Amiga 500 Adventures: The GoTek Drive

Рет қаралды 11,812

5 жыл бұрын

This week on 10 Minute Amiga Retro Cast I am installing a new GoTek floppy replacement from RetroReady.one - Can my brittle and decaying Amiga 500 case handle the stress? In a word... No... But we get the job done anyway.
Join me in learning about this great floppy replacement device!
Buy one at www.retroready.one
Get Worthy at www.pixelglass.org
Learn about River Raid Reloaded at www.indieretronews.com/2019/04...
Follow me on Twitter @10marc1

Пікірлер: 105

@painkillergko 2 жыл бұрын

I just ordered the boot selector. Now it's time to look for Gotek :)

@FloppyDeepDive 3 жыл бұрын

Got my Gotek drive today from Retro Ready. Thanks for the video to get me started

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

Great! Lucas, the owner is an awesome guy. His wife makes custom C64 and Amiga dust covers, too!

@LadyNicola 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome. My Goteks being shipped. Can't wait for it to arrive. 😊

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

They are quite useful, really! I think you will enjoy yours

@f1lupo 5 жыл бұрын

As usual love the vid! been backing up my floppies to ADF for a while now and not quite finished yet and eventually might get one of these Go Tek thingies or similar device but for now I'm well stocked on good floppy drives for my various miggies and glad about that :-)

@retroready5038 5 жыл бұрын

Doug, thank you very much for your video. It's great and very informative as always!! :)

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

You bet! You are doing a service to our community and everyone should know about good dealers like you guys.

@a500 5 жыл бұрын

Oh and I don’t know if I should say this as I believe our retro shops need and deserve our support: but for those on a tight budget then you can buy the gotek from amazon and Ebay for around 12 - 14 £/$ euros. And for a two dollar usb programmer and minimal soldering flash it yourself. Also FlashFloppy is fantastic and can work in a different Mode with the rotary encoder allowing you to just select which adf file you want on the fly rather than preselected slots using the auto boot. This is how I use mine and I find it so much more convenient.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

If a person wants to DIY this kind of stuff that is great. I know how to do things like that, and can use a soldering iron and such, but I prefer to get something that just works without requiring a bunch of hoop-jumping sometimes.

@datashed 3 жыл бұрын

Just got my GoTek hooked up externally. Now to wait for my ACA500plus to arrive, since I hear it has boot switcher functionality built-in! Couldn't be more excited!

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

You will love that ACA500+ board. It is a really nice product!

@ArJorge1987 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! Its exactly what I needed to see!

@10MARC 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic! I am glad it helped you out.

@RetroRecollections 5 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial Doug. The gotek is an essential device as you've demonstrated. Man, I need to get an Amiga again! 😀

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

You don't have an Amiga? Shame on you! Hop on eBay right now and buy one! 😉

@RetroRecollections 4 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC Got a Gotek for the A500 now. This really helped to set it up. Love it! 👍

@davehamrick5028 2 жыл бұрын

Amiga Forever runs circles around a 68060 Amiga. I find Emulation to be the best Amiga. For one thing it is vastly cheaper than any Ebay deal on a real Amiga. $$$$$!

@HeyBirt 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Doug, your video is quite serendipitous as my next video is about setting up an Gotek as an external drive on the Amiga. (With a boot selector if I get that PCB finished this week). I'll link to this video to show how the Gotek works as DF0. Great that both scenarios will be covered now :)

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

That is great! I saw on your last video that you mentioned the GoTek.

@stephenbruce8320 5 жыл бұрын

I have one in my A2000HD and I found it useful for installing software. I have other GoTek drives I have connected to my other Amiga's again using it for installing software. While my drives are functional there are times when using old disks are not the best thing to do so I decided get all my disks where possible copied to ADF format and its been a pure joy. Only thing I found frustrating was when I leave a USB Flash Drive in the GoTek and the ones I use with it are the smaller ones which don't stick out all that much. I do like the LED screen vs the numbers. I like them so much that I am going to start using them at work as I have one Injection Molding Machine and a Robot which use floppies to store setups and to reload system software. While I do have more modern equipment newer does not always translate to better (sigh) but keeping these old machines running does have its challenges. Looks like these days I eat sleep and breath RETRO.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

I agree that the full screens are easier than just the numbers. I don't want to have to remember which file is which. Using them on the machines at work is a great idea - so much easier to move data to the older machines this way.

@AmigosRetroGaming 4 жыл бұрын

Love your desktop wallpaper! :)

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

Yep - added that just for you guys! 4096 color HAM6 conversion of your nice postcard

@gentoolive 5 жыл бұрын

I have a Gotek in my a500, love it was worth every penny spent.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

It is amazing how nicely they work - and the fact that we could fit most of the entire Amiga library on one USB drive is pretty cool!

@bobcobb99 2 жыл бұрын

Just ordered one, thanks!

@10MARC 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful to hear! They are amazing devices for sure! I own about three or four of them now.

@LeftoverBeefcake 5 жыл бұрын

The Gotek is brilliant. I use it quite a bit for testing out software that I might not want to commit to the hard drive, among other things. I have a program called ADFOpus on the PC that can move files onto and off of the floppy images. Unfortunately it's a bit of a pain to use since it hasn't been updated in forever.

@UncleAwesomeRetro 5 жыл бұрын

I put one in an external drive and installed a boot selector switch. I think it's a great balance between convenience, and not modernizing it to much, and keep it feel like an A500.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

I agree. It still feels more authentic than emulation, yet integrates modern tech. Good stuff.

@jayhays8267 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I did the same thing. My switch is hidden behind the back right corner just above the internal floppy.

@BastichB64K 3 жыл бұрын

Thx I just used your guide and successfully got my Gotek setup , thx 👍

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

Glad that it helped out, my friend!

@renepedersen7141 4 жыл бұрын

I bought Worthy after seeing your video. Nice game, thanks for your advice :)

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

That is great! It is a really fun game. It is a shame it only runs in PAL, but luckily most of my Amigas have no issue switching to PAL mode

@renepedersen7141 4 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC I live in Denmark, we have PAL here :) But I understand your issue.

@a500 5 жыл бұрын

I love my Goteks. Yes I have a few. With six failed floppy drives on my bench that I cannot seem to revive and the disks themselves being more unreliable as each day passes. I’m left with one internal drive in my vampire Amiga and two external floppy drives working. I have to smile as I’ve been using a gotek internally with my Aca500+ Amiga that I got after watching your recommendation of it quite sometime back. I have fixed a rotary controller and mounted the LED so that I can view it easier.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

Yes - I hear the rotary switch is pretty nice. I think mine will be fine, as 95% of everything I do does not require the GoTek.

@a500 5 жыл бұрын

Definitely, it’s a nice addition but not required. Also I’ve added the peizo speaker to all of mine just because it gets a little closer to the original.

@a500 5 жыл бұрын

Oh sorry I forgot to say thank you for another great video. Coming home after work to be able to watch this and relax is really great.

@azurabayta133 5 жыл бұрын

I've got one of these in my A500 with an external OLED stuck on top of the case, and it's worked out really well for me! After having it for almost a year though I definitely don't want to leave it the way it is. It's always felt a little... I dunno, ungraceful? When I have the time and money I'm just gonna put it in an external case, and put a real floppy drive back in the computer along with a DF0/DF1 boot switch.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

I do get your point with wanting to keep things authentic. I like how mine fits so perfect in the drive way you don't notice it unless you are looking for it. I personally like the idea of the OLED on the case - so easy to see what you are doing!

@honx4amiga 4 жыл бұрын

aca500plus supports boot select, so you can configure an external drive as df0:, it's perfect use for external gotek drives without having to get rid of the internal floppy drive. that's what i do. on my amiga 500 plus the internal floppy drive still works so i wanted to keep it. so i got an external gotek drive to plug to diskport, and set df0: override to df1: bootselect.

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

I love my ACA500+ for so many reasons! This is also a fantastic feature of it. It matches nicely with my GoTek.

@renepedersen7141 5 жыл бұрын

I put a Gotek drive in an external case, from a broken DF1: drive. Works great :) You can get a DF0/DF1 switch for your A500.

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

That is a great idea for re-using an old external case. I have some old 1541 and 1571 cases that would be fun to re-purpose for something like this!

@renepedersen7141 5 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC And it makes it easy to read the little OLED screen :)

@jayhays8267 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video! I have had some ADF files show as a greyed out disk icon "df0:unitialized" on the workbench screen. Kinda' odd???

@10MARC 2 жыл бұрын

Nah. That's normal. A lot of Amiga games used a somewhat custom file structure for copy protection and would not show up correctly in Workbench. Mostly games from the 80's. As long as it boots to the virtual floppy you are ok.

@kcolbinyar 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Doug. An easy to use bit of kit now I've seen this video.m Is there a way to quit to WB if you have launched the FFManager?

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

Nope - seems to take over and force a reboot for it to register.

@Examigan Жыл бұрын

I bought a AMiga RGB to VGA adapter. Do you know if I can see all the colors that the Amiga can show normally? I am wondering as I know there are modes like HAM in hires and not sure if VGA can even show all those colors.

@10MARC Жыл бұрын

The RGB to VGA adapters just pass thru the Amiga's normal video modes. They will not add any colors. You need some kind of RTG solution for that (Retargetable graphics) Yes, it is possible to display HAM images in HiRes with some hardware trickery.

@nickolasgaspar9660 3 жыл бұрын

Great guide!The device you use in this video came with the Flashfloppy or the HxC firmware?

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

I use the Flashfloppy firmware on all my GoTeks. It seems to work nicely.

@nickolasgaspar9660 3 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC I appreciate it Doug!

@nickolasgaspar9660 3 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC I have one more question. Does the Gotek drive works with 5V? (the wire of the 12V came off the connector so if it isn't needed I can skip fixing it.

@maniacsatwork 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, I just ordered a Gotek for my 500. Is it possible to have a boot menu which then allows you to select a disk that is pre-loaded into one of the slots, instead of using the buttons on the device itself?

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

If you select "Autoboot" on the GoTek it will boot to a menu to allow you to select the disks, and I think you can set the device to default to that on every power on. It takes longer than just using the buttons, though. You can also run the Autoboot program from Workbench to choose your ADF file.

@maniacsatwork 3 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC Great to hear, thanks for the info.

@garyhart6421 3 жыл бұрын

I have 2 of these (second one now as an External). They are fine --- however disk copying would often fail. Have not tried the new firmware --- Still on Cortex --- that may be the problem ?

@10MARC 3 жыл бұрын

I use the Fastfloppy firmware on mine, and have reasonable luck with it

@maphisto3769 2 ай бұрын

how are you switching into pal mode where is that menu from ?

@10MARC 2 ай бұрын

With Amiga OS 3.x, and I think 2.x just hold both mouse buttons down when you turn on the Amiga . A pre boot screen shows up and you can hit the space bar to switch to PAL mode. You can also click "display" and then "PAL". Under 1.3 or earlier you need the free tool called "degrader" from Aminet which allows you to switch modes.

@eightbit1975 4 жыл бұрын

Just force thread the original floppy standoffs into the thing. It works just fine...I am using the same 3D print. I just hand forced it, then used a small pliers.

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

Good plan. Just use a little elbow grease!

@eightbit1975 4 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC That's right ;) Remember that these 3d printed parts aren't threaded at all. You have to "make" the threads. Just go strong but gentle as to not crack the print.

@JeffHxC2001 5 жыл бұрын

With the HxC firmware for Gotek you have the on screen display support : No need to look at the OLED screen anymore, just use the Amiga screen. And the file selector will be integrated directly in the Gotek : No need anymore to reboot the machine to select an new adf file :). (see the video "SgBVGKGoaVU" / HxC Firmware for Gotek : New on-screen-display support : Atari STE & Amiga 500 demo)

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

Oh sure - the onscreen works great when you first boot up, but it is nice to be able to see they little screen while you are in Workbench and need to swap disks.

@JeffHxC2001 5 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC No, what i mean is that the new on screen display with the HxC doesn't need any software to run on the Amiga, nor OLED screen. In fact you connect the Gotek on the Amiga video signal with two wires and then you can select the image directly with the Amiga screen, without rebooting the Amiga.

@JeffHxC2001 5 жыл бұрын

See this : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ic1yiap8rNXFhok.html

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

@@JeffHxC2001 huh.... I should check it out. That sounds great!

@tekk9995 5 жыл бұрын

I wonder if it's even possible to get threads into a 3d printed object. Ty for the vid. Q: Could you do one on the different possibilities that there are to visually 'pimp' Workbench? There are several options but I'm kinda lost with MagicWB, BestIcons(?), GlowIcons, etc. etc. Not even sure what the different workflows are with the packages or even where to get them. Ty!

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

The screw holes were a bit small for my screws from my drive. I could have just drilled them out a bit, or used a self tapping screw. There are some great pre-made workbench images that really look great. As for myself, on my regular Amiga's those take up too much CHIP RAM, so I usually save the fancy Workbenches for my RTG enabled Amigas

@tekk9995 5 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC ty, do you happen to know any urls that lead to some?

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

@@tekk9995 I will find the links to it. I think it is called "Complete Workbench"

@tekk9995 5 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC or do you mean classicwb.abime.net/ ? Is it compatible with 3.1.4?

@tekk9995 5 жыл бұрын

It's being updated - eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=94493&page=12

@Examigan 8 ай бұрын

Not sure if I missed it, but what if a game has more than one ADF for it? Many have two or even three. Do I just load them into the config screen you demoed (using one slot after the other slot), or is there some other way?

@10MARC 8 ай бұрын

Yuppers. Easy Peasy Lemon squeezy! Just set all of the disks up as ADF files, and just use the buttons (or dial if you add one of those) to choose the next disk. Since it is an AMIGA, it is automatically recognized!

@Examigan 8 ай бұрын

@@10MARC I have several ADFs loaded on it, but it doesn't advance to the next disk if I press the button on the side of the GoTek. It justs shows 0 or a 1 and doesn't advance further. Do I have to put certain games disks in their own folder er something like that?

@10MARC 8 ай бұрын

@@Examiganyou need to set the disks as being mounted and available using the file manager program included with the GoTek Flashfloppy program. Also, invest in one of the LCD displays that list the actual program instead of just numbers. It is twelve million times easier, because you will literally see the words "Lemmings Disk Two" show up on the display.

@Examigan 8 ай бұрын

When I hit Enter like you mentioned to add an ADF, it doesn't go to the screen where it shows all the slots add to an ADF. I have an Amiga 500, not anything thing related to AGA. @@10MARC

@Examigan 8 ай бұрын

@@10MARC Just wanted to let you know I finally got it to work! It's weird as it wouldn't work when I hit the Enter key, but after plugging in an old Atari 2600 joystick, pressing fire on that worked to get it to the screen where you add the ADFs in the order you want. It's supposed to work with either the Enter key or fire button of the joystick, but I'm just glad its all sorted now.

@JeffHxC2001 5 жыл бұрын

With the HxC firmware for Gotek you have the on screen display support : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ic1yiap8rNXFhok.html No need to look at the OLED screen anymore, just use the Amiga screen. And the file selector will be integrated directly in the Gotek : No need anymore to reboot the machine to select an new adf file :).

@JeffHxC2001 Жыл бұрын

@@ceztko No, this video shows that flashfloppy use a modified version of the HxC file selector, nothing more. This is a software running on the machine to display the file image list on the usb stick. The on screen display (OSD) is different : No software is needed since the Gotek is directly driving the CRT signal to generate the screen overlay.

@ceztko Жыл бұрын

@@JeffHxC2001 Sorry, my message was intended to be a question but I abrubted it and sent it as you saw by mistake. In the end I found the answers I was looking for, thank you. I also deleted the original borked message.

@martindianeclark7841 2 жыл бұрын

Can a speaker be added to this drive ?

@10MARC 2 жыл бұрын

Yep. A speaker works just fine on these. You can get a rotary dial too, which is kind of nice

@PintzAmigaGameNight 5 жыл бұрын

Kitties!!!

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

The perfect distraction for fuzzy videos.

@geraldsittly1512 5 жыл бұрын

My Gotek only has 2 seven-digits-LEDs but i'm fine with it

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

Sure! If you normally boot from the loader screen it is not a huge deal, or maybe you printed out a key of which number goes to which program? That would work

@gsittly 5 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC i just put the boot disk (my HD is not able to boot on its own) into slot 01 and rest are some games and stuff having no fixed slots. So i remember them when i set them up :)

@Yukatoshi 4 жыл бұрын

I just bought one of these to replace my janky 500 drive.

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

I have a stack of Amiga Floppy Drives that have just stopped working. I think it is four or five I have that have just quit after 30+ years. GoTek is a great way to go. My original A500 floppy still works perfect, as does my original external floppy from 1988!

@Yukatoshi 4 жыл бұрын

10 Minute Amiga Retro Cast My original A500 floppy drive randomly won’t eject disks. I’ve tried servicing it which worked for a while, but now it’s screwing up again...

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

@@Yukatoshi that is frustrating. You will love the GoTek, though! It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is fairly easy

@SuperMoleRetro 4 жыл бұрын

use super glue and baby powder to fix that broken plastic piece.

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

I heard something about that working. This is all going into Stephen Jones Checkmate 1500 case as soon as it arrives, but I may repair it after that.

@plechaim 5 жыл бұрын

Not a fan of the gotek drives sorry

@10MARC 5 жыл бұрын

No skin off my back! I did not bother with one for a full year, but now that I have one I see the nice aspects of them.

@16647 4 жыл бұрын

@@10MARC why have teh gotek when you can use the cf cards on the ACA500Plus???

@10MARC 4 жыл бұрын

@@16647 why have a 30 year old computer when I have a nice i7 with 16 Gigs in the next room? Just because I can! And, the GoTek can boot to ADF files, the CF card cannot. To be honest, I use them both