USB Mapper 512k - New hardware from tecnobytes!

Tecnobytes announces new hardware.
As the name suggests, the USB MAPPER 512K is a USB interface (MASS STORAGE) with 512K Memory Mapper.
With this USB MAPPER, you can use a USB stick to store and run your programs on your MSX.

Characteristics:

Compatible with MSX1, MSX2, MSX2 + and TR
512K Memory Mapper
Uses Nextor (Operating System)
Native Fat 16 with partition up to 4GB
Hot Swap (…)

Hot Swap Examples:

With the USB MAPPER connected, you can remove the USB Stick that is in use, connect to the PC, record one or several files and then return it to USB MAPPER and continue using the USB stick normally in MSX.
With USB MAPPER plugged in, you can exchange a USB stick for another FAT16 USB stick that will be accessing normally as the previous one.

Price is U$ 80.00 + U$ 38,00 shipping from Brazil.

You can buy up 3 USB MAPPER for the same shipping costs.

Relevant link: tecnobytes homepage

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Comments (19)

By Pac

Scribe (7176)

12-08-2019, 16:24

A new USB device, great!

By djh1697

Paragon (1748)

13-08-2019, 00:29

Useful device! Not competitive when compared to the C2 or the MFSCC+. However, the C2 is not available at the moment.

By st1mpy

Paladin (956)

13-08-2019, 01:06

Nice device, but I wish it supported not only mass storage but a usb floppy drives too.

By gdx

Enlighted (6636)

13-08-2019, 01:44

This is not specified. It is true that the support of (bootable) floppy disk drive would justify the price a bit high compared to an SD interface (from 8bits4ever or Reprofactory for example).

Edit: I think the cartridge port doesn't provide enough power for an external USB drive.

By hamlet

Scribe (4113)

13-08-2019, 08:21

Since the update the RookieDrive NX Cartridge also offers the possibility to connect floppy disk drives. With my model the power supply via the cartridge port is sufficient.
I think that this can also be possible with the tecnobytes one.

By gdx

Enlighted (6636)

13-08-2019, 10:00

It must depend on the floppy drive. A cartridge port can provide 300mA. My Logitec USB drive (LFD-31U) needs 380mA (1.9W). With the components of the cartridge, it must easily exceed 400mA.
Better to use it little and without other greedy extensions.

By st1mpy

Paladin (956)

13-08-2019, 14:36

You can also get 34 pin floppy to usb adaptor which need an external power supply to power the drive, to attach a real 3.5 inch drive or even a gotek.

By gdx

Enlighted (6636)

13-08-2019, 15:07

USB Mapper is a clone of RookieDrive NX?

By Parn

Paladin (864)

13-08-2019, 17:43

AFAIK, no, it isn't.

By meits

Scribe (6581)

14-08-2019, 16:45

An external harddisk would be fun. At least it doesn't suffer the quirks of flash memory. But then we're back at square one: A desk full of stuff.
Yet I like this development. If someone imports a bunch to Holland, I'll be your customer

By Parn

Paladin (864)

15-08-2019, 15:21

I think an external drive would work on this, but I fear it can't feed enough energy for a hard disk. Most I've seen require 500mA. Personally I prefer flash drives, though. They keep getting better and better.

By st1mpy

Paladin (956)

15-08-2019, 15:25

How about a SSD with usb connection.

By gdx

Enlighted (6636)

15-08-2019, 15:49

An SSD will not be faster than a simple flash card on MSX so it is not interesting. SDDs are more expensive, consume a lot power (more than 500mA in general), and there is no small capacity (less 16 Go).

By rjp

Master (195)

17-08-2019, 01:02

BTW, there are something which is even better to connect floppy drives.

It's called disk interface, ahd it has been around for... 30 years, I suppose?

Really, I don't know why there are so many people obsessed with using floppy drives... I'm pretty happy to not use floppy drives anymore.

By djh1697

Paragon (1748)

17-08-2019, 14:13

rjp wrote:

Really, I don't know why there are so many people obsessed with using floppy drives... I'm pretty happy to not use floppy drives anymore.

Plenty of DSK images around to use with various Flash cartridges and Sofarun.

By meits

Scribe (6581)

17-08-2019, 15:01

Parn wrote:

I'd not choose a 2.5" hdd with usb power but a 3.5" hdd with its own power lead

By rjp

Master (195)

24-08-2019, 00:24

Well, there are some utilities like RunIt and SofaRunIt which runs DSK images very nicely. And, I still don't understand why using a USB floppy drive is so important. If you really need to use floppy disks, there are a plenty of floppy disk interfaces since... Maybe 1985?

By Pencioner

Scribe (1633)

25-08-2019, 12:53

rjp wrote:

Maybe prices are somehow different? Working MSX floppy interface in decent condition will cost as much as a decent MSX2 at least...

By Hydragon

Paladin (751)

25-08-2019, 20:32

Even with SofaRun and a MegaFlashRom, i still use time to time and actual disk, since the tooling is not able to boot up the DSK properly, a nice example on one DSK image which had to be copied to actual disk since Emufile and Sofarun weren't able to handle the DSK. Latest example of such need to copy to physical disk was Bubble Rain by Imanok. The tooling is amazing, but it's not 100% reliable.

USB Mapper 512k - New hardware from tecnobytes!

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