11
votes
Accepted
Writing DSK images onto a 3″ floppy for Amstrad/Sinclair computers
I used the dsk2cdt2disc tool to convert a .dsk image to a .cdt tape file. I can then play this tape file via an app (or convert it to audio data) and use a standard Amstrad tape cable to play the ...
10
votes
Writing DSK images onto a 3″ floppy for Amstrad/Sinclair computers
I've written various programs that may help, if the DSK files don't make use of copy protection.
If you can get files onto the +3 via the ZXMMC, you can use DU54 at http://www.seasip.info/Cpm/...
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7
votes
Accepted
What did "double track" mean in relation to floppy disks?
It’s just nomenclature for 40-track (‘single’) versus 80-track (‘double’) drives.
It’s not 3”-specific, e.g. here is a reference using the same terminology for 5.25” drives; 3” drives don’t do ...
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7
votes
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How does the Spectrum +3 know whether a disk is bootable or not?
I think some of the answers here are combining determining the disk format with detecting if it's bootable. I've answered how the format is detected on its own question, so here I'll concentrate on ...
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6
votes
Accepted
How do I know where the file directory is stored on a Spectrum +3 disk layout?
It's probably best to take a look at the +3DOS DD_LOGIN function, since that's the ultimate source for how a +3 identifies a disc. What this does is:
Call DD_SEL_FORMAT with A=0 to select the ...
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6
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Accepted
Are there any drivers available to use DivMMC on the Spectrum +3e with CP/M plus?
I think this page (in Spanish) has what you're looking for. It describes how to install and use CP/M with divMMC (a full translation of the installation steps and CP/M section is at the bottom of ...
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6
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Transferring data from Spectrum +3 disk to tape/.TAP etc
I once wrote a program for this sort of situation: DSKREAD. It runs on a +3 and archives entire disks to tape. You could record the audio, convert to a .TAP file, and then load the .TAP in a +3 ...
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5
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How does the Spectrum +3 know whether a disk is bootable or not?
From my answer to How do I know where the file directory is stored on a Spectrum +3 disk layout?
Part 26 of the +3 manual is what you need to read. There is even a complete example of how to write ...
- 18.9k
5
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Are there any drivers available to use DivMMC on the Spectrum +3e with CP/M plus?
Yes, there is an experimental FID driver written by the same guy (Otivax) that made the DivIDE version. This thread tells all the story about it. He uses a loader that is fired from a +3E environment. ...
- 18.9k
5
votes
Writing DSK images onto a 3″ floppy for Amstrad/Sinclair computers
(sorry, this is not really an answer, but I cannot post comments yet)
Given the constraints you have, it seems difficult. I do not know about the Spectrum side of it, but I did use a homemade ...
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5
votes
Accepted
Is there a Spectrum +3 ROM disassembly available with the addresses of the instructions included?
The Paul Farrow disassembly listings collection is the best I know.
http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/Spectrum128/ROMDisassembly/Spectrum128ROMDisassembly4.htm
It doesn't include the address of ...
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4
votes
How do I know where the file directory is stored on a Spectrum +3 disk layout?
+3 disks are actually CP/M disks. Disk organization details are stored in the XDPB table, which is generated by the firmware from the data found at the beginning of the disk. This can be read on part ...
- 18.9k
4
votes
Accepted
How does the Spectrum +3 know how many files are in the disk's directory?
There is no 'end marker' for a CP/M directory in the same way that there is for MS-DOS. When searching the directory, you need to look at all entries.
To get the size of the directory for a PCW / +3 ...
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4
votes
How does the Spectrum +3 know whether a disk is bootable or not?
On a CPC system, you can determine if the disc is in System format (i.e. bootable) by the number of the first physical sector. If the sector is 41h, the disc is in System format, with 2 reserved boot ...
- 4,009
3
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Is there a "most correct" name for the disk format / filesystem used by Amstrads and Spectrum +3's?
I don't remember them having a “name”. Disk interchangeability was less of a thing than it became between 16-bit computers. Amstrads were very much not interchangeable, since they had the Hitachi 3" ...
- 21.9k
3
votes
Transferring data from Spectrum +3 disk to tape/.TAP etc
One solution is to plug an HxC floppy emulator into the external floppy port and do a simple disk copy to an image on the SD card.
- 17.6k
3
votes
How do I know where the file directory is stored on a Spectrum +3 disk layout?
I know this is an old thread, but I've recently come across the same problem.
In the end, I realized that there are three possible disk formats I need to be aware of, so I write my disk initialisation ...
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2
votes
How does the Spectrum +3 know whether a disk is bootable or not?
But since this [boot] block is optional, there must be a way for the system to detect whether it's present or not.
There isn't. The +3 (like the Amstrad CPC) doesn't autoboot. Using the Loader on a +...
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1
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Is there a "most correct" name for the disk format / filesystem used by Amstrads and Spectrum +3's?
The Amstrad CPC manual (chapter 7 part 12) listed three "disk formats" supported by AMSDOS, which it named "System", "Data only" and "IBM" (CP/M 2.2 only).
All three of these formats had:
40 tracks
...
- 111
1
vote
Accepted
Are there open source Java libraries for reading DSK and EDSK disk image files as used by Amstrad and Spectrum +3 emulators?
It seems there is.
There is an open source C library by John Elliot for working with a selection of disks and disk image formats called LibDsk, active as of August 2019. Among the supported formats ...
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1
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Writing DSK images onto a 3″ floppy for Amstrad/Sinclair computers
I transfer files to my +3e using DIVMMC (which uses a card with +3e partitions, obviously):
Bring the MMC image to the PC using DriveImage. Depending on your exact PC, this might not work (on my Mac ...
- 36.4k
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