The Sinclair QL Forum

Hi all
I have a dual floppy drive and a spare gotek drive I was going to use it by swapping one floppy drive out putting the gotek in so I can transfer software off the gotek to a floppy.
My question is what do I need to put on the USB pen drive so the ql will recognize it.
Many thanks

I'm not a Gotek owner, but if I understood correctly you must prepare the Usb drive connecting it to PC and using the provided Gotek software. Unless you use a Goldcard, probably you'll have to set as 720K disk. Then the pendrive can be recognised as floppy disc(s).
You also must set the Gotek as drive O or 1 (DS0 or DS1) according to your drives arrangement.
I recommend you to read the Gotek manual for further and more accurate information.

Hi,

The unmodified Gotek uses DOS based 8+3 file names with 99 or 999 slots depending on tgey the type either 720Kb or 1.44Mb

To save data a way of reading MSDOS disks will be required, or use of SMSQ/E. And a disk controller that can access 720Kb and 1.44Mb disk formats.

But there is a free flash update that can be done with a little hardware mod. to the Gotek to access other disk formats, maybe this is the
way to go, see:

https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy

Hi
I have put flash floppy on the gotek but what software do I need to convert the usb stick to a floppy so the files can be found by the ql.
many thanks

Hi, i'm in the process of doing exactly the same thing.

I can let you have a copy of a blank 720k disk image i'm using. PM me if you want a copy. I created it using QemuLator but It needs to be the registered version.

The FF config is just the standard one and as others have said, a jumper needs to be on S0 or S1 depending on which drive the gotek is.

Regards,


Andy.

Hi,

The Flash Floppy system does not havr a QL file system.

To use an existing format, i.e Atari ST or MSDOS format, a way of reading MSDOS disks would be required.

How hard would it be to write a QL File Sytem?

Derek, for someone there might be confusion in understanding the difference between format and file system. Let me try to clarify.
The QL tipically uses the very same format as MS-DOS (720K, or 1.44 MB for Goldcard). But the floppy disk drive, managed by the QL disk controller, writes the necessary Qdos file system.
Are you saying that the Gotek PC software, which prepares the USB drive, not only formats several "disk images" , but also writes the MSDOS file system? And then the Gotek drive, even if managed by the QL disk controller, cannot write the Qdos file system?

Hi all
Someone on a different post mentioned using ipcas software to format the USB stick into a disk format but I have searched for the software but cannot find it anywhere to download unless anyone knows where to find it.

You should be able to use standard 720kB DS/DD PC floppy disk images (or 1.44MB HD, in case you have a GC/SGC). First thing you have to do once you have connected the GoTek to your QL is

• Mount the PC-Image
• "FORMAT flp1_" (or whatever your GoTek is on the QL) to put a QL file system onto that image.

After that, you should be able to use that image like a normal floppy.

Tobias