Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It's fun to work with old retro computers, but what's not always fun is trying to make disks for them so you can actually use them. This video is a guide to cover making FM and MFM disks using a PC. Many old computers use this format of floppy disk and if you have one, this video is for you.
This video isn't for you if you are trying to make disks for the Apple II, Commodore PET/VIC-20/64, Amiga or Mac (800k disks.)
0:00 Intro
00:46 Part 0 - The problem
3:20 Part 1 - Floppy disk encoding
8:39 Part 2 - Physical attributes
16:50 Part 3 - The disk drives
20:13 Part 4 - Picking you parts
26:23 Part 5 - Building the machine
34:30 Part 6 - Setting up ImageDisk
41:12 Part 7 - Making disks
53:38 Part 8 - Conclusion
-- Video Links
Michael Haardt's floppy guide with lots of technical information:
moria.de/~michael/floppy/floppy.pdf
For the Apple II and Macintosh, I recommend the FloppyEmu:
bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu
For the C64/VIC-20/C128 I recommend a SDIEC: (lots of options here, search around a bit)
etsy.com/market/sd2iec
For the Amiga, a Gotek with FlashFloppy works well:
github.com/keirf/flashfloppy
ImageDisk:
dunfield.classiccmp.org/img/index.htm
TexElec Quad Floppy card:
(not out yet)
Recovering a floppy disk using an oscilloscope: (Fascinating read!)
scarybeastsecurity.blogspot.com/2021/05/recovering-lost-treasure-filled-floppy.html
Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spring.com
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
youtube.com/channel/UCbtwi4wK1YXd9AyV_4UcE6g
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/adriansdigitalbasement
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
rigolna.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/1000z
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
aliexpress.com/item/33000308958.html
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MINI-Digital-OLED-Programmable-Soldering-Iron-Anti-static-Structure/113382669853
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
eevblog.com/product/121gw
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DSLogic-Basic-Analyzer-16Ch-100MHz-4Ch-400MHz-Xilinx-Spartan-6-FPGA/202543965672
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-24-28-32-40-pin-IC-Test-Universal-ZIF-Socket-Fs/303206721971
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
retrotink.com
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-Micro-Scissor-125mm-PLATO-170-Electronics-Cutter-Side-Cutting-Pliers/163458746184
Heat Sinks:
aliexpress.com/item/32537183709.html
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Links
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=repositories
Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA – Portland, OR – PDX Commodore Users Group
commodorecomputerclub.com
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
youtube.com/watch?v=XQVjwPsVFd8
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
It's fun to work with old retro computers, but what's not always fun is trying to make disks for them so you can actually use them. This video is a guide to cover making FM and MFM disks using a PC. Many old computers use this format of floppy disk and if you have one, this video is for you.
This video isn't for you if you are trying to make disks for the Apple II, Commodore PET/VIC-20/64, Amiga or Mac (800k disks.)
0:00 Intro
00:46 Part 0 - The problem
3:20 Part 1 - Floppy disk encoding
8:39 Part 2 - Physical attributes
16:50 Part 3 - The disk drives
20:13 Part 4 - Picking you parts
26:23 Part 5 - Building the machine
34:30 Part 6 - Setting up ImageDisk
41:12 Part 7 - Making disks
53:38 Part 8 - Conclusion
-- Video Links
Michael Haardt's floppy guide with lots of technical information:
moria.de/~michael/floppy/floppy.pdf
For the Apple II and Macintosh, I recommend the FloppyEmu:
bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu
For the C64/VIC-20/C128 I recommend a SDIEC: (lots of options here, search around a bit)
etsy.com/market/sd2iec
For the Amiga, a Gotek with FlashFloppy works well:
github.com/keirf/flashfloppy
ImageDisk:
dunfield.classiccmp.org/img/index.htm
TexElec Quad Floppy card:
(not out yet)
Recovering a floppy disk using an oscilloscope: (Fascinating read!)
scarybeastsecurity.blogspot.com/2021/05/recovering-lost-treasure-filled-floppy.html
Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spring.com
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
youtube.com/channel/UCbtwi4wK1YXd9AyV_4UcE6g
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/adriansdigitalbasement
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
rigolna.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/1000z
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
aliexpress.com/item/33000308958.html
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MINI-Digital-OLED-Programmable-Soldering-Iron-Anti-static-Structure/113382669853
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
eevblog.com/product/121gw
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DSLogic-Basic-Analyzer-16Ch-100MHz-4Ch-400MHz-Xilinx-Spartan-6-FPGA/202543965672
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-24-28-32-40-pin-IC-Test-Universal-ZIF-Socket-Fs/303206721971
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
retrotink.com
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-Micro-Scissor-125mm-PLATO-170-Electronics-Cutter-Side-Cutting-Pliers/163458746184
Heat Sinks:
aliexpress.com/item/32537183709.html
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Links
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=repositories
Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA – Portland, OR – PDX Commodore Users Group
commodorecomputerclub.com
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
youtube.com/watch?v=XQVjwPsVFd8
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
