Nebulon Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Hello. Does anyone know what the best way to read .dsk images via SD card is for an MSX2? The one I have has only 64K of RAM and doesn't have a disk drive. However, it does have the standard two cartridge slots. It's a Sony HB-T7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 MSX cart port is the same for all the MSX family, so look for options for MSX1. You will ahve to watch out for games limited to 64k, but you'll be able to play a good chunk of the MSX2 library, and all of the MSX1, which is great enough. Also look on expansion memory, the MSX is very versatile and mods are legion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazzeri Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 .DSK images are not that easy to read from SD on MSX... You can´t just "mount" them anywhere. .ROM files are quite easy though, and there´s a bunch of great mass storage options to choose from. I don´t know how much you want to spend but for an MSX2 with no drives at all probably the best option is a MegaflashROM: - It comes with DOS; - It works as an hard drive - You can mount .DSK - You can mount .ROM and MegaROM - It has a SCC sound chip I am not sure if you can order one with extra 512kb and it would run DOS2. Better check with Manoel Pazos, the maker. Here´s the ordering site: http://msxcartridgeshop.com/ I can´t stress enough how amazing this piece of harware is. It probably solves most of all scenarios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I was about to suggest the same. On Facebook, I've seen multiple SD based solutions scroll by, but most of them seem to be produced in very low quantities even by MSX community standards, and I don't know which capacities each of them have. There's also the MSX Resource Center where you might be able to grab first hand information about new projects, unless you simply order a MegaflashROM. I have been tinkering whether I should get one for more than three years, but haven't went ahead yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazzeri Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) I was about to suggest the same. On Facebook, I've seen multiple SD based solutions scroll by, but most of them seem to be produced in very low quantities even by MSX community standards, and I don't know which capacities each of them have. There's also the MSX Resource Center where you might be able to grab first hand information about new projects, unless you simply order a MegaflashROM. I have been tinkering whether I should get one for more than three years, but haven't went ahead yet. I've tried a lot of different solutions for some time now. - SCSI carts are a thing of the past. Let's move on. - IDEs are always available everywhere. They are a good start and cheap, but they are obviously just an IDE, I mean, you can't do anything fancy with those, like run .dsk files, MegaROM games or SCC - MMC/ SD is a great solution. But it is NOT easily available. Also, it does NOT expands your System memory. It do run .DSK images, it does allow flashing ROM and MegaROM and it does have a standard MS-DOS 2.2 in it. I love mine and probably will keep it forever. - MegaFlash is the bullseye. You can flash ROM and MegaROM, even HUGE ones (there's a 2mb Aleste 2 Disk-to-ROM conversion that runs smoothly); you can make multiROM carts with automatic boot menu; it is an IDE; it does mount disk and multidisk with simulated disk change; it does have a (FPGA) SCC+; it does expand your system memory; it does have DOS 2.2 and Nextor on ROM. The only downside I see is that it works as an integrated Slot Expander so it MUST run in a primary slot. But unless you're a sick puppy like me who owns multiple expansions like megaRAM, beefy Memory Mappers, Moonsound and such, that's REALLY not a problem. I do recommend it enfatically. Edited July 21, 2016 by lazzeri 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Yeah, I suppose the MegaflashROM is the 1541 Ultimate II by MSX standards, and roughly in the same price range. Some occasional users might find it being too steep, but you get a lot of value for your money and very little trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebulon Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 Ooh! I see there's a MegaFlashROM cartridge on there with RAM included. And I see what you mean.... Awesome yet expensive. Might have to make it a birthday gift to myself or something. By that time I ought to have saved up enough coin for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebulon Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 .DSK images are not that easy to read from SD on MSX... You can´t just "mount" them anywhere. .ROM files are quite easy though, and there´s a bunch of great mass storage options to choose from. I don´t know how much you want to spend but for an MSX2 with no drives at all probably the best option is a MegaflashROM: - It comes with DOS; - It works as an hard drive - You can mount .DSK - You can mount .ROM and MegaROM - It has a SCC sound chip I am not sure if you can order one with extra 512kb and it would run DOS2. Better check with Manoel Pazos, the maker. Here´s the ordering site: http://msxcartridgeshop.com/ I can´t stress enough how amazing this piece of harware is. It probably solves most of all scenarios. I know that .DSK images can be a problem sometimes with multi-disk games. I've run into that problem on the Atari 800XL. Do you know if it's possible to run a two or three-disk game using a MegaFlashROM cartridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seob Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 You could use a floppy emulator. It's not the best option, but it's not to expensive. I bought a gotek clone from China that had jumpers inside to set it to 720k. Had to change some other setting, otherwise i got a disk offline error. But it works with my msx2. I write the dsk files to a flashdisk and then i can use them. Since you have a msx1 you cannot use this option, since you don't have a diskcontroller. I'm also looking for the megaflash option, but the steep price keeps me from buying it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazzeri Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I know that .DSK images can be a problem sometimes with multi-disk games. I've run into that problem on the Atari 800XL. Do you know if it's possible to run a two or three-disk game using a MegaFlashROM cartridge? Yes, you can load up to 9 disks simultaneously and switch between them on a keystroke. That is way more than enough, no MSX game is that big. The only "but" is that the mounted disks are read-only, so no savegames. Here's the full manual in English: http://msxcartridgeshop.com/bin/MegaFlashROM%20SCC+%20SD%20User's%20Manual.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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