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# trackdisk.device — Floppy Disk DMA Controller
## Overview
`trackdisk.device` interfaces with the Amiga's floppy disk controller — a custom DMA engine that reads and writes raw MFM-encoded data from double-density 3.5" disks. It provides block-level access (512 bytes/sector, 11 sectors/track, 80 tracks × 2 sides = 1,760 sectors = 880 KB per disk).
---
## Hardware Architecture
```mermaid
graph LR
subgraph "Custom Chips"
DSKBYTR["DSKBYTR
$DFF01A
Disk Data Byte"]
DSKLEN["DSKLEN
$DFF024
DMA Length"]
DSKPT["DSKPT
$DFF020
DMA Pointer"]
end
subgraph "CIA-B"
CIAPRB["PRA/PRB
$BFD100
Motor, Side, Step"]
end
DISK["3.5 DD Disk"] -->|"MFM bitstream"| DSKBYTR
CIAPRB -->|"Motor/Step/Side"| DISK
DSKPT -->|"DMA to/from"| CHIPRAM["Chip RAM Buffer
(~13 KB/track)"]
```
### Disk Geometry
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Tracks | 80 (0–79) |
| Sides | 2 (0=upper, 1=lower) |
| Sectors per track | 11 (DD), 22 (HD) |
| Bytes per sector | 512 |
| Total capacity | 880 KB (DD), 1,760 KB (HD) |
| Rotation speed | 300 RPM (1 revolution = 200 ms) |
| Transfer rate | ~250 kbit/s (DD raw MFM) |
| Track-to-track seek | ~3 ms |
### MFM Encoding
The disk stores data in **Modified Frequency Modulation** format. Each byte becomes 16 bits on disk (clock + data interleaved):
```
Data bit: 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
MFM: 01 10 01 01 10 10 10 01
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
c/d pairs (clock bit inserted before each data bit)
```
A raw track is ~12,668 bytes of MFM data (including gaps, sync words, and sector headers).
### Track Format (AmigaDOS)
```
Track = 11 sectors, each containing:
Sync: $4489 $4489 (2 words — MFM-encoded $A1 $A1)
Header: format, track, sector, sectors_to_gap (MFM-encoded)
Header checksum: XOR of header longs
Data: 512 bytes of payload (MFM-encoded = 1024 bytes on disk)
Data checksum: XOR of data longs
Gaps between sectors: variable-length padding
```
---
## Using trackdisk.device
### Opening
```c
struct MsgPort *diskPort = CreateMsgPort();
struct IOExtTD *diskReq = (struct IOExtTD *)
CreateIORequest(diskPort, sizeof(struct IOExtTD));
/* Unit numbers: DF0:=0, DF1:=1, DF2:=2, DF3:=3 */
BYTE err = OpenDevice("trackdisk.device", 0,
(struct IORequest *)diskReq, 0);
```
### Reading Sectors
```c
UBYTE *buf = AllocMem(512, MEMF_CHIP); /* MUST be Chip RAM */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = CMD_READ;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Data = buf;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Length = 512; /* bytes to read */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Offset = 0; /* byte offset on disk */
/* offset = (track * 2 + side) * 11 * 512 + sector * 512 */
DoIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
```
### Writing + Updating (Motor Control)
```c
/* Write a sector: */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = CMD_WRITE;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Data = buf;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Length = 512;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Offset = 512 * 10; /* sector 10 */
DoIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
/* Flush write buffer to disk: */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = CMD_UPDATE;
DoIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
/* Turn off motor when done: */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = TD_MOTOR;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Length = 0; /* 0=off, 1=on */
DoIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
```
### Disk Change Notification
```c
/* Wait for disk insertion/removal: */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = TD_CHANGENUM;
DoIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
ULONG changeCount = diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Actual;
/* Async notification: */
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Command = TD_ADDCHANGEINT;
diskReq->iotd_Req.io_Data = (APTR)&myInterrupt;
SendIO((struct IORequest *)diskReq);
/* myInterrupt is signalled on disk change */
```
### Track Caching
trackdisk.device reads an **entire track** (11 sectors) into an internal buffer on each access. Subsequent reads of other sectors on the same track are served from cache:
```
Read sector 0 → DMA reads track 0 (11 sectors) → cache hit for sectors 1–10
Read sector 11 → new track → DMA reads track 1
Read sector 5 → cache hit (still in track 0 buffer)
```
> **FPGA implication**: the MiSTer core must emulate this whole-track DMA behaviour for correct timing. Games that measure seek+read latency will behave incorrectly if only single sectors are transferred.
---
## Direct Hardware Access (Games/Demos)
Games often bypass trackdisk.device for speed and copy protection:
```asm
; Direct floppy read — raw track DMA:
LEA $DFF000, A5 ; custom base
MOVE.L #TrackBuffer, $20(A5) ; DSKPT — DMA pointer (Chip RAM)
MOVE.W #$8210, $96(A5) ; DMACON — enable disk DMA
; Select drive, side, seek to track:
MOVE.B #$F7, $BFD100 ; CIA-B PRB — select DF0, motor on
; ... step head to desired track ...
; Start reading one track:
MOVE.W #$8000|6300, $24(A5) ; DSKLEN — enable, ~6300 words
MOVE.W #$8000|6300, $24(A5) ; write twice to start DMA
; Wait for DMA complete (DSKBLK interrupt):
BTST #1, $DFF01F ; INTREQR — DSKBLK bit
BEQ.S .-4
```
---
## References
- NDK39: `devices/trackdisk.h`, `resources/disk.h`
- HRM: *Amiga Hardware Reference Manual* — Disk Controller chapter
- ADCD 2.1: trackdisk.device autodocs
- See also: [filesystem.md](../07_dos/filesystem.md) — FFS/OFS block format on top of trackdisk