Adding hard drives to MSX

Supporter (16)

07-03-2023, 02:39

I*'ve read you can add hard drives to MSX computers but I can't seem to find any info on how to do that. Could someone please post a link on how to do that.

Please and thank you.

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Van gdx

Enlighted (6207)

07-03-2023, 08:40

Nowadays, we use flash cards instead.

https://www.msx.org/wiki/Category:Flash_Card_Interfaces

Van ro

Scribe (4962)

07-03-2023, 08:51

Hai Bill, nice to find your way back to MSX

To attach a HD to your system, you need an interface. There are both SCSI and IDE interface for the old lady. I myself use/used a BERT SCSI interface with an old SCSI 40MB drive.

As gdx pointed out, flash memory cards has removed the need for HD. It's easier, smaller, cleaner, faster, bigger and even fits modern computers to swap out bits.

Van Grauw

Ascended (10767)

07-03-2023, 09:23

I used to use a Bert SCSI interface and a Sunrise IDE interface.

ro wrote:

As gdx pointed out, flash memory cards has removed the need for HD. It's easier, smaller, cleaner, faster, bigger and even fits modern computers to swap out bits.

And I would add: they are much more reliable. In the 90s my hard drives dropped like flies, they would fail regularly. Admittedly poor high school me was using second hand drives but still. I was so happy once I got my first Compact Flash interface... (The Sunrise CF-IDE.)

Van msxmakers

Hero (515)

07-03-2023, 13:07

BillGates wrote:

I*'ve read you can add hard drives to MSX computers but I can't seem to find any info on how to do that. Could someone please post a link on how to do that.

I will recomend you two easy options:
If you have more than 64K you can get a device like this one:
MSX-IDE
and if you have not so, I would recomend that one:
BEER-202
Of course you can get some others that include lot of improvements and some kind of disk, like SD, Cflash or USB, but all they cannot use a real (original) hard disk.
Regards.

Van sd_snatcher

Prophet (3659)

08-03-2023, 01:37

BillGates wrote:

I*'ve read you can add hard drives to MSX computers but I can't seem to find any info on how to do that. Could someone please post a link on how to do that.

Nowadays it's better to think of it as mass storage devices, not only hard disks. Same principle, but different formats. My preferred format are SD cards, since they're hot swappable.

If you're on a budget, I would recommend an SD-Mapper v2 interface. They're fast, support 2 SDcard slots and come with a 512KB memory mapper expansion.
If you have a higher budged, the MegaFlashROM SCC+SD 512KB. It has a flash to allow MegaROM games to be run, supports the SCC+ soundchip and comes with 512KB and an extra PSG as a bonus.

Van BillGates

Supporter (16)

13-03-2023, 15:58

I was looking to add a hard drive directly to the msx to save a cartridge slot. Is that possible? If not I guess a flash cartridge like gr8net is best.

Van Briqunullus

Hero (665)

13-03-2023, 18:18

Unfortunately, you can't. There is no connector inside or outside the machine to make this happen. There were a few machines which had a harddisk inside (the unreleased Philips 8260), but these are extremely rare.

The cartridge not only provides a connector for a harddrive (or sd card, cf card for that matter), but it also provides the dos 2 rom or nextor rom.

Van Robby

Master (217)

14-03-2023, 10:28

https://hansotten.file-hunter.com/uploads/files/3rdslotNMS82... This is an option you could consider, if you want to save your original cartridge slots and don't wanna use a slot expander.

About gr8net being the best, that depends on your needs. It's a very (nice and) extensive cartridge, but if you only want to flash games there are other cheaper alternatives as mentioned before.