{"id":26614,"date":"2024-01-26T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/?p=26614"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:30:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T07:30:52","slug":"cocosdc-dragon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/cocosdc-dragon\/","title":{"rendered":"CoCoSDC [Dragon]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The <em>CoCoSDC<\/em> takes its name from the <em>TRS-80 Color Computer<\/em>. Since it is largely compatible with the Welsh <em>Dragon<\/em>, it can also be used with that system. DIP switches on the circuit board allow for the necessary configuration; when I placed my order, I was able to have it pre-configured for my <em>Dragon 32<\/em> before delivery. I purchased the device in England via the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/str\/8Bit-Tronics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8Bit-Tronics<\/a> eBay shop for approximately 80 euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The interface emulates a *Dragon* DOS floppy controller and provides the corresponding BASIC support. It requires an SD or SDHC card of up to 32 GB, formatted with FAT16 or FAT32. Two drives are supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Usage is incredibly simple: the SD card containing floppy images is inserted into the *CoCoSDC*, which is then connected to the Dragon. After switching on the computer, the interface's LED should light up red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\"><strong>Note<\/strong><br>Floppy disk images for the Dragon end with .VDK. Files ending in .DSK are intended for the <em>CoCo<\/em> and do not always work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Startbildschirm-1024x549.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Startbildschirm-1024x549.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Startbildschirm-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Startbildschirm.png 1506w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Important commands and programs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDRIVE <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>displays the current drive mappings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The first column shows the drive number.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The second indicates whether disk image mode is on or off. If it is off, a physical floppy disk drive is used, provided a controller is present.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The third column displays the name of the image mapped to the drive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The fourth one displays the index of the virtual disk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDRIVE n, \"path name\"\nSDRIVE 0, \"APPS\/TW64\/TW64.DSK\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This assigns the image TW64.DSK to drive 0 at the corresponding path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDRIVE n,UNLOAD<br>SDRIVE 0,UNLOAD<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">deletes the association of an image with the corresponding drive <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-SDRIVE.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29827\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-SDRIVE.png 994w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-SDRIVE-300x162.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>DRIVE n<br>DRIVE 2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">makes drive 2 the active drive<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>DIR<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">displays the contents of the current drive<br>LOAD &amp; RUN or LOADM &amp; EXEC can be used here as usual<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"996\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-DIR.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-DIR.png 996w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-Befehl-DIR-300x161.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 996px) 100vw, 996px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>DIR n<br>DIR 2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">displays the contents of drive 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDIR<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">displays the contents of the current SD card<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDIR \"Spiele\/\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">displays, for example, the contents of the \"Games\" folder on the SD card.<br>Wildcards can also be used with DIR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SDIR \"Spiele\/*.VDK\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">displays all files with the .DSK extension in the \"Spiele\" (Games) directory.<br><br>Using programs or games that span multiple floppy disks is also not a problem.<br>In this case, the directory containing the disks (the images must be numbered) is mapped. Thanks to the numbering, the image with the lowest number is automatically assigned. Pressing the button on the front of the <em>CoCoSDC<\/em> activates the next disk whenever necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>DRIVE 0, \u201cGAMES\/SUNDOG\/COCO3\/SINSTAR\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\"><strong>Startup File<\/strong><br>The ability to configure a startup file is very convenient. It allows up to four images to be automatically mapped and the current directory to be set upon startup.<br>To do this, create an ASCII file named STARTUP.CFG in the root directory.<br>Note: In DOS, the drives are addressed as 1 and 2\u2014but in the startup file, they are addressed as 0 and 1!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>0=Nos9Lev2.vdk\n1=Utils.vdk\n3=GAMES\/EPYX\/PITSTOP.vdk\nD=\/Dragon\/Spiele<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"991\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-SDCX.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-SDCX.png 991w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-SDCX-300x162.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\"><strong>SDC Explorer<\/strong><br>This is a file explorer for the Dragon. Once downloaded, the file must be copied to the root directory. It is then entered into the previously described startup file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>0=SDCEXP.vdk<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After that, the SDC Explorer can be run from BASIC with the command<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>RUN\"SDCX\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Operation SDC Explorer<br>SHIFT-CLEAR: root directory<br>SHIFT-left\/right: start\/end<br>SHIFT-up\/down \u2013 previous page\/next page<br>SHIFT E: switch view<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The <em>CoCoSDC manual<\/em> explains that the <em>SDC<\/em> Explorer can also be launched automatically\u2014something I haven't managed to do on the Dragon so far. If any readers happen to know a trick for this, I would be delighted to hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dragon-32-mit-CoCoSDC-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dragon-32-mit-CoCoSDC-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dragon-32-mit-CoCoSDC-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><br>The <em>CoCoSDC<\/em> is an excellent device that significantly simplifies the use of software on the <em>Dragon 32<\/em>. Unfortunately, the manual lacks information regarding the operational differences between the <em>CoCo<\/em> and the <em>Dragon<\/em>. Furthermore, the <em>SDCExplorer<\/em>'s auto-start function does not work on the Dragon. An alternative is the <em>DragonMMC<\/em>, which also supports .CAS files (cassette images) and cartridge files, and includes a built-in clock; however, it costs twice as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\"><strong>Links<\/strong><br><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/cocosdc.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Manual and firmware<\/a><br><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.worldofdragon.org\/browse\/?dir=downloadsCoCoSDC\" target=\"_blank\">SD card with software <\/a>(still needs to be adapted for the Dragon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sWfY9XhIkCk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Das CoCoSDC hat seinen Namen vom TRS-80 Color Computer. Da dieser \u00fcber weite Strecken kompatibel mit dem Dragon aus Wales ist, kann es auch mit \u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1780],"tags":[1807,4843,4737],"class_list":["post-26614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dragon-32","tag-dragon-data","tag-englisch-verfuegbar","tag-hardware"],"wp-worthy-pixel":{"ignored":false,"public":"f7fe2f83130740db8a63239fd7e2bfd8","server":"","url":"https:\/\/vg02.met.vgwort.de\/na\/f7fe2f83130740db8a63239fd7e2bfd8"},"wp-worthy-type":"normal","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CoCoSDC-schraeg-oben.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26614"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44183,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26614\/revisions\/44183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}