flashfloppy

For old equipment, there are very good alternative methods =3 https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy

Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives: https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle Then use clean disk images on USB floppy emulators for old equipment: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy It is rare to need these tools, but for some folks it is important. =3

There is a Gotek floppy emulator hardware, about $50 USD. A USB floppy drive will be cheaper, maybe $20. I think the T1100 has standard 34-pin IDC connector, but Plus variant uses 26-pin so the Gotek will need an adapter (and probably doesn't fit cleanly). https://archive.is/gFVNm (medium post, shows the adapter) https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/issues/549 (somebody had issue with high 5V rail causing Gotek to not work)

You probably already know this stuff or have decided against it for authenticity or whatever, but just in case, you can use some of the Gotek USB flash drive floppy disk emulators: https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/wiki/Host-Platforms#rol... And this may or may not be out of date, but may still be useful: https://llamamusic.com/s50s550/FlashFloppy_GOTEK.html

The hardware is quite generic. What's interesting is the firmware everyone uses, FlashFloppy[0]. 0. https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy/wiki

FYI (or others using retro equipment with floppy disks) there's a cheap floppy disk emulator called Gotek that can be connected in place of your 3.5" drive and has an USB connector where you can put a thumb drive with disk images. For that device there's an Open Source firmware project called FlashFloppy [0] that enhances its features. And I've found today that there's an Open Hardware reimplementation [1] of the Gotek hardware that's compatible with the FlashFloppy Firmware. 0: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy 1: https://github.com/SukkoPera/OpenFlops

The other side of this coin is emulating a floppy drive in software: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy

I prefer to retrofit old equipment with more reliable technology. Highly recommend Keir Fraser's Flash Floppy project: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy =)

The most common/cheap solution is the Gotek floppy drive, easily found on Aliexpress or eBay, and with the FlashFloppy firmware [1] for expanding the capabilities of the hardware. Since I'm nitpicking, it's not an IDE interface, as there's no IDE floppy drives :) [1] https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy

FlashFloppy. The hardware is a commodity. Software (firmware) is what matters. https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy

I know that FlashFloppy has MSX and Spectrum support. So adding a cheap GoTek virtual floppy is an option. It's pretty damn handy anyway to be able to use a USB stick as a virtual floppy, and the GoTek drives are cheap. https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy

While this probably wouldn't pass muster with whoever certifies the 747's avionics, over in the retrocomputing world the solution to "It only uses floppies" has been the cheap Gotek floppy emulators that read from a USB stick running this free firmware: https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy It has a great number of hardware mods that give it a display and a rotary encoder for better disk selection: https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/wiki/Hardware-Mods

Theres some open source firmware available for these I believe that makes them work with more computers: http://www.gotekemulator.com Found it: https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/wiki