Microdrive Emulator

Discussion and advice about emulating the QL on other machines.
QLObi
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by QLObi »

Hi Martin_Head,
just tested your images with Q-emulator. Saddly, either the images in your package nor the own created with your program were accepted by Q-emulator.
A very nice piece of code, worth to be improved further in handling and compatiblity (with Q-emu).
May be Danielle is willing to show you the needs for an image which will be accepted by his q-emu.
(For me his is the only really usefull emulator in the QL scene)

QLObi


Martin_Head
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by Martin_Head »

QLObi wrote:Hi Martin_Head,
just tested your images with Q-emulator. Saddly, either the images in your package nor the own created with your program were accepted by Q-emulator.
A very nice piece of code, worth to be improved further in handling and compatiblity (with Q-emu).
May be Danielle is willing to show you the needs for an image which will be accepted by his q-emu.
(For me his is the only really usefull emulator in the QL scene)

QLObi
Thanks for trying it, It seemed OK in QLAY2. I will have to have another look. I've only got a couple of MDV image files to examine that were on the QL Today Final DVD.

Does anyone know the format of QEmulator MDV files, or somewhere I can download some sample image files to look at.


QLObi
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Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:15 pm
Location: Germany Köln

Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by QLObi »

Here is a working MDV image for Q-Emulator.

QLObi
Attachments
sample.rar
Q-Emulator MDV sample image
(25.33 KiB) Downloaded 357 times


Martin_Head
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by Martin_Head »

QLObi wrote:Hi Martin_Head,
just tested your images with Q-emulator. Saddly, either the images in your package nor the own created with your program were accepted by Q-emulator.

QLObi
I have got a temporary registration code for Q-emulator, and tested my Games Cartridge image file with it, and it seems to work Ok on my copy of Q-emulator.

Can you give me more details of the problems you had with my image file on your system.


QLObi
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Location: Germany Köln

Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by QLObi »

Hi Martin,
I tested an image created with your readmdv prog. The Q-emu report an invalid image.
Can you send me your sample for cross check ?

QLObi


Martin_Head
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by Martin_Head »

QLObi wrote:Hi Martin,
I tested an image created with your readmdv prog. The Q-emu report an invalid image.
Can you send me your sample for cross check ?

QLObi
I tested with the Games Cartridge file I posted on this thread. I also sent the same file to Daniele Terdina, and he said it worked OK. The only thing he suggested is that it might be better if the sectors were stored in the same order as a real microdrive cartridge (i.e. decending order).

Just to be clear-
You say you tested an image created with the readmdv program. The Readmdv program creates an MDI image file, not a Qlay style image file that q-emulator can read.

To make a Qlay style image file. You need to use the MDIconvert program I posted in this thread to convert the MDI image from the readmdv program, to the Qlay style image file.

Does the MDI image file you create work OK with the MDI device driver?
There may be a bug in my programs that I haven't come across yet that causing you problems.

Post the MDI image file, and the converted Qlay image file you are having problems with, here on this thread and I will have a look at it so see if I can figure out whats going wrong.


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qxl-kumbah
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by qxl-kumbah »

I've downloaded both of those "mdv" image files and they both work.

Maybe the reason the other fellow's program isn't working is because they might not be registered?

I did a "brute copy" of "quil,mdv" - formatted it in Q-emulator, then copied a
bunch of my stuff on it, and will be testing it with QLay ... I didn't get a program
to make MDVs, so until I find - what's the program? - I can't make MDV blanks.

A Microdrive emulator would be kinda neat, but I like the idea of an SD card
replacing one of the MDV drives much better. :)

Am real happy with Q-emulator though ... doing what I need and it helps me
to transport files to and from my QXL - works for me !


* qxl-kumbah *
"TS-1000, Eighty-One,TS-2068, Spectrum Anywhere, QXL, QLay, and Qemulator on board"
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qxl-kumbah
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by qxl-kumbah »

QLay doesn't appear to "like" either of those image files, and
I had decided to make one "mdv" with some of my own programs,
using a "copied and Q-emulator formatted" (Quill) mdv file, but
QLay didn't work with it, either. :(

Trying to get a DIR of the "mdv" essentially hangs QLay, but the
4 fingered reset (CTL-ALT-SH-R) puts the emulation right again.

I'll get that "MDI converter" and give it a spin ...

Would like having my "personal" MDV "cart" for backup purposes
for QLay (since DOS is fairly "bare metal" and easily restored), as
well as not effected by the "Update-Disease" of Windows.

My Thinkpad doesn't have a floppy drive (although I have
Q-emulator on it), and my USB floppy drive doesn't work with
it (most likely due to my Thinkpad's USB 1.1 ports, and the
drive requires USB 2.0 ports), so I'll be using flash drives
and "disk images" for transporting data.

Maybe some sort of serial transfer would work?


* qxl-kumbah *
"TS-1000, Eighty-One,TS-2068, Spectrum Anywhere, QXL, QLay, and Qemulator on board"
Martin_Head
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by Martin_Head »

qxl-kumbah wrote:QLay doesn't appear to "like" either of those image files, and
I had decided to make one "mdv" with some of my own programs,
using a "copied and Q-emulator formatted" (Quill) mdv file, but
QLay didn't work with it, either. :(
You know that q-emulator supports two different types of mdv image files Both with ".mdv" file extensions?

QLay style, and Q-emulator style made with the mdump_exe program.

QLay image files are 174,930 bytes long, and q-emulater image files are of a varying length due to only storing the good sectors of the Microdrive.
qxl-kumbah wrote:Trying to get a DIR of the "mdv" essentially hangs QLay, but the
4 fingered reset (CTL-ALT-SH-R) puts the emulation right again.
I've had problems with the QL2K emulator like that. Don't know exactly why? There is a sort of Microdrive speed up checkbox, don't know if that has anything to do with it. Or it may be due to my created image having sectors in ascending order, rather than descending.(see my next comment)
qxl-kumbah wrote:I'll get that "MDI converter" and give it a spin ...

Would like having my "personal" MDV "cart" for backup purposes
for QLay
I'm working on an update to my Conversion program at the moment to handle conversions to and from QLay, and Q-emulator format image files. With descending sectors for QLay images.
And I'm also adding routines to create blank formatted image files.

On a side note. Does anyone know if QLay is especially fussy about the sector order in image files.
I've only got a couple of images to study. One has sectors in ascending order (I think all "good" sectors), the other in decending order. Only the second has about 20 good sectors in decending order, then about 30 dummy "bad" sectors, then the rest of the good sectors down to sector 1.
What I'm wondering is, Does QLay expect to see the "dud" sectors somewhere in the middle of the image, or not?


Martin_Head
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Re: Microdrive Emulator

Post by Martin_Head »

I've done an update to my MDI file conversion program.

It now converts my MDI (Microdrive Image) files between QLay & Q-emulator Dump mdv image files.
It can also create blank formatted image files for all three image types.

It runs at a reasonable speed in QPC2 & Q-emulator running at full speed, but is rather slow at standard QL speeds.

I've tested it in QPC2 & Q-emulator, where it seems to work OK. But when I tested it in QLay2 yesterday, It seems to make the emulator hang/go VERY slow. The screen freezes/blanks/can't move the window. It does eventually finish, but the emulator's still screwed up. I don't know if it's a problem with my system/set up of the emulator, or that the emulator doesn't like all the I/O that the program does.
Attachments
MDIConvert2.zip
Zipped in ACP
(8 KiB) Downloaded 285 times


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