Controller + SD card at ebay

This is the right place to discuss on how to implement hardware vsync, adding a VIA or AY chipset, puting multiple roms, or how to design a new flash expansion card.
jorodr
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Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by jorodr »

Hello,
you could see them at:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330934034599?ss ... 1555.l2649
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peacer
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by peacer »

Its strange. Cumulus is -as far as I know- produced in so many low numbers as an experimental project.

Its not a commercial trade product. I am really surpised and shocked.

Sorry for my feelings my friends but isn't it too much expensive? I believe this is not a business, but retro-killing. If I had such a thing, I won't sell it in million dollars.
Last edited by peacer on Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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coco.oric
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by coco.oric »

It's an HxC SD Floppy Emulator.

You can find it at :
http://lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=13
with a price of 70 €

So it's quite expensive !
coco.oric as DidierV, CEO Member
Historic owner of Oric, Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga
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peacer
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by peacer »

Sorry then, my bad..

But still I think this kind of stuff is not be aimed to gain money
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Dbug
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by Dbug »

The expensive part is not the HxC, the expensive part is the controller board.
There's an HxC on it, but you can plug standard HDDs on it.

As far as controller board goes, that one is cheap.

I was trying to get a Microdisc on ebay few years ago, and it was finally sold at 600 euros.
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peacer
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by peacer »

So can I use that HxC with my microdisc unit to load disk images on sd card?
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Dbug
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by Dbug »

peacer wrote:So can I use that HxC with my microdisc unit to load disk images on sd card?
Yes.
I bought one myself on the official site.
The HxC is really a floppy disk drive emulator. You can use it as a primary or secondary disk drive. The only difference is that it uses a SD Card instead of magnetic media :)
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peacer
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by peacer »

Thanks.

So, all I have to do is to get a HxC device and plug it into expansion port of microdisc driver right? All Oric compatible?
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by jorodr »

peacer first look if your Microdisc is with WD1793 or MB8877A. I have two Microdiscs, they are with WD1793 and don't work with HXC. When I changed the WD with MB8877A it was start working. Maybe the reason is in my chips, I don't know. Maybe Dbug's Microdisc is with some other WD1793 chips. It's interesting to know. Tell us what you find.
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by ibisum »

I have one of cumulus' original prototypes, which I got working briefly, and then it got put away and I haven't had a chance to verify it. There were some gotcha's that he discovered with the prototype cabling, which I need to look at some time. I'd love to have this sorted out so that we Oric users can just buy a simple, inexpensive solution that provides better filesharing directly at the Oric.

My Telestrat has a disc drive, phew. Also, I got recently a new floppy controller on EBay, cost me an arm and a leg .. but hey. You gotta do it. So what I'm wondering about right now is whether I can get the Telestrat MIDI and a few ATMOS MIDI'ed up, then use MIDI as the basis of a small network, with SYSEX file loading, perhaps, so the Telestrat can act as a fileserver of sorts. Hmm .. if only I had the time needed to dust it all off and play.

Anyway, yes: Microdrives come up on EBay and they are darned expensive. I'd really love to know who these collectors are, who never write any damn code! (Oops, I'm one of them..)
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by jorodr »

I don't thing about 200 euro is expensive for such a stuff. Any microdisc with unknown condition is about 150-300 euro. I have paid 310 for my last + another 50 for the shipping. The problem is than any good-working vintage stuff is expensive because of the hard-finding parts. Just try to find a board + the most important chips and pay for the shipping to buy and you will find that it's cheap :) Don't mean the soldering and living-up the schematics :)
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ibisum
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by ibisum »

Sure, 200bux is 'cheap', but its the 600bux++ microdrives that bug me. Its clear profiteering; these machines are no longer industrial or significant in a market sense, it is only hobbyists doing things with them. Thus, it feels exploitative when the prices are driven very high by collectors.
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Dbug
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by Dbug »

jorodr wrote:peacer first look if your Microdisc is with WD1793 or MB8877A. I have two Microdiscs, they are with WD1793 and don't work with HXC. When I changed the WD with MB8877A it was start working. Maybe the reason is in my chips, I don't know. Maybe Dbug's Microdisc is with some other WD1793 chips. It's interesting to know. Tell us what you find.
Mine is definitely a WD1793:

FDC1793
SMC 8415B
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by JonB »

I predict he won't sell it.

One might propose to buy it and reverse engineer for the community. That said, I don't have the hardware skills or time to do it myself. It doesn't look too complicated though!
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Re: Controller + SD card at ebay

Post by Dbug »

The schematics for this controller board are available, they have been for a while, check this forum:
http://forum.defence-force.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19

It's "just" a matter of getting the components and build it.
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