SD2IEC and Epyx Fastload Reloaded for Everyone!

[@frankb9007]

I like that the video is 15:41. A little Easter egg? :)

[@YoreHistory]

Bought mine last week and it arrived this week. So far I love it. I had purchased an Ultimate II+ but it failed after a day (complete memory failure) so while waiting for replacement (enroute this week) I thought why not get an SD2EIC as well! Glad I did!

[@tiger1x]

what if i have already a 1541 drive and want to use the sd2iec (with cassette power plug) as well? is the cable long enough?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Hey. Ideally you need a Y-Splitter cable for your IEC port. They are available on the TFW8B website

[@HartRaver]

"The tv port for connecting tv things...the video port for connecting video things...the IEC port.." for connecting IEC things :D

[@ronaldgoyette5807]

Need some help : I am using SD2IEC on a C128 in C64 mode ( I have no fast loader ) . The load ´$ ‘,8 command errors out with file not found and both SD2IEC leds fast flashing red ???

[@jeffryvu]

I know it's been 5 years since this video, but it's still very helpful! I have one issue and that is when I hit the reset button on the Epyx or when I turn off my C64, it doesn't seem to recognize the SD2IEC anymore. $ or load"$",8 don't work anymore. Is that a known issue?

[@willrobinson7599]

Hi .I'm also having probs with multi side disk files. Tried turbo outrun and turrican 2. Followed instructions made autoswap but still do the same.tried loading from the basic screen ,press q .and also from directory where it was and showing autoswap file. Works great for single side games but not got 1 loaded with multi.any help would be much appreciated

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

I Will, sorry taken a while to get to the comment on this. Generally muiti load issues are down to the timing of the swap when you hit the button. Also you can try to configure an AUTOSWAP.lst yourself, pop the d64 files in a folder and name them D1.D64, D2.D64 etc.. and then create the autoswap with the names of the files in them. Assuming that you have the file browser 64 on the SD card, load up the menu, go in to that games folder, quit out to Basic from the Browser by pressing Q, do a LOAD"$",8 and LIST, it should list the files in your folder, press the Next button on the SD2IEC and then do another directory listing, that will show you the content of D1.D64, just like if you had put the disk in the drive. The load up the first disk, when you get to the part of the game that requires Disk 2, press the next button again and Disk 2 should be ready to go, the tricky bit comes in when you have to go back and forward between disks. You could also look for .D81 files of games you want to play as these are mult disk games put in to a single file ready to use on devices like the SD2IEC. Thanks for your comment and feedback :)

[@OldSkoolCoder]

Excellent Video, i did not realise it was that easy to create an auto swapping system. Thanks for the Tip :D

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Thanks.. I've been wating to do a video on this for a while. It's easy peasy-lemon-squeezy (when you know how). Let the Multiload madness commence! :)

[@ryanashford3672]

How do you go about loading a multi disk game a second time? It loaded once, but I have to recreate the auto swap file everytime.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Ryan Ashford Hi Ryan. Thanks for your question. This is quite easy to do. On a PC or a Mac. Open a new text file. In that text file type in the name of the D64 files in your multiload game. Then save the file out with the name “autosawp.lst” then simply copy this file in to the folder with the D64 files. Or you can simply rename the .gen file to .lst and it will use that file forever!

[@ryanashford3672]

@@thefuturewas8bitchannel841 So do that and then select that file from the menu?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Ryan Ashford Sort of. Use the file browser to get to the folder with the D64 files in it and press q to exit to basic. Press the next disk button and that will take you to the first file in the txt file then LOAD”*”’,8,1

[@ryanashford3672]

@@thefuturewas8bitchannel841 Ah. OK. Thanks for the help!!

[@MindFlareRetro]

Great exposure for great products! Very nice!

[@Sanxion01]

Thanks for the kind words :)

[@padistedor]

will the original epyx fastload cartridge work with the sd2iec lcd?

[@LoveDoctorNL]

Very complete and comprehensive video.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video, do you have anm SD2IEC or looking at getting one?

[@LoveDoctorNL]

@@thefuturewas8bitchannel841 : I received mine yesterday. It works flawlessly. Many thanks

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

@@LoveDoctorNL That is excellent news. Enjoy ☺️

[@tiger1x]

You should mention the SD-card limitations. Out of 3 SD cards i tried, only 1 worked. The other 2 non working cards were SDHC cards. Seems like this type of cards doesn't work with that device. Only the "old" 2GB SD card worked for me.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Thanks for your reply. SD card type are not really the issue. As long as you use genuine good quality cards there are no issues up to 32Gb. TFW8B can ship an optional 8Gb SD card and there are very very few issues with it. If you do get issues with an SD card, it's normally down to the format on the card. Format using the SD format tool (Available on the tfw8b.com website) and you can aslo press the reset device button (top button) after switching on your C64 if it flashes and does not read the card from switch on. Thank you for your comment however. As you say most people will only ever need 2Gb as you can fit most of the entire C64 games ever made on to that!

[@Huddison]

I've just ordered myself a SD2IEC as a Christmas Present (to myself :) - does the 'Q to quit' out of the filebrowser only work if you have a fastload cart inserted?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Huddison Hi there. Nope the Q to quit is just quitting the FB64 program. That just takes you back to BASIC

[@Huddison]

Many thanks

[@Huddison]

@@thefuturewas8bitchannel841 I received my SD2IEC and have been having a blast with it! I'm having problems loading any version of Rocket Ranger though (my Fav C64 game) - all versions seem to have some kind of fastload code in them; will the fastload cart help to load this game properly?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Huddison Hey there. It’s unlikely. Games that have custom FastLoaders can cause issues. They use tricks and weird timings. The SD2IEC is not Cycle Exact to the 1541 so can cause issues. The majority of games will work.

[@chuckcobb2392]

That color rasters before the game title is not the games Fastload routine. It is decrunching the game in memory. Game Fastloaders will have white or multi colored bars in the borders. When the entire screen is flashing means it is decrunching.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Thats correct, thanks for your comment and information.

[@robactraiser182]

My SD2IEC doesnt have the two buttons.. it came as a basic board thing with no case.. and an extender thing I connected with one button on the end.. :/

[@Sanxion01]

ActRaiser Sounds like you have purchased the internal fitting SD2IEC not the external as shown in the video

[@robactraiser182]

@@Sanxion01 I have it plugged into the back, the same as the one in the video.. it just doesn't have a case.. and only one button / switch thats on the end of a cable attached to the tiny board. The seller says you can definitely run multiple disk games using it, but I am not having any luck.

[@DavidGolder]

Does the Epyx Fastload work with multiload games (other than the initial first load)?

[@CRAZY6256]

Is there a way to à T64 files directly and if not can I convert them?

[@moomah5929]

Does the Epyx Fastload Reloaded work better with SD2IEC than a Final Cartridge III? I'm going to get a SD2IEC but wonder if I can simply use the FC3 to navigate the folders and start games. Is the auto swapping working properly with games like Ultima VI? Remember it being a major pain, flipping disks every time I was going to talk to a NPC. xD

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Hey... yes the SD2IEC will work great with the FC3. The Epyx FastLoad Reloaded will do a great job as well. See how you go with the FC3 and maybe in the future when you have a few quid buring a hole in your pocket, get a FastLoad too! Thanks for watching :)

[@moomah5929]

Thank you for the fast answer. Then I'm going to get a SD2IEC and a Epyx later, if I am running into problems with the FC3. :D

[@10MARC]

Thanks for the great products! I am reviewing the SD2IEC and the Penultimate + on my channel in the next few days.

[@anthonyleedickinson3491]

Do u need both devices for it to work

[@nickcartwright7567]

Forget the hardware, that pen!! i thought i had the only one...

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Everyone loves the Pens..!!

[@amigaman1075]

Does the Epyx Reloaded work with a C128/C128D?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Amigaman Hi there. Nope this is a C64 product and will boot the C128 in to C64 mode when plugged in 😁

[@justinthomas2458]

Just got my sd2iec and it works but nearly all my games that I put in the directory have missing and garbled text for the titles. Makes it real tough to choose a game when you can't read the title. All the pre loaded games show up fine it's just anything new that I add.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Justin Thomas Hi.. sounds like your using upper case in the names of the files. Try renaming the files to the name but with lower case and no special characters

[@Okurka.]

So when are you going to release the schematics? These are both based on open source hardware.

[@mikehill9806]

Great stuff! Will the disk swap feature work with more than 2 disk?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Mike Hill Hi Mike.. yes you just need to put all the file names in the Autoswap file or when you create it as per the video

[@mikehill9806]

Thanks for that! Can I ask how you go about saving a game to the SD then reloading the save?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Mike Hill That’s a great question. The SD2IEC is a loading device and you can save back to the SD card. If a game allows you to save progress it will just write a file back to the D64 image you are currently in. If you are thinking about Freeze options then you will need a Final Cart III or similar. The Action Replay is not 100% compatible but you can use it with some things as the AR is very complex to hide itself from the computer during loading

[@Eightbitswide]

Never realized that these were Epyx clones, I thought they were FREELOAD carts. Very cool! Licensed product?

[@nikolaisandbeck6951]

I cannot move the curser more than one step down and then one step back up again. Anyone who knows why this does not work?

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Are you using keys on the keyboard or with Joystick. Use your joystick in port 2 and move up and down, use fire button to select

[@nikolaisandbeck6951]

@@thefuturewas8bitchannel841 thanks for the reply :) I tried both and nothing works. And yes I made sure to use port 2

[@Dematerialiser]

Hi TFW8B - I'd like to get one of these but can you explain how game saves work? I'm assuming it treats the SD2 like an original floppy drive, but puts the save files into a folder next to the game? cheers

[@1962underdog]

You need to create a blank d64 file and is Autoswap..

[@stoobusby9164]

Hello! Quick question, how do we load stuff without a fast loader? It says press play on tape (which obviously it isn't a tape, and I can't press play) very new to this stuff. Thanks! Oh and thanks for the fast delivery, was with me within two days :).

[@stoobusby9164]

Okay ignore that, I'm an idiot. Thanks a lot for making this!!

[@Dinosword2000]

I've got a real 1541 as 8 and the SD2IEC as 9. Is there a fastload shortcut for Commodore-key+RunStop for drive 9? The typing is tearing me apart! :P

[@apollomasta]

Hi mate, how do you settle the drive 9 # on the SD2IEC?

[@Dinosword2000]

@@apollomasta It's been a while, and my 1541 broke, so I only use the SD2IEC at the moment. Mine included software on an SD-card. One program called "ID8-9" sorted the numbering permanently. If you don't have that software, check out post 3 in this link: www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=58812&sid=dda7c3de0aeaa331c37985c5f39a7fd0

[@RetroMarkyRM]

I had no idea you guys had a YT channel!!! Subbed!

[@juelzfinley7496]

i know Im kinda randomly asking but do anybody know of a good site to watch newly released series online?

[@nikolaiaarav3032]

@Juelz Finley Try flixzone. You can find it by googling =)

[@caidennehemiah7066]

@Nikolai Aarav Definitely, have been using flixzone for months myself :)

[@sullivantravis1566]

@Nikolai Aarav thanks, signed up and it seems to work :D Appreciate it!!

[@korbynkolton7969]

@Juelz Finley You are welcome :D

[@Ichinin]

Wish the SD2IEC would be delivered with a paper with these instructions, lots of people not recommending he product because "there is no way to play multi disk games". Wasn't clear which button you pressed, but i'll figure it out later.

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

The instructions are provided with every SD2IEC that is shipped out. It also shows clearly the buttons on the instruction sheets and also on the video. I put up the configuration of the buttons in the video when showing the buttons on the device. Also this is one of the reasons why we made the video for our SD2IEC device to show how to work with multi disk programs and games. We mention this on our website lisitings, in the instructions that come with it and now we have made a video on it to be totally clear. It can be a bit confusing to do the first time you try to do disk swapping, this is why we made the video so you can see how it's done.

[@1962underdog]

Buttons need labels....took me 3 days to figure out how to save a single disk txt adventure game using autoswap

[@onehappynegro]

@@1962underdog worked for philips european support center. we would ask customer to read the instructions twice and then call back. never got a phone call back ever.

[@JustinCherriman]

OK get it now, you're really inspired by look around you! ;-)

[@MrDemonsushii]

I tried to switch the device from the disk drive to the sd card adapter. It says, "file open error"

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Hi there.. please can you contact us for support issues through our website contact page as it sounds like we need to talk a bit more. Thanks :) www.thefuturewas8bit.com/contacts/

[@stupossibleify]

One the best pens on KZbin

[@BillyMartin4Life]

Bought my recently and can't wait to get it in the mail. But I do have one complaint about the shipping and that's it was put on a plane at Heathrow Airport in the UK to and came into the US at Los Angeles International Airport...when the final destination is New York City. So it went over NYC so it can be dropped off at LA, only for it to go back on another plane to come to NYC (Total distance from UK to LA to NYC is 7,879 miles, or 12,680 kilometers while total distance from UK to NYC is 3,446 miles, or 5,545.799 Kilometers). If this makes sense to anyone here, please enlighten me.

[@YoreHistory]

It does sound strange if you don't understand the supply chain but you need to look at it from a higher vantage point than a single package. The majority of the packages were likely west coast bound so went to the western distribution center first as port of entry. Once there it was sorted in with packages in the western distribution center heading east. To a courier company every bit of savings impacts the bottom line. The other variable that dictates when and where is the shipping time.

[@chrisinjapan5736]

I once had a package leave the U.S, touch down in Australia (where I am from) then come all the way to Japan (where I live). Its crazy

[@RodHull_TFW8b]

Top job Sir. And Fantastic pen action :D

[@thefuturewas8bitchannel841]

Why thank you person with hand up Emu's bum.. oh wait.. YOU ARE HE!

[@nicolasjonasson4820]

Tip: Play this one in 2.0x

[@SelfIndulgentGamer]

I got one today whoop whoop! 😁

[@petedoel]

Thanks Ants!

[@Kirkland-rv5jf]

Is this video for real?

[@DanHegh]

Yes, yes it is. Welcome to 1986.

[@MD_il_microcanale]

Very Good!

[@Sanxion01]

M D thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video 😁

[@MD_il_microcanale]

@@Sanxion01 I love the C64!