Date   : Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:07:28 +0100 (BST)
From   : Greg Cook <debounce@...>
Subject: Re: Getting .SSD disk images onto a beeb...

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:13:49 +0000, Jules Richardson
<julesrichardsonuk@...> wrote:

> which begs the question - if that works, can't the same be done but
> taking the 
> input from the serial port rather than a file somewhere on the beeb?
> Or would 
> the slowness of the serial link just cause lots of timeout problems?

You're looking at 250 kbps on demand - no way! (Commodore 1541 anyone?)

> Maybe you need to buffer each track and write a track at a time
> ... it doesn't seem too complex, assuming a good understanding of BBC
> BASIC. 
> I'm sure there must be built-in OS routines to write an in-memory
> track buffer 
> to disk.

OSWORD &7F (FM) or &72 (MFM).  Not sure if you can format with the
latter tho...

> It's possible that the formatting routines are floating around the
> 'net too -

Or use the one your target system provides - if that's on the system
disc you're trying to create then yes, there are routines out there
:grin:

> But then if it were all that easy someone would have done it by now
> :-)

They did, but for Windows.  (Jon Welch's DFSXFER is really slick,
IMHO).  If you're really stuck I can come up with something to take
uucode from the serial port and throw it onto the disc (a missing link
I've been meaning to fill in for years and years.)  The other end can
be Windows, Linux, a Z88, another Beeb...

Greg Cook
debounce@...        
http://homepages.tesco.net/~rainstorm/



       
       
               
___________________________________________________________ 
All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and
ease of use." - PC Magazine 
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html