Re: Digest for zoomfloppy-users@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic

[John Saller]

I recommend https://store.go4retro.com/categories/Commodore/Firmware/JiffyDOS/ for your replacement JiffyDOS chip!

On Tue, Jun 11, 2024 at 3:47 AM <zoomflop...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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Abridged summary of zoomflop...@googlegroups.com - 2 updates in 1 topic

Myke Carter <su...@mykec.net>: Jun 10 08:11PM -0400 I have only returned here to see about trying again within the past 2 days or so. I've received some encouraging replies in 2 other C= groups to which I've also been subscribed for ages. (I'm pretty sure I've been on "Homestead" long before it was known as such. Definitely since the 1990s.)   I still have the ZoomFloppy I bought back in (guessing) 2014. I never got *anywhere* with it - and now I'm hearing that's because I tried using it with my 1541 when my 1571 might have been the better choice.   I didn't have JiffyDOS in my 1571 back then, though, and I still don't. Even after buying that chip, I misplaced it while visiting my parents for one of the holidays. They lived 12-hours from me at the time and I never found that chip on a low shelf in their living room until 2 years ago. And I've already misplaced it again so I probably need to just buy another one (assuming I still can) and try again.   Ditto for the ZoomFloppy. I'm also a Linux user with only 1 Windows 10 laptop... and there might have been an issue with the Win10 driver or something. I can't remember the specifics.   I just know I bought a ZoomFloppy to begin making .d64, .d71 and .d81 files from all of my physical floppies and about 10 years later, I still have all those floppies in climate-controlled storage and zero virtual disk files.   Ready to try again. Heck, I'm even willing to just pay someone to *rent* their hardware temporarily to get this work done if what they have is known to function correctly.   Hopefully, though, I can get what I have up-and-running correctly with a little time and attention spent troubleshooting and experimenting.   Myke

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[Bob Reid]

I'd agree that using a 1571 is a better choice for Zoomfloppy than a 1541. A stock 1541 can only work with D64 disk images but not nibtools and G64 disk images (which most copy protected disks will require). For those, a 1541 needs a modded parallel cable installed which would involve soldering and case modification. However a 1571 has burst mode/SRQ which nibtools can use instead of needing a parallel cable modem. Also only a 1571 can work with .d71 disk images although you usually won't run into too many 1571 formatted disks unless you made them.

Additionally, JiffyDos isn't required for this, of course it's still nice to have added when using the drive with a JiffyDos equipped C64/128 system. If you are unable to find the rom, Jim Brain of Retro Innovations is licensed to legally sell New JiffyDos roms, so you could purchase from his online store.

Even though I am familiar with Linux distributions, I've yet to use my Zoomfloppy on it, so I'm not sure on thr steps needed to install the zoomfloppy drivers and what software will work on it. The basic drivers should include the needed hardware driver itself for ZoomFloppy as well as OpenCBM. Besides that, you might want to get NibTools which works with .nib files using a supported drive as I mentioned above. These can be converted to .g64 disk images.

All of these are command line based tools. However there are GUI based tools at least for Windows. These still rely on the command line tools mentioned. I've used CBMxfer last time I used my zoomfloppy. If you are using on Linux you could try to use WINE and hope it will work, but no promises.

Hope this helps.

[Myke Carter]

I have indeed ordered a new 1571 JiffyDOS chip from RETRO Innovations.  Great to see that's still possible!  Thanks, Jim!

The majority of my disks are ones I made in the 1990s.  There are plenty of 1541, 1571 and 1581 disks to be virtually backed up.

I do have some commercial software too, but that's not my focus at the moment.

Somewhere I have C64 software I wrote in 1988, 1989 and 1990 which I would like to one day return to using or finishing.

Good points, though, on why the 1571 would be the better choice for this task.  Burst mode, etc... I remember all of those terms when I see them.  It's been a couple of decades but I have good memory! :)

Myke