Hard sector support status?

[nullvalue0]

I see there have been various attempts to add hard sector support to FlashFloppy. Looks like issues 393, 400 & 412.

In particular I have a Micropolis/Vector Graphic S-100 computer that I'd love to be able to use with a Gotek (VGI images available here: https://deramp.com/downloads/vector_graphic/software/disk_images/Micropolis%20controller/)

Just wondering what the current status is?

[keirf]

There's beta support in latest experimental v4 firmware. You will need a suitable hard-sectored HFEv3 image file. There is a script in #400 which is tailored for Micropolis. And also you can ask @ejona86 about it.

[ejona86]

@nullvalue0, the data in that capture looks perfect. I don't see any hiccups. The index pulses look great and the alignment with the data looks great, even when seeking. I decoded the data and the checksums were valid. A spot-check of the first sector showed the same data as VG09.

[nullvalue0]

Wow.. Thanks so much for reviewing, that's good news..... I think. That means I must have a hardware problem somewhere. There were a few more Read Operation tests in the page that @hharte linked to, I'll try carrying those out.

[nullvalue0]

@ejona86 @hharte So the final tests it talks about is checking the DIG signal. It's definitely doing something when the disk read operation starts, then once it reaches the part where it hangs, the DIG pin continues pulsing.

Then it says to check for proper operation of the output data buffers at D11 and D12. I did these in 2 separate tests. Both chips' results look similar. It's basically just sending data all the time it seems - regardless of whether the disk is being read or not. I'm not sure if this is expected behavior? The PulseView results are also uploaded below.

PulseView3.zip

[nullvalue0]

Do you think I'd have better luck if I tried switching to a different FDC like the Dual Mode FD HD board? @ejona86 which controller do you have in your Vector 4?

[ejona86]

If you have a Dual-Mode board and it would work with your system, that is what I use and it is solid. The same PCB was used for an FD-only version of it that also works well. I'm pretty confident every Vector 4 used one of those two boards, and I've only used them in the Vector 4. Be aware the Vector 4 used a modified S-100 bus with regulated power lines.

You can find its manual and schematic on bitsavers. s100computers also a schematic, but I've been using the one at the end of the Vector 4 Technical Information.