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CoCoSDC

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Revision as of 04:23, 24 February 2021 by MagicFab (talk | contribs) (Added link to 3D design for SDC case)
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Looking for CoCo help? If you are trying to do something with your old Color Computer, read this quick reference. Want to contribute to this wiki? Be sure to read this first. This CoCo wiki project was started on October 29, 2004. --OS-9 Al

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This page was last updated on 02/24/2021. Total Pages: 747. Total Files: 997.

Home / Hardware - CoCoSDC

CoCoSDC

Name CoCoSDC
Year DATE NEEDED
Interface Cartridge Port
Notes Floppy drive replacement from Darren Atkinson.
Info Source INFO SOURCE NEEDED
About the Hardware Info Box


CoCo floppy disk replacement devices and software have one major shortcoming – the inability to use software in which the author wrote his or her own floppy disk access routines.

All versions Drivewire and the SuperIDE; CoCoNet and the Micro SD Pak, Bluetooth Pak and RS-232 Pak all suffer from this problem.

Darren Atkinson set out to alleviate the problem by designing a Color Computer Floppy Disk Emulator (effectively a floppy drive controller replacement), based on an Atmega micro-controller. The CoCo SDC also provides 8 banks of flash RAM so users can program their favorite ROM or alternative OS as well. SDC-DOS and DECB reside in banks 0 and 1, respectfully, when shipped. The SDC was designed to fit into a FD-501 or 502 case, as shown below.

Instead of hooking up old floppy drives, it gives direct access to floppy disk images stored on an SDHC card, as well as images on a Drivewire server.

You can also connect a real floppy interface and the CoCoSDC at the same time using a Multi-Pak, then backup physical floppies to disk images on an SD card. Copy protected disks can be backed up using tools like Carl England's Defeater.

Since the CoCoSDC emulates the Western Digital 1774 floppy controller chip, it is basically 100% compatible with any CoCo software, including copy protected disks.

Ed "Zippster" Snider is now producing the CoCoSDC interfaces and sells them (as of 02/2021) for $50 as an assembled PCB or $70 including a 3d-printed case. They are designed to fit in an FD502 disk drive controller case, Tim Lindner also has been making plexiglass panels for $10. A 3D design is also available on Thingverse.

Boysontech also produces the CoCoSDC, see https://boysontech.com/boysontech-a-second-source-for-coco-sdc/.

Read more about CoCoSDC on the official site: http://cocosdc.blogspot.com/


Photos

  • CoCoSDC interface.
    CoCoSDC interface.
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