Introducing FDSKey: The Ultimate Famicom Disk System Drive Emulator

Experience the nostalgia of the Famicom Disk System with FDSKey, an open-source, low-cost, and easy-to-build drive emulator. Featuring a sleek OLED display, FDSKey allows you to enjoy Famicom Disk System games in a convenient and modern way.

Features

• Run Disk Images from microSD Card: With FDSKey, you can effortlessly play Famicom Disk System games by loading disk images from a microSD card. No more frustrating disk errors!

• Dump Disks without Additional Hardware: FDSKey simplifies the process of disk dumping by enabling you to extract data directly from a physical FDS drive. No extra hardware or cables required. Preserve your game collection with ease.

• Write Disks without Additional Hardware: Want to create your own Famicom Disk System disks? FDSKey allows you to write disks using a physical FDS drive without the need for additional equipment. Let your creativity run wild and share your games with friends.

Device Usage

 

Format a microSD card to FAT/FAT32/exFAT and put some .fds files on it. Insert a microSD card into a FDSKey, insert a FDSKey into a RAM Adaptor's cable instead of a physical disk drive and turn on a Famicom. You can hot plug a FDSKey when Famicom is already on too, it's ok.

Now you can navigate through the FDSKey interface using the buttons. Left button usually means back, right button usually means OK and up/down are used to select something (file, disk side, etc.) Also, you can long press the left button in the file browser to directly return to the main menu from a subfolder, and long press the right button to open the file properties menu.



WARNING: when a game writes some data to a virtual disk (i.e., saves game progress) don't turn off your Famicom power until the updated ROM has been saved to the SD card. Wait a second for it or eject a virtual disk (left button). A saving message will be displayed, do not turn off power while this message is visible.

Settings Menu

 

Use up/down buttons to select a setting and left/right to change it. Setting descriptions:

• Rewind speed: you can select a drive operation speed as either original (very slow, like on a physical FDS drive, for the nostalgic ones), fast (where the rewind time is reduced but the virtual head position is not altered), or turbo (the fastest possible mode, instant head rewind)

• Remember state: you can select a power-on state between none (always start from the main menu), browser (open browser and select last file if browser was opened before power off) and ROM (start first side of the last started game emulation if ROM emulation was active before power off)

• Hide non .fds files: hide files with non .fds extension in the file browser

• Hide .fds extensions: hide .fds extension in the file browser

• Hide hidden files: hide hidden files and directories in the file browser

• Brightness: screen brightness from 0 to 10

• Invert screen: draw black on white instead of white on black

• Lefty mode: rotate screen image on 180 degrees and flip buttons

• Screen off after: time before automatic screen off if there is no any action (button presses, drive activity), it's recommended to use this feature to prevent OLED screen burn-in

• Backup original ROM: copy a .fds file to a .fds.bak file if a disk content was rewritten

• [ Save and return ] - press left or right button on this item to return to the main menu

Dumping Physical Disks

 

You can use a homebrew disk copier applications to copy a physical disk to a virtual one, simply create an empty ROM. There is Create blank disk item in the main menu for it.

1. Put Disk Hacker/Disk Keeper or another homebrew disk copier ROM on SD card

2. Select a disk copier software on your SD card like any other ROM and load it

3. Return to the main menu and select Create blank disk

4. Enter filename for the new ROM, trailing spaces will be trimmed

5. When disk copier asks to insert game disk disconnect a FDSKey from a RAM adaptor and connect a physical FDS drive with a game disk inserted

6. When disk copier asks to insert new/blank disk disconnect a physical drive, connect a FDSKey and select ROM created in steps 3-4

7. Repeat steps 5-6 until the copy operation is completed

Writing Physical Disks

 

This is a reverse operation of dumping: you can use disk copiers homebrew applications to copy a virtual disk to a physical one.

1. Put Disk Hacker/Disk Keeper or another homebrew disk copier ROM on SD card

2. Select a disk copier software on your SD card like any other ROM and load it

3. When disk copier asks to insert game disk select the source ROM/side

4. When disk copier asks to insert new/blank disk disconnect a FDSKey from a RAM adaptor and connect a physical FDS drive with blank disk inserted

5. Disconnect a physical FDS drive and connect FDSKey

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 until the copy operation is completed

Firmware Updates

 

You can always download the latest version at https://github.com/ClusterM/fdskey/releases.

Remember, you can update the firmware by putting fdskey.bin on your SD card and holding all four buttons on power-on.