Atari ST : Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST.

Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST :

I regularly get the question what the possibilities are by connecting a Gotek External to the Atari ST
(Atari ST applies to the whole family from that Atari line)
The gotek will be connected to the Atari as Drive B by default, and then you have some of the functionality available.
The internal Drive will always be addressed as A and that will therefore also be the device from which it is booted.

Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST : The possibilities

The Gotek Floppydrive Emulator with Flashfloppy firmware supports different modes of operation :
Native, Indexed and HXC compatible mode

Native All valid disk images in the root of the USB are recognized and you can select them with the up/down keys, you have little or no idea where which image is located.

Indexed All valid disk images in the root of the USB should be renamed to DSKA0000, DSKA0001 etc. and you can select them with the up/down keys, you have more work because all files have to be renamed but you know where which image (DSKA0033 is therefore under 033 on the Gotek).

Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST : HXC Compatibility Mode

If you open the ST , and you unplug the power from the internal drive, and set the ID jumper on the Gotek to S0, in many cases you can just boot from the external drive (*) , and thus have the option to use the third mode:

HXC mode = In this mode it is made possible to browse your USB stick (including subdirectories), and fill up to 999 slots that you want to use.

You do have to place the Autoboot.HFE in the root of your USB,
it will be loaded automatically at position 000.

(*) Allthough this worked for both Atari ST's i own, i cannot guarantee it will also work for you ,
so this third option is a freebie if it works, it's not standard functionality that is being sold.

Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST : FF File Selector.

you do use the complete path and file name in the file selector, so you have a clear view of what you are loading.
Once you have loaded, saved (F10) and rebooted the files in the disk slots, you can choose one of the disk slots on the gotek using the up/down keys.

The disk slots are fixed and only overwriting slots will make a change (provided you save the change with F10)

More information about the various modes can be found on the Flashfloppy info wiki

Connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST : What do you need  ?

To connect a Gotek External to the Atari ST, you can choose from the following options

• Gotek drive with Flashfloppy
• External Gotek interface for the ST (Standard or Deluxe version)
• Power supply for Gotek (Adapter or PS/2 Mouse interface with power supply for Gotek)
• SNAP, the USB Power cartridge for powering the Gotek (by using a mini USB cable)

The standard external interface has no power supply on the interface itself, so you will have to arrange something yourself (external power) on the Gotek Floppydrive
I do have a PS/2 mouse adapter from which I have tapped a power supply, but then you have to so have/want to use a PS/2 mouse.
Or you can use the USB Power cartridge to supply power to the Gotek.

The deluxe interface has a Mini USB connection or a DC power jack connection respectively, and for both i have a solution.

So without opening your ST you can use the Gotek just fine, only it is with (slightly) less ease than when you can boot from your gotek, and for that you would have to open your Atari.

The Atari is not consistent in construction and functionality, being able to boot from the external drive when the internal drive is disconnected from power is not guaranteed, it usually works but unfortunately it is not 100% sure whether it always works with every model.

If it works you could create a kinda bootselector by putting a switch between the power to the internal floppydrive.
But that is up to you, and should only be done once you are 100% sure it works with the internal drive disconnected from its power.

Only switch the power to the internal drive when the ST is OFF !!

Jumper Settings