8 Dec
2002
8 Dec
'02
12:22 a.m.
Version 3.0 of my Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools is now available at
http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80resources.html. This release adds support
for the new Catweasel MK3 PCI card. The older Catweasel MK1 ISA is
still supported as well.
Standard blurb on the tools:
The Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools are software for the Catweasel
universal floppy disk controller. The tools run on both Linux and
Windows 95 or MS-DOS. Source code is included under the GPL.
cw2dmk will read several kinds of floppy disk, some of which ordinary PC
controllers have trouble with, and save them in the DMK disk image
format. (DMK is a format used by the Unix TRS-80 emulator xtrs and by
David Keil's TRS-80 emulator for MS-DOS.) cw2dmk does not just read
TRS-80 disks; it can handle (at least) any disk written using a Western
Digital 177x/179x floppy disk controller, a PC-style NEC765-compatible
controller, or a Digital Equipment Corporation RX02 controller. dmk2cw
will write any DMK image back to a real floppy disk, and handles the
same kinds of disks as cw2dmk.
The package also includes the programs dmk2jv3 and jv2dmk, which convert
between the DMK image format and the JV1 and JV3 image formats. These
programs work without a Catweasel and can be useful for moving images
between different TRS-80 emulators.
--
Tim Mann tim(a)tim-mann.org http://www.tim-mann.org/
8 Dec
8 Dec
12:31 a.m.
I've been looking at these controllers on and off for awhile. What
advantages do these have over a Central Point Option Board?
Jeff
On Sun, 2002-12-08 at 01:24, Tim Mann wrote:
Version 3.0 of my Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools is
now available at
http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80resources.html. This release adds support
for the new Catweasel MK3 PCI card. The older Catweasel MK1 ISA is
still supported as well.
Standard blurb on the tools:
The Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools are software for the Catweasel
universal floppy disk controller. The tools run on both Linux and
Windows 95 or MS-DOS. Source code is included under the GPL.
cw2dmk will read several kinds of floppy disk, some of which ordinary PC
controllers have trouble with, and save them in the DMK disk image
format. (DMK is a format used by the Unix TRS-80 emulator xtrs and by
David Keil's TRS-80 emulator for MS-DOS.) cw2dmk does not just read
TRS-80 disks; it can handle (at least) any disk written using a Western
Digital 177x/179x floppy disk controller, a PC-style NEC765-compatible
controller, or a Digital Equipment Corporation RX02 controller. dmk2cw
will write any DMK image back to a real floppy disk, and handles the
same kinds of disks as cw2dmk.
The package also includes the programs dmk2jv3 and jv2dmk, which convert
between the DMK image format and the JV1 and JV3 image formats. These
programs work without a Catweasel and can be useful for moving images
between different TRS-80 emulators.
--
Tim Mann tim(a)tim-mann.org http://www.tim-mann.org/
9 Dec
9 Dec
8:01 p.m.
> I've been looking at these [Catweasel]
controllers on and off for
> awhile. What advantages do these have over a Central Point Option
> Board?
On Sat, 7 Dec 2002, Eric Smith wrote:
One obvious advantage is that you can use Tim
Mann's Catweasel Floppy
Read/Write tools with them.
That is significant.
Although the hardware capabilities seem likely to be quite similar, not
only is the Central Point board no longer available, but while it was
available, Central Point was very unenthusiastic about having any
third party software written for it.
It is not always clear in the literature for the Catweasel as to which
capabilities are theoretical possibilities, v which ones are currently
supported by available software. And when there is a statement such as
that it can read Commodore 64 disks, does that mean that it can read and
create raw images, or transfer files to and from?
9:26 p.m.
On Mon, 2002-12-09 at 21:02, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote:
> > I've been looking at these [Catweasel]
controllers on and off for
> > awhile. What advantages do these have over a Central Point Option
> > Board?
Maybe I should have re-phrased my question as it might have come off
sounding sarcastic which wasn't my intention:
I'm interested in whether or not this controller can perform the same
functions as the Central Point OB, as the original part has obvious
limitations (as stated in the previous posts), none the least of which
are machine speed and bus interface.
What I'd be interested in:
Disk duplication: Is the controller capable of performing the same
quality of copies as the OB?
Disk images: Can the controller produce disk images for, and write
images for 1) PC 2) Mac 400K, both using a PC as the host and taking
into consideration the copy-protection requirement as stated above?
I understand defeating copy protection is not the function of this
controller, but that would be _my_ primary interest. I'm going to start
a fairly large archival project soon which would require setting up a
machine for the OB - something I'm not looking forward to. If I can do
this in a "smarter" fasion with the Catweasel controller I would rather
persue that route.
Jeff
On Sat, 7 Dec 2002, Eric Smith wrote:
One obvious advantage is that you can use Tim
Mann's Catweasel Floppy
Read/Write tools with them.
That is significant.
Although the hardware capabilities seem likely to be quite similar, not
only is the Central Point board no longer available, but while it was
available, Central Point was very unenthusiastic about having any
third party software written for it.
It is not always clear in the literature for the Catweasel as to which
capabilities are theoretical possibilities, v which ones are currently
supported by available software. And when there is a statement such as
that it can read Commodore 64 disks, does that mean that it can read and
create raw images, or transfer files to and from?
8 Dec
8 Dec
9:16 a.m.
New subject: Catweasel on Mac OS X? (was Re: Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools, version 3.0)
I've been contemplating getting one of the PCI catweasel cards, and the
website says they will work in a Mac, but will it work under Mac OS X?
Also, will it work only through a special utility, or will the computer
be able to use it as a regular disk drive? (i.e. mount media on
desktop, drag files to and from) Likewise, would there have to be some
utility or something to tell the computer that a disk has been
inserted, or would this new controller be able to sense that? There is
a disk change line on PC floppy drives, but the standard PC controller
doesn't support it. (IIRC)
Ian Primus
ian_primus(a)yahoo.com
On Sunday, December 8, 2002, at 01:32 AM, Jeffrey H. Ingber wrote:
I've been looking at these controllers on and off
for awhile. What
advantages do these have over a Central Point Option Board?
Jeff
On Sun, 2002-12-08 at 01:24, Tim Mann wrote:
Version 3.0 of my Catweasel Floppy Read/Write
Tools is now available
at
http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80resources.html. This release adds
support
for the new Catweasel MK3 PCI card. The older Catweasel MK1 ISA is
still supported as well.
Standard blurb on the tools:
The Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools are software for the Catweasel
universal floppy disk controller. The tools run on both Linux and
Windows 95 or MS-DOS. Source code is included under the GPL.
cw2dmk will read several kinds of floppy disk, some of which ordinary
PC
controllers have trouble with, and save them in the DMK disk image
format. (DMK is a format used by the Unix TRS-80 emulator xtrs and by
David Keil's TRS-80 emulator for MS-DOS.) cw2dmk does not just read
TRS-80 disks; it can handle (at least) any disk written using a
Western
Digital 177x/179x floppy disk controller, a PC-style NEC765-compatible
controller, or a Digital Equipment Corporation RX02 controller.
dmk2cw
will write any DMK image back to a real floppy disk, and handles the
same kinds of disks as cw2dmk.
The package also includes the programs dmk2jv3 and jv2dmk, which
convert
between the DMK image format and the JV1 and JV3 image formats. These
programs work without a Catweasel and can be useful for moving images
between different TRS-80 emulators.
--
Tim Mann tim(a)tim-mann.org http://www.tim-mann.org/
11 Dec
11 Dec
8:09 a.m.
New subject: Catweasel on Mac OS X? (was Re: Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools, version 3.0)
I've been contemplating getting one of the PCI
catweasel cards, and the
website says they will work in a Mac, but will it work under Mac OS X?
I talked to Jens about this, and he says driver software for OS X is in
the works. He has no plans to support OS 9 at this time. I don't know the
details about the implementation beyond that.
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu
-- "I think you underestimate the sneakiness." --------------------------------
12:49 p.m.
New subject: Catweasel on Mac OS X? (was Re: Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools, version 3.0)
I've been
contemplating getting one of the PCI catweasel cards, and the
website says they will work in a Mac, but will it work under Mac OS X?
I talked
to Jens about this, and he says driver software for OS X is in
the works. He has no plans to support OS 9 at this time. I don't know the
details about the implementation beyond that.
8:19 p.m.
New subject: Catweasel on Mac OS X? (was Re: Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools, version 3.0)
> > I've been contemplating getting one of
the PCI catweasel cards, and the
> > website says they will work in a Mac, but will it work under Mac OS X?
> I talked to Jens about this, and he says driver
software for OS X is in
> the works. He has no plans to support OS 9 at this time. I don't know the
> details about the implementation beyond that.
Once again, the Catweasel people seemingly do not
differentiate between
the theoretical and/or hardware capabilities of the board, and what is
CURRENTLY supported and/or has software.
This happens a lot to us in the Mac world :-/
It COULD (theoretically) work in a Mac, but the
software needed to do so
does not exist?
That's what it seems like. Obviously I won't be buying one until the
software is available, since the most current PC I own is ISA-only (and
I like it that way).
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu
-- Spotted on a coffee mug: "Say NO to drugs" -- Chuck Reiman, r.h.f ----------
12 Dec
12 Dec
12:22 a.m.
New subject: Catweasel on Mac OS X? (was Re: Catweasel Floppy Read/Write Tools, version 3.0)
This happens a lot to us in the Mac world :-/
> It COULD (theoretically) work in a Mac, but the software needed to do so
> does not exist?
Many claim "it works on a mac" based on availability of PC cards or PC
emulation on the mac, ie it works on a mac, but only when the mac does
exactly what a PC does.
8061
days inactive
8065
days old
9 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
-
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
ian_primus＠yahoo.com -
jingber＠ix.netcom.com -
mikeford＠socal.rr.com -
spectre＠stockholm.ptloma.edu -
tim＠tim-mann.org