diff --git a/doc/525-floppy.webp b/doc/525-floppy.webp new file mode 100644 index 00000000..cb08fbf5 Binary files /dev/null and b/doc/525-floppy.webp differ diff --git a/doc/faq.md b/doc/faq.md index 0df7af46..a19a0024 100644 --- a/doc/faq.md +++ b/doc/faq.md @@ -38,14 +38,57 @@ have either the adapter, the drive, or any 8" disks. If anyone wants to give it a try, please [tell me about it](https://github.com/davidgiven/fluxengine/issues/new). -**Q.** Is this like KryoFlux / Catweasel / DiskFerret? Do you support KryoFlux stream files? +**Q.** Does it work on hard sectored disks? + +**A.** Probably? I already have decoder support for some hard-sectored disk +formats, based on Kryoflux streams people sent me, and the firmware supports +reporting index hole information, so in theory it _should_ work; but I +haven't had the chance to try it end-for-end. I really need a hard-sectored +5.25" floppy to test with. + +**Q.** Does it work with flippy disks? + +Uhhh... probably not. + +So the problem with flippy disks (5.25" single-sided disks which could be +inserted upside down to read the second side) is the index hole. Trouble is, +the window to let the sensor see the index hole isn't symmetrical on a 5.25" +disk, so if you turn the disk upside down, the drive can't see the hole any +more: + +
+ +Some flippy disks had two windows, so they'd work properly either way up, but +most didn't. This was fine on a lot of old machines because those drives +didn't have an index hole sensor. But a lot of modern drives use the index +hole to detect whether the disk is actually present and if they don't see it, +they simply won't work. There's nothing FluxEngine can do; it's a hardware +limitation. + +(If you have one of the rare disks with two index holes, then FluxEngine +_will_ read those.) + +There are workarounds. One is to read the data on the other side of the disk +using the other head --- because, of course, modern drives are double-sided. +Sure, the disk is spinning in the wrong direction, but that's no problem. +Except there _is_ a problem, which is the tracks on the two sides of the disk +are not in the same place; one side has them offset eight tracks compared to +the other. But a flippy disk has both sets of tracks in the same place, +because they're both accessed using the side 0 head... + +The only real way round this is to modify a 5.25" drive. That's _seriously_ +not in FluxEngine's remit. Sorry. + +**Q.** Is this like KryoFlux / Catweasel / DiskFerret? Do you support KryoFlux +stream files? **A.** It's very like all of these; the idea's old, and lots of people have -*tried it (you can get away with any sufficiently fast microcontroller and -*enough RAM). FluxEngine can -read from KryoFlux stream files natively, and there's a tool which will let -you convert at least one kind of Catweasel file to FluxEngine's native flux -file format. +tried it (you can get away with any sufficiently fast microcontroller and +enough RAM). FluxEngine can read from KryoFlux stream files natively, and +there's a tool which will let you convert at least one kind of Catweasel file +to FluxEngine's native flux file format. **Q.** Can I use this to make exact copies of disks?