The Sinclair QL Forum

My Trump card has arrived and I've successfully attached and used my GoTek (setup as FLP1_), so seems like the Trump card is operational (shows correct expanded memory too)

But when I attach my 1.4mb floppy drive (GoTek removed for now as I only have a single ended cable until tomorrow) as FLP2_ and try and format a floppy disk (format flp2_test) I get a format failed (not sure it sounds correct either, but as I haven't used a 3/5" floppy for many years I may be wrong)

Is there any knack to formatting a 1.4mb disk or is it likely to just be a faulty drive please? (I'm sure the media disk I tried is good, but did try another just in case). I assume if the ground was the wrong one it wouldn't work at all.

I bought the floppy drive (Samsung SFD-321B) earlier this year but unfortunately I have no way to test it on any other machine

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts please?

Many thanks
Tony

EDIT: Tried both grounds but no change

What version is the Trump Card's ROM? I know that older versions work only with DD drives and have problems with HD/ED drives.

On a Trump Card that is connected to a HD (1.44M) drive and with a HD disk, make sure you tape off the HD signature hole opposite the write protect flap on the disk (or use a DD disk without such a hole). Otherwise the drive will think it's 1.44M, and the FD controller will think it's 720k. But the controller can only format 720k.

janbredenbeek wrote: Thu Dec 07, 2023 3:28 pm What version is the Trump Card's ROM? I know that older versions work only with DD drives and have problems with HD/ED drives.

Hi. It says v1.20 (1984) on the boot screen

Thanks
Tony

tofro wrote: Thu Dec 07, 2023 3:34 pm On a Trump Card that is connected to a HD (1.44M) drive and with a HD disk, make sure you tape off the HD signature hole opposite the write protect flap on the disk (or use a DD disk without such a hole). Otherwise the drive will think it's 1.44M, and the FD controller will think it's 720k. But the controller can only format 720k.

Many Thanks

I have a confession, I'm a total d*ck

You got me thinking and I realised, I had the media write protected...

(In my defence, if there is any, it's been many many years since I used 3.5" media and I got it the wrong way around)

All seems to be working now, thanks all

Sorry for wasting peoples time!

Thanks
Tony

t0nyt wrote: Thu Dec 07, 2023 3:57 pm You got me thinking and I realised, I had the media write protected...

Hi,

I thought the Trump Card could handle Double Density Disk Drives (720K or 1440 Sectors)

The Gold Card can do HD drives.

Derek_Stewart wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2023 9:54 am I thought the Trump Card could handle Double Density Disk Drives (720K or 1440 Sectors)
The Gold Card can do HD drives.

This is correct as far as I remember it too Derek. I only ever had 1.44 Mb drives, and I used them and 1.44 Mb discs with my Trump card.

Cheers,
Norm.

Well, you can do HD drives and make them think they're DD (that's important because DD drives become more and more impossible to obtain, while second-hand PC HD drives are still relatively plenty). What you obviously cannot do is use them in HD mode on a Trump card. Thus my hint above.