Ultimate FDC? (Was: IBM 6360 - Filesystem(ish) info?

[dwight]

Actually, I'd like to see it just read/write flux changes +  index marks onto a SD card for later analysis. Building all the smarts into the controller means that some formats will get missed. One can later write translation code for what ever format one has. Make this information open source, much of it is already in bits and pieces. Make sure it can read and buffer an entire track of data in RAM ( Gotek can't ).
We no longer need proprietary hardware. There are a number of off the shelf controller boards capable of handing this. It would only need cables to match the drive.
Dwight


________________________________
From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of Fred Cisin via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2019 2:02 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Ultimate FDC? (Was: IBM 6360 - Filesystem(ish) info?

>> I'm planning on a USB controller, but I've seen ISA projects that are
>> also microcontroller based so I think it wouldn't be awfully difficult
>> to replace the USB data pipe with an ISA one.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2019, Ali via cctalk wrote:
> Well just because you don't have enough to do please plan on an ISA
> version as well ;) I think it really is time someone did a super floppy
> controller bringing together a number of older technology on to one easy
> to use card (e.g. 8" drive support, copy protection bypass, GCR reading)
> - all of this was available as separate products in the past...

What I would like to see, coming at it from a high level software
viewpoint, would be:
Complete and accurate emulation of 765.  Including ROM or being loadable
into RAM (TSR) and repoint the Int13h vector.  That would permit it to
fully replace the stock 765.
Include a switchable "quirks" mode for full compatability with 765
"features", such as "flash blindness" after index pulse, switchable
inability to handle 128 byte sectors, etc.

8" and FM and 128 byte sector support (obviously)
125kbps (5.25" FM), 250Kbps, 500Kbps, 1000Kbps (2.8M)

Ability to read MFM data with FM headers (RX50)

Added commands accessible through the [replacement] Int13h:
         Track read, modeled after the WD track read  (that could also
provide access to Amiga, with additional code for sectors and filesystem)
         RAW track read (flux transition), with and without data/clock
synchronization.   Hard sector, GCR, copy protection cloning, etc. could
be handled by other code that calls that function in the [replacement]
Int13h.


Optionally:
drivers for "modern" OS,
inverted data reversal,
EBCDIC/ASCII conversion
Installable File System (IFS) to permit mounting alien disks, including:
         Apple2
         ProDos/SOS
         Apple CP/M
         Apple P-System
         Mac 400K/800K
         Commodore
         Sirius/Victor 9000
         CP/M (partial list available at http://www.xenosoft.com/fmts.html)
         P-System
         Amiga
         Northstar N-DOS
         TRS-DOS and derivatives (list available on request)
         Coco-DOS
         Microsoft Stand-Alone BASIC (NEC, Oki, etc.)
         Unix/Linux file systems
If it also does HDDs, . . .


>> My friends think it's silly, and they're probably right. =P


--
Grumpy Ol' Fred                  cisin at xenosoft.com