KryoFlux - USB Floppy Controller Beta Released

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A member of the Software Preservation Society, called fiath, posted a very interesting announcement on the Classicamiga forums a few days ago.

You may have seen this announcement also posted on other sites, but I thought it good to share the announcement of this KryoFlux project with you all here in case you have missed it.

KryoFlux is an advanced software-programmable FDC (Floppy Disk Controller) system that runs on small and cheap ARM7-based devices and connects to a host PC over the ubiquitous USB connector. It reads (and in the future, will write) flux transitions from magnetic media (most commonly, floppy disks) at a very fine resolution. KryoFlux can read data with no regard for what disk format or copy protection a disk may contain, and it can also read disks originally written with different (and even varying) bit cell widths and drive speeds, with a normal fixed-speed drive.

KryoFlux is available for free for private non-commercial use. You will however need to build or buy a board based on our open hardware design.

KryoFlux supports dumping any floppy disk to “stream files”, which contain the raw flux transition information. It supports output of a range of common “sector dumps” (e.g. ADF) to allow you to use your dumped images right away in your favourite emulator.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfT-F0GUl4
Info: http://softpres.org/glossary:kryoflux
Beta 2 Release News Item: http://kryoflux.org/news:2010-02-18
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I've been discussing and asking questions about KryoFlux with fiath on the classicamiga forums, and he has posted some very detailed replies with a lot of interesting and useful information. This includes the licensing needed to make and sell the Kryoflux boards and software, floppy drive compatibility, and answers to some other questions I could think of.

If you want to read this discussion you can find it at http://forum.classicamiga.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3946

This is a very exciting project for anyone looking to create disk image files from their retro collections of real disks as it will support a wide range of different platform disk formats. And also could be a lot more accurate that using a Catweasel controller.
 
Yup! I saw this on Lemon64. It looks like a really neat project and I'd love to get one when they start making kits. :)

Heather
 
It would also mean you could use uncracked games in emulators :)

EDIT:

Hang on, yes, that is probably the whole point. I am probably far too tired to be allowed to post on message boards :)
 
Awesome stuff, just imagine the possibilities - playing WinUAE (or any other emulator of the system it supports) with real disks and a real floppy drive's screeching header sound ;)

Although I prefer my real A1200 and WHDLoad and I am REALLY glad I got rid of those nasty Floppy drives back in ~2001, this makes me very nostalgic... it's been a while since I heard a real floppy... :(

Of course it's also a great tool to backup your games for SPS, and maybe write those originals back on them disks... mmmm... :)
 
Definitely sounds like a really useful and handy little tool. It gets a big :thumbsup: from me! :-)
 
This project is off the scale!! I didn't think that the World contained enough win for such a project!!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:
 
If anyone here is interested in manufacturing the KryoFlux boards, fiath said to contact him as they can work out good deals to use the official KryoFlux name, and to allow the bundling of the software.

Otherwise, anyone will still be allowed to fabricate their own hardware for this project, but they won't be allowed to use the KryoFlux name with it, or include the software if they wished to sell their own manufactured boards.
 
Looks an excellent project. Can we use this KryFlux instead of CatWeasel (at least for floppies)? :unsure:
 
Superb then. No need to wait for those AmigaOS 4.0 drivers for CatWeasel huh? :D
 
Phantom said:
Looks an excellent project. Can we use this KryFlux instead of CatWeasel (at least for floppies)? :unsure:
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Yes and no...
This project is specifically (initially) for imaging.
So, you could replace your catweasel for creating images of floppies, but you wouldn't have access to that drive as a floppy drive for normal usage.

Also, it's not impossible, just there won't be any drivers to use it as a floppy initially.

You won't be dragging files from your Windows desktop to an Amiga formatted floppy disk with this.

You'll be creating and making images from floppies..

I can see that being addressed tho, either was a driver to allow that, or, if that proves problematic, the ability to read an image from the floppy, mount the image, copy stuff to/from it, and then write it back to the floppy.

desiv

I'm looking forward this project.
 
But isn't this all about being able to read & write Amiga Floppys via USB on a Pee Cee?? - Maybe I've mis-interperated what I've read? :shrug:

Kin
 
Kin Hell said:
But isn't this all about being able to read & write Amiga Floppys via USB on a Pee Cee?? - Maybe I've mis-interperated what I've read? :shrug:

Kin
Click to expand...

No, it's all about creating and writing images of floppies on a PC.

Not that it can't be done, but it's from the Software Preservation Society... The initial software is for imaging.

desiv
 
The software, and the hardware, are still in beta and not yet complete. The reading of floppy disks to create disk images is working, but they have yet to impliment the writing of disk images back onto floppy disk. They have said this is planned and will be added soon.

The direct access to Amiga and other format floppy disks from within something like WinUAE is not currently planned, but they have stated it isn't impossible to impliment, and as the software is open source, it will be possible for anyone to work on the code to make it do this if they wish.

This is foremost for archival of disks into images, and restoration of disks from images. Not to use the drive connected via USB as an Amiga drive for direct access floppy disks on the fly to directly read and write the data on them.

However, if you look at the speed tests, this system is very fast at creating disk images from floppies. About 2 Minutes for an Amiga disk. So creating ADF images from your real disks to then use in emulation isn't really that much of a problem.
 
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