Hi, all. I'm looking at options for floppy emulators and came across this thing:
https://amigastore.eu/en/825-sdbox.html
I only have a vague idea of how Gotek emulators work, but those seem to be the preferred option for replacing floppy media. At the risk of asking a stupid question, what's the difference between the SDBox and a Gotek?
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Frobozz
- USA
These days you can choose between a lot of Gotek-variants and the HxC emulator. Personally I prefer the HxC but eventually this really comes down to personal preferences I would say.
Goteks and HxCs replace the Floppy drive.
The SDBox is a totally different device. It plugs to the parallel ports and additionally needs power. If you then load a driver (like from floppy
), you can access the SDCard like a hard disk. A few other Amiga-specialties also need be considered.
Goteks and HxCs replace the Floppy drive.
The SDBox is a totally different device. It plugs to the parallel ports and additionally needs power. If you then load a driver (like from floppy
), you can access the SDCard like a hard disk. A few other Amiga-specialties also need be considered.-
Frobozz
- USA
It sounds like the SDBox is a poor man's Gotek/HxC, in other words. Thanks for clearing that up.
Since you went with an HxC emulator, what benefits do those models have over the Gotek (I hope I'm not inadvertently walking into a "Vim vs. Emacs"-style holy war
)?
Since you went with an HxC emulator, what benefits do those models have over the Gotek (I hope I'm not inadvertently walking into a "Vim vs. Emacs"-style holy war
)?In a way, you areI hope I'm not inadvertently walking into a "Vim vs. Emacs"-style holy war
. When I got my first HxC, the Goteks weren’t available as they are now. Back then, there were some hacks necessary if they were running at all as an Amiga Floppy replacement.
Today, it seems there is little if any difference as they share a similar firmware. Don’t know if all of the goteks out there need a USB stick, I like that the HxC uses an SD card.
With all these variants of goteks out, I sometimes am under the impression that you don’t exactly know what you get. Including stuff like display etc.
The Goteks are a good, viable solution, though.
By the way, the SDBox is rather a very simple Hard Disk replacement.
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Frobozz
- USA
Thanks again for the info. Ideally, what I'd like to do is get a working floppy drive in the A1200 and an external SD floppy emulator of some sort for both it and my A500. Given that SD-based Gotek solutions are apparently pretty rare on the ground, it looks like an HxC might suit me better.
Make sure to check if the latest firmware of the HxCs support direct loading of ADF (floppy images).
Previously, you needed to convert those. I *think* you can load these directly now but you might want to make sure. Otherwise, the goteks might be at an advantage.
Previously, you needed to convert those. I *think* you can load these directly now but you might want to make sure. Otherwise, the goteks might be at an advantage.
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A10001986
- 1986
I was hardcore HxC in the beginning, but with the introduction of the OLED displays and - first and foremost - the rotary image selector, I switched to Gotek (with FlashFloppy firmware). If you have a couple of dozen floppy images on the media, pressing up/down buttons is a PITA.
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intric8
- Seattle, WA, USA
My approach these past couple of years has always been to keep an original internal floppy working and true (I have a ton of boxed original games, and they all work). But, from a Gotek perspective I use an external just like an extra floppy drive.
And, I use a case from an external CA-880 that makes the Gotek conversion almost appear to have been made in a factory (imo) so it matches everything really nicely.
And, if you're running a later OS (post-OS1.3) you can hold down your mouse-buttons to get to a boot menu and select an external as the boot drive. I've not tried this with a Gotek before, to be honest.
Some folks go an extra step and create a boot selector switch. I've never gone down that road, personally. Like I said, my internal floppy drives all work great so I've not had a real need to change my process. Everyone is different.
Frankly, by making the Gotek an external drive option, I only use it on occasion. But when I do need it, it's really convenient and nice (like using an ADF I find online on an old machine - it's a snap).
And, I use a case from an external CA-880 that makes the Gotek conversion almost appear to have been made in a factory (imo) so it matches everything really nicely.
- I'm with A10001986; the OLED and rotary dial sold me. If I'd been able to get a beige Gotek the conversion would have been aesthetically perfect. But the gray looks nice enough for me.
And, if you're running a later OS (post-OS1.3) you can hold down your mouse-buttons to get to a boot menu and select an external as the boot drive. I've not tried this with a Gotek before, to be honest.
Some folks go an extra step and create a boot selector switch. I've never gone down that road, personally. Like I said, my internal floppy drives all work great so I've not had a real need to change my process. Everyone is different.
Frankly, by making the Gotek an external drive option, I only use it on occasion. But when I do need it, it's really convenient and nice (like using an ADF I find online on an old machine - it's a snap).
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fxgogo
- Twickenham , U.K.
I have built an internal Openflops(Gotek type) into my A500 while keeping the original floppy drive and added a splitter with a switch to choose which drive to use. I suspect in a decade or so, none of my floppy’s will work,so it will be there just for looks.