Floppy disk to USB - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Squarewave
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 08:44:43 pm
content: Does anyone know of a good floppy disk to USB adapter, rather than using one of the newer external USB floppy drives? Thanks.

author: chilternview
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 08:53:07 pm
content: You mean something like this?https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BB5YHT42?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

author: Squarewave
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 08:55:46 pm
content: Yes, basically something like that, if someone has used it and knows it works well. Is this something you've used?

author: blue_lateral
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 10:10:23 pm
content: I have used one that looks just like that. Works well? No. Well maybe yes depending on how you look at it.My advice is use an external USB floppy, and unplug it when you aren't using it. If you are thinking about having an internal floppy, that is what I was trying to do. The board itself works fine. It is the same board that is in some external drives. If you are running some modern form of Linux or Windows, the drive is going to constantly seek because it doesn't have any way to know whether there is media inserted. It will drive you crazy. This is a limitation of the floppy platform, combined with modern ideas about removable media. On Linux it is possible to get udev (I think it was udev) configured to specifically ignore your internal drive, and just go back to manually mounting and unmounting disks just like it was done in the floppy days. Windows never manually mounted floppies like that in the first place, so it is likely to be not so easy. I have heard there is a way though. I haven't tried it because I've not used Windows in years.Most of these boards use the same chipset I think. 1.44mb 3-1/2" floppies only.

author: chilternview
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 12:02:20 am
content: Quote from: Squarewave on August 28, 2024, 08:55:46 pmYes I have one in a PC I use with my test equipment, primarily for GPIB control. The floppy comes in handy as some test gear can read and write DOS formatted floppies for plots etc. I used it with a USB2 splitter to split the USB2 header on the motherboard (else you have to plug a USB plug into an external socket which is a bit messy). Works well, does give a 'thunk' on power up but during use its quiet.

author: Squarewave
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 08:58:38 am
content: Quote from: blue_lateral on August 28, 2024, 10:10:23 pmI did read that some people had reliability issues with the modern USB drives, some wouldn't read or write 720kb disks and some had other issues?Quote from: chilternview on August 29, 2024, 12:02:20 amThe main reason I'm wanting one is for test equipment actually. I have a few boardmasters where the only way to get things on and off is via floppy disk, so I'm looking to then want to get that data onto a modern PC to back up and archive the files.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 09:17:02 am
content: Another option is to use a floppy emulator like you can find here:https://www.gotekemulator.com/Stick that into your test equipment and use an USB stick to transfer the data.I own one, though most likely a clone, but have not used it. Bought it for my Yamaha SY77 but never got round to installing it.There are lots of videos to be found on using and even modifying them.

author: Squarewave
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 12:12:03 pm
content: That's a good idea and will work for a part of it, but I'd still need a floppy drive to create images of some of the floppy disks I have. It may even be worth me trying to source an old laptop with a floppy drive and USB ports.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 03:14:57 pm
content: Quote from: Squarewave on August 29, 2024, 12:12:03 pmYes that is indeed a good reason for a real drive. I already have all the needed floppy images in my digital archive, but also have some old hardware around with floppy drives in them, and a stack of replacement drives for in the PC. These also work in the Yamaha, but need an adapter cable, same as the Gotek emulator one. Something from, I believe, 26 pins to 34 pins.