S950HxC

peterpiper wrote:I can imagine that this could be possible but you'll need an image file of a QD and this might be the hard part (never saw a QD build in a PC)

peace

me neither... or for that matter... I never saw a machine that had alternatives to qd like scsi or what have you.

Wow, these mods are mega dope! Reliable storage for a very dope sounding sampler! I like it!

I think I'd be too scared to cut a hole in my baby though...

monowax wrote:ok, here's an update for everybody who's interested in the mod.

i had two real annoying issues.
when i first tested the emulator i used the original floppy cable (reversed).
with the emulator in its actual place the cable was to short and i had to swap it with a longer one.
after that the display showed me that it's working but nothing happened. i cropped the cable to the shortest possibility. that's it.

the other was an overheating problem.
during my tests with the unrigged topcase all worked perfect.
i put the 950 together and could work for 20-30 minutes (without the emax on it).
after this time i could access the sd-card, but when i tried to load or save something it crashed everytime.

my first thought was to throw that b**** out of my setup and let it go..
then i cannibalized an old pc and put the fan in it (i think there's no better place than under the floppy cable).
it's controlled by a switch on the backside, i only have to let it run for a minute or two before i load or save something. it works.

another good thing is that you can use a mac or a pc for your backup, once you made an imagefile.

Hi,

I am the HxC Floppy Emulator designer/developper and your overheating issue interest me.
Of course this behavior is not normal, and there are probably an serious problem (PSU failure?).
What happened when the system crash ? (what is crashed ? The Floppy Emulator ? the S950 ? Both ?)
Can you check the +5V voltage level when the system is hot ?
Have you tried another SDCard ?

Hey Jeff. You did a great job!!
The PSU of the 950 is right above the place the floppy drive nomally sits so the heat of it directly warm up the HxC. But I also think that this shouldn't happen (I wouldn't wonder about such a behaviour in a old SP1200 tho, cause people always say that this thing gets REAL hot).

A solution for the crashing (beside try to find out the root of the heat) would probably be a kind of case around the interface that work as a barrier.

peace

I'll contact you as soon as I got some extra money to spend. my 950 want that HxC too

peterpiper wrote:Hey Jeff. You did a great job!!

Hi Jeff

I know there is a list of compatible samplers and synths on your site.

Im pretty sure the members here would be interested to know if the HxC has been tested with MPC60, 60II, 3000/LE, Akai S Series, Ensoniq ASR-10 etc, etc...

Could you post a new thread here on this site complete with all relevant info and links, you have potential customers here who could even assist with development in some way.

Personally I'm more interested in custom fits and fitments that do not require you to cut holes in the gear to look neat and tidy. I won't take the plunge until I am convinced the end result will be neat and contained internally.

Clint

clint246clint wrote:

peterpiper wrote:Hey Jeff. You did a great job!!

Definitely!!

Hi Jeff,
when i start my 950 i can load/save anything normal.

After a view minutes (it can take 20 minutes, when i chop samples) i try to save my project.
It starts to save the first sample and interrupps while the second, third.. That has no regularity.
The same thing for loading a project.
I have the sound (from the emulator) on and it seems to me that everything runs a bit slower before it quits.
Then i get the "OOPS! BAD DATA FROM DISK"-Message and all LED's flashing.

The 950 runs stable, i can switch to another menue and continue.
The 5V are constant, cold or hot.

I have two SD-Cards, that do the same:

San Disk Ultra SDHC - 4GB
San Disk Ultra II SD - 2GB

I have another 950 and could swap the PSU, but i don't think it's faulty.

monowax wrote:

clint246clint wrote:

peterpiper wrote:Hey Jeff. You did a great job!!

Definitely!!

Hi Jeff,
when i start my 950 i can load/save anything normal.

After a view minutes (it can take 20 minutes, when i chop samples) i try to save my project.
It starts to save the first sample and interrupps while the second, third.. That has no regularity.
The same thing for loading a project.
I have the sound (from the emulator) on and it seems to me that everything runs a bit slower before it quits.
Then i get the "OOPS! BAD DATA FROM DISK"-Message and all LED's flashing.

The 950 runs stable, i can switch to another menue and continue.
The 5V are constant, cold or hot.

I have two SD-Cards, that do the same:

San Disk Ultra SDHC - 4GB
San Disk Ultra II SD - 2GB

I have another 950 and could swap the PSU, but i don't think it's faulty.

Hi,

the PSU swap test interest me.

Do you have an idea of the temperature inside the s950 when it is hot ?

monowax wrote:I have the sound (from the emulator) on and it seems to me that everything runs a bit slower before it quits.

Interesting. So if you let the device getting hot, all become slow on the floppy emulator (sound, file image selection, lcd scroll line) Right ? If yes there are probably a problem with the Quartz of the floppy emulator if the PSU is ok. In this case an exchange is possible.

Anybody else got this issue in the S950 ?

EDIT : Another thing : are you sure that the board isn't in direct contact with the S950 metalic case ? can you put something (a piece of plastic or paper) under the board to avoid accidental contact with the s950's case?


EDIT2 : In fact your floppy length issue isn't normal... And it is maybe same problem as the temperature issue. Can you make 2 High resolution pictures of the floppy emulator pcb (top and bottom without the lcd) ?

Jeff_HxC2001 wrote:Do you have an idea of the temperature inside the s950 when it is hot ?

Hello,

Mine is in maintenance at the moment and I have a multimeter with a temperature probe (which I must admit doesn't seem to be the most reliable thing on earth).

So I put it between the floppy drive and the PSU board not too deep. I let the S950 plugged approximately one hour (on a desk and nothing on top of the unit) and the temperature went from 21 degrees celsus (temperature of the room) to 26 degrees.

The PSU board has a big heatsink on the side and I think most of the heat goes out from the side and the top.

Sorry for the delay. I had no time to swap it until today.
The result is the same, no difference between the old and new psu.

I have no multimeter or thermometer to test it right now.
Maybe i'll borrow one in the next days.
Like i said before "it seems to be slower", it's like the data transfer would stuck.
I tried to do a video, but the quality was useless.

The pcb has no contact to the case (except for the 2 screws to hold it), i used the original material that was under the floppy drive.

It's not that easy to take the pictures, cause the emulator's switches are wired/glued to the frontplate.

mr_debauch wrote:

peterpiper wrote:I can imagine that this could be possible but you'll need an image file of a QD and this might be the hard part (never saw a QD build in a PC)

peace

me neither... or for that matter... I never saw a machine that had alternatives to qd like scsi or what have you.

QuickDisk system is very different from Floppy disk. QuickDisk operates like a tape or vinyl record, it does not have sectors, it is linear. I don't think HxC can be used as a QuickDisk substitute.

JVC wrote:

mr_debauch wrote:

peterpiper wrote:I can imagine that this could be possible but you'll need an image file of a QD and this might be the hard part (never saw a QD build in a PC)

peace

me neither... or for that matter... I never saw a machine that had alternatives to qd like scsi or what have you.

QuickDisk system is very different from Floppy disk. QuickDisk operates like a tape or vinyl record, it does not have sectors, it is linear. I don't think HxC can be used as a QuickDisk substitute.

I know, but maybe it is still possible. these guys would need to make a unit specially as a qd replacement and not a multi drive that works to replace floppies too... The way the emulator works is it creates an image of the disk right? so maybe it could be possible to use the same method for QD emulation... (also with qd you save one sound per side of the disk)

JVC wrote:

mr_debauch wrote:

peterpiper wrote:I can imagine that this could be possible but you'll need an image file of a QD and this might be the hard part (never saw a QD build in a PC)

peace

me neither... or for that matter... I never saw a machine that had alternatives to qd like scsi or what have you.

QuickDisk system is very different from Floppy disk. QuickDisk operates like a tape or vinyl record, it does not have sectors, it is linear. I don't think HxC can be used as a QuickDisk substitute.

In fact with some firmware change this is possible

nice work

Jeff_HxC2001 wrote:

JVC wrote:QuickDisk system is very different from Floppy disk. QuickDisk operates like a tape or vinyl record, it does not have sectors, it is linear. I don't think HxC can be used as a QuickDisk substitute.

In fact with some firmware change this is possible

Please do! You've been doing an amazing job!
It seems hard job to test the compatibility, since there are a few different version of QuickDisk system.

JVC wrote:

Jeff_HxC2001 wrote:

JVC wrote:QuickDisk system is very different from Floppy disk. QuickDisk operates like a tape or vinyl record, it does not have sectors, it is linear. I don't think HxC can be used as a QuickDisk substitute.

In fact with some firmware change this is possible

Please do! You've been doing an amazing job!
It seems hard job to test the compatibility, since there are a few different version of QuickDisk system.

while I would love the QD emulator for something like the s700/x7000... as you said there being different sorts... it would probably be the better move to set one up for the famicom disk system first as it would likely make quite a bit of money especially in japan. people to this day are trying to find workarounds for the damn rubber belt that breaks... people want their doki doki panic!