Description

This is the wDrive Disk Drive Emulator Card from Mfa2 Workshop. The wDrive lets your Apple II use disk images stored on an SD card.

Tip: If you have an Apple II+ or IIe, you might want to also purchase the SoftSP card, which lets you boot hard drive images on an Apple II+ or Apple IIe (not needed for the IIc or IIGS).

Features

• Emulates an Apple II 5.25” floppy or SmartPort device.
• Supports floppy disk images in WOZ, NIB, EDF, DSK, DO and PO.
• Supports Hard Drive, 400K, and 800K images in PO, HDV and 2MG format.
• Emulates 3.5” drive for 800K WOZ images (read only).
• SoftSP SmartPort driver so Apple II, II+, and IIe machines can use some hard drive disk images through the Disk II (does not work with software that requires the upper 64k memory bank).
• Supports disk read/write for DSK, NIB, EDF, and WOZ file formats.
• Supports 13-sector disk images (press LEFT button once when booting 13-sector images).
• Supports quarter tracks.
• On-screen boot menu.
• Built-in Locksmith Fast Copy and edfwrite (write copy-protected images to real floppy disk).
• Integrates 4am’s Anti-m boot (see instructions below).
• Supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards (Fat16/Fat32 file format). SD card not included.
• Comparison of the wDrive and FloppyEmu

 

Compatibility

• Apple II/II+/original IIe/enhanced IIe
• Apple IIc (requires a DB19-to-IDC20 adaptor or switcher)
• Apple IIGS (requires a Disk II card or a DB19-to-IDC20 adaptor)
• Laser 128 (requires a DB19-to-IDC20 adaptor)
• Franklin Ace 1200 (untested but should work with a Disk II card)

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Downloads

• wDrive User Manual v2.0b
• wDrive Firmware ZIP v2.0b

• Total Replay game archive
• Pitch Dark Infocom archive
• Anti-m modified boot p-rom
• Copy II+ 8.2
• ADTPro 2.1.0

Reflash the Firmware

1. Download the above firmware ZIP file and unzip it.
2. Copy the “wdrive.bin” file onto the root directory of your wDrive SD card.
3. Turn on your Apple II.
4. On the wDrive, press the LEFT + SELECT (middle) buttons.
5. Press the wDrive RESET button on the side; release the RESET button.
6. The wDrive screen should show “Release key…”.
7. Release the two buttons and wait for the wDrive to update the firmware and reboot.

wDrive On-screen Menu

1. Download the firmware ZIP file and unzip it.
2. Copy the “wdmain.dat” file onto the root directory of your wDrive SD card.
3. Turn on your Apple II.

Built-in Locksmith, edfwrite, and Anti-m

The wDrive has built-in copies of Locksmith and edfwrite. You can invoke these from the on-screen menu by selecting a disk image and then pressing Ctrl+C (Locksmith) or Ctrl+W (edfwrite). Note: These shortcuts won’t do anything if you have a directory selected. By default the disk image that was selected will be the one that gets copied. However, once Locksmith or edfwrite starts up you can change the disk image using the wDrive up/down buttons and then hitting the select button.

The wDrive also has a keyboard shortcut to invoke 4am’s anti-m boot program. To use this, you first need to download the anti-m disk image and put it on the root of the SD card with the name “anti-m.dsk”. Then, press Ctrl+A when you have a disk image selected (not a directory). By default the disk image that was selected will be the one used in anti-m. However, once anti-m starts up you can change the disk image using the wDrive up/down buttons and then hitting the select button.