Sharp X68000 CZ-600CE - repair

[HigashiJun]

All the vids I've seen on these machines really do show how amazing the hardware is.

[Higgy]

Hi,

So looking at the 5.25" floppy drives I can't get them to read, I was using a known good disk.
I was not going to try and import some working ones (hate to think of the price!) so I decided to investigate the Gotek route.
There is some Japanese floppy emulators but they were either out of stock and expensive or just plain expensive.
From a Japanese website I found a guide where the floppy cable is modified to enable some ba5tardisation using a combination of Gotek and the original drives (for Eject and Signal Ready).

Not very exciting

Floppy_cable.jpg (37.53 KiB) Viewed 4432 times

I tested it with a game needing just one disk, and it works

A bit more exciting

Floppy.jpg (140.05 KiB) Viewed 4432 times

Joystick is MSX standard, and I have some Quickshot joysticks with Atari/MSX/Master System/Amstrad switch. I borrowed a friends PS/2 keyboard adaptor. But there is much more exciting news on Keyboard/Mouse adaptors at a later point

The X68000 really uses both disk drives with read access across both disks. I suppose knowing each X68000 has dual drives allows programmings to do this. So it was essential to have 2 drives, so I designed and printed some brackets to hold the drives together. I originally used an HxC Firmware drive, but FlashFloppy also works.

Dual Gotek.jpg (88.41 KiB) Viewed 4432 times

Here I was powering the floppy drives off an external 5V supply, but I planned to route 5V out from the PicoPSU.
I also tested, then bought a BlueSCSI V2 -> SCSI emulator using Raspberry Pico. Only problem now is memory, after booting an HD image my 1mb has reduced to 400kb Only enough to view some pictures and play sound files from the HD image.
1mb is not enough!

[Dlfrsilver]

The floppy drives also have to be serviced, there are capacitors inside to replace by new ones, and clean also the acid :/

[Higgy]

@Dlfrsilver - I spotted 1 of the miniature 100uF 16V caps near the power connector on both disk drives had leaked. I changed all 4 on both drives, full height caps fit. I also spotted on 1 drive some other miniature caps starting to leak so I will replace those.

I had to call upon my wife's Japanese cousin to help me with the memory upgrade. She did a cracking job and won this 1mb expansion for me on Yahoo Auctions:

1mb memory upgrade

IMG_20230529_222817.jpg (131.51 KiB) Viewed 4326 times

She told me I am a 'Otaku' in Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku

Another really useful item someone has created is using a ProMicro, USB Host & level shifter for connecting Keyboards and Mice. I am now using a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse Probably cost <£20 and I am really not that bothered in having an original keyboard and mouse.

I can do USB!

IMG_20230529_223128.jpg (317.47 KiB) Viewed 4326 times

I think this is a really important device because now you can buy 'Junk' X68000 towers, fix them and actually fully use them!

[RetroTec]

Thanks for posting the X68000 info, I have just got one an ACE model have built the Gotek cable but can only get a couple of images to load so far
just Arkanoid and Gradius, other images start loading but then stop, tried salamander and it wont load, I get some text and a flashing B> prompt

no luck with space harrier, r type, bubble bobble etc

I am using a single gotek connected via the internal IDE sharing cable using latest flashfloppy and using HFE images and a 1mb X68000

[Higgy]

@RetroTec nice work!
Could well be the images, I know i had some issues when converting from the various X68K formats. Let me see about sending you a PM later to at least rule out the images.
UPDATE - PM sent