KryoFlux USB floppy controller

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dilwyn
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by dilwyn »

Not directly related to the original title of this thread, as others have shared their floppy disc information, here's my contribution.

I have two USB floppy drives, the first an unbranded Chinese one just vaguely marked "FD-05PUB" (identified by Windows as a "Mitsumi USB FDD 061M" - top one on the picture) and the second a Proxima Direct unit. Both look similar in their bog-standard slimline plain black cases.
floppydrives.jpg
The first one won't handle DSDD floppy discs (probably doesn't have a disc type sensor or differences in the controller, I don't know), but the other will.

They are used on a Windows 7 and a Windows 10 PC and can be mixed on the same PC with QPC2 for copying files between floppy discs. As you would expect, they appear as drive A: and drive B: on the PC side, which is usually flp1_ and flp2_ in QPC2. Both work well from both QPC2 and QemuLator, although only the Proxima Direct will handle DSDD 720K discs.

When using DSHD 1.44MB floppy discs, both drives format normally from Windows, DOS command line and from the emulators.

When using DSDD 720K floppy discs, neither will format from Windows (e.g. right click on the floppy drive icon in File Explorer and click on FORMAT).

But if you go into a command prompt (the old DOS commands prompt), the Proxima Direct drive can be persuaded to format DSDD 720KB floppy discs with this command, which Rich Mellor suggested some time ago:

Code: Select all

FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:9
The equivalent command for HD discs from Command Prompt is FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:18
Note:spaces before both forward slashes.

If you try this with the other floppy drive, tyou get an error message "parameters not supported by drive".

Moving to QPC2, it seems able to format DD discs in both drives, but seems unable to write to it after that. Hopefully Marcel will correct me if I'm wrong, it may be that the fast disc format routine in QPC2 just writes the information to somewhere in the first track on the disc and leaves the rest alone. Probably similar to a "Quick Format" in Windows.

Results seem similar with Windows 7 and Windows 10.

Having formatted the disc and copied some files to it in QPC2, I took the discs to a QL and an Aurora to see what would work and what wouldn't. The Aurora has an HD 1.44MB drive, the QL has a 3.2MB ED drive and a 720K DD drive. Results were good with HD discs, in that everything but the 720K DD drive were able to read as you'd expect.

The DD 720K floppy disc from QPC2 was read OK in the HD and ED drives, but unreliable in the DD drive on the QL. Presumably because both USB drives were HD drives and formatting and using DD discs in HD drives then trying to read them on DD drives is never guaranteed even though theoretically compatible.

Having formatted the DD discs on the QL's DD drive, then writing files to them in QPC2, then taking them back to the QL DD drive, it was a little bit more reliable, presumably the DD drive formatted the disc at the right density and magnetic strength etc.

So, in conclusion, this experience shows that some HD floppy disc drives are not capable of fully handling DD discs, but some are. I'm afraid I don't know whether this drive just hasn't got a disc density sensor or some other difference in the controller.


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RalfR
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by RalfR »

Interesting to read that. Both of my USB floppys were identified by Windows as the same Mitsumi hardware, you have mentioned, but just the crashed one worked, the other not. So it seems it is the adapter inside. As the floppy hardware is the same, I can't explain any other reason.


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stevepoole
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by stevepoole »

Hi,

Some time ago I bought cheap floppy disk unit for use with QPC2, Sometimes it worked, sometimes not so.

And sometimes it would not read, or write, or format...

To cut a long story short, If I connect the drive unit before starting up the W8.1 PC, no problems !

But if I plug it in after start-up, I get weird spurious results, but not always....

(My QL has an ED Mitsubishi unit, which has always been trouble-free).

Steve.


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Cristian
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by Cristian »

dilwyn wrote:the first an unbranded Chinese one just vaguely marked "FD-05PUB"
Mine looks identical, except for the model number: US-FDD
I use it with WindowsXP and can handle/format both 720K and 1.44MB disks. I know someone who utilize it with Windows10 and it works.
Ralfr, have you tried also with different emulators?


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RalfR
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by RalfR »

Cristian wrote:
dilwyn wrote:the first an unbranded Chinese one just vaguely marked "FD-05PUB"
Mine looks identical, except for the model number: US-FDD
I use it with WindowsXP and can handle/format both 720K and 1.44MB disks. I know someone who utilize it with Windows10 and it works.
Ralfr, have you tried also with different emulators?
No, but just because the old one has worked perfectly. Using DD in the new one also make different noises when DIR. You here the stepper but quite slowly like it tries to search something. In the end, QPC2 displays the statistics of dev1_ :D . But the drive works with HD disks under QPC2 and the directory is displayd correctly.


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RalfR
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by RalfR »

Today, I have received the first USB floppy (of three). It's a little sluggish, but it works and read my 720k disks.


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RalfR
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Re: KryoFlux USB floppy controller

Post by RalfR »

I have received the next two ones, both are NEC USB UF000x drives. These ones work so fast and reliable like my original NEC one (crashed). So better look for an NEC drive than an Mitsumi drive. Unfortunately, really noone states this in the offer. I even have had the best results with NEC drives on my native QL. But that that does not mean anything ;) .

Interesting to see, one came directly from China, one from Germany and both received at the same day.


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