Announcing the new "Gold Card" - QIMSI Gold

[janbredenbeek]

I don't know about Gold Card, but I think you may use the Trump Card and the QIMSI Gold if your operating system is Minerva. Read carefully here:
https://github.com/janbredenbeek/Minerva4Q68

If you have extension ROMs that insist on being placed in the $C000 slot, you may include them by placing the image in the build directory under the name xc000_rom. The keyboard and SD-card driver images will then be relocated to the $10000-$17FFF area and linked in after the xc000_rom extension. Note that you may include an extension ROM either at $C000 or $14000, but not at both locations as the total size of Minerva plus Q68 drivers plus extension ROM is limited to 96K!

This is about Minerva4Q68. You can run it on QIMSI Gold as well in 'Gold mode', just place the Q68_ROM.SYS file on the SD card and also QL_ROM.SYS if you want to use the QL keyboard rather than an external keyboard. This way, the QL is only used as keyboard for the accelerated CPU in the QIMSI Gold and it doesn't matter whether you have a Trump or Gold Card attached and which QL ROM is used (it will work just as well without TC or GC). The accelerated CPU in QIMSI Gold has its own memory space and doesn't see any ROM or RAM attached to the QL side.

If you just want to use QIMSI Gold as mass storage for the QL ('ordinary QIMSI mode'), it is even recommended to use a Trump or Gold card because the virtual WIN drives will take up memory for holding tables, and without memory expansion there will only be room for a small WIN drive. If you want to use an external keyboard attached to QIMSI in this mode, this will only work with Minerva in cunjunction with my keyboard driver https://github.com/janbredenbeek/QIMSI-KBD.
But if you have QIMSI Gold, why would you use it this way if the Gold mode is many times faster and has much more memory and high resolution graphics available?

[javier2112]

I don't know about Gold Card, but I think you may use the Trump Card and the QIMSI Gold if your operating system is Minerva. Read carefully here:
https://github.com/janbredenbeek/Minerva4Q68

If you have extension ROMs that insist on being placed in the $C000 slot, you may include them by placing the image in the build directory under the name xc000_rom. The keyboard and SD-card driver images will then be relocated to the $10000-$17FFF area and linked in after the xc000_rom extension. Note that you may include an extension ROM either at $C000 or $14000, but not at both locations as the total size of Minerva plus Q68 drivers plus extension ROM is limited to 96K!

This is about Minerva4Q68. You can run it on QIMSI Gold as well in 'Gold mode', just place the Q68_ROM.SYS file on the SD card and also QL_ROM.SYS if you want to use the QL keyboard rather than an external keyboard. This way, the QL is only used as keyboard for the accelerated CPU in the QIMSI Gold and it doesn't matter whether you have a Trump or Gold Card attached and which QL ROM is used (it will work just as well without TC or GC). The accelerated CPU in QIMSI Gold has its own memory space and doesn't see any ROM or RAM attached to the QL side.

If you just want to use QIMSI Gold as mass storage for the QL ('ordinary QIMSI mode'), it is even recommended to use a Trump or Gold card because the virtual WIN drives will take up memory for holding tables, and without memory expansion there will only be room for a small WIN drive. If you want to use an external keyboard attached to QIMSI in this mode, this will only work with Minerva in cunjunction with my keyboard driver https://github.com/janbredenbeek/QIMSI-KBD.
But if you have QIMSI Gold, why would you use it this way if the Gold mode is many times faster and has much more memory and high resolution graphics available?

You're right, I got confused, although I knew how to setup Minerva in 'gold mode' but not in 'standard mode', so thank you for your clarifications and for your efforts to develop the keyboard driver as well.


Regards
Javi

[Peter]

On the other hand, today, after switching on my QL, I realized all links for partitions were fine, so wondered why. I guess QIMSI needs a full reset to load the new QL_ROM.SYS, doesn't it?

It requires a power-on to load a new QL_ROM.SYS.

[Peter]

I have a rather naive question Can I use the QISMI Gold together with trump or Gold card?

Yes. But the floppy will only be visible in standard QIMSI operation.

[jamd]

Hello, I'm also interested in purchasing a QIMSI Gold Card. If possible, with RTC. Could I please be added to the waiting list?
Following previous messages, I'll send a PM to Maskenlos with my email and shipping address.

Thanks in advance.

[Maskenlos]

Dear Jamd,

I put you to the waiting list. You have PM.

Stephan

[thecaver99]

Hi, i am also interested in the QIMSI Gold and RTC, could i also be placed in the list please.

[ql_freak]

I (quite good in Software, know a little bit about hardware) have a wish for C68 (I have played already with it) and QIMSI (Gold):

Is it possible to support hardware handshaking for the serial port (CTS / RTS or so, I think on the QL it was DTR). Then it's possible to write a protocol, which has the time for every package sent together with the current state of the RTS (or CTS?). If then you have received a packet where RTS was off, you know, that you must "order" this packet again (as you have not received it, albeit it has been sent from the other machine).

AND 2nd wish (but this may be impossible because of the hardware): A second serial port (the QL has 2).

[Peter]

Is it possible to support hardware handshaking for the serial port (CTS / RTS or so, I think on the QL it was DTR).

Due to the miniaturization, unfortunately not. At least not easily. For a modern design, is is sufficient to slow sending on request, receive is always fast enough. So having a CTS input would sufficient for something like QIMSI.

Please note: SERNET between QIMSI Gold and a PC or Q40/Q60/Q68/QIMSI works fine without any handshake. Also XON/XOFF works quite well, at least with Minerva4Q68. Not 100% sure for SMSQ/E.

[ql_freak]

..., receive is always fast enough. ...

This is very nice to hear, as that was the problem with old modems and the bad serial ports of the QL (especially without Hermes). The modems were normally always fast enough to receive the QL-data, but without X-/Z-modem you could not transfer binary files because the QL was not continuously able to receive.