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I have an Apple IIc for which I would like an FDD emulator and I am considering buying an HxC Floppy Emulator to use with it. The Slim model does work with the Apple II, as demonstrated in this video.

However, there are several different hardware platforms for the HxC Floppy Emulator, varying significantly in price. The project itself (or its partners) offers hardware for sale and build instructions for "Rev C," "Rev F," "Slim" (all ~$70-$100) and "USB" (~$50) platforms. The project also offers firmware for GoTek floppy emulators (often under $20 for the hardware, and €10 for the HxC firmware). The web site isn't particularly clear about the differences between them, and has seems to have no mention of the Apple II at all.

What are the differences, if any, between these various HxC platforms when used with the Apple II? Do they all support the Apple II, or is there special hardware or firmware needed that some models don't have? Do any popular disk image formats work with some but not others? Which ones can write to an Apple II image? Which ones can format an Apple II image?

(This is not part of the question, but for those wondering why I'm asking about the HxC platforms specifically, it is both between $50 and $100 cheaper than the Apple-II-specific FDD emulators that I'm aware of and I also have other systems with more standard SA400 floppy interfaces that the HxC supports and the Apple-II-specific FDD emulators do not. Thus I am looking at an order of magnitude price difference between the cheapest possibility of spending $25 on one HxC GoTek system and the most expensive possibility of spending $250 or more on a dedicated Apple II FDD emulator and an expensive HxC platform. Feel free to take this into account if you like, or ignore it if that would make the question "too broad.")

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The HxC/Gotek floppy emulators are designed to work with a Shugart type floppy interface, which was widely used in many retro-computers, but is not directly compatible with the Apple ][ floppy controller.

The video you linked notes in the description that both the HxC firmware was replaced and a new cable/interface was created in order to make the floppy emulator work with the Apple //c.

List of supported devices and computers.

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  • Yep, here's what the guy who created that video demo says: "there is a firmware supporting the apple II interface, but since you need to build an floppy ribbon adapter, i recommend you the others solutions already available and compatible with the apple II."
    – Nick Westgate
    Nov 18, 2019 at 2:36
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    I'm unclear as to how this answers the question about the differences between the HxC platforms. Perhaps you could expand your answer to explain that the firmware and cable used on the Slim in that video would also work on all other HxC platforms, including the GoTek, or tell me on which HxC hardware platforms that change cannot be done? Also, telling me about the specific abilities I listed that were not demonstrated in the video, such as writing and formatting images, would be welcome.
    – cjs
    Nov 18, 2019 at 14:18

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