I have a TEAC FD-55GFR, as far as I'm aware it's normally not able to write to anything lesser than High Density (1.2MB) 5.25 diskettes (just based on an info page I found)

It does seem that the Greaseweazle can force it to write to lesser density disks, but, perhaps only on one side? I can only get it to write on what I believe is the 'top' side (ie. the side when intended orientation is used when you insert the disk)

The disks are BASF branded labelled as 2S/2D, which I *assume* means they are 2-sided and double-density, but now I am doubting myself or these disks are incorrectly labeled!

If anyone knows anything that'd be cool :>

#floppydisk #vintagecomputing #GreaseWeazle

For #525FloppyDay I chose to post a picture of a box with disks containing old a new software (as recent as 2000) for #apple2.

This box has been a bit of problem for me to read correctly and I think the problem lies that all my drives for archiving have their track 0 sensor calibrated correctly. This box of floppies have been likely written with an Apple Disk 2 - those don't have a track 0 sensor and the alignment can be all over the place.

I don't have a good plan on how to connect my Apple Disk 2 with a #greaseweazle right now, another solution could be to acquire another 40 track 5 1/4 inch drive and play with the track 0 sensor.
Another plan could be to acquire a calibration disk, so I can re-adjust my regular floppy drive I use for archiving, but these seem to be almost impossible to find. Suggestions welcome!

#softwareArchiving #retroComputing

Flux is a lil puffed out from all the floppy archiving, you really can't do it all in one go z-z

#FurryArt #floppydisk #GreaseWeazle

would anyone be able to provide some insight as to how an Amiga floppy would end up like this? It's completely unreadable :'(

#GreaseWeazle #hxcfloppyemulator #floppydisk

backing up all of dad's Amiga and IBM disks, thankfully he separated them lol

I won't be keeping them cuz dad's just like that, but at least they'll be archived digitally!!

#floppydisk #archiving #GreaseWeazle

Weekend project on hold. Was going to temporarily "donate" the mechanism from an #Amiga A1011 3.5" drive to a #GreaseWeazle interface so I can read a stack of my old floppy disks from my Amiga days.

I forgot the original Amiga drives were non-standard 24 pin affairs and not normal Shugart 34 pin things.

So random internal drive bought from Ebay and project on hold for a week.

J'ai rebranché ma carte Flex 6809 sur un vrai lecteur de disquettes, et au préalable j'ai créé avec la carte #GreaseWeazle une disquette à partir d'un fichier image (le même que j'utilisais précédemment avec le lecteur #gotek , c'est tout le but de l'exercice !).
Et j'avais créé cette image disque avec un petit outil maison permettant de manipuler fichiers et disquettes au format Flex.
#retrocomputing #mc6809

'FrankieTheFluff' has released version 5.2.4 of his graphical user interface FluxMyFluffyFloppy for Greaseweazle Tools v1.22:

https://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2025-03-00086-EN.html

#Amiga #Greaseweazle #GreaseweazleTools #Windows

Do you have a Greaseweazle? Is it installed in an old SCSI enclosure, with everything just flopping around inside?

Do you love blinkenlichten und flippenswitchen?

Then boy have I a project for you! It will (not) change your life!

https://github.com/JohnQuincyAddingMachine/greaseweazle_scsi_bracket

#RetroComputing #VintageComputing #GreaseWeazle #Floppy #Archiving

Et voici une carte #GreaseWeazle qui permet de lire et écrire des images de disquettes avec un PC moderne. C'est du logiciel libre et la carte ne coûte que 30€.
Je vais essayer d'utiliser ça pour créer des disquettes pour ma carte #mc6809 Flex.
#retrocomputing #floppydisk

I'll give it a shot. For 5 EUR plus shipping, it's worth it.
Meanwhile, I tried reading disks with the #GreaseWeazle.
It didn't read from my Amstrad PC 360k drive, giving me a weird error. It did work from the other one, albeit with a ton of "Unexpected Track" error (or something like that). More research is required.
As for the Amstrad drive, it seems to spin up, but the head doesn't move. I'm not sure if I got the jumpers wrong or if it's broken or incompatible. 🤔

#RetroComputing

'FrankieTheFluff' has released version 5.2.0 of his graphical user interface FluxMyFluffyFloppy for Greaseweazle Tools V1.21:

https://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2025-01-00044-EN.html

#Amiga #GreaseWeazle

Amiga disks on PC: Copy program G-Copy 0.6pre

Developer Arne Urbaniak has updated his copy program G-Copy for reading and writing Amiga ADF data on a Windows PC. G-Copy, which is visually similar to the popular X-Copy, supports the drive controllers Greaseweazle by Keir Fraser, ADF-Drive by D. Tonn or DrawBridge (Arduino) by Rob Smith.

https://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2025-01-00033-EN.html

#Amiga #Greaseweazle #adf

okay, this is seriously cool: https://decromancer.ca/greaseweazle/

#GreaseWeazle

h/t https://oldbytes.space/@VintageProject/113589661063173805

Already have an idea for an upgrade:
I snagged two enclosures from HP tape drives years ago, and they should house two 5.25" floppy drives, plus they have a proper power supply.
Open tasks would be to find them and then somehow add the #GreaseWeazle in a useful way.
Oh, and find a kit to fit 3.5" drives.

As I have two of those cases, I could have one with 5.25"/360k and 3.5"/720k, and the other with 5.25"/1.2M and 3.5"/1.44M. 🤔

With the help of the #Greaseweazle, random components, my ALPS floppy drive, and my lab PSU, I apparently managed to read my first 3.5" floppy image.
Nothing spectacular, as the floppy turned out to be empty.
Anyway, the first baby steps are promising. I certainly feel like a pro now and willing to handle even the most delicate floppies. 😎😜

#RetroComputing

I was wondering why #GreaseWeazle docs suggest SCP as the file extension for flux images. Turns out the format is an open spec originally designed for a device called SuperCard Pro:

https://www.cbmstuff.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=52

https://www.cbmstuff.com/downloads/scp/scp_image_specs.txt

Wow, the #GreaseWeazle really is an incredible piece of equipment.

I've successfully made a raw flux dump of an original #VisiCalc for #Atari800 5¼-inch floppy disk and written the image to a fresh disk. My Atari 800 boots successfully into VisiCalc from the fresh disk in my #Atari1050 floppy disk drive.

I am seriously impressed. This is proper #SoftwareArchaeology.

No skill exhibited on my part; the Greaseweazle guide includes an example of how to specify the correct parameters for the gw command line program to successfully image an Atari disk. Raw flux allows us to image the disk, copy protection and all.

I'm inclined to put the image up on Archive.org, along with quality scans of the box and manuals.

A random question to the #RetroComputing crew:
If I was looking for a 5.25" disk drive to use with a #GreaseWeazleV4 #GreaseWeazle (or a PC at a later stage) - what should I be looking for?
I have seen a few ones where I didn't recognise the brand, and a few up there in the 300 EUR/GBP range. Those seemed dodgy.

TIA!

Side note: As for #Commodore64, I'm set with a couple of 1541/1541-II.
Side note 2: As for 3.5" I'm looking good, as well. I kept a couple of them, and I'm expecting a TEAC and an ALPS coming in for tinkering.

AmigaKit anuncia el A1200NG ofialmente

Tras unos días de expectación y especulación, AmigaKit Ltd ha anunciado el A1200NG

Aunque mantiene el formato del original, el A1200NG no es un reemplazo para las placas del Amiga 1200, sino un sistema independiente que aprovecha la estética del clásico pero con hardware completamente renovado. Está diseñado para encajar en las carcasas originales o reproducidas del A1200, lo que permite a los usuarios disfrutar de un aspecto retro con prestaciones modernas.

El sistema está impulsado por un procesador ARM, acompañado de 4 GB de RAM y opciones de almacenamiento de 64 GB o 128 GB. Además, incorpora conectividad inalámbrica para internet y Bluetooth, facilitando el uso de periféricos modernos como teclados, mandos o altavoces.

El A1200NG mantiene la esencia del Amiga al ser compatible con disqueteras originales, permitiendo leer y escribir discos de 880 KB y 1,76 MB gracias a las tecnologías integradas Greaseweazle y DrawBridge. También incluye ranuras para tarjetas Compact Flash y puertos USB, lo que facilita la transferencia de datos y el acceso a software clásico y moderno.

Entre sus conectores destacan:

• Puertos de joystick de 9 pines.
• Puerto de disquetera.
• Puerto serial de 25 pines.
• Salida HDMI para video.
• Conector para teclado original del Amiga 1200.

Además, es posible conectar teclados modernos mediante USB o Bluetooth, ofreciendo una flexibilidad total para los usuarios.

El A1200NG ejecuta el sistema operativo del A600GS, optimizado con nuevas características solicitadas por los usuarios. Incluye AmiBench, un entorno de escritorio en resolución 1080p con iconos en colores reales y soporte para la nueva biblioteca gráfica ARM, que mejora significativamente el rendimiento en la representación de ventanas e iconos.

El sistema también permite instalar otras versiones de sistemas operativos Amiga mediante particiones personalizadas.

La placa base del A1200NG está diseñada pensando en el futuro. Su CPU ARM es desmontable, lo que abre la posibilidad de futuras actualizaciones y expansiones. Esto asegura que el sistema pueda evolucionar con las necesidades de los usuarios y mantenerse relevante en el tiempo.

El A1200NG estará disponible para su entrega en el primer trimestre de 2025, y las preventas ya están abiertas en la página oficial del producto (www.a1200ng.com).

En lo personal, considero que es una solución que hace tiempo pensaba que debía existir.

#A1200NG #actualizaciónAmiga #AmiBench #amiga #Amiga1200 #amigakit #arm #Bluetooth #CommodoreAmiga #CompactFlash #comunidadRetro #diseñoModular #drawbridge #floppyDisk #gamingRetro #greaseweazle #HardwareRetro #HDMI #placaBase #retroComputing #SoftwareAmiga #tecnologíaModerna