REQUEST: Amstrad CPC6128 file system ?!

[gilmod714]

Hello David,

CAN the library be adapted for reading Amstrad CPC disk format?
40 tracks - 9 sects - 512bps , but I think it is not FAT but CP/M file system

The CPC6128 can take a DRIVE-B on the rear-edge-connector natively .. (any PC 3.5" or gotek) will work fine, just with a ready signal mod

I am trying to combine your amazing library with FDDEMU by "acemielektron" to make a 2nd drive solution for my CPC

https://github.com/acemielektron/fddEMU

Many thanks in advance,

[montyleib]

Gilmo,

It looks like the CPC logical disk format is the same as the Commodore 128 CP/M and IBM 5¼ 360K SS/DD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_floppy_disk_formats). If you attach a drive or Gotek as you mention, you should be able to format, write and read with the CPC without trouble. Note that you're using AMSDOS, and won't be able to read and write files from a PC, but you can bit-copy disk images back and forth.

If you mount a CP/M image in the Gotek, it should present as a valid disk.

What I'm reading from David's code is that he is only supporting IBM PC and ZX TR-DOS formats (https://github.com/acemielektron/fddEMU/blob/main/src/FloppyDisk.cpp lines 57 thruough 103). You noticed the last line of the README, "Now fddEMU stays here as a curiosity.", didn't you?

What is your goal?

Monty

[gilmod714]

Hey Monty,

Good to hear from you again :)

the goal is to connect a Gotek-clone ( "acemielektron design") using nano & David's lib , to act as drive-B on cpc6128 , but I wasn't too sure about the CPC file system with AMSDOS

I have already tested normal 3.5" PC drives with my CPC drive-B and it reads fine as DS1 "|B , CAT" .. just want the Gotek solution instead ;)

in this pic, I had a busted gotek case and housed the clone in it .. works good on PC-side with sd card , reading .IMG disks..

I will try it again on CPC, perhaps I missed something , but it has to be .dsk image i think not .img , and code modified most likely

[montyleib]

Finally got somewhat settled from the move... ;)

It appears that the image format you're looking for is .DSK, of which I have no knowledge of.

That being said, I found a repository (https://github.com/reidrac/cpc-mastering) that has tools for creating both CDT (tape) and DSK images for loading games. The iDSK folder in the repository is the utility for creating, adding files to and viewing the contents of DSK images, including being able to create "blank" disk images you can supposedly write to from the CPC.

I would format real floppies from both CP/M and AMSDOS using the CPC, place some files on them, then use something like iDSK (or sector-cpc looks interesting... https://github.com/neuro-sys/sector-cpc ) to create and manipulate a .DSK image.

Best of luck, and have fun!

Monty

[gilmod714]

Thx for the extra info Monty and congrats on the move. Hope all is well :)