Chuck(G)

So what's in the firmware for this thing? I can guess, based on the operation--and having done one myself, but it'd be nice to get the firmware from the unit itself.

So, there's that header near the power pins that I was talking about. I've identified the connections to the MCU USART and noted from that there's a serial boot utility that's present in the chip. All that's needed is a level converter for 3.3V logic to RS232C and a terminal emulator running on a PC (I really like ...

Okay, time to test this thing and see what's up.

As mentioned earlier, this thing comes with a mini-CD--but don't expect much. You get English and Chinese versions of the somewhat cryptic manual and a couple of software programs in RAR archives.

No installation routines; you have to figure that out all by yourself. No wonder they don't sell many of these.

The format is fixed at 18 512-byte sectors per track on 80 tracks, with sectors numbered from 1 to ...

On a whim, I picked up a GoTek 3.5" 1.44M floppy emulator from eBay for just under USD$29 shipped.

It arrived in a padded mailing envelope with a "China Post" shipping label. Inside, inside of a plastic bag was a "mini" CD and the GoTek unit with a couple of mounting screws.

Here's a top view of the GoTek next to a traditional (NEC) 3.5" 1.44M drive:

Attachment 11542

Here's what the front looks ...