Is it possible to have an external FDD Drive that was not originally made for the MSX that works? I have a Panasonic MSX2 FS-A1.

Yes, buy a disk interface! Try ebay? i have not seen gor a long time though. You could get a DUMAS and use a USB floppy drive?

Would the interface from an Apple ][ work? The pin connector looks similar to the input on the back of my FS-A1....

eBay clicky

And excuse the n00b question (), but what's a DUMAS?

{mod: changed the huuuuuuuuuuuge link ^_^ -- D}

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Would the interface from an Apple ][ work? The pin connector looks similar to the input on the back of my FS-A1....

well its good enough to blow up your fs-a1 if you want that

@_@ What would you suggest?

Is it a 34-pin ribbon cable? If so, I think it would be standard, so you could connect it. But really, I'm not sure. E.g.: I know that SEGA joypad connectors are similar to MSX-joystick/pad connectors, yet they're not interchangeable. Maybe the same with diskdrives. Your best shot is to Yahoo! for the FS-A1 pinouts, as well as the Apple ][ diskdrive pinouts. See if they correspond. Good luck in any case

I will post a picture of the input when I get home later (I'm at a work computer now) I beleive it is a 34 pin, but any PC FDD drive I've looked at (internal and external) don't have the same connection. Anywho, I'll be sure to update this when I get home.

3 1/2 inch floppy drives are mostly interchangeble: 34 pin interface, possibility to select DS0-3 (drive select). Please Have a look at the floppy articles at my website, especially the turboR ones, since Panasonic machines requires a setting often not standard or not even available via jumpers (pin 34 READY).

Apple drives are most certainly not easy to use on a MSX. Apple is always doing things 'diferently'. Apple II interfaces and drives are useless on MSX, dont even try! Standard 720KB 3 1/2 floppy drives are the best for MSX, standard PC 1.44MB drives can often be used also.

An external drive needs to be connected to the MSX somewhere. Note that it is rare for MSX computers with an internal drive to have an external connector (I know of SVI.738 and the VG8235/45). That means hacking and soldering.

Get an external mmc or CF drive

According to the MSX hardwire list the Panasonic FS-A1 is a 64k MSX2, avaliable in either Black or Red. It has no disk drive built into it, according to the Hardware List, therefore it is unlikely to have a Disk Rom in it.

Connection of a drive without an interface would be impossible! My suggestion of purchase of either an external MSX disk drive, or one of the new DUMAS cartridges appears to me to be the only option? The later having the advantage of the memory mapper, DOS 2, and no moving parts.

Where can I get a DUMAS cart, and how much will it cost?

And, anybody willing to sell me an external MSX drive for a reasonable price?

I'll sell you one, but it's single sided (360kB). You would either have to live with that, or try to make it doublesided somehow. You could also go for a Sunrise CF IDE, assuming that one works on your MSX (I think it should). That would probably be an even better solution.

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or one of the new DUMAS cartridges appears to me to be the only option?

Why recommend something that's not even for sale yet? Apart from that, I don't know if just having a USB port automatically means it'll work with USB floppy drives. Wouldn't it require at least some software?

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I'll sell you one, but it's single sided (360kB). You would either have to live with that, or try to make it doublesided somehow. You could also go for a Sunrise CF IDE, assuming that one works on your MSX (I think it should). That would probably be an even better solution.

Well I found this:

http://www.funet.fi/pub/msx/photos/hardware/HSH_SCSI-interface_version_1_PCB.jpg

Here is the back of my MSX2:



This card is what I need:

http://www.msx.ch/img/neu/flash1.jpg

But I would also need instructions on how to boot progs and games on it.

and you need a memory mapper...... 64 KB is not much....... you need at least 512KB internal ........

That is why i said about the DUMAS - mapper built in - if you have a PC you could load files directly on to a USB memory card.