As you know I've recently restored a couple of CP/M luggable
computers. I also have many other machines with floppy disk drives,
3", 3.5", 5.25" and 8"
The machine I connect to the internet with is a more modern laptop
runnng Windows 8.1. Essentially its only interfaces are USB ports.
I would like to be able to :
Download disk images (I assume in .IMD or .TD0 format) and write them
to real floppy disks to use in my old machnes
If possble, for the more common filesystems like MS-DOS or CP/M, be
able to work with these images on the modern PC at the file level. For
example, if I download a CP/M progam as a .COM file I'd like to be
able to put it into a disk image of a Philips P2000C disk, then
transfer that image to a real floppy and put it in a drive on the
Philips machine.
I understand there are designed based on a modern microcontroller that
connecct to a USB port and a disk drive. Software on the PC translates
between the disk image and the accurately-timed pulses corresponding
to flux transitions on the disk. This unit links to a real disk drive,
you run the software and it reads/writes a real disk in said disk
drive.
Now... I can handle a 'scope. I can handle a logic analyser. I can
handle a soldering iron. I can handle an engineer's lathe. I can
rebuld and align floppy disk drives. I can program most 8-bit micros
along with PERQ microcode, PDP11 mahine code, etc BUT I don't have a
clue when it comes to modern PCs, modern microcontrollers or USB
ports.
So what I am asking is for people to describe what to do as in :
Buy this microcontroller board
Buy this blank PCB and solder the components given in the BOM to it.
Download this software and install it by doing this.
Connect a standard floppy drive to this connector
Run the software, specify the disk image file and sit back.
-tony