while the system talks to it unawares that it's not a real floppy drive. This would make waves and maybe sell some Maximites (Duinomite's). I know people are trying this with Raspberry Pi's. Maybe we can get the Maximite into this scene. Nick |
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Lorenzo Newbie  Joined: 27/08/2013 Location: FrancePosts: 17 |
Hi, Good idea ... but complicated I think. Big challenge. Lorenzo |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
I figure that if the MM's I/O pins are connected to the floppy drive connector of the computer, using the PORT command (?) will allow you to read and write the data back. As long as you write a program that emulates the data transfer correctly, the computer will be none the wiser. It all seems so easy! 
(Isn't ignorance bliss?) 
I just think that the Maximite needs something to make the rest of the electronics hobbyist world take note and notice it. The Raspbery Pi has completely trumped it with people doing so much with it. My local newstand even has a glossy magazine devoted to it! Shouldn't Silicon Chip Magazine be trying to promote it more? It could open the doors to so much... from an electronics enthusiasts perspective and as a "Retro Programming" wonder. Nick |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
There is already a product that does it extremely well. Reinventing it seems not worth it. http://hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/ and for sale her: http://www.lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=13 Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
... and most other things people build with the Maximite but they still like to create their own. The point is, if the Maximite can do it easily, why should I pay all this money for something that can only do one thing? Nick |
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vegipete Guru Joined: 29/01/2013 Location: CanadaPosts: 1109 |
Look at the circuits on the above mentioned <hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/> and the Apple// one at <http://dreher.net/?s=projects/CFforAppleII&c=projects/CF forAppleII/main.php>. There is some serious hardware required to deal with the interface communication signals. I kinda doubt that a PIC32 is fast enough to catch those signals. Visit Vegipete's *Mite Library for cool programs. |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
I'd say the PIC32 would be fast enough. It's more if MMBASIC is fast enough to process the data. Nick |
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| MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
A pic32 could handle it with no problem. It has lots of parallel and serial inputs/outputs that can respond very quickly. However in MMBasic you would not be able to use those build in peripherals as no support for it is available. You would need to modify a lot on a CMM. A Mono maximite would be a better candidate but again, no direct support for the peripherals. The effort would be to great for the benefit you get. I think a CMM can be a great control center for a wide variety of hardware. From solar , house automation, data logging, etc. It is also a great tool to learn kids how to program. And of course, games. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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Juri74 Senior Member  Joined: 06/02/2012 Location: ItalyPosts: 162 |
Hello Nick! i tried some time ago to build a c64 Tape player with maximite, unfortunately, even if the tape speed of a C64 datassette is like a 300 baud serial transmission, maximite isn't powerful enough to emulate it! file access on sdcard slow it very much.. i tried to preload a piece of data stream in memory, it work apparently but maximite can store in it's memory about 10 seconds of tape... too little :( |
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