Can't partition card in FDISK on Incognito

[StickJock]

So after finally getting my Incognito working (see below thread if you are interested in the issues that I had), but am having trouble getting the memory card set up.

 

Configuration:

Latest (3.10) ROM from @flashjazzcat's website.  XL/XE, 1088K RAMBO, Stock XL/XE OS, Basic disabled, SpartaDOS X enabled, boot to loader disabled, PBI BIOS enabled, Hard disk enabled, SIO drivers HSIO (also tried disabled).

 

When I run FDISK, it says "Enumerating devices..." followed by "No APT devices found".

 

I have tried three different SanDisk 32GB microSD cards, all formatted under windows 10 to FAT32.

 

Is it a card incompatibility issue?  Could the faulty ribbon cable (see above link) supplied with the Incognito have damaged something?

 

These are the cards & adapter that I am using.

 

[+Nezgar]

Your CF adapter touts its "UDMA" mode but probably doesnt support the PIO mode the Incognito/side carts use.

[StickJock]

You may be on to something.  I bought this adapter because it looks exactly like the one that Lotharek sells.  In fact, I just went to his website to double check, and found this:

 

 

So, it is possible that this is what I am seeing.

 

Does anyone have a link to an adapter that is known to work with this application?

 

 

[+DrVenkman]

I’ve had minimal success with any of those kinds of adapters. I just sucked it up and bought CF cards instead. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQOWXDM

[+Stephen]

I can also confirm I have never managed to find a CF to SD card adapter that worked with my Atari stuff.

[flashjazzcat]

I've got two of those red UDMA adapters (one full-sized SD, one MicroSD) here and they work great on everything. Perhaps there are many bogus parts on the market.

[Wrathchild]

I thought those adapters could be useful if you used a WiFi capable SD Card in it so you reduce the times needed to remove the 800's cover. Anyone doing that?

[BillC]

45 minutes ago, Wrathchild said:

I thought those adapters could be useful if you used a WiFi capable SD Card in it so you reduce the times needed to remove the 800's cover. Anyone doing that?

I think the 800 RF shield would block the WIFI signal.

It would likely work in an external device like the SIDE/SIDE2 cartridges, probably the IDE+2.0 if using an IDE to CF adapter that didn't block the WIFI.

The IDE to CF card adapters I purchased have a metal cover over most of the CF card.

Edited February 12, 2021 by BillC

[StickJock]

So it does seem like it is one of the "fake" adapters that @lotharek shows in the above video.  I was able to take a microSD card that did not work in the adapter, put it in a micro-to-full-size SD card adapter and into a Side3, and then I was able to run FDISK on it and set up a bunch of partitions which could then be read by my 320XE with the Side3 plugged into it.  When I moved the properly configured microSD card back into the CF adapter and put it back into the Incognito, I could not see the directories and I could not see it in FDISK.  So, case closed...?

 

I would still like to be able to get a properly working SD-to-CF adapter, though, as 1) I have a lot of SD cards, 2) my laptop has an SD card slot, and 3) I don't have a CF reader for my laptop.

[+Nezgar]

Thing here isn't so much to watch out for "fake" adapters, but the reality that CF cards have had a long evolution, and a long list of I/O modes that evolved over 26 years (1995) and newer/cheaper devices just basically skip implementing the oldest modes.

• PIO mode 2 - 1995
• PIO mode 4, DMA 33 - 2003
• UDMA 66 - 2004
• UDMA 133 - 2006
• UDMA 7, 48 bit addressing - 2010

On the SD side, you have generations there too:

• SD - up to 2GB
• SDHC - Up to 32GB
• SDXC - up to 2TB
• SDUC - up to 128TB

So you can try to match up these combinations by say, using a CF to SD adapter, that does NOT indicate any newer type like SDHC, SDXC, SDUC, as it will likely be an "older" adapter, and more likely support the older PIO mode 2 on the CF side of the adapter, but only up to 2GB size SD cards.

 

I have an SDHC to CF adapter, but it is "type II" (5mm instead of type 1 3mm) and does not fit in my Side2 because it's too thick but, electrically is highly likely to work due to when it was made.

 

Maybe look for something that says "SD/SDHC" but exclude "SDXC" to find the older generation adapters - ie like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164524383687 - (Would still need an SD to MicroSD adapter)

 

Or just source an older CF card... 2GB or less.. remove all the "adapting" - i have some of 128-1GB's you're welcome to a couple if you can't find.

[BillC]

1 hour ago, Nezgar said:

• PIO mode 4, DMA 33 - 2003
• UDMA 66 - 2004

I don't know about the rest of the dates but these 2 are a few years off.

The Intel BX440 chipset with Ultra DMA 33 was released in May of 1998.

The Intel 815 chipset with Ultra DMA 66 was  released in June of 2000.

The VIA Apollo Pro 133(July 1999) and 133A(October 1999) chipsets were both UDMA 66 capable.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by BillC

[AtariBob800]

I bought one of those red adapters from Amazon about a month ago and it did not work with my new incognito either.  Tried one of these CF cards that did work.   But I think it was a lot cheaper then.   https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-CompactFlash-Card-SDCFB-512-A10-Type/dp/B00006B9QF/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=512mb+compact+flash+card&qid=1613203871&sprefix=512mb+c&sr=8-3

[+Nezgar]

6 hours ago, BillC said:

I don't know about the rest of the dates but these 2 are a few years off.

I was referencing the dates they were added to the CF standards. At least according to Wikipedia. I totally agree those modes would have been available in PC's and hard drives earlier.

 

As another anecdote to inconsistent PIO support - in my collection of "ancient" CF cards are generic "Industrial" 1GB cards that work in my SIDE2 but don't work in the USB card reader in my main PC... I suspect that means PIO mode 2 is supported but not mode 4. ? All the old SanDisk branded ones work in everything though. But apparently even SanDisk has started dropping the oldest modes in some of their newest cards based on peoples reports with SIDE2 on these forums...

[+DrVenkman]

22 minutes ago, Nezgar said:

But apparently even SanDisk has started dropping the oldest modes in some of their newest cards based on peoples reports with SIDE2 on these forums...

I have a SIDE2 cart, and XEL-CF3 interfaces for my 1088XEL and XLD. The SIDE2 has always been pickier about card compatibility than the CF3 interfaces. The same cards that work flawlessly on these two modern machines don’t work at all on the SIDE2. However, these same cards do work in my Incognito. 

[+Nezgar]

@DrVenkman

Oh interesting... so maybe there's more to it than just PIO mode 2 support...  like a difference in tolerance of power supplied to the card in the Side 2.

[StickJock]

9 hours ago, Nezgar said:

i have some of 128-1GB's you're welcome to a couple if you can't find.

That would be awesome, and is very generous of you.  I still would like to source a working adapter so that I can go between the Incognito & the Side3 on my 320XE, but this would help me to verify that my Incognito is fully functional and let me actually get back to some 8-bit development productivity (it's been 9 months since I've worked on the game I started writing to use the driving controller).  I have also been putting off doing the light-guide ATR swap button mod until I am sure that the Incognito works right.