MSX Wifi SDMapper

Expert (122)

29-03-2023, 14:13

Hey there! Are you one of those who have a SD Mapper cartridge? Well, I've got some great news for you!

I recently tested a cheap ESP12S/ESP8266 based SD card adapter, which is like a superhero of adapters. It's commonly used to send GCODE files to 3D printers, but here's the kicker - it can also update the content of the SD Mapper card on the fly when inserted on MSX computers!

No more annoying problems when you want to include include new files to the SD card and need to remove, insert on a PC adapter, copy files, remove from the adapter, re-insert on the SD Mapper!

The board works SUPER WELL. To prove it, I made a quick video showing it in action. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/O15YoFY2hrw

And guess what? You can purchase this wonder gadget on AliExpress, where they specialize in bringing you the "best things" that China has to offer. So head on over there and grab one of those. Here's the link: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dn4v55B.

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Por Pencioner

Scribe (1612)

29-03-2023, 16:37

i have a few partitions on SD card (8 partitions 4Gb each on 32Gb card which occupies all drive letters A: to H, does this module works with partitioned cards, or it is only for simple 4Gb card and one partition?

Por crisag

Expert (122)

29-03-2023, 18:47

I tested it with a single partition in a 4GB card. Will test with a larger microSD card later today.

Por ray2day

Paladin (754)

29-03-2023, 19:10

interesting

Por ro

Scribe (5064)

29-03-2023, 20:14

Nice. Tell ua about the actual set up pls

Por Pentarou

Hero (563)

29-03-2023, 20:14

Wouldn't a Toshiba FlashAIR or a similar clone accomplish the same, but in a "normal" SD-Card size?

Por Louthrax

Prophet (2497)

29-03-2023, 20:16

I'm super interested and plan to order one, thanks Crisag for reporting that
Just one question: did you buy with or without the "TF card" (I'm not 100% sure of what is does) ?

Por Pencioner

Scribe (1612)

29-03-2023, 20:19

@Laurent "TF card" is just the "microSD card"

Por inchl

Expert (105)

29-03-2023, 20:55

I've been looking for this solution for some time now.... For development testing on a real msx its way easier this way to copy all files from dev-pc to your msx. It stops me having to swap sd-card a million times between pc and msx.

Where and how do I get one?

Stephan

Por crisag

Expert (122)

29-03-2023, 21:51

A TF Card is actually a microSD card. Those are currently more cost-effective and easier to find than traditional SD cards. As I already had a few microSD cards on hand, I purchased the model that did not come with a TF card. The setup process was fairly simple and involved the following steps:

I formatted a 4GB microSD card with FAT16 and copied the latest version of NEXTOR.SYS and COMMAND2.COM onto it.
I then created a SETUP.INI file at the root of the card containing just two lines:
SSID=MY_WIFI_SSID
PASSWORD=MY_WIFI_PASSWORD
Next, I inserted the card into the adapter and connected a USB cable to it. I then connected the other end of the USB cable to my PC and ran a terminal software, such as Putty (configure it with the right COM port and 115200). You can check the COM port being used by the adapter running the Device Manager.
After pushing the RST button on the adapter, a message appeared saying "Delay..."
After a few seconds, a message appeared saying "Connected to MY_WIFI_SSID," followed by the adapter's IP address.
I disconnected the cable and inserted the adapter into the SD Mapper. After turning on my MSX, I waited a few seconds until the adapter received its IP address.
To access the SD Mapper card while the MSX was on, I went to my Windows PC, pressed WINDOWS+R, and typed in \\ADAPTER_IP_ADDRESS\DavWWWRoot.
Finally, I was able to copy, delete, create folders, and perform other tasks on the SD Mapper card.

I realize that this setup may not be the most secure option available, but there are alternative firmware options available that make default assumptions on the IP address and offer configuration through a setup website. While I haven't tested these alternatives, one such option can be found at https://github.com/AlbrechtL/BTT_TF_Cloud_AFW, which looks promising.

Por crisag

Expert (122)

29-03-2023, 21:30

inchl wrote:

Where and how do I get one?

Stephan

Here https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkYLeDL