Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (user review)

[HDTV1080P]

Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (user review)

(also called a MicroFox Virtual ADAM Disk Drive)

A brief history before the official user review

When the Coleco ADAM first came out in October 1983, the computer system used blank 256K Digital Data Packs for loading programs and storing one’s personal files (The Digital Data Drives were a high-speed computer grade automated tape drive). In 1984 Coleco released a 5.25 inch 160K ADAMNet floppy disk drive that was faster and more reliable when compared to 256K Digital Data Packs. Back in 1984, one could connect a maximum of two Coleco 5.25 inch Disk Drives at once, and the only major disadvantage of the original Coleco Disk Drives was that they were only single sided drives that could only store 160K worth a data. With most Coleco ADAM programs being on a 256K Digital Data Pack, it made it impossible to copy some Supergame programs to disk if the game used more than 160K of storage space. When Coleco stopped making the ColecoVision and ADAM in January 1985, soon after some third party companies started offering Disk Drive upgrade services. The Coleco ADAM disk drives back in 1984 use to sale for $199.99 brand new. Sometime in 1985 or later, some people sent their Coleco disk drives into 3^rd party companies to get them modified to 320K double sided 5.25 inch and later on 720K 3.5 inch disk drives. The fees for the upgrade service were around $300+ on top of the price of $200 for the original Coleco disk drive that was purchased in the store. It was really cool when people were showing up with modified Coleco disk drives that stored 320K of data on a double sided 5.25 inch disk drive. For the first time one could make an exact bit for bit copy of a 256K Digital Data Pack to a 5.25 inch 320K Disk Drive. Later on what was more interesting is that people were showing up with modified Coleco Disk Drives that were converted to 720K 3.5 inch. After owning a Coleco 5.25 inch 160K Disk Drive for awhile, I ended up getting rid of it and getting a 720K 3.5 inch converted Coleco Disk Drive. I loved the storage space plus the plastic protective disk drive shell with built in write protect switch was very nice. There was some reliability issues with some of the Coleco 5.25 inch Disk Drives. It might have been a quality control issue was some version numbers, since I know some people have owned Coleco disk drives for 34 years and they still work fine. However, other people around 1984 and 1985 had a few Coleco ADAM Disk Drives that broke or ran too warm and overheated. The Coleco Disk Drives were much more reliable when compared to the Coleco Digital Data Drives.

 

In the late 80’s around 1988 or 1989 Micro innovations released the very first third party ADAM Disk Drives that were engineered from scratch (This is when I got rid of my original modified Coleco disk drives and purchased Micro innovations disk drives). First came the 320K 5.25 inch model and then the 720K 3.5 inch model. Later on there was the top of the line 1.44MB 3.5 inch model from Micro innovations that I really enjoyed. Micro Innovations either made a 1.2MB 5.25 inch Disk Drive, or a third party company was converting Coleco Disk Drives to 1.2MB (The latest version of File Manager supports 1.2MB 5.25 inch disk drives, but I never owned a 1.2MB drive since I preferred the 1.44MB 3.5 inch top of the line model). The Micro Innovations 320k, 720k, and 1.44MB models ran a lot cooler when compared to the original 160K Coleco Disk Drive. Micro innovations disk drives were also much more reliable when compared to the Coleco Disk Drives. The 1.44MB Disk Drive was also the fastest disk drive on the market (except for the Micro innovations IDE hard drive that was released later, but the hard drive is not considered a floppy disk drive). One could connect up to 4 Micro innovations disk drives to their ADAM computer if they special ordered two of the Disk Drives with a special eprom. The standard Coleco and Micro innovations disk drives came with a device #1 and device #2 eprom that was changed by an external toggle switch on the case. With the special eprom installed the toggle switch became device #3 and device #4. As far as I am aware only the Filemanger 3.1 and File Manger 4.06 supported Disk Drive #3 and #4.

 

 

Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (user review)

Since around 1991 to the year 2016 the 3.5 inch 1.44MB Micro Innovations disk drive with a list price of $299.99 was the top of the line ADAMNET storage device for one to use with their ADAM computer. That all changed on December 2016 when Microfox Technologies released the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator for only $130 plus shipping.

 

Every ADAM computer owner should own at least one microSD floppy Emulator

The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator is an ADAMNET drive that uses microSD cards. There are many positives about this product, however to have a fair review one also needs to mention some negatives about this product so that possible future improvements might occur on future hardware revisions.

 

I purchased a total of two microSD Floppy Emulators back on December 2016. However, I waited until January of 2018 to finally use and test the product. Therefore, the reason why this user review is occurring over a year later after purchase is because I am finally making the time to use the product. In theory, this microSD floppy emulator should be more reliable when compared to any disk drive on the market since microSD technology has no moveable parts to wear out. However out of the two microSD drives I purchased one of the power supplies was defective and needed to be replaced. On the second working microSD drive power supply, it needed to be replaced because of some picture quality interference issues when used with my ADAM setup (1.44MB 3.5 inch Disk Drives use to cost $299.99, to keep the microSD floppy emulator at only $130 price it is shipped with a very low priced power supply). In addition, one of the enclosed CD-R’s was defective. Then on top of that issue after I ended up getting a working power supply, one of the Virtual ADAM Disk Drives went bad and would not power up. Since it had been over a year since I purchased this product I thought the ADAM NEWS NETWORK was going to charge me to get the product repaired. However, to my surprise the ADAM NEWS NETWORK sent me two new power supplies that were also a different brand and model that performed better when compared to the other brand and model that originally shipped with the product. I also received a new CD-R disc that worked fine. However, the most awesome thing that occurred is the ADAM NEWS NETWORK replaced my Virtual ADAM Disk Drive free of charge even after being purchased over a year ago (The prior unit had a blown circuit board that most likely was caused by a bad power supply). The ADAM NEWS NETWORK has excellent customer service with their email support and they stand by their products and replace or repair defective products in a few days after they receive the defective product. I hope that both microSD floppy Emulators will continue to work for at least 10 year to a lifetime (only time well tell).

 

After doing some extensive research and testing, I located a couple high-end power supplies that are 100% compatible with the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive in case one wants to upgrade their power supply. For the United States use the best wall style power supply to use with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator is the ANVISION CS-1203000 that can be purchased for only $10.35 with free shipping from Amazon (Amazon prices can change daily). The ANVISION CS-1203000 is a very stable 12 volt DC power adapter with a maximum of a 3 amp capacity. For those that prefer a high-end Desktop style power adapter the ANVISION CS-1205000 is $15.68 with free shipping from Amazon plus USA customers need the 6 feet 14 gauge power cord for $3.33 since the Desktop adapter does not come with the power cord. The Desktop style power supply produces a stable12 volt DC with a maximum output of 5 amps. The Virtual ADAM Disk Drive draws less than 0.5 amps of power (most likely around 0.3 amps). It is a low power device. An optional United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia power cord can be purchased for around $5 for the ANVISION CS-1205000. Both of the ANVISION power adapters accept 100-240volts at 50/60Hz and have all the required safety certifications including the latest level VI energy efficiency rating. In addition, both adapters have an EMI/RFI ferrite bead to eliminate or reduce interference.

 

The existing firmware in the ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator supports the FAT and FAT32 file system, therefore microSD and microSDHC cards up to 32GB in size can be used. However the firmware does not support exFAT therefore 32GB to 2TB microSDXC cards are not supported. In addition, even though 32GB microSDHC cards are supported, one disappointing thing is the current firmware only allows one to use a maximum of 144MB of space on a microSD card or a SD card with a special adapter. The advantage of the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive, is that one can use the entire 32GB of space on the SDHC card, and with a coming soon to be released firmware update exFAT with a storage space of 2TB is supported. In addition, the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive instantly can have its firmware updated by inserting a SD card. The microSD Floppy Emulator from Microfox Technologies is not firmware upgradable by microSD card. Also at this time, Microfox Technologies has no plans on offering a firmware update since the entire drive would need to be sent into the factory and taken apart in order to offer a firmware update. So any bugs one discovers will most likely not be corrected in a future firmware update. Also, keep in mind the $129.95 ATARIMAX Wafer Drive will not read ADAM disks and Digital Data Pack images from the existing firmware, since the ATARIMAX products have always been designed to read ColecoVision/ADAM cartridge rom images (The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator comes with CopyCart + 2.0 that allows one to make backup copies of any game cartridge rom image up to 32KB in size). Also even though the ADAM computer is a much more powerful computer/videogame system when compared to the ColecoVision, there was only around 500,000 ADAM computers sold versus a minimum of 2 million ColecoVision’s back in the 80’s. My point is that since there are less ADAM users when compared to ColecoVision users, this means the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy emulator is a niche product. However the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive is a must have product that every ADAM owner should own since it operates better than any ADAM disk drive that I have every used, and it has no moving part to wear out, therefore in theory it is also more reliable when compared to a real disk drive.

 

 

The reason behind the 144MB microSD storage limitation

So even though the Coleco microSD Floppy Emulator well work with FAT32 and 32GB microSD cards, only a maximum of 144MB of storage space will be recognized by the firmware. The reason for this is that the Virtual microSD ADAM Disk Drive firmware was designed to hold a maximum of a 100 ADAM disk images, and up to 1.44MB in size per disk image. Micro Innovations back in the early 90’s did develop and sale at least one ADAMNET hard disk drive, and therefore its disappointing that this Virtual ADAM microSD disk images cannot use up to the full 32GB of storage space, and instead are limited to 1.44MB of storage space per disk image. In addition, it would have been ideal to have the ability to add more than 100 ADAM disk images on one microSD card (Perhaps offering different folders to place those disk images in).

 

Therefore, what this means is that there is no logical reason under the existing firmware for one to use microSD cards larger then 256MB since only a maximum of 144MB (140MB) can be used by the drive. Unless there is a firmware update any microSD card larger then 256MB is a waste of one’s money most of the time (The exception occurs when a higher capacity SD card sometimes offers better quality construction and lifespans) . However, the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator ships with a 2GB microSD card, because the reality is microSD and SD cards between 1MB to 2GB are out of production (some online dealers have new and old stock of SD cards available until inventory is depleted). Only SDHC cards 2GB to 32GB, and SDXC cards 32GB to 512GB are in production (1TB and 2TB SDXC cards are in the lab and will be released in the future). Since SD cards are out of production and since SDXC cards with exFAT cannot be used by the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive, this means only microSDHC cards between 2GB to 32GB that support FAT32 are available for purchase. However many retail stores do not stock SDHC cards under 8GB in size, which limits some consumers to purchase 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB size microSDHC cards as blank floppy disks at their local store. One day in the years to come SDXC cards might replace SDHC cards.

 

I did not like the microSD ejection slot on the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive since I had to insert my finger nail in the slot to eject the card and when inserting the card a couple of times I missed the slot and the card got stuck in the case. I like how the Harmony Encore ATARI 2600 SD Wafer Drive and the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive use a full size SD card slot. Therefore, I decided to purchase a 60CM microSD to SD card extension cable for only $2.45 plus free shipping. This ended up being an excellent low cost product to use with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. I can now use both full size SDHC cards and microSDHC cards up to 32GB in size (I use a microSD adapter with the full size SD card reader at the end of the extension cable). However the microSD to SD card extension cable does not support the write protect lock switch feature located on all full size SD cards. What this means is that full size SD cards cannot be write protected like floppy disks are (that is one advantage of a real floppy drive). When the write protect tab is placed in the lock position, the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive will still write to the SD card. However, the same thing occurs on a Windows PC when using the exact same microSD to SD card extension cable. The extension cable manufactories would need to place a write protect lock switch on the microSD side of the cable in order to active the write protect feature, however no such cable with a built in write protect lock switch exists. It is also possible that even if the cable supported write protecting of SD cards, that the firmware for the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive might not support that feature since it was designed to be used with microSD cards that has absolutely no write protect lock switch. I wish the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive had a full size SD card slot or at least a switch on the base unit to active write protect for microSD cards. All 5.25 inch and 3.5 inch disk drives have a write protect mode to prevent one from accidently erasing a floppy disk. One just needs to be more careful when using the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive so they do not accidental erase an important personal file that cannot be replaced (Some ADAM users have personal files from the year 1983).

 

SD and microSD compatible issues. The Virtual ADAM Disk Drive has some compatibility issues when using certain brands and models of SD cards. I placed a few SD cards in the unit that were not recognized by the drive, however a Windows PC, Atari 2600 Harmony Encore SD Wafer Drive , and ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive recognized that exact same SD card just fine. However when I used a high quality full size SanDisk 32GB SDHC card it worked perfectly fine in the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive. I need to do some more testing but some microSD and SD cards between 16MB to 2GB have compatibility issues. microSDHC and SDHC cards between 2GB to 32GB so far appear to work fine with the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive.

 

Passive ADAMNET communication versus active ADAMNET communication

Both the Coleco ADAM floppy drives and Micro Innovations disk drives use the much better passive ADAMNET communication. For example all ADAM floppy disk drives have a input and output 6 pin ADAMNET communication jack. One can connect up to two Coleco Disk Drives at once or up to 4 Disk Drives at once for Micro Innovations (Drives are connected in series with each other). If one decides to turn off one of the disk drives, ADAMNET continues to work and the keyboard and any other ADAMNET device like a second Disk Drive or both Digital Data Drives can continue to work. Micro Innovations passive ADAMNET technology is even better then Coleco’s since it passes not only the communication data but also the power signal on the ADAMNET for items like the keyboard. Therefore one can literal plug the ADAM keyboard into the back of the Micro Innovations Disk Drive and still use the keyboard. The Coleco passive ADAMNET only works with items like a second Disk Drive and one cannot plug the Coleco keyboard into the back of the Coleco Disk Drive. So in summary all ADAM floppy disk drives from the 80’s and early 90’s use passive ADAMNET technology that allows one to switch devices on and off on ADAMNET, plus the Micro Innovations disk drives pass power that allows the keyboard to be plugged into the back of a disk drive. One can also turn a disk drive off and still use the ADAM computer.

 

There is no on/off switch on the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive, which is a negative (but one cannot turn off the power or it jams ADAMNET until the drive has its power restored). On the Microfox Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator it is active powered ADAMNET device. As soon as one unplugs the power cord to the microSD Floppy Emulator while it’s connected to the ADAM computer, it completely jams the ADAMNET connection, including the keyboard that is connected directly to the memory console. ADAMNET becomes unjammed as soon as one restores power to all of the connected microSD Floppy emulators. For some reason the hardware design on the microSD floppy emulator is using active powered ADAMNET passing technology instead of passive no power ADAMNET passing technology (with passive power the memory console powers the ADAMNET communication going through the device). What this means is that if someone has one or two microSD Floppy Emulators, and if one does not want to use one of those drives for a few ADAM computer sessions, then they have to disconnect both the power cord and the ADAMNET cable from both Virtual ADAM Disk Drives. As far as I am aware no other ADAMNET device will jam ADAMNET communications if it looses power or is turned off (The ADAMNET jacks on Micro Innovations disk drives use passive technology where even the ADAMNET output jack and anything on ADAMNET still works when power is lost). As soon as power is restored to the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive ADAMNET starts working again.

 

Therefore, the way the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator handles its ADAMNET communication is disappointing since one has to always have the unit powered up. If one wants to turn the unit off they have to disconnect both the power adapter and the ADAMNET cable from the memory console.

 

The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator is a highly recommended product that all ADAM computer uses should own

I own both a working Micro Innovations 5.25 inch 320K Disk Drive and a 3.5 inch 1.44MB Disk Drive. I did extensive testing with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator, and overall even though it has some problems, it is a better product when compared to any ADAM floppy disk drive created. It is extremely easy to use once one understands how to use it, and in theory should be more reliable since there is no moveable parts. There are many broken ADAM Disk Drives that are appearing on EBAY since they are up to 34 years old. No one makes new Disk Drives for the ADAM computer anymore. I always dreamed about someone making an ADAMNET to USB interface for the ADAM that would allow low cost under $10 USB 3.5 inch 1.44 Disk Drives to be used (However with microSD and SD card technology being used as modern day storage, all disk drives and blank floppy disks are now out of production). In addition, after using the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator I really do not want to go back to disk drive technology.

 

The enclosed CD-R that comes with the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive is a nice item to have. It contains the instruction manual for the product and an exact bit for bit copy of all the programs that are installed on the 2GB microSD card. If one accidently erases the microSD card, one can place the microSD card in their computer and copy and paste all the original programs back on the microSD card from the provided CD-R (And CD-R’s once written to can never be erased). The Virtual ADAM Disk Drive comes with a massive amount of licensed and public domain games . Some of the programs I never seen before. For example the best ADAM software backup utility is File Manager. File Manager 2.2 came out in 1988 and offers support for 160K, 320K, and 720K disk drives. File Manager 3.1 came out in 1991 and offers support for 1.44MB disk drives (plus there most likely is some other improvements).The ADAM Virtual Disk Drive comes with File Manager 4.06, and that is a program that I have never seen before. File Manager 4.06 that came out in 2010 offers support for 1.2MB 5.25 inch disk drives. I went down the 1.44MB 3.5 inch disk drive route with the ADAM and never owned a 1.2MB disk drive when Micro Innovations released it. Perhaps File Manager 4.06 offers hard drive support, however I do not have a hard drive to test it. The 3 noticeable differences in the programs is that each newer version kept adding support for the latest capacity disk drives.

 

There are many websites that are offering both public domain and with permission licensed versions of both Coleco ADAM and third party Coleco ADAM software programs that can be downloaded to a SD card or microSD card and then ran on the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive emulator (Sample 1, Sample 2.).

 

How to change microSD cards or SD cards on the Coleco ADAM Floppy Emulator

Remember the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive only accepts microSD cards, however with a special extension cable with SD adapter that was mentioned early in this post one can use both full size SD cards and microSD cards with an adapter. When powering up the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive with no SD card inserted, the unit will not display anything on its LCD screen. However as soon as a SD card is inserted the Drive LCD screen will power up. When one ejects and inserts a new SD card, they also need to power cycle the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive after each new SD card is inserted so that the Drive sees the new card. Each SD card holds a maximum of 100 1.44MB Disk Drive images due to limitations in the firmware.

 

The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator uses Chinese parts and then is assembled in the United States by ADAM News Network. For being manually assembled by hand, the front face of the product looks professional, however the left and right sides of the case have some minor cosmetic issues (This product might have cost $200+ if it was professional assembled in a Chinese automated robotic factory).

 

The LCD screen on the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive always displays the name of each Disk or Digital Data Pack image that was last mounted (last used file) upon unit power up. Changing the ADAM disk file name located on the LCD screen requires one to place the microSD card in a computer device to make the name change. Using the previous or next button will allow one to scroll threw up to a 100 different ADAM Disk images with the name changing on the LCD screen with each push of the next or previous button. Clicking on the mount button will active a red light that has the same function as inserting a 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy disk in a real ADAM disk drive. Then one pulls the rest button on the ADAM memory console to load the program. Pushing the mount button a second time turns off the red light and has the same function as pushing the eject button on a 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy disk drive. The active light also flashes and has the functions of a disk drive activity indicator when ADAMNET is reading and writing data to the SD card. As an ADAM image is being loaded from the SD card, there is also a neat advancing block number that advances in the upper right hand corner of the LCD screen. This virtual ADAM microSD Floppy emulator is faster than the flagship Micro Innovations 3.5 inch 1.44MB Disk Drive. SD cards are also much faster than the ADAM computer. There are some higher end 32GB SDHC cards that have 300MB per second read speeds. Even cheaper 32GB SDHC cards have around 80MB per second read speeds that are so much faster than the ADAM computers processor and memory. When I was loading 1MB of data from the SD card to the ADAM’s internal 1MB memory expander, it was faster than a real disk drive, however I was disappointed that it took a few minutes instead of being instant. On a Windows computer it takes less than a second to copy and paste data from a SD card to a solid state drive. ADAMNET is a nice easy to use communication interface, however I do not remember the exact speed, but I do believe that it travels at around 56,000 baud. A engineer at Micro Innovations once told me that the internal expansion interface slots in the ADAM computer are much faster than ADAMNET, and that is one of the reasons the first hard drive for the ADAM computer used an internal expansion slot instead of ADAMNET.

 

Currently a maximum of two Coleco ADAM microSD floppy emulators can be connected to the ADAM computer with the disk drive #1 and #2 configuration. However the first hardware revision of the Virtual ADAM floppy disk emulator is suppose to have a jumper on the circuit board that allows one to change the switch to disk drive #3 and #4. When I tried to special order two more Virtual ADAM Disk Drives configured as Disk Drive number #3 and #4, my order was refunded and I was informed that in the second hardware revision that was made the jumper to active disk drive #3 and #4 was removed. I thought about taking my original first revision December 2016 Virtual ADAM Disk Drives apart and changing the jumper, but I decided not to at this time since I was told that more testing needs to be done to see if the disk drive number #3 and #4 function works properly. It’s too bad Mirco innovations, and the ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator never made a 4 position switch to change the drive to disk drive #1, #2, #3, and #4. However at least Micro Innovations disk drives could be ordered with the special drive #3 and #4 eprom. Only File Manger 3.1 and File Manager version 4.06 to my knowledge can access a third and fourth disk drive. Back in the early nineties, some people owned two 3.5 inch 1.44MB Disk drives configured as disk drive number #1 and #2, and then they used File Manager with one or two 5.25 inch disk drives configured as Disk Drive number 3 and 4.

 

The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator is an amazing product. One can download or upload ADAM images to or from a microSD card that is connected to a computer with Internet access. Then once on a microSD card the real ADAM program or game can be used on a 1983 ADAM computer. Then with the included File Manager 4.06 program, the microSD image can be copied to or from a real disk drive or Digital Data Drive. This device is an extremely easy way for people to transfer and share their homebrew ADAM programs with other people on the Internet. I have some rare public domain and third party programs for the ADAM computer that are not offered on the Internet. Maybe with permissions from the authors I can one day upload those rare programs on the Internet so that they are not lost forever.

 

Every Coleco ADAM owner should own at least one Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator, since it’s a must have item. 3.5 inch 1.44MB Disk Drives for the ADAM computer use to sale brand new for around $299.99, the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator for $130 plus shipping is a bargain (Even without the drive, the included bundled software on the microSD card is worth over $130+).

Edited March 7, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

Attached is a 100 ADAM Blank 1.44MB Disks which can be copied to a 256MB or larger SD or microSD card for use on the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. The file name labels can be renamed once the blank disk images are filled up with homebrew programs and games.

100 ADAM Blank 1.44MB Disks.zip

[HDTV1080P]

I had excellent results when I used the high quality $12.50 SanDisk 32GB SDSDUNC-032G-GN6IN with the 60CM microSD to SD card extension cable for only $2.45 plus free shipping .

 

I am current in the process of testing some higher end and lower end SD cards with this Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator to see which SD cards are compatible.

Edited March 7, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[adamcon]

I had excellent results when I used the high quality $12.50 SanDisk 32GB SDSDUNC-032G-GN6IN with the 60CM microSD to SD card extension cable for only $2.45 plus free shipping .

 

I am current in the process of testing some higher end and lower end SD cards with this Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator to see which SD cards are compatible.

One caviat, we suggest and also kind of insist that you use a power strip to tun on all your ADAM things at the same time so as to not interfer with each other. Another caviat, none of the MicroFox Technologies hardware is intended to be "hot swappable", in other words do NOT swap compact flash cards OR microSD cards while powered up - you will run into trouble sooner or later by "letting the smoke out" and ruining the hardware.

[HDTV1080P]

One caviat, we suggest and also kind of insist that you use a power strip to tun on all your ADAM things at the same time so as to not interfer with each other. Another caviat, none of the MicroFox Technologies hardware is intended to be "hot swappable", in other words do NOT swap compact flash cards OR microSD cards while powered up - you will run into trouble sooner or later by "letting the smoke out" and ruining the hardware.

The ATARI 2600 Ultimate SD Wafer Drive and ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive for cartridge rom images allows one to remove the SD card without needing to turn off the power to the equipment. I thought if one presses the unmount button that they could remove the SD card without powering off the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive. So far no data lost doing so. However since one needs to power cycle the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive once each new SD card is inserted, so the new image is recognized, it makes sense to unplug the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive power supply before ejecting the SD card and inserting a new SD card, since one has to power cycle anyways once the new SD card is inserted. So turning off the power to Virtual ADAM Disk Drive for a few seconds while a new SD card is inserted makes sense. Then when one turns on the power to the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive again, the ADAMNET communication starts working again like normal. I might need to get a separate on/off switch or power strip so that I can swap SD cards, it beats having to unplug the power cord on the adapter each time.

 

Thanks for the information.

Edited March 7, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[NIAD]

With the necessary skill set, you can mount the ADAMnet VDD internally in one of the Data Drive bays like a member on here has done. You can even tap into the Power and ADAMnet lines internally on the left side of the Memory Console to lesson the cable clutter. If you go that far, you can also add an On/Off power switch for the ADAMnet VDD.

 

 

[towmater]

(This product might have cost $200+ if it was professional assembled in a Chinese automated robotic factory).

 

 

I know this is the official user review, but I find at least four issues with just this one sentence.

[+eebuckeye]

This is great.. I thought I was the only one that bought one in 2016 and have not used it yet. I need to get on that ASAP.

[HDTV1080P]

With the necessary skill set, you can mount the ADAMnet VDD internally in one of the Data Drive bays like a member on here has done. You can even tap into the Power and ADAMnet lines internally on the left side of the Memory Console to lesson the cable clutter. If you go that far, you can also add an On/Off power switch for the ADAMnet VDD.

 

 

Thanks for the pictures. The other day I was briefly thinking about how neat it would be to have one or two Virtual ADAM Disk Drives located in the location of the Digital Data Drive slot. This is fine for people that have no Digital Data Drive or only want one. However I plan on keeping my two Digital Data Drives in the original case. That person did a real professional job mounting that Virtual ADAM Disk Drive. Its taking the power from the ADAM power supply by a connection to the circuit board, however it still has to use the 6 pin ADAMNET connection cable since the firmware is designed for Disk Drive #1 and Disk Drive #2. Also changing microSD cards when mounted in the case is not possible unless one gets a SD or microSD extension cable. Yes a on/off switch can be added to the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive but it can only be used briefly when changing microSD cards. As soon as the drive is turned off, ADAMNET communications are jammed, ADAMNET becomes unjammed once the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive is turned back on.

Edited March 8, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[Swami]

Can this run digital data pack files as well or just floppy drive DSK files?

[HDTV1080P]

Can this run digital data pack files as well or just floppy drive DSK files?

All personal files from both Disk and Digital Data Pack can be copied to the drive (The drive operates like a Disk 1 and Disk 2 hardware device and will run 100% of all Disk images as far as I am aware. ADAMNET will not see it as tape drive 1 or tape drive 2). If you are talking about original Coleco software, then that is a yes and no answer in regards to running Digital Data Pack programs. That is a yes 99% of the time (No 1% of the time unless the program is manually modified to work from a Disk Drive or Virtual microSD disk drive). If you own a working Digital Data Drive, then yes you can copy 256K Digital Data Pack programs and files to the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive's microSD card. Flie Manager makes a perfect 256K copy to the microSD media and then one can run the program from the Virtual ADAM Disk Drive instead of the Digital Data Drive. However, some programs, especially some Supergames on Digital Data Pack would need to be modified so that they can run from ADAMNET Disk #1 and #2. There are certain Coleco programs that only run from the Digital Data Drive number one, since the programmer designed it that way, most likely they never thought about a disk drive coming out a year later or so (Or perhaps Coleco wanted people to repurchase the same program on Disk). For the games or programs that were never released on Disk by Coleco and will not run from Disk when copied, Walters Software back in the 80’s manually spent the time to convert the Supergames and programs so that they would work from a real Disk Drive (and they also work from a Virtual ADAM microSD Disk Drive). All of those programs are available online and work from the Virtual ADAM microSD Floppy emulator.

Edited March 8, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[Swami]

 

 

I know this is the official user review, but I find at least four issues with just this one sentence.

I think we all miss the quality control in editorials that existed before the blogosphere.

[towmater]

Thanks for the pictures.

 

Those are pictures of my Adam! I added the SD extension, and velcroed it inside, making it easy to access by popping the lid, but otherwise neatly hidden.

[HDTV1080P]

I had excellent results when I used the high quality $12.50 SanDisk 32GB SDSDUNC-032G-GN6IN with the 60CM microSD to SD card extension cable for only $2.45 plus free shipping .

 

I am current in the process of testing some higher end and lower end SD cards with this Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator to see which SD cards are compatible.

 

Update on compatible SD and SDHC cards to use with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator

I currently have a Micro Innovations 1.44MB 3.5 inch ADAM Disk Drive with a lot of software on 3.5 inch disks. The drive and the select disks I decided to test work fine. This is good news since some of these disks are from the late 80’s and early 90’s. I am planning on using the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator to backup all my 3.5 inch disks to SDHC media before the drive and media is not useable anymore due to old age. Once I get the software on SDHC media I can then use a Windows PC to transfer everything to one high-end blank DVD-R or BD-R disc that is rated to last up to 1,000 years (Also write once optical discs cannot be erased. Optical discs are 100% immune to EMI/RFI and are EMP proof). The 1,000 year lifespan is perfect for a time capsule for future generations, but I have no plans on doing that. Most SD cards are rated to last up to 10 years, but some of the best ones have better build quality and might last up to 50 years under ideal conditions. However very strong magnetic fields and naturally occurring EMP’s or manmade EMP’s can destroy SD cards (Optical discs are immune to those types of issues).

 

There is some really expensive high-end 32GB SDHC cards on the market. Panasonic makes a 32GB SDHC card with a maximum read speed of 2GB per second for $189.99. I was considering using the SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDHC Memory Card with a 300MB per second read speed, however at a price of $59.95 each I decided that would be too expensive for use with the ADAM computer. Sony also makes a very nice 32GB SDHC card for $60.19.

Quality 32GB SDHC cards at a good price

(First choice) For my two Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulators with the attached 60CM microSD to SD card extension cable for only $2.45 plus free shipping, I purchased total of 2 SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO memory cards for $21.85 each. This SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro has a maximum read speed of 95MB per second and a maximum write seed of 90MB per second. It comes with a nice plastic SD card storage case, and has an excellent build quality. Operating temperature is between -13 to 185 degrees F. This card is ideal for storing important Coleco ADAM programs for everyday use.

 

(Second choice) For those looking for something cheaper in price, there is also the SanDisk 32GB Ultra SDHC memory card that use to be $12.50 each, but recently the price was increased to $12.99. Build quality is still fairly good and the speed is a little slower at 80MB per second read speed.

 

All or most SD cards are made in China. Many excellent high quality items come out of China, and some Chinese companies also make lower quality and lower priced items for the average mainstream consumer (The consumer generally gets the quality level of what their willing to pay for). SD cards between 1MB to 2GB are no longer in production; however some Chinese dealers still have new SD cards in stock until inventory is depleted. SDHC cards between 2GB to 32GB are still in production and are 100% compatible with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. However most retail stores in the United States only carry SDHC cards in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB sizes. The 16GB and 32GB SDHC cards have faster transfer speeds when compared to 8GB and slower SDHC cards. SDXC cards between 32GB and 2TB use exFAT and are not compatible with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator.

 

There are some 16MB SD cards one can purchase directly from China for only $0.99 with free shipping, they work fine with the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drives, Harmony Encore SD Wafer Drives, and Windows PC’s (However 1MB to 16MB SD cards are not compatible with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator under the existing firmware). I have not tried a 32MB, 64MB, or 128MB SD card with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator to see if the firmware accepts those sizes. However, 256MB and larger SD cards do work with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (at least the brands and models I tested). Since the existing firmware only allows for a maximum of 144MB (140MB) to be used on a SD card, the best value priced SD card is a 256MB model for only $2.27 each with free shipping (That price is when one purchases 5 or more). At $2.27 each one can have a total of a 100 1.44MB Disk images per SD card and not waste that much space on the SD card. This allows one to have very low priced storage media that is rated to last up to 10 years. I should mention that the quality of a 256MB SD card for $2.27 is not as good when compared to a modern 32GB SDHC card for around $10 or the SanDisk Ultra for $12.99. I did some extensive testing of the $2.27 256MB SD cards, and they work on the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator as long as one has a full size SD card reader attached. Out of 10 256MB SD cards I tested, I needed to reformat these SD cards since there were some issues with the existing format and hidden software on the SD cards. SD cards between 1MB to 2GB are always suppose to come pre-formatted as FAT. SDHC cards between 2GB to 32GB are pre-formatted as FAT32. SDXC cards between 32GB to 2TB are pre-formatted as exFAT (Some pre-formatted exFAT SDXC cards will not work at all with FAT32 and require exFAT which the Coleco ADAM Floppy Emulator firmware does not support). The problem is some of the 256MB SD cards were formatted as FAT32 and others formatted as exFAT. For SD cards to work correctly they need to be formatted as FAT, since some older devices do not work with exFAT. Another issue is that 2 out of 10 of the SD cards had some type virus that needed to be removed from the cards since they activated a Windows blue screen death issue with an attempted virus install as soon as one tries to write to the SD card. Norton took care of the high risk virus problem after a reboot and removed the virus. Reformatting those cards fixed the virus problem and a reformatting should be done as soon as one receives the card. Another issue is the quality control on these 10 cards are not the same. Some 256MB cards in the batch of 10 had slower transfer speeds, and also the storage capacity is not exactly the same. The 256MB SD cards vary in capacity between 237MB to 244MB (All ADAM owners need is a minimum of 140MB of storage space under the existing firmware). Therefore, when purchasing very low cost SD cards from China directly, make sure you reformat the card before using it to remove any possible viruses. Also, make sure you have your Anti-Virus software updated before inserting any new SD card in a Windows PC (In theory there is never any viruses that were every written for the ADAM computer). At $2.27 each they are an excellent value priced 256MB SD card for use with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. However, for important personal computer data and rare unreleased Coleco software that cannot be replaced a SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro for $21.85 or a SanDisk 32GB Ultra SDHC for $12.99 each is recommended for everyday use.

 

 

Real world speed performance issues with SD and SDHC cards

The Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator comes with a very low cost 2GB microSD card. I took that 2GB microSD card and formatted it in a very fast Intel X99 Windows PC with a high-end solid-state drive. Then from the solid-state drive I copied a total of 100 ADAM 1.44MB Disk images (140MB of data) to the microSD card. It took a total of 28 seconds to write 140MB of ADAM disk images to the existing microSD card that is provided with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. When using the 32GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme Pro it only took a maximum of 3 seconds to write a 140MB of data to the card, versus 28 seconds with the much slower 2GB microSD card. The 32GB SDHC SanDisk Ultra wrote 140MB of data in exactly 12 seconds (4 times slower when compared to the much faster Extreme Pro). Then I took the slowest 256MB SD card in the batch of 10 I purchased for $2.27 each. The slowest 256MB SD card in the batch took 26 seconds to write 140MB of data. The fastest 256MB SD card in the batch had a write speed of 15 seconds which was only 3 seconds slower than the SanDisk Ultra that came in at 12 seconds.

 

Now all SD and SDHC cards even the cheapest and lowest quality should be faster then the entire ADAM computer CPU and memory, or at least faster than ADAMNET itself, but in the real world that was only true with SDHC cards, some of the lower end SD cards were a little bit slower than ADAMNET, which was a big surprise to me.

 

Using the 32GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme Pro, Dragon’s Lair loaded in exactly 16 seconds, however it took 18 seconds for Dragon’s Lair to load from a 256MB SD card. When using File Manager to format the SanDisk Extreme Pro in the 1.44MB emulation mode, it took exactly 1 minute and 14 seconds without verification and 8 minutes and 53 seconds with verification. The 256MB SD card in the 1.44MB emulation mode, took 1 minute and 27 seconds to format without verification and 10 minutes and 28 seconds with verification. Also the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator will mount a fast SD and SDHC card instantly, but on the slowest SD card it took 3 seconds for the mount light to come on after the button was pushed. It was not instant. Therefore, in the real world SDHC cards can sometimes be faster than SD cards on the ADAM computer. But in general one is not going to see a speed difference between a lower end SDHC card and a higher end SDHC card when used on a real ADAM computer because of the speed of ADAMNET is much slower than any or most SDHC cards on the market. The performance speed difference on faster SDHC cards is very noticeable when used on a fast high-end Desktop or Notebook PC. In addition, the build quality on those higher end SDHC cards make them much more reliable for important computer data and storing rare unreleased Coleco software.

Edited March 17, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

Attached are some pictures of the Full size SD card reader with a built in 60CM extension cable that is connected to the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. This makes it really easy to insert/eject SD cards and even microSD cards with an adapter (Always power cycling the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator when removing and inserting a new SD card, since the drives operating system will not see a new SD card until its power cycled). Also with 256MB SD cards priced at $2.27 each and each SD card being able to hold a 100 floppy disk images. This makes SD media a low cost media to store ADAM computer images on. The factory SD label can be peeled off on a $2.27 SD card, and then one can apply their own custom self-adhesive label that they designed on a color printer.

Edited March 17, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

The Elite Pro 256MB High Speed SD cards are the worse quality SD card I have every seen so far

(Poor quality and only works with a Windows operating system, don’t purchase)

I was searching for a so called higher quality 256MB SD cards to use with the Coleco ADAM Floppy Emulator and the Wafer Drive SD cartridge products. This EBAY company offers brand new Elite Pro 256MB SD cards for $2.45 plus free shipping (A little more expensive when compared to the much higher quality 256MB Memory Partner SD cards I received for $2.27 plus free shipping). Some Chinese products are high quality while others are lower in quality.

 

So I ended up purchasing a sample of 10 Elite Pro 256MB SD cards from this Chinese EBAY dealer (bad quality do not purchase). Two separate orders with a QTY of 5 for each order. I received my first batch of 5 256MB SD cards. All 5 SD card plastic storage cases had a very large white sticker on it that took over 30 minutes to peel the sticker off the cases, and then I still could not get the sticker residue off the cases. Therefore, I ended up tossing out all 5 plastic SD storage cases since I have a supply of extra SD storage cases with no sticker residue on the cases. All 5 256MB SD cards had exactly 240MB of useable space on the SD card.

 

When inserting the 256MB SD card in a Windows PC it took 1 minute and 7 second to copy 140MB of data to the so called Elite Pro 256MB high-speed SD card. The 32GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme Pro only takes 3 seconds and the 256MB Memory Partner SD card only takes 15 seconds to transfer 140MB of data (The 2GB microSD card that comes with the Coleco ADAM Floppy Emulator takes 28 seconds to transfer 140MB worth of data). Most of the 256MB Elite Pro SD cards in the batch of 5 I received have a transfer speed of around 1 minute and 3 seconds with the fastest card in the batch only coming in at 57 seconds for writing 140MB of data. This brand and model of SD card, is the slowest I have ever seen and to make matters worse these SD cards would only work in a Windows operating system. While all 5 cards came formatted with the FAT file system there was something wrong with the way these SD cards sorted the directories and handled the formatting. Reformatting the SD cards using the Windows utility appeared to work fine as long as one used the SD cards on a Windows operating system. However when using the official SD Card Formatting utility for Windows PC’s from the SD Association with the “overwrite format” option, all 5 Elite Pro SD cards would fail to format (Something I have never seen before).

 

Moreover, while the Elite Pro SD cards worked in a Windows PC system with the Windows format utility, they would not work at all in the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive, Hamony Encore SD Wafer Drive, or the Coleco ADAM Floppy Emulator because the SD card format is not using a standard FAT format according to the official SD specs.

 

I am surprised that a product like this even exists on the market. Calling the product an Elite Pro high-speed SD card and being the slowest and worse quality SD card I have ever seen.

 

SD cards between 1MB to 2GB are out of production and some dealers have a limited supply in stock (2GB to 32GB SDHC cards are still being made with most retail stores only stocking 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB sizes). Therefore since there is a limited selection of factory new 256MB SD cards still on the market. The Memory Partner brand is the only 256MB SD card on the market that I have found that works properly on the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator when used with a full size SD card reader. So those looking for storing a 100 1.44MB disk images (140MB total) on a SD card can use either the lower cost 256MB Memory Partner brand or a higher quality ScanDisk 32GB SDHC card.

Edited March 26, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

I just received my second batch of Elite Pro 256MB SD cards in the mail today. Same exact problem that was in the first batch with the SD cards only working in Windows (and not formatting correctly) and all 5 SD storage cases having the same problem as I mentioned before. Plus now in this batch of 5, one of the SD cards is not useable at all since the write protect switch is defective and stuck in the write protect mode.

 

All 10 SD cards will be going in the trash. This reminds me of a few batches of power supplies I ended up trashing a month or two ago from a Chinese supplier due to bad quality issues. It costs more to ship many things back to China for a refund when compared to the original purchase price. So the recycling bin and trash can, become the cheapest method to get rid of some products.

Edited March 27, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

Update on compatibility issues when using SD and microSD cards with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (When the full size SD card reader extension cable is used)

I have verified that the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator firmware is not compatible with any SD card capacities between 1MB to 16MB. However, I have verified that the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator is 100% compatible with the MemoryPartner 32MB SD card, 64MB SD card, 256MB SD card, 512MB SD card, and 1GB SD card. However the MemoryPartner 16MB SD card, 128MB SD card, and 2GB SD card does not work at all in the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator under the existing firmware. I should mention that the MemoryPartner 16MB SD card does work perfectly in the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drives and the Harmony Encore SD Wafer Drive. However the MemoryPartner 128MB and 2GB SD cards also does not work at all in the ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drives and Harmony Encore SD Wafer Drive under the existing firmware, and this incompatible issue with this brand and model of SD card in the 128MB and 2GB capacities is not just effecting the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. The MemoryPartner 128MB and 2GB capacity SD cards work fine in a Windows operating system, Digital camera operating system, and pass the official SD Association overwrite format software test. Also at $4.99 for a 2GB SD card, that is a little expensive for only 2GB capacity.

 

As mentioned before since the existing firmware in the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator can only use a maximum of 140MB of space on a SD card (100 x 1.44MB disk images), the most logical size SD card to use is the 256MB capacity as long as the speed and reliability is at acceptable levels. For my personal use I prefer the SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO memory cards for $21.40 each.

 

This EBAY dealer offers low cost MemoryPartner SD cards between 16MB to 2GB capacity. In addition, so far the MemoryPartner SD cards from this dealer have arrived with absolutely no Windows viruses on the samples I have received.

Edited April 18, 2018 by HDTV1080P

[adamcon]

 

"Update on compatibility issues when using SD and microSD cards with the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator (When the full size SD card reader extension cable is used)

I have verified that the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator firmware is not compatible with any SD card capacities between 1MB to 16MB."

 

We ship the VDD (floppy drive emulator) with 1gb or 2gb microSD cards from various manufacturers and all work well. Why on earth would anyone want a 1mb thru 16mb card; you can't hardly fit any ADAM or ColecoVision games or programs on that size card - the cards supplied will hold 100 1.44mb disks for the ADAM or CV. OR possibly any cards that do not work may have something to do with the use of an extension cable; the VDD was not manufactured or tested to work with extension cables in mind.

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by adamcon

[HDTV1080P]

Yes using microSD and SD cards that are 256MB and larger is ideal when using the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator. I did mention that. Using SD cards 128MB and lower is not recommended since of the low capacity issue.

I was looking for some low cost SD cards to use as blank disk storage. And the 16MB SD cards for 99 cents with free shipping work fine in other products, so I was testing it in the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator.

 

Also having a extension cable with a SD card reader makes using the Coleco ADAM microSD Floppy Emulator easier to use. Just passing on my results from testing some low cost SD cards on the market. It takes the entire day to run extensive tests on SD cards, hopefully the information is useful for people looking for blank low cost SD cards.

[killersquirel]

Where can you buy the Microfox Floppy Emulator?

[NIAD]

Where can you buy the Microfox Floppy Emulator?

Go to ann.hollowdreams.com and browse the website. You can send Bob an email thru that site or send a PM to Adamcon on here.

[Mike Harris]

I personally think that a drop in replacement for the DD Drive would have been the way to go with built in flash memory that connects to any PC USB port.

Drag and drop all disk and ddp images.

 

And when I say drop in replacement that it would use the internal connectors of the DD drive as well.

Cost effective?
I know I would pay $200 for that device if the bugs were worked out and the damn screens back light stayed on.
Maybe even a little more.

It beats Ebay gouging for limited original disk drives.

Edited December 20, 2018 by Mike Harris

[NIAD]

Go for it!

[HDTV1080P]

I personally think that a drop in replacement for the DD Drive would have been the way to go with built in flash memory that connects to any PC USB port.

 

Drag and drop all disk and ddp images.

 

And when I say drop in replacement that it would use the internal connectors of the DD drive as well.

 

Cost effective?

I know I would pay $200 for that device if the bugs were worked out and the damn screens back light stayed on.

Maybe even a little more.

 

It beats Ebay gouging for limited original disk drives.

The problem with using the ADAMNET internal Digital Data Drive connectors is that you would be limited to 256K Digital Data Pack images only. If one were to change the operating system inside the ADAM then one could patch the internal DDP ADAMNET connectors to use 1.44MB or up to 32GB size images.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I always thought the ADAM Memory Console operating system using ADAMNET assigned 256K of storage to the Digital Data Drives. If the Digital Data Drives had the capability to communicate with ADAMNET and assign 320K or 1.44MB then the big question is why did Coleco not make the Digital Data Drives with the same ADAMNET cord that is used on the Coleco Disk Drives?

Edited December 21, 2018 by HDTV1080P