First connect the interface and power cable to your floppy disk drive make sure that the pins are lined up correctly, then you connect the usb cable to the side of the interface, dont use too mutch force as mini usb connectors are fragile.
Connect the usb cable to a USB 2 or USB 3 port on your PC or Laptop, it recommended to use a port on your motherboard, Note that front panel case USB ports and hubs can cause errors so it better to connect directly to the ports at the back of your PC.
Software Download
Download the software from this link – https://amiga.robsmithdev.co.uk/DrawBridge2.8.8.zip
The drawbridge software is open source and free to download from the developer’s website below
https://amiga.robsmithdev.co.uk/download
One downloaded, extract the .rar archive DrawBridge folder to your windows desktop
inside the Drawbridge folder, run the software “DrawBridgeWin.exe” – By Double Clicking
If the interface has been detected correctly the COM Port: window will show a com number – this shows the interface is plugged in and detected
***The disk interface is setup as a Drawbridge Plus, you can check this by using the Diagnostics test
If its not set, then you can tick the DrawBridge Config… button and tick the Drawbridge Plus Option
Disk Errors or disk’s not working
Trial and error is sometimes required to get a successful disk written, the most common errors are caused by bad floppy drives, dirty drive heads or bad / perished floppy disk, remember that most disk are now around 30 years old and the magnetic disc inside may have deteriorated, if in doubt try a different disk or clean the drive heads, also using the “Perform several track erases before write” this can also help with some deteriorated disks.
Writing protected game disks required a drive with the correct rotation speed, clean heads and a reliable disk, if you have issues changing the drive used for a different brand or trying different floppy disks can solve many issues, fully formatting the disk before writing can also increase success.
Using High Density Disks
The Amiga standard drives are designed for DD or Double Density floppy disks, as these disk were discontinued before the HD High Density PC floppy disks its sometimes easier to find high density floppies in good condition, some sellers still sell sealed old stock boxes of high density disks, they may not be as reliable long term as standard double density but they can be used with the Drawbridge Controller if modified, you will need to tape over the HD hole with tape or a sticky label for the disk to work with the drawbridge controller.
How to Configure the FloppyBridge Plugin in WinUAE to use real floppy disks
Loading Amiga Floppy Disk’s directly into WinUAE Amiga Emulator
To load disk’s directly into WinUAE, you need to download the Floppybridge plugins, then copy these inside a folder called “Plugins” in the WinUAE Directory
FloppyBridge Download link – https://amiga.robsmithdev.co.uk/floppybridge1.3.zip
You will need to make a new folder first called “Plugins” then copy the contents of the floppybridge zip inside the folder, this will enable the USB interface to load disk directly by selecting the “Floppy Drives” under the hardware list on the left. Then in the floppy disk window select the disk type for the drive you want eg DFO in the example below – by clicking the drop down menu showing the disk type the default will show “3.5 DD”, select this option
Click the window shown below, a drop down menu will now show option “Configure FloppyBridge” at the bottom of the list, this option allow setup of the interface as a disk drive for the emulator
WinUAE – The Windows Amiga Emulator can be downloaded from – https://www.winuae.net/download/