New Q60 Boards

[tofro]

It would however optimize the pipelines in the 68060 to fully load it, which is what I think Peter was wanting to test overclocking!

Sorry, I don't get it:

If you just want to maximize fill-up of pipelines, you don't necessarily need to do that with specific '060 instructions.

[Derek_Stewart]

If we're honest, programs won't become terribly more fast when we start to use 68020+ (or even better) instructions.

My recent attempt to generate such code was triggered by a specialty. Which is the need for "demanding" code to test 68060 overclocking, including the EC version. The easy way to run something under Linux, requiring at least the LC verison, is blocked. In the worst case, I have to go bare metal IOT utilise GCC with -m68060, but that would probably cost lots of time. Such a test software could also be interesting for Derek, should he decide to use EC CPUs in the future.

Do you have any ideas what could be done, ideally an existing piece of software?

HI Peter,

An 68EC060 CPU would be a good cheap option, especially if only SMSQ/E or QDOS lassic is used. I will look into the availability of 68060 CPUs.

There are cases of 68060 CPUs being forged, that is maybe a 68EC060 is being rebadged as a 68RC060, but if we do not care about the FPU or MMU, then it forgery issue does not matter. I intend to use an Amiga A1200 with TF1260 68060 CPU expansion board to test the 68060 CPUs used in the Q60. (At last a use for an Amiga...)

While I use Linux as a desktop machine, I am not really interested in Linux on the Q60, though can supply it in any form.

Back in 2002 when D&D Systems launched the production of the Q60, there was a large back-lash from the existing QL trading group, supported by QL publications of the day, sorry to keep bringing this up, but the issues surrounding the Q60 speed issues were a political decision by the QL trading group, to inhibit the success that D&D Systems had, where existing QL traders have a limited market reception and actually introduced a bad reputation with the production of the Q40.

We (D&D Systems) could a decision of drop the Q40 and introduce an improved Q40, called the Q40i to distance the Q40 and Q60 name, but alas only one Q40i board was ever sold.

The Q40i was attempt to move away for the issues of the production of the Q40 by existing QL traders that made made such a mess of a perfect design of the Q40.

This is the real reason for the lack of speed of the Q60.

This is a last time I will mention this and I would like to keep this message thread on topic.

[ansar]

Hi derek,

For my compiler fpu is not needed! So the most advanced 68060 cpu option will be the best! Remember that it will take alot of effort to be implemented and that all users will like it!

Regards
ansar

[Martin_Head]

I would be looking to reduce the specification to:

80Mhz Q60
68LC060 CPU, MMU, no FPU
128Mb ram (note, SMSQ/E only supports 64Mb)
I/O Card: 4 IDE, FLP, 4 SER, 2 PAR
Storage: CF Card or SD Card
Floppy Disk Drive or Gotek Drive
Ethernet Card: 10baseT (10Mb/s) ISA Card
Stereo Sound, with speakers as a option
PC Tower case: Black or Beige
Operating System: SMSQ/E, QDOS Classic.
Software Package now free ( in 2002 this was licensed)

Just curious, But can you still get ISA multi I/O & Ethernet cards?

Could the same Ethernet controller chip as the Q68 be fitted to a Q60?

[RalfR]

But can you still get ISA multi I/O & Ethernet cards?

These cards can still be found on eBay, from EUR 5 to EUR 50.

[Peter]

That makes the compiler use '060 instructions if it decides to do so. It doesn't force it, though.

That's not strictly required. I had successfully used Linux software to bring the CPU over it's limits when overclocking. So similar code generation is definitely helpful. It doesn't have to be 68060 specific exactly, but GCC with -m68060 or -m68020 definitely produce more "demanding" code than -m68000. I already know that an overclocked machine seemed stable with 68000 code under SMSQ/E, while misbehaving with -m68060 compiled code under Linux. Such tests are not fully reliable anyway, and a lot of safety margin needs to be added. Still better than nothing.

[Peter]

Could the same Ethernet controller chip as the Q68 be fitted to a Q60?

On a new Q60 - quite easily. But I'd like to still be able to run the existing Linux Distros if possible. That would require the RTL8019.
Maybe I will provide a socket and design separate ethernet cards. This is one of the design decisions I've not made yet.

For the existing Q60, I was already close to designing a CP2200 ISA card at times. But the shortage of original boards does not make that very attarctive.

[Martin_Head]

But can you still get ISA multi I/O & Ethernet cards?

These cards can still be found on eBay, from EUR 5 to EUR 50.

I was thinking new rather than used. I think Derek said he liked to test that the cards worked with the Q60 before hand.

[pjw]

<>
128Mb ram (note, SMSQ/E only supports 64Mb)
<>

<>

On QPC2 SMSQ/E supports up to 255Mb, so its a mistake to suggest the restriction is on SMSQ/E

[XorA]

<>
128Mb ram (note, SMSQ/E only supports 64Mb)
<>

<>

On QPC2 SMSQ/E supports up to 255Mb, so its a mistake to suggest the restriction is on SMSQ/E

I though the issue was solely smsq/e issue. It requires memory to be contiguous, Q60 ram is in two blocks?

smsq/e is rare I think in needing RAM to be contiguous!