The Catweasel floppy thread

I start this to receive some hints and tips for the only
catweasel driver running on OS4 yet available: cw_trackdisk)

I'd be happy if you take part, Kjetil.

As i yet have to figure out some things, i'd like to ask
basics for now, if i may!?

There are no DOS drivers in the afore mentioned package,
so i took the ones downloadable from Jens Schoenfeld's
multidisk.device and adapted the four drivers i want to use.
Following below:

PD0:

/* multidisk file system entry
*
* This mounts a logical device on catweasel unit 0 for reading and
* writing MS-DOS 9 sector Disks. Create mountlists for other units
* by changing the number behind 'UNIT = ' to 0, 1 or 2.
*/

FileSystem = L:CrossDOSFileSystem
Device = cw.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 2 /* makes a PC Disk driver */
BlockSize = 512
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 9
Reserved = 1
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0
HighCyl = 79
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 1
StackSize = 2048
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
DosType = 0x4D534400
Activate = 1

PH0:

/* multidisk file system entry
*
* This mounts a logical device on catweasel unit 0 for reading and
* writing MS-DOS 18 sector Disks. Create mountlists for other units
* by changing the number behind 'UNIT = ' to 0 or 1.
*/

FileSystem = L:CrossDOSFileSystem
Device = cw.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 3 /* makes a PC HD Disk driver */
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 18
Reserved = 1
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0
HighCyl = 79
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 1
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
DosType = 0x4D534400
Activate = 1

DD0:

/* multidisk filesystem entry
*
* This mounts a logical device on catweasel unit 0 for reading and
* writing Amiga DD Disks. Create mountlists for other units
* by changing the number behind 'UNIT = ' to 0, 1 or 2.
*/

Device = cw.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 0 /* format #0 = Amiga DD */
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 11
Reserved = 2
mask = 0x7ffffffc
MaxTransfer = 0x00200000
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0
HighCyl = 79
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 1
StackSize = 4096
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
ACTIVATE = 1

DH0:

/* multidisk filesystem entry
*
* This mounts a logical device on catweasel unit 0 for reading and
* writing Amiga HD Disks. Create mountlists for other units
* by changing the number behind 'UNIT = ' to 0, 1 or 2.
*/

Device = cw.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 1 /* format #1 = Amiga HD */
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 22
Reserved = 2
mask = 0x7ffffffc
MaxTransfer = 0x00200000
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0
HighCyl = 79
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 1
StackSize = 4096
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
ACTIVATE = 1

I know that DH0 is the standard HD device name, but as i
renamed my devices it shouldn't be a problem, all others
should maybe rename the device to whatever else.


First question:

Are those Dos drivers alright, or do i have errors in it?
(I can read all single disks i have made drivers for, though)
Still, better safe than sorry!

Second question:

I have a slight problem getting to use all four drivers at
the same time.
The first disk i put in is read correctly, may it be an
AmigaDD or PCHD disk, but when i change the disk (format),
say i started with an AmigaDD and then switch the disk with a
PCHD disk, i only get a read error on the AmigaDD disk.

As if the catweasel was still using DD0: instead of PH0:

I read somewhere (sorry, no link) that the wiriting to
disks on a Catweasel is temporarily unavailable due to some
floppy drives not being able to perform a proper "polling"
(checking if a disk is inserted - the infamous "clicking
noise") and thus not being able to perform an automatic
disk change check. (LiveForIt can you confirm that?)

LiveForIt mentioned in The A1 floppy thread that the "Diskchange" command
should be used, but i'm not sure if this also covers the
Catweasel and/or should be used at all (after reading the
afore mentioned thread fully)!?

Thanks for all hints and help

@Raziel

Well there is two version of the cw.device, the one you downloaded does not support auto detection of DD/HD,

The version I have for where long time, do support auto detection and MSDOS disk, but has serious memory corruption problem, which is way it?s not uploaded.
(Maybe because, it contains dynamic lists of blocks, and not static sized disk buffer)

Note most of the setting in your mount list is automatically quarried form the CW.device, I don't think you need Geometry information in the mount list at all,
(In the same way, as when you insert different sized USB sticks.)

(Surfaces, BlocksPerTrack, LowCyl, HighCyl, BlockSize)

Note if you mount HD and DD disk at the same time, you probably get conflicts when write to one of the devices, so don?t do that.


You should remove PH0, DH0 from your mount list !!
Only when you get newer version of CW.Device will high density formats be supported.

@LiveForIt

Quote:

But you can't do anything about it, because your A1 is in
the hospital!?

Quote:

So, it would be safe to just drop them?

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Hmm, how do i unmount a driver safely?
assign DD0: dismount (?)
Does this also tell the device to stop polling?
(The clicking sound is as enerving as it ever was)

And i assume that mounting two DD disks at the same time is
also not good? (i.e. PC DD and Amiga DD)

I don't have a second drive here, just playing with one floppy.

Is there a way to incorporate the CW drivers as with the
A1Floppy.device? (Having two [three, four, five] devices on
screen - FD0, PC0 - but only one is readable?)

@Raziel

Quote:

I don?t think you can dismount it properly, or at least not safely

Quote:

well thats how it detects disks

Quote:

It?s safe because you have different types of filesystems so no problem there.

Quote:

Me too never test whit two floppy drives.

Quote:

NO