SCSI for Expert HD (split topic)

[bobrocks95]

Debated about starting a new thread for this or just hopping in here- if I'm starting from scratch with a SASI machine (612C Expert HD) what would you all recommend that's readily available for drive emulation?

There are about 3-4 different X to SCSI things that I've come across and that are mentioned here, along with hardware revisions for them...  I'm fine with an internal solution and really love the idea of the HDD access lamp lighting up, whichever options allow for that.

Since I have a SASI machine do I need a special adapter cable or anything?  Then I also need to set up the SxSI driver to run on boot?

I've also seen floppy drive emulators but they don't get talked about much- maybe they're worse?


Sorry for the noob questions!

[HIggy]

@bobrocks95 Hi. I would go for a BlueSCSI V1, it is the cheapest and easiest option. You can connect to the connector on the back and fit it inbetween the 2 towers. You will need to make a cable.

You will need the SxSI driver. If you don't have battery backup then you will have to install every time you power on, otherwise you just install it once.
It installs to the SRAM so needs battery backup to keep settings.

It is easy to install, there is a Master disk image that has the SxSI driver. There is a few things to type in but it is easy.

I've now mounted my BlueSCSI V1 internally and have a Arananet 50 pin SCSI to 20pin SASI adaptor with HD light connector, but they are out of stock.

Floppy Drive emulators - they are good if you don't have extra ram for running games. But also good if your internal drives are broken.
I guess most options are custom Japanese devices, but a Gotek works well (also need an Eject/Insert logic box to make fully compatible).

[bobrocks95]

@bobrocks95 Hi. I would go for a BlueSCSI V1, it is the cheapest and easiest option. You can connect to the connector on the back and fit it inbetween the 2 towers. You will need to make a cable.

You will need the SxSI driver. If you don't have battery backup then you will have to install every time you power on, otherwise you just install it once.
It installs to the SRAM so needs battery backup to keep settings.

It is easy to install, there is a Master disk image that has the SxSI driver. There is a few things to type in but it is easy.

I've now mounted my BlueSCSI V1 internally and have a Arananet 50 pin SCSI to 20pin SASI adaptor with HD light connector, but they are out of stock.

Floppy Drive emulators - they are good if you don't have extra ram for running games. But also good if your internal drives are broken.
I guess most options are custom Japanese devices, but a Gotek works well (also need an Eject/Insert logic box to make fully compatible).

Thanks for the info HIggy!  I have a replacement battery circuit on the way so that doesn't sound bad, still waiting on the actual X68k to see how the refurb goes though.

I'm still a bit lost on how that master disk image will go though.  If I don't have the SxSI driver installed already, then I can't use the BlueSCSI to install it, so I'd have to have a floppy with the driver on it, right?  Which I would think means buy an old 5" PC drive and write it to one, or pay somebody for a copy on one.

Unless the machine can somehow access the BlueSCSI without the SxSI driver in some limited capacity?


I'll have to see what the pin count is on my SASI connector, looks like there's 20 or 26.  Yahoo Japan has some cables I've seen pop up, and I like the idea of internal, even if it's an annoyance to swap things out.

[HIggy]

@bobrocks95 ok, so you don't physically have your X68000 yet just doing the ground work. No problem.

Yes you need a way of loading floppy disks images or physical disks to install the SCSI driver to allow HD access. Chicken and egg.

Are you ok with soldering and stuff?

I would buy IDC ribbon cable (50 way) and IDC connectors ready to make floppy and HD cables. (Can use a vice instead of proper IDC crimp tool to save some money).
You can also use to make either 20 or 26 pin SASI internal cable.

Is your X68000 coming with any disks? Otherwise you might go to the effort of sourcing a Master disk only to find your disk drive needs refurbishment or it is not fixable (seems to be 4 small caps that leak).

A Gotek connected to external floppy port is simple/cheapest option. Do you have one with other Retro hardware you can borrow? You only need it to install the SCSI driver, then can disconnect.

But with 2mb only, you will be limited to what you can run from HD image.

Finally where in the world are you?

[bobrocks95]

@bobrocks95 ok, so you don't physically have your X68000 yet just doing the ground work. No problem.

Yes you need a way of loading floppy disks images or physical disks to install the SCSI driver to allow HD access. Chicken and egg.

Are you ok with soldering and stuff?

I would buy IDC ribbon cable (50 way) and IDC connectors ready to make floppy and HD cables. (Can use a vice instead of proper IDC crimp tool to save some money).
You can also use to make either 20 or 26 pin SASI internal cable.

Is your X68000 coming with any disks? Otherwise you might go to the effort of sourcing a Master disk only to find your disk drive needs refurbishment or it is not fixable (seems to be 4 small caps that leak).

A Gotek connected to external floppy port is simple/cheapest option. Do you have one with other Retro hardware you can borrow? You only need it to install the SCSI driver, then can disconnect.

But with 2mb only, you will be limited to what you can run from HD image.

Finally where in the world are you?

Thanks for the info, for installing SxSI that's what it sounded like- chicken/egg.  I'm in the US and experienced with soldering, ready to recap the whole system if I have to.  Console5 has a cap kit for my model thankfully.

I've ordered some games that are known working that will allow me to test the drives after cleaning, greasing, recapping if necessary...  Hoping to get them working but you never know.  They'll look nice on the shelf (some have mold and will stay there), but would be a shame to not be able to play any of them.

I could pick up a Gotek and start with that, see how compatibility is.  I just thought I had read floppy emulators generally didn't work as well as SASI/SCSI emulators.

[HIggy]

Your Expert HD will be old style capacitors so they should be good. Definitely check out those 4 disk drive caps.

Forum member aotta has designed a great device for simulating floppy Eject/Insert signals. There is a Topic about it on this forum but here is the GitHub:
https://github.com/aotta/X68KFDPi

Gotek with FlashFloppy or HxC firmware is near perfect emulation. But you really need 2 drives as that is what X68000 games expect.

If you don't use aotta's X68KFDPi you can use a modified floppy disk cable. On my OG X68000 I use the internal drives for the Eject and Insert signals, and then I have the floppy cable running out the back to my double stacked Goteks.

But really with a ram expansion and a HD you will only use Floppy for setting SRAM if battery runs out. Most games can now run from HD.