Hallo,
ich habe mir das Teil in den XP-80 eingebaut, es funktioniert fantastisch. Auf einen USB-Stick passen 100 Floppy-Disks, geladen und gespeichert wird ganz normal über den DISK-Schalter am XP-80.
Allerdings bedarf es einiger Vorbereitungen für den USB-Stick, der mit FAT12 formatiert und für "100 Blocks" (100 Floppys) vorbereitet werden muss.
Ich habe hierzu einen - allerdings in englischer Sprache - Artikel in den Roland-Clan-Forums geschrieben, den ich hier nicht vorenthalten möchte:
[So, I bought a Floppy Drive to USB Emulator from
www.allyda.com. This is a chinese company. First I was a little bit afraid, to buy it in China. When you send the money, and they do not send the Device, what can I do then ?
But it was no problem ! The same Emulator, which costs 250 EUR in Germany, I got for 83 EUR from the chinese seller ! I bought it over "Aliexpress". They take the money. Then they ask, whether the Transfer of the Device was ok. When you confirm this, they give the money to the chinese company, otherwise they will send it back to you. Great Service !
I got the Allyda Floppy to USB Emulator SFR1M44-UN, which is for Roland Keyboards, for my XP-80. Inside the package was a Manual.
After I changed the Floppy from my XP-80 to the Emulator, I tried to get start the Device, but nothing happend.
I noticed, that the Manual for the device was completely wrong !
I wrote an email to Allyda, and "Tina" from the chinese company answered whithin one day ! She explained, how to start the device:
First you have to download a little programm, called SFD_V1.20 from the Allyda Website. With this programm I had some problems, so I downloaded the Programm V123_SFD from the website
http://www.ipcas.de/produkte/usb-floppy-laufwerk-usb-disketten-emulator-fdd-zu-udd.html (here called "USB Floppy Format Tool für den USB Disketten-Emulator"). With this programm you have to format the USB-Pen as a FAT12 - Stick with "Multi-Blocks". (Attention ! Use maximal 2GB-Stick, higher capacivity is not accepted by the FAT-System !)
But Attention: The program runs only on Win-XP, not on Win 7 ! No problem, I had the virtual Machine "VMplayer", there I installed Windows XP.
After starting the programm 123_SFD.exe your USB-Pen is shown in the Window above. You have to change in the second Window "SFD_enhanced Edition".
Here click on "start(select)/close(unselect) multi-floppy service", to enable this function.
Then write a name for the floppy in the field "select floppy", for example "FLPPY0". Write the same name in the input field under it.
As Floppy Type choose 1.44M.
Number of blocks is 100 ! This alows you later, to emulate 100 Floppy-Disks on one USB-Pen !
Start formatting the disk in this way with a click on "Make floppy".
The program is now formatting the USB-Pen, the number of the block is shown in a information hint.
When Number 99 is reached, (Formating is 0-99), the program shows, that formatting was succesfull.
Important: Click once again on "start(select)/close(unselect) multi-floppy service", to disable the service ! Don´t forget this.
The USB-Pen is now ready to use.
When you look at the USB-Pen in Windows Explorer, there is only one block shown, f.e. "FLPPY0". In the Preferences you see, that this Drive assembly has 1,38MB (the normal size of a Floppy disk).
To change to one of the other 99 folders, you must do it with the 123_SFD.exe-Programm with enabled function "start(select)/close(unselect) multi-floppy service" (don´t forget to close it, when leaving the program). Here you can choose now every of the 100 folders (00 is root, 1-99 the possible Disks).
When you have Floppy-Disks, copy them in each of the folders by using the 123_SFD-Program.
Now plug in the USB-Pen in the emulator in you XP-80 (or 50 or 60).
With the two knobs you can choose the "Disk", you want.
Now use the XP-80 in the normal way to load or save files on your "Disk".
The function is really great, pimp up your XP-80 to a modern synthesizer with this possibility. The Original-Instructions-Manual throw in the Garbage pail, it is shit !
Thanks to Tina from Allyda for the good and quick informations !]
Candy