HxC2001 in SF354 enclosure on 520ST - won't read the device

[blakespot]

I just received a Rev F HxC2001 floppy emulator and have mounted it in an SF354 external drive case.


Grey-painted HxC2001 mounted in a dremel-modified Atari SF354 enclosure. #ST by blakespot, on Flickr

I have an orig 520ST with no internal drive. It's all wired up and powered up but I get not drive activity when booting. I got the ST Manager archive and pulled the HXCSDFE.CFG and AUTOBOOT.HFE from there and put it on the SD card (4GB) with some games in a GAMES/ dir. I have set 8-switch DIP to all possible settings for HxC as drive A: or A: and B: both twisted cable and normal. I never see the track indicator move.

When I first booted with no files on SD card, I got an error saying no HXCSDFE.CFG file, and I see the contents of that file have changed since I manually chose a game to load with the front buttons.

I have ordered an extension cord for the 34-pin floppy cable and the power cable, but until they arrive, I have flipped the Atari interface board over, so it plugs in with the raised plastic notch down, the color stripe on the data cable on the right (opposite as shown in photo).

Thanks for any help.




bp

[blakespot]

For simplicity, I am setting the HxC as drive A:, no drive B: emulated nor physically attached, FYI.



bp

[blakespot]

Here is a video of the situation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvncgGTUems

[Jeff]

Here is a video of the situation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvncgGTUems

So now this is sure : You must to reconnect the floppy ribbon to the other way (colored wire to the other side).

[blakespot]

Ok - thanks. That will require an extension cable. Happily, I ordered one at the start of the week.


bp

[blakespot]

That worked!

Thanks.



bp

[blakespot]

Ok, I'm now having trouble with getting a 2nd emulated drive on the ST. I have one drive success with jumper ID3A set to ON -- I don't know what to do to get the second drive - drive B: - emulated.

I got the ID3A info looking at the Shugart settings, but the ST uses PC style drives, I believe... Not sure why it worked, if that's the case.

Using a Rev F unit with 8 dips rather than jumpers.

Can you advise what settings are for two drives emulated on ST?

Thanks.



bp

[Jeff]

Internal or external ? floppy ribbon twisted or not ?

[blakespot]

This is a 34-pin drive mounted in an external drive. There is no internal drive on this original 520ST, and so drive A: would be external. The floppy ribbon cable I see in the external drive enclosure has no twist, but I can't be sure that a twist didn't logically happen in the wiring of the round cable that runs from the ST to the drive itself - not sure how Atari did it.

I do not have a second external drive chained off of this unit, and I don't intend to attach one. I'd like the HxC to emulate both floppies.

ID3A ON works for A: emulation. Combos that don't work, if it helps:

ID1A ON, ID2A ON
ID3A ON, ID2B ON
ID0A ON, ID1B ON

Thanks.

( I have the latest firmware, also. )


bp

[Jeff]

I have to look at the ST schematic.

[blakespot]

Thanks. I appreciate.


bp

[blakespot]

ID0A ON, ID1A ON did not work either, FYI.

Acts as if drive B: not attached. Certain configs I've tried mirror A: and B: as the A: disk.

FYI. Also, the ext SF354 this is mounted in has the std 34-pin cable (no visible twist in it), not the oddball 14-pin single-row cable found in early models.

Tnx.



bp

[blakespot]

Trying random dip settings. Would the answer ever be more than two dip switches set to ON? Should I try three, etc?

Thanks.



bp

[Arnie]

I have the same problem with an Amiga CDTV. That has no internal drive, so I connected a Slim HXC to an external drive board and it works for one drive but not two.

[blakespot]

Have we heard of other folks with this issue?

Jeff, it it possible that the device can't be used in this fashion? I have a Rev. F with latest firmware, again.


bp