Re: ZoomFloppy - formatting a disk in a 2031 disk drive

On 5/10/2018 1:45 PM, Mia Magnusson wrote:
>
> I were under the impression that both versions were generally available
> and at different costs due to a real ZoomFloppy needing a rather large
> pcb and a microcontroller with enoguh I/O pins.
ZF was designed the way it was to offer the most connector options. Of 
course, that was 8 years ago, and I think the world has centralized 
around the DB15, so the others need not be continued. But, at this 
point, lots of people have designed cases, etc., so there is a small 
ecosystem grown up around the board.
>
> Here in Sweden a guy makes a XUM1541 version which is about 1.5" *
> 1.5" (if I get the imperial measurements correct), about the least size
> you can have for a 24-pin and a 14-pin DIL footprint, a 6-pin DIN
> socket and a 10 pin DIL socket (for some kind of fast loader cable to a
> 1541). The 24-pin DIL footprint houses a socket with what I think is an
> arduino nano (or mini or whatever they are called) clone, containing
> the micro USB socket.
That was Nate's original idea, so it has merit (at the time, the 
at90usbkey device was almost as much as the ZF cost, and I felt costs 
could be managed better by designing the dev board into the main PCB.

I think having options (to Steve's point) is valid, but it does bother 
me that none of the other designers hang out and help with service or 
participate in the community, as far as I can see.
>
>
> This isn't any critique of the ZoomFloppy, I'm just suprised that
> all those C64/VIC20/C128/Plus/4/C16 people buy a product with an IEEE
> port which they probably will never use.
Some people buy it without the IEEE port, even :-)

Not sure where you live, but at least in the US, we buy houses and cars 
with features we won't use, because we want to patronize a particular 
company, or we feel one manufacturer offers a better product in general, 
regardless of features, or they will be around in 6 months or a year to 
service/repair it if I need it.  Surely you do similar or the same?  Why 
must it be different for COmmodore equipment?  Why must we only buy the 
minimum set of features we expect to use?

Cost is not to be ignored, for that low cost unit could be a godsend for 
the young kid with few funds and the C64 and 1541 his uncle bought him 
at the thrift store who wants to put games on disks. But, surely cost is 
not the only consideration in this space...

Jim