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By Renski Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:06 am
Guys,
Regarding my MPC2000 Classic/Gotek USB Floppy Emulator project, I took the advice of a forum member and purchased a pre-flashed emulator with pre-installed HxC boot loader for USB firmware updates.

The eBay seller was supposedly located within the U.S.A., thus I made the purchase in order to avoid overseas delays or other presupposed complications. When it arrived, I discovered that the seller was "Andrei" and stickers on the emulator read "www.deftaudio.ru" despite the eBay seller location listing of Mather, California, U.S.A.. There is no model identification sticker on the Gotek emulator I received (which is usually located underneath the red/green LEDs) and no purchase order receipt was provided within the shipping packaging.

An internet .pdf document claims that powering on while pressing the two buttons will reveal a 8-segment numbers indicating the specific firmware version/model of the emulator. However, when I press and hold two buttons during power-up, it only places my Gotek into boot loader firmware update mode and causes an LED readout of "Ldr" which I presume stands for "loader."

I've spent a considerable amount of time switching jumper configurations and applying various software/USB combinations (using .hde, .img. image formats) and have also utilized three different USB drives to no avail:

SanDisk 512 mb (FAT),
Cruzer 2Gb (FAT), and
SanDisk 16Gb (FAT32)

I sent "Andrei" an email requesting specificity regarding the type/model/firmware of the drive I was sent and am awaiting a response. In the meanwhile, anyone have any quick solution that might provide a remedy? Upon power-up, my MPC2000 first cycles through the SCSI channels (0-7) and then prompts me to insert the MPC O.S. in the floppy drive. I have yet to get a successful boot despite all of the different configurations I've used.

Any ideas on what might work or what I (or "Andrei") may have done incorrectly? I'm using the HxC Floppy Emulator v.2.1.4.0 in my attempts to put the 1.72 O.S. onto the various-sized USB flash drives. Any insights or help on this matter? My experiment is a failure at this point. :oops:

BTW - Anyone else find it extremely difficult to locate HxC Bootloader info on the internet? I cannot find any guide or instructions on how to interpret bootloader LED read-outs once the unit is placed into boot loader mode.
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By JUKE 179r Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:16 pm
@ renski... did you try and format the USB stick as FAT 16 and then add the OS files?
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By Horseclick Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:36 pm
Renski wrote:Guys,
Regarding my MPC2000 Classic/Gotek USB Floppy Emulator project, I took the advice of a forum member and purchased a pre-flashed emulator with pre-installed HxC boot loader for USB firmware updates.

The eBay seller was supposedly located within the U.S.A., thus I made the purchase in order to avoid overseas delays or other presupposed complications. When it arrived, I discovered that the seller was "Andrei" and stickers on the emulator read "www.deftaudio.ru" despite the eBay seller location listing of Mather, California, U.S.A.. There is no model identification sticker on the Gotek emulator I received (which is usually located underneath the red/green LEDs) and no purchase order receipt was provided within the shipping packaging.

An internet .pdf document claims that powering on while pressing the two buttons will reveal a 8-segment numbers indicating the specific firmware version/model of the emulator. However, when I press and hold two buttons during power-up, it only places my Gotek into boot loader firmware update mode and causes an LED readout of "Ldr" which I presume stands for "loader."

I've spent a considerable amount of time switching jumper configurations and applying various software/USB combinations (using .hde, .img. image formats) and have also utilized three different USB drives to no avail:

SanDisk 512 mb (FAT),
Cruzer 2Gb (FAT), and
SanDisk 16Gb (FAT32)

I sent "Andrei" an email requesting specificity regarding the type/model/firmware of the drive I was sent and am awaiting a response. In the meanwhile, anyone have any quick solution that might provide a remedy? Upon power-up, my MPC2000 first cycles through the SCSI channels (0-7) and then prompts me to insert the MPC O.S. in the floppy drive. I have yet to get a successful boot despite all of the different configurations I've used.

Any ideas on what might work or what I (or "Andrei") may have done incorrectly? I'm using the HxC Floppy Emulator v.2.1.4.0 in my attempts to put the 1.72 O.S. onto the various-sized USB flash drives. Any insights or help on this matter? My experiment is a failure at this point. :oops:

BTW - Anyone else find it extremely difficult to locate HxC Bootloader info on the internet? I cannot find any guide or instructions on how to interpret bootloader LED read-outs once the unit is placed into boot loader mode.



1) do you have a floppy with your mpc os on there?

2) do you have a old pc/mac with floppy drive?

3) if the answer is yes to both , pop in your disk and use the hxc software to make a hfe from it (floppy disk dump).

4) once you have the .hfe

5) rename it to DSKA0000.HFE

6) use the indexed mode .cfg
- Indexed mode -
----------------

In this mode the file images must be named DSKA0000.HFE, DSKA0001.HFE, DSKA0002.HFE,...


7) so on the root of your usb drive you should have the converted mpc OS named
DSKA0000.HFE
HXCSDFE.CFG (indexed mode config)

hit me back up if need be.

in hindsight why did you go for a floppy emulator , scsi would have been a billion times quicker.
SCSI2SD FTW
By Renski Fri Mar 18, 2016 7:26 pm
Juke 179, I formatted my Cruzer MIcro 2Gb to FAT16 and still had no success. Thanks though.

I did a lot of pre-purchase research on the "USB Gotek Emulator" method and thought it would be simple. Now that I've gotten knee-deep in this experiment it seems like all I can find on the internet are failed or problematic experiments; there is a flood of info out there by people who began the modding process but were ultimately unsuccessful. The supposed "success story" (see http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/support.htm) and the accompanying proof video on YT (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIbilD63qK0) fails to provide any walkthrough or breakdown of the process which supposedly worked. Furthermore, I cannot find any standalone instructions from GOTEK or HxC concerning the process of installation or configuration, and "Andrei" the eBay seller only refers me to the HxC2001 website, contending that he "has no obligation" to provide me support.

Does anyone know of a source that is guaranteed to provide a step-by-step walkthrough of everything involved? I need to know, specifically,

1) USB-stick format size and format requirements/restrictions
2) HxC Floppy Emulator USB settings (.raw vs. .img. vs. .hfe for the proper creation of Akai O.S., .SND, .PRG files) to be placed onto USB stick and read by the Emulator
3) Jumper settings, if any, for the GOTEK USB Emulator (J5, JA, JC, JB, S0, S1, & M0)

Andrei did however inform that he sold me a "Chinese Gotek SFR1M44-U100K." I've narrowed my search to specifically related information, beginning with this guy Lui Gough: http://goughlui.com/2013/05/19/review-gotek-system-sfr1m44-u100k-usb-1000-floppy-disk-emulator/. Lui wrote an article and then responded to a forum poster (an MPC2K owner with the same Gotek model as mine) back in August 2014. Apparently, the solution requires a bit of software tech savvy and the ability to decipher a lot of tech-lingo! Lui proposes that "You must work with raw floppy images and write the raw images to the contiguous sector numbers as the emulator expects. This is not like dragging and dropping files. The offsets required to write the images to are provided in that article and can easily be calculated."

Is this still true or is it now old info that has been superseded by the HxCFloppyEmulator software? Am I going to have to learn to do as he has instructed? I'm no noob when it comes to computers, but I also do not do this for a living and have no formal training. Thus, any forum assistance is still welcome and will be very much appreciated. Can anyone help? :?
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By Horseclick Fri Mar 18, 2016 7:39 pm
Renski wrote:
1) USB-stick format size and format requirements/restrictions
fat 32 and any size

2) HxC Floppy Emulator USB settings (.raw vs. .img. vs. .hfe for the proper creation of Akai O.S., .SND, .PRG files) to be placed onto USB stick and read by the Emulator

hfe

3) Jumper settings, if any, for the GOTEK USB Emulator (J5, JA, JC, JB, S0, S1, & M0)

the jumper furthest away from the actual power connector

Can anyone help? :?


i cant help no further until you answer my previous post.
By Renski Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:01 pm
Horseclick,
Thanks for the reply. I didn't see your initial response because I was still editing my post (?). Nevertheless,

1) I do not have a physical MPC O.S. floppy. I have an MPC O.S. .zip file from the internet which contains an .EXE and .SYS file. I've re-downloaded different versions to assure that the files weren't corrupted and causing the boot failure.

2) Yes, I have an old PC with floppy drive and 1.44 floppies.

3) I think (hope?) I can make an .HFE on my (old floppy drive) PC. But, I forgot to mention that my MPC floppy drive doesn't work. I removed it during the Gotek installation and discovered that someone had previously attempted to replace the failed Teac drive with a Panasonic JU-256A216P drive, which from my research is incompatible; I chose the emulator route because I have no working floppy drive. Can't I use some sort of floppy imaging software to render the aforementioned MPC .zip O.S. files (.SYS and .EXE) into an .HFE file, subsequently renaming it to DSKA0000.HFE? Would this software work: (found on HxC2001.com? http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/vfd_hxc.zip)

Regarding "Index Mode," do I configure the HxCFloppyEmulator for this in order to write the .HFE file, or are you referring to a GOTEK firmware update via .CFG file? I have only seen "Index Mode" referred to in regard to choosing between modes (Normal, Indexed, or Autoboot) for the SD Card version of the GOTEK and its software; I have Normal, Indexed, and Autoboot .CFG files but thought they only applied to SD and not to the USB versions of the GOTEK? Please clarify?

Lastly, I began this MPC2K restoration project last month when I was on an extremely tight budget. My Iomega SCSI 100 Zip had failed some time back (surprise, surprise!) and I'd forgotten about it since I had no desire to make music. I recently got the urge to bang out some tracks and opted to build an external SCSI HDD using a SyQuest 135 SCSI enclosure and a Seagate Cheetah SCSI 9.1 internal HDD. It wasn't compatible for several reasons, and I decided halfway to take this "easier" solution. Short answer: SCSISD was outside budget. In Hindsight: Probably should have saved time/money and went for SSCSISD since it has taken this long anyway. Nevertheless...

I'll wait for your response and then try some of your suggested approaches. Thanks for the info.

P.S. - Thanks for your patience in reading these long posts of mine. I am attempting to spell out everything in a systematic manner for the benefit of anyone who might come behind me with the same issues I've had during this experiment. Hopefully, I or someone else will be able to create a detailed walkthrough afterwards using the info you, I, and others provide. :)
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By Horseclick Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:51 pm
ok what we need is a floppy disk dump of an actual 2k floppy with its os on there.

@juke or anyone else with a 2k can you make a dump with the hxc software and i'll do the rest so renski can simply copy the files onto a usb stick and see if it works?

if i had a 2k i would of been able to do this myself but unfortunately i do not.

so we are on the hunt for a dump of an actual 2k floppy......

if i get my hands on one i will prep the files for you to try.

no point trying to convert etc

the .cfg files are in this download
http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_driv ... rmware.zip

ok re 3)

if you have any mpc duisks load the hxc floppy software
http://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_driv ... r_soft.zip

then do a floppy dump of all the disks you have save as .hfe , give me a link and we can check if they work in the emulkator.

no mpc floppy drive needed, just need a working pc floppy drive and actual mpc disks.
By Renski Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:23 am
UPDATE:
I cannot get my Gotek sfr1m44-u100k to partition my USB stick into 1000 partitions.

Whenever I hold down the left and right buttons simultaneously and then power on the MPC2000, the Gotek emulator enters bootloader mode and flashes "Ldr" across the LED screen WHETHER OR NOT I have a USB stick inserted. I have successfully upgraded the firmware, so I am confident that my USB sticks work properly, and I've formatted several different USB sticks and used each of them during bootloader mode to upgrade firmware with the .UPD files.

The "USB HxC Floppy Emulator Status" reads "FTDI Driver D2XX Not Installed!" so I installed the FTDI drivers (DX22 & Virtual Com Port) to my computer just in case these drivers were required for USB stick data transfer purposes. I'm running Windows 7 64Bit, and although the drivers seem to be installed, the "Not Installed!" message remains.

My USB Emulator software settings are as such:

Driver ID: DS0
Mode: Generic Shugart
File System Type: 3.5" 1.44MB DSHD FAT12
Disk Size: 1.39
File Size: 3.22.59
MPC OS Files = "MPC2000.EXE" [191.80 KB] "MPC2000.SYS" [130.79KB]
Disk Image: 80 Track, 2 Sides

This is turning into a nightmare. Any ideas on what might be the problem with getting the 1000 partition function to work on my USB drives? Do jumper settings matter? Help... :cry:
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By Horseclick Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:14 pm
Renski wrote:Here is the link for where I downloaded the MPC 2k O.S. boot disk files, contained within a .zip file courtesy of mpc-tutor.com at http://www.mpc-tutor.com/mpc-operating-systems/:

The direct link is: http://www.mpc-tutor.com/files/mpc-os/MPC2000_os_172.zip

Thanks.


that file is of no use to you, you need a dump of a floppy disk.
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By Horseclick Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:15 pm
Renski wrote:UPDATE:
I cannot get my Gotek sfr1m44-u100k to partition my USB stick into 1000 partitions.

Whenever I hold down the left and right buttons simultaneously and then power on the MPC2000, the Gotek emulator enters bootloader mode and flashes "Ldr" across the LED screen WHETHER OR NOT I have a USB stick inserted. I have successfully upgraded the firmware, so I am confident that my USB sticks work properly, and I've formatted several different USB sticks and used each of them during bootloader mode to upgrade firmware with the .UPD files.

The "USB HxC Floppy Emulator Status" reads "FTDI Driver D2XX Not Installed!" so I installed the FTDI drivers (DX22 & Virtual Com Port) to my computer just in case these drivers were required for USB stick data transfer purposes. I'm running Windows 7 64Bit, and although the drivers seem to be installed, the "Not Installed!" message remains.

My USB Emulator software settings are as such:

Driver ID: DS0
Mode: Generic Shugart
File System Type: 3.5" 1.44MB DSHD FAT12
Disk Size: 1.39
File Size: 3.22.59
MPC OS Files = "MPC2000.EXE" [191.80 KB] "MPC2000.SYS" [130.79KB]
Disk Image: 80 Track, 2 Sides

This is turning into a nightmare. Any ideas on what might be the problem with getting the 1000 partition function to work on my USB drives? Do jumper settings matter? Help... :cry:


if the gotek is flashed with hxc software none of the gotek functions will do anything, as its been reflashed to work with hxc firmware.



before you do anything else, you need to find a .hfe dump of a mpc 2000 floppy disk with the latest OS on there.

after that i can help you until you get that or dump your own floppies no one can help you.
By Renski Sat Mar 19, 2016 9:39 pm
Horeseclick,

Thanks, got it.

Because my MPC2k had a faulty floppy when I purchased it, I'm pretty certain that I've never owned an original floppy boot disk, but I'll keep searching around the house for one. I'd been booting off of a Zip 100 disk (that I created from the .sys and .exe files found online) until the external zip drive died.

MIght it be possible to create a dump from the Zip O.S if I can find it? What is it exactly that makes the dump possible from a physical disk and not from the files from which the boot disk is comprised?

Is there an ideal way to solicit forum members to create and send me an .hfe of the MPC2k boot disk without creating an uproar on this forum? I'd hate to open a new thread or take my issue outside of this particular thread and have guys griping about me spamming the forum.
By Renski Sun Mar 20, 2016 12:43 am
UPDATE:
I located an MPC2k floppy and attempted to do "Floppy Disk Dump" on HxCFloppyEmulator. I popped the disk into my old PC when I first found it and clicked on the A Drive, which revealed the .sys and .exe files. I installed the HxC software onto my old PC, and after also installing the "fdrawcmd.sys" filter driver, the software began to read and then dump the floppy. I then exported into an .hfe file and named it DSKA000.

During the floppy read, many of the tracks were corrupt/damaged, but the export turned out a 3,980Mb file with the .hfe extension as intended. I suspect that the floppy was not a genuine OEM disk or was not a properly-copied disk containing all that it needed, because it the dumped .hfe is not booting my MPC. However, I still cannot understand why an original is so necessary when I only copied the 1.72 O.S. to Zip and had been booting from my Zip drive.

Ideas/observations/suggestions anyone?
By Renski Mon Mar 21, 2016 7:16 pm
Horseclick,
The combination of the .cfg file along with the MPC 1.72 .hfe image file you provided worked and I've got a successful boot-up! Now to figure out how to transfer and save files between PC and MPC.

I'll post all the particulars soon. Thanks a lot for sticking with me through all of this.