On Tue, 16 May 2023, Wayne S via cctalk wrote:
Tony in response to your original idea of wanting to download images for
use on you existing machines ( did i get that right?), i think you have
everything you need already. Download the images to your win 8 box then
use file transfer software (kermit or xmodem) to serially transfer to
the specific box you want to use the software on and the use the floppy
on that box to write the floppies. It seems like there is a version of
kermit made for every box imaginable. The only possible gotcha is does
the box have a serial port.
He would have to add a serial port (USB to serial dongle).
Although, . . .
many years ago, in the early days of USB, there was a cable and software
provision for transferring files USB yo USB. 'course, it's doubtful that
any of his other machines have USB.
Similarly, he could buy a cheap external USB 3.5" drive. Write content to
that drive on the modern machine, and read those floppies on the older
machines. The readily avaailable one have firmware that only supports
720K, 1.4M, and [sometimes] NEC-style "mode 3".
There do not seem to be any currently available USB external drives that
support cnaything other than a 3.5" drive integrated with the controller.
There ONCE was one with a non-integrated controller that could be modified
for 3", 3.25', 5.25" or 8"
I get the implication that he is considering USB flux-transition devices
that could be coerced into acting as a general purpose floppy controller.
