Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
 Reply Share on Facebook

Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Clint Thu Jun 27, 2013 6:33 pm
fooddude wrote:
- I still have a bunch of old project/song floppies for my 60. How do I transfer them to this usb-drive/stick? I assume I need to dump them somehow onto my computer first, then onto the usb stick. How do I do so (mac programs?). I only have a macbook pro and I also have a modern Lacie external-usb-floppy-drive (which I've never used yet) ..will the lacie drive and macbook work to transfer my old mpc60 floppies onto my computer then onto the gotek usb-drive with some kind of program? (note: i have no PCs)

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By fooddude Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:05 am
Using the Lacie floppy drive:

-Drag n drop an old project mpc60 floppy to macbook desktop..works
-Drag n drop that original mpc60 floppy data on the desktop containing snd and params into a new floppy (for testing purposes to see if it transfers into a diff/new floppy successfully)...took long, after 20-30mins wasn't going anywhere so I gave up and tested the smaller params file....which worked
-Loading that aforsaid new test floppy data containing the params file...didn't work in the mpc..it listed a params file and 5-6 new weird/foreign files..none of the new loaded files worked. (note: the "new' test floppy was formatted on mpc60 prior to loading...720kb disks). Even if it did work, that's still only the small params file..what about the bigger snds file that doesn't load into the new floppy? The floppy just stays running for 20-30+ mins.

Additinally, I tested my old 1.44m s950 floppies on the Lacie to macbook... the floppy ran for a couple seconds then shut off as if it was empty..macbook didn't recognize anything and nothing showed up on my desktop. Kinda weird if you think about it...that my Lacie/Macbook can read/recognize an older style 720k floppy from an older mpc60..yet couldn't read/recognize the s950/1.44m floppy at all.. I would've thought it would be the other way around (since the s950 and 1.44m are a couple years newer technology).

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Clint Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:47 pm
Windows XP is known to be preferable for this type of thing. Other Win 32-bit OS may also get the job done. People with floppy disk libraries to backup or transfer have been doing the same thing with CF card readers for a long time now. All the info is here if you look for it.

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Jeff_HxC2001 Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:50 pm
fooddude wrote:Additinally, I tested my old 1.44m s950 floppies on the Lacie to macbook... the floppy ran for a couple seconds then shut off as if it was empty..macbook didn't recognize anything and nothing showed up on my desktop. Kinda weird if you think about it...that my Lacie/Macbook can read/recognize an older style 720k floppy from an older mpc60..yet couldn't read/recognize the s950/1.44m floppy at all.. I would've thought it would be the other way around (since the s950 and 1.44m are a couple years newer technology).


Not a surprise : the S900 & S950 use a non standard sector layout and non-dos file system. If you want make images from these floppies disk you must use specialized software (omniflop,...) with an internal floppy disk drive on a PC.

fooddude wrote:-Drag n drop an old project mpc60 floppy to macbook desktop..works
-Drag n drop that original mpc60 floppy data on the desktop containing snd and params into a new floppy (for testing purposes to see if it transfers into a diff/new floppy successfully)...took long, after 20-30mins wasn't going anywhere so I gave up and tested the smaller params file....which worked
-Loading that aforsaid new test floppy data containing the params file...didn't work in the mpc..it listed a params file and 5-6 new weird/foreign files..none of the new loaded files worked. (note: the "new' test floppy was formatted on mpc60 prior to loading...720kb disks). Even if it did work, that's still only the small params file..what about the bigger snds file that doesn't load into the new floppy? The floppy just stays running for 20-30+ mins.


Not a surprise here too :
True/native MPC60 floppy disks are formatted to have 800KB available for the user. These USB floppies disk drives generaly only support 1.44MB and 720KB disk format. Once again you need a PC with an internal floppy disk drive to read them correctly.
Be aware that there are more datas on these floppy that these dos based floppy emulator can hold per "partition" (720KB VS 800KB).

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By fooddude Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:19 pm
Darn...so no new revelations into using a modern macbook? I guess not. What about programs like carbon copy?

Ah well..I guess I'll just scratch that idea of getting a floppy emulator for my Akais ..as buying and finding space for an old PC with internal floppy (I dont have money nor room) sounds like a bigger hassle than just easily picking up a couple floppies when I need them on ebay.

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Clint Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:45 pm
If you can find a cheap, old Win98 or WinXP laptop thats a good start. If it has a built-in floppy drive thats even better, but I believe you can get around that using a USB floppy drive and a program other than Omniflop to create disc images.

I don't think using a Mac is impossible, but you gotta do your homework and have the right OS to make it work. A good search of the forums or using Google will throw up a few tales of success and frustration. Using Win is infinitely easier.

Think about MPC Editor or RS-16X users, and what they have to do... :wink:

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By fooddude Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:52 pm
ya...

or, another option is just to start using the Gotek, as is, for my new upcoming projects, and just leave my old floppies in storage and collect dust, and maybe just transfer them in the future, if I ever need them..hehe. That'll always work. Afterall, a Gotek drive costs cheaper than a 30 or 50 pack of DD floppies on ebay ;)

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Clint Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
fooddude wrote:ya...

or, another option is just to start using the Gotek, as is, for my new upcoming projects, and just leave my old floppies in storage and collect dust


Save them for when you get another MPC60, or an MPC3000.

Also, as far as I know you will need OS 3.10 in your MPC60 to use the GOTEK. I seem to remember you're still running 2.xx.

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By fooddude Thu Jul 04, 2013 2:59 pm
Clint wrote:
fooddude wrote:ya...

or, another option is just to start using the Gotek, as is, for my new upcoming projects, and just leave my old floppies in storage and collect dust


Save them for when you get another MPC60, or an MPC3000.

Also, as far as I know you will need OS 3.10 in your MPC60 to use the GOTEK. I seem to remember you're still running 2.xx.


Drats! Ya, I'm still on 2.xx :(

...so the Gotek def doesn't work with OS 2.xx??? ....or, has noone tried it yet? I hope the latter. I would think it would work still maybe, since it is just a floppy drive emulator, and not a zip floppy that requires 3.10 and SCSI, ya?

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Clint Thu Jul 04, 2013 8:51 pm
Clint wrote:as far as I know you will need OS 3.10 in your MPC60 to use the GOTEK. I seem to remember you're still running 2.xx.


fooddude wrote:...so the Gotek def doesn't work with OS 2.xx??? ....or, has noone tried it yet?


gilles wrote:I just got the SFRM72-FU...I put some .SND files from my PC on the USB then trying to load it. MPC60 2.02 can find the name of files but can't load (wrong version). I have the 3.10 but not yet installed, i plan to do it tomorrow...i couldn't resist, i place 3.10 chips and I can load any .SND files. I'm able to read AND write sampled sound ! It is realy great !


@fooddude

You posted in that thread a good few times, maybe you should read it again?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=148895

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By fooddude Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:04 am
Hmmmm...I just thought of the most simplest solution for transferring your old(but cherished) floppies into the Gotek USB (please correct me if I am wrong or if it wont work)....

...can't you just have the MPC opened/propped up, and switch off b/n original floppy drive and gotek/usb drive as you transfer old floppy data into the new USB gotek?

ex: having the gotek(with USB stick plugged in) and also the original-floppy-drive nearby, while the MPC is propped open: have the original floppy drive plugged in firstly > insert old floppy project/sound/seq/etc. disk > load it into the mpc60's internal memory > unplug the original floppy drive > plug in the new gotek/usb drive > save sound/seq/etc into the new gotek/usb drive...viola! (and repeat for the rest of your old mpc60 floppies that you want to keep still.

Will this work? If yes, this sounds like a very good alternative/option, to those that can't find a solution(and/or doesn't have an old pc/mac with an internal floppy drive, program, and whatever else is needed, that will be a pain getting all setup and working..just for transferring old floppies into the gotek usb) to keep/save old floppies into the Gotek USB drive.

Opinions?

Edit:
Assuming 3.1os is already installed
Last edited by fooddude on Tue Sep 10, 2013 5:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: Transferring MPC60 Floppies onto USB for GOTEK emulator

By Acid Mitch Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:49 am
fooddude wrote:Opinions?


That's a "shocking" idea , :lol: :lol:

Aside from risk of electrical damage, if os 2.02 can't load files from a Floppy emulator, does it really matter how you get the files on the memory stick ? They won't be read anyway.
 Reply
Return to MPC3000, MPC60