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Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 09:40
by HigashiJun
Ok, the XT CF mini is ready and flashed:
1.JPG
Now I have to find an 8 bit compatible CF card...
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 09:53
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 05 Apr 2025 09:38
@rubber_jonnie
Indeed, the Tandy has space for three "Tandy plus" expansions.
The RAM & DMA board is a "plus" expansion, but the VGA card and the XT Cf mini are not.
Each plus expansion lays in front of its respective slot cover, but if you fit a standard ISA card you will always have the second slot unpopulated whatever you do (unless you remove the RAM & DMA card).
Since I want to keep the DMA, there is no other alternative. I can install a PICOmem instead of the VGA card, so the PICOmem will occupy the third slot, and the VGA card in the last connector but I will then have to cut the top lid to let the VGA connector out.
And as you suggest, I can try to fit the PICOmem without a bracket (that is what I wanted to do), but I'm not sure if the protruding SD card will not collide with the vertical plastic of the top lid.
I'll get some photos with a ruler so you can see the size, it may help.
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 09:56
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 05 Apr 2025 09:40
Ok, the XT CF mini is ready and flashed:
1.JPG
Now I have to find an 8 bit compatible CF card...
Looking good.
My XT-IDE card locks up the Amstrad if I try to boot from it, trying to boot from A: doesn't work either and it's not seeing my CF cards...
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 10:18
by HigashiJun
rubber_jonnie wrote: 05 Apr 2025 09:53
I'll get some photos with a ruler so you can see the size, it may help.
Thank you very much !
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 10:19
by HigashiJun
rubber_jonnie wrote: 05 Apr 2025 09:56
Looking good.
My XT-IDE card locks up the Amstrad if I try to boot from it, trying to boot from A: doesn't work either and it's not seeing my CF cards...
Thanks.
Is your XT CF correctly flashed, and with the right BIOS ?
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 10:42
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 05 Apr 2025 10:19
rubber_jonnie wrote: 05 Apr 2025 09:56
Looking good.
My XT-IDE card locks up the Amstrad if I try to boot from it, trying to boot from A: doesn't work either and it's not seeing my CF cards...
Thanks.
Is your XT CF correctly flashed, and with the right BIOS ?
I believe so, and it does show up at boot, it just hangs. I can make selections (A,C, F6 & F8) so the machine isn't frozen per-se, but it doesn't seem to see the CF card.
See below for PicoMEM images:
IMG20250405103213.jpg
IMG20250405103315.jpg
Hope they help, shout if you need anything else. I'm not trying to convince you to spend more money, but even looking at it as briefly as I have, it outperforms the XT-IDE in many ways.
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 11:21
by HigashiJun
@rubber_jonnie
Is your CF card 8 bit compatible ?
Thanks for the pictures, they helped me a lot.
As expected, I would have to install the PICOmem in the last ISA connector (where my XT CF is fitted now) but the SD card will pop out (= have to cut out the top lid).
The PICOmem is unfortunately too wide to fit in the lower connector...
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 12:32
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 05 Apr 2025 11:21
@rubber_jonnie
Is your CF card 8 bit compatible ?
Thanks for the pictures, they helped me a lot.
As expected, I would have to install the PICOmem in the last ISA connector (where my XT CF is fitted now) but the SD card will pop out (= have to cut out the top lid).
The PICOmem is unfortunately too wide to fit in the lower connector...
Glad to hear the pics helped :)
Such a shame, perhaps in the future there may be a smaller footprint version that you could use.
As for the XT-IDE I have tried various card sizes from 512MB up to 1GB and it's always stuck at the same place. Given the PicoMEM lets me effortlessly create up to 4 drives of 4GB in seconds, it was the winner.
I will try the XT-IDE again though as I want it to work now I've built it.
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 13:07
by HigashiJun
rubber_jonnie wrote: 05 Apr 2025 12:32
Such a shame, perhaps in the future there may be a smaller footprint version that you could use.
There is a low profile version, but the SD card is placed the same way.
:(
Re: New (and last ?) inbound
Posted: 05 Apr 2025 13:10
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 05 Apr 2025 13:07
rubber_jonnie wrote: 05 Apr 2025 12:32
Such a shame, perhaps in the future there may be a smaller footprint version that you could use.
There is a low profile version, but the SD card is placed the same way.
:(
Damn...