Hardware Setup
Some of the more complex Greaseweazle boards have jumpers which can configure certain actions:
WRITE INHIBIT: Install this jumper to enable writes. You can remove this jumper when preserving disks, to avoid any possibility of accidental writes.
PWR SELECT: On the Lightning Plus a jumper is used to determine whether the board and floppy-power connector are powered from USB or from external 12V supply.
Please see the F7 Plus wiki for instructions on configuring the F7 Plus.
You can connect Greaseweazle to any floppy drive implementing a Shugart interface: Old PC 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch drives are a good choice, or an Amstrad 3-inch drive for Amstrad CPC and Spectrum +3 disks. Note that the drive need not be the same model as in the system to which the disks belong: a Shugart drive is a Shugart drive, and it only really matters that it takes the correct size physical media.
3.5-inch drives typically require only 5v power and can usually be supplied directly from the power header on the Greaseweazle board. Older 5.25- and 3-inch drives typically are more power hungry and require 12v power too: These you must connect to a separate power source, or use a Greaseweazle Plus which accepts an external 12v supply.
If you have problems accessing your drive via a Greaseweazle you believe is correctly set up, it can be because the drive requires more power than it can obtain via USB. In this case try connecting your drive to its own power supply.
Connect to your host PC (Linux, Mac, Windows, etc) using a normal USB cable. Greaseweazle appears as a serial or modem device, depending on your OS.