The QL is what made me launch RWAP Software - having taught myself programming on the ZX81, I took the "quantum leap" to the QL as soon as it was released and loved the improved version of BASIC (SuperBASIC) and 68000 Machine Code - so easy to create programs in SuperBASIC and then replace the time critical functions with machine code. Still regularly turn to the QL / SuperBASIC to knock up a bit of code when working out how to emulate an unknown printer and still supporting the QL 35 years later!
(comment disappeared, I think) That's one of 'my' Minerva ROMs you've fitted there. The TK2 part is not diagnostic and is enabled by default (jumper on the centre and left pin). A few bits of software/games don't like TK2, hence it can be disabled. The RAM diagnostic is part of Minerva and is always present.
Great video and thanks for the shout out :-) Just one quick addition, the logic level converter is for the serial communication between the Nano and the Pi, basically 5v to 3v3. The Traco converts the 9v to 5v to power both devices.
@@bzuidgeest The design is quite convoluted, but we should just be glad that such a device exists, or rather someone has spent the time to develop one.
The design is this way to be flexible, rather than convoluted, and it did save Alex a lot of development time. I'd recommend you read up on the design criteria for OqtaDrive on his landing page which details all the decisions made and why.
The 512kb QL RAM Quintupler is a must! The pcb is super thin, so be careful, and the red 68008 socket is weird and requires you to put some incredible force to get the pins in, but 640kb of RAM is a much needed thing to run advanced stuff like Hack 1.03! I got mine on ebay for 40 euro give or take.
I was always excited by the QL when I had a Spectrum, and set my heart on the hype. Then when I had the money I saw an Amiga A1000 in a computer shop and borrowed £900, lucky escape I feel, but Sinclair sort of tried. Great vid, the QL doesnt get much love, probably because it was so naff with reliability. But modern i/o gives a new lease of life.
The bizarre thing is, they were. Albeit in an updated form as the ICL OPD or BT/Merlin Tonto. With prices starting at £1200 for a mono monitor version, £1600 for colour. That is £3600/£4800 in today's money!
to emulate the microdrive about 200+ mips are used, the computer itself has about 2-4 mips. It would be interesting to develop a variant of the Pistorm, so the original mainboard is retained, but the computing power would increase dramatically
I have all the parts, including spare QL motherboard, except for the actual Pi which is still so outrageously expensive. Hopefully this summer I can give it a try when school is done.
You might want to obtain a Schon keyboard as well. Not to mention a floppy drive or equivalent. The QL keyboard is far from a wonderful typing experience although a bit better than the Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ as it feels deeper. Not built for touch typing.
There are a couple of projects on for the QL that you may like which you can find on the QLForum. One is an internal DIY RAM expansion (plugs into CPU socket) and the other is a Pico to VGA converter that plugs into RGB socket. Might be fun for you to create.
Coincidentally, this hit my feed within an hour of my QL arriving! I don't have a PSU so I'd appreciate a link to where you got yours if you have one please Scott
It is such a shame the QL with the Psion stuff could not have been put in the PCW instead of the Z80 board. I seem to recall the psion apps were very good if slow on the QL.
Yeah. I have had one (they said they were refurbished and it seems like it is. It's looking beautiful) for something like 3-4 years. Don't have anything for it. PSU, RGB lead, microdrive... Have to buy a new PSU etc. I kinda want to see, is it even working at all ;) Have used one unit for a few weeks, a very long time ago... It was really a disappointment. Though, I'm very interested to see (and have one, as I do now) what the machine is capable... Though I think, it has never been tried to use to it's full potential...
As the pi/nano boards emulator the microdrive down to original interface level it can't be so hard to have the same hardware managing a real microdrive and having that accessible via USB. Would make a good project for my pi QL Emulator
Nice video. I noted that it was said about the Minerva rom, there is Red jumper to select a diagnostic toolkit, this is incorrect. What jumper does is to select the 16K rom code containing Toolkit 2 that is licated on the onboard rom chip with the Minerva operating system. Moving the jumper to the other disables this onboard rom and the normal QL Rom Port can be used.
About the nano clone not working thing, in my experience they ship with an older bootloader, that's probably why they aren't working, different baudrate for uploading. If you're able or can be bothered, just flash the default nano bootloader on them and they should be fine Guess how long it took this nerd to figure that one out... :P
Sir Clive saw the QL as mainly a business machine, and so a limited colour palette was acceptable (to him) . Never intended as a super games machine or for doing fancy graphics, video editing etc.
Whilst a very enjoyable video I'm getting real "When are they going to get to the fireworks factory" vibes. As in I really want to see you trying to use the QL's software and it feels like that's what both this and the previous video promise but don't deliver on. What they deliver is great, just not what I expected.
I did a video in June of 2021 where I used Quill do see if it could substitute in a pinch (i.e. if all I had was my QL, could I edit a Word document). It was workable.
@@CitroenGS LOL I had more success with the wafadrive then the microdrive! I remember someone saying that you could store more data on the microdrive if you pre-stretched it !
I'm afraid my passport has expired, and I'm so old that I'm unlikely to to need it again. Anyways, mdvs worked - for some people some of the time. But very fussy little dumplings they were. Each QL had its own characteristics, and so mdvs that worked on one machine may not work on others, indeed some mdvs would work on mdv1_ but not mdv2_ on the same machine. A switch to floppies was pretty much essential.
I have a QL and some ZX microdrives that are restored - for whatever reason, the ZX microdrives work almost entirely reliably whereas the QL units seem a lot more fussy. Would love to try a Wafadrive but yet to find any cartridges that haven’t snapped
The QL is what made me launch RWAP Software - having taught myself programming on the ZX81, I took the "quantum leap" to the QL as soon as it was released and loved the improved version of BASIC (SuperBASIC) and 68000 Machine Code - so easy to create programs in SuperBASIC and then replace the time critical functions with machine code.
Still regularly turn to the QL / SuperBASIC to knock up a bit of code when working out how to emulate an unknown printer and still supporting the QL 35 years later!
(comment disappeared, I think) That's one of 'my' Minerva ROMs you've fitted there. The TK2 part is not diagnostic and is enabled by default (jumper on the centre and left pin). A few bits of software/games don't like TK2, hence it can be disabled. The RAM diagnostic is part of Minerva and is always present.
Interesting video, as always. Looking forward to the next episode.
Great video and thanks for the shout out :-) Just one quick addition, the logic level converter is for the serial communication between the Nano and the Pi, basically 5v to 3v3. The Traco converts the 9v to 5v to power both devices.
@@bzuidgeest The design is quite convoluted, but we should just be glad that such a device exists, or rather someone has spent the time to develop one.
@@bzuidgeest I think this convoluted design actually saved some development time.
The design is this way to be flexible, rather than convoluted, and it did save Alex a lot of development time. I'd recommend you read up on the design criteria for OqtaDrive on his landing page which details all the decisions made and why.
Hope part 3 is still in progress!
It most definitely is :)
Thank you very much for making this video! I have all the parts for this mod and am going to attempt it in the next couple of weeks.
Very interesting! Had never seen the Oqtadrives before, not being a Sinclair user. Very neat little piece of hardware.
Cheers for the video! Still trying to find the time to do further testing of the QL I bought a while back!
The 512kb QL RAM Quintupler is a must! The pcb is super thin, so be careful, and the red 68008 socket is weird and requires you to put some incredible force to get the pins in, but 640kb of RAM is a much needed thing to run advanced stuff like Hack 1.03!
I got mine on ebay for 40 euro give or take.
I was always excited by the QL when I had a Spectrum, and set my heart on the hype. Then when I had the money I saw an Amiga A1000 in a computer shop and borrowed £900, lucky escape I feel, but Sinclair sort of tried. Great vid, the QL doesnt get much love, probably because it was so naff with reliability. But modern i/o gives a new lease of life.
Magic series. I still don't know how Sir Clive imagined this would be a goer.
The bizarre thing is, they were. Albeit in an updated form as the ICL OPD or BT/Merlin Tonto. With prices starting at £1200 for a mono monitor version, £1600 for colour. That is £3600/£4800 in today's money!
Good to see the machine working, despite the Arduino troubles.
IIRC, the RGB cable is the same as with the +2 in case anyone already has one.
This is good information. I just got a QL myself and I've already got a +2 with the RGB to scart cable
The GREY +2...
That is just the coolest project!
It's probably currently easier to source a QL than it is a brand new Raspbery Pi!
to emulate the microdrive about 200+ mips are used, the computer itself has about 2-4 mips.
It would be interesting to develop a variant of the Pistorm, so the original mainboard is retained, but the computing power would increase dramatically
I have all the parts, including spare QL motherboard, except for the actual Pi which is still so outrageously expensive. Hopefully this summer I can give it a try when school is done.
Might be worth getting a Cross Compiler to allow you to write programs for the ZILOG Z80A powered machine on the SINCLAIR QL.
You might want to obtain a Schon keyboard as well. Not to mention a floppy drive or equivalent.
The QL keyboard is far from a wonderful typing experience although a bit better than the Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ as it feels deeper.
Not built for touch typing.
There are a couple of projects on for the QL that you may like which you can find on the QLForum. One is an internal DIY RAM expansion (plugs into CPU socket) and the other is a Pico to VGA converter that plugs into RGB socket. Might be fun for you to create.
The Pico to VGA can also use a RP2040...there's more info if you google video_if_ql_vga (though the RP2040 is only on the forum).
Hi, where is that QLForum ? .... thx
Another great and interesting video. Thanks!
Coincidentally, this hit my feed within an hour of my QL arriving! I don't have a PSU so I'd appreciate a link to where you got yours if you have one please Scott
Take a look at Keelog - they make psu's for a lot of retro systems and they've never let me down. www.keelog.com
"...because the membrane is all cracked and broken."
Sorry, mom, the mob has spoken!
Monorail!
It is such a shame the QL with the Psion stuff could not have been put in the PCW instead of the Z80 board. I seem to recall the psion apps were very good if slow on the QL.
I like that you use your sponsor to make things for your video. Not to throw too much shade, but it bugs me that Jan Beta doesn't do that.
Yeah. I have had one (they said they were refurbished and it seems like it is. It's looking beautiful) for something like 3-4 years. Don't have anything for it. PSU, RGB lead, microdrive... Have to buy a new PSU etc. I kinda want to see, is it even working at all ;)
Have used one unit for a few weeks, a very long time ago... It was really a disappointment. Though, I'm very interested to see (and have one, as I do now) what the machine is capable... Though I think, it has never been tried to use to it's full potential...
Did you ever finish part 3? You can't leave us hanging like this! haha
As the pi/nano boards emulator the microdrive down to original interface level it can't be so hard to have the same hardware managing a real microdrive and having that accessible via USB. Would make a good project for my pi QL Emulator
Nice video.
I noted that it was said about the Minerva rom, there is Red jumper to select a diagnostic toolkit, this is incorrect.
What jumper does is to select the 16K rom code containing Toolkit 2 that is licated on the onboard rom chip with the Minerva operating system. Moving the jumper to the other disables this onboard rom and the normal QL Rom Port can be used.
Thanks for the info!
Interesting to see no 'spider mod' on the ZX8302. do you have a Qimi?
Did you flash the bootloader to the nano clone? If not then that maybe why it didn't work...
_Translator:_
When will you show your latest PCB created for RPi and ZX Baremulator?
I like this sooo muuuchh!
About the nano clone not working thing, in my experience they ship with an older bootloader, that's probably why they aren't working, different baudrate for uploading. If you're able or can be bothered, just flash the default nano bootloader on them and they should be fine
Guess how long it took this nerd to figure that one out... :P
We're the developers of the QL blind? I mean, the colours!
Very 8 bit in colour pallet style. Just like the ZX Spectrum without the dot crawl.
Those were the 80s, very eye-killing
high contrast for terrible displays
Sir Clive saw the QL as mainly a business machine, and so a limited colour palette was acceptable (to him) . Never intended as a super games machine or for doing fancy graphics, video editing etc.
@@thomasrotweiler However, if I had to dou accounts with that colour pallet, I wouldn't be happy.
Do anyone know where i can find a software for the QL ? ....
thanks for any info
Whilst a very enjoyable video I'm getting real "When are they going to get to the fireworks factory" vibes. As in I really want to see you trying to use the QL's software and it feels like that's what both this and the previous video promise but don't deliver on. What they deliver is great, just not what I expected.
I did a video in June of 2021 where I used Quill do see if it could substitute in a pinch (i.e. if all I had was my QL, could I edit a Word document). It was workable.
If you had to imagine a follow up to the ZX Spectrum... It wouldn't be the QL, would it.
WTF with the QL's weird power requirements? who thought that was a good idea during hardware development?
The RPI can emulate the whole thing... why fight with old HW?
@@bzuidgeest Youre right! 😉
Whenever people point out "it's a waste of time" my reply is "that's the point." 🙂
Microdrives never worked. Before people complain i'm 53 and if you want to disagree i will need to see your passport before i join in a discussion.
I'm 50 and they worked only if you didn't use them too much. I had a Sandy SuperQboard with a 3,5" DSDD drive... And still have.
@@CitroenGS LOL I had more success with the wafadrive then the microdrive! I remember someone saying that you could store more data on the microdrive if you pre-stretched it !
@@stevewhitcher6719I never had the Wafadrive, so I can't talk about it. I only had the Mdv on the QL, then diskettes.
I'm afraid my passport has expired, and I'm so old that I'm unlikely to to need it again. Anyways, mdvs worked - for some people some of the time. But very fussy little dumplings they were. Each QL had its own characteristics, and so mdvs that worked on one machine may not work on others, indeed some mdvs would work on mdv1_ but not mdv2_ on the same machine. A switch to floppies was pretty much essential.
I have a QL and some ZX microdrives that are restored - for whatever reason, the ZX microdrives work almost entirely reliably whereas the QL units seem a lot more fussy.
Would love to try a Wafadrive but yet to find any cartridges that haven’t snapped
Woohoo First Comment
Just say no to Counterfeit parts.
Nice video.Have you seen my email?