The Sinclair QL Forum

passat20se wrote:

Chr$ wrote:

passat20se wrote:
I'll swap you it for a working Ql !

You know what, I'd be up for that!

Let me know. No guarantee it still works but it did 8 years ago!!

That's ok. I can certainly sort you out with a nice working QL, inc PSU and a set of original Psion software and 8 carts of various games on my NOS carts (plus I'll throw in 4 blanks). I don't think you'll be able to PM yet, that only happens after a number of posts, not sure how many.

passat20se wrote:Am interested to see if anyone else has ever come across one of these???

From what I am told it maybe a Genuine test rig from the production factory.
When I had access to a QL it booted up and ran various keyboard, memory, IO and microdrive tests

Great stuff! Never have seen such a thing before! And, I've seen quite a bit of rare QL stuff.

passat20se, can you please tell us more about it, where did you get it from, the story behind, etc...

And, I like to express that I'm very much interested to buy this unit for a good price (win-win) if possible. I promise to make a full story about it and share the story with the QL and Retro Computing community.

Best wishes,
Urs

Chr$ wrote:Wow, certainly looks like it doesn't it. Be interesting to get a copy of the ROM data in it.

From the label on the ROM port dongle (I can spot SYSCOMP), chances are very high that the content of that EPROM has already be saved, preserved and publsihed on the sinclairql.net website:
http://sinclairql.net/repository.html#Firmware

The ZIP file holds - among other stuff - multiple versions of "QL Production test 1.1", SYSCOMP "SYS2/COMPATIBILITY" and SYSTEST "SYSTEM TEST 1" & "SYSTEM TEST 2".

Enjoy exploring!

QLvsJAGUAR wrote:

Chr$ wrote:Wow, certainly looks like it doesn't it. Be interesting to get a copy of the ROM data in it.

From the label on the ROM port dongle (I can spot SYSCOMP), chances are very high that the content of that EPROM has already be saved, preserved and publsihed on the sinclairql.net website:

Ah yes, so it does. Almost certain to be that then.

By the way Urs, what was among that haul you collected from the UK pre-corona/brexit and drove home with? Anything very interesting? It looked like a lot.

Chr$ wrote: By the way Urs, what was among that haul you collected from the UK pre-corona/brexit and drove home with? Anything very interesting? It looked like a lot.

You mean viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3080 ?
That's another and rather huge story!

I have a huge backlog of QL projects (so many projects, so little time), but one day there will be a in-depth report and video.

One great thing is that this 2020-01-24/25/26 3 days 2015 km trip Home-Calais-Dover-Cambridge-Dover-Calais-Home was my last private journey abroad! Perfect timing before the Brexit/Corona dramas.

QLvsJAGUAR wrote: You mean viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3080 ?
That's another and rather huge story!

I have a huge backlog of QL projects (so many projects, so little time), but one day there will be a in-depth report and video.

One great thing is that this 2020-01-24/25/26 3 days 2015 km trip Home-Calais-Dover-Cambridge-Dover-Calais-Home was my last private journey abroad! Perfect timing before the Brexit/Corona dramas.

Yes, that's the one. My last trip over to GB was mid March and I had to pass through France with proof that I was continuing and live in Germany. So that worked out well, too. We were going to go to the Bodensee last year, but obviously didn't.

QLvsJAGUAR wrote:From the label on the ROM port dongle (I can spot SYSCOMP), chances are very high that the content of that EPROM has already be saved, preserved and publsihed on the sinclairql.net website:
http://sinclairql.net/repository.html#Firmware

The ZIP file holds - among other stuff - multiple versions of "QL Production test 1.1", SYSCOMP "SYS2/COMPATIBILITY" and SYSTEST "SYSTEM TEST 1" & "SYSTEM TEST 2".

Enjoy exploring!

Looked through the BASIC of some of those tests. So the serial ports look to be connected to each other (from the picture of the harness) performing the serial test (labeled as loopback though it seems they are sending data to each other). The joystick ports are connected to that keypad. Wonder if the network ports were looped to each other for the test.

Also, on the serial test, it looks to only test the string "Test" for baud rates 300 to 4800 but then create a much longer string for 9600 and run it 19 times. I thought the 8049 chip didn't fare all that well at that higher baud rate?

Looks like its going to a new home and I am becoming a QL owner once again. - Thanks Chri$

Glad it is going to someone who will appreciate it its one of those items that you don't want to sell as its an important piece of history.

Background on the Test Jig. I purchased a QL from an Amateur Radio Rally in London in the mid 90's.
Whilst searching in the "junk" boxes below I came across the jig and the seller threw it in the deal.

I have no idea where he got it from as his other stuff was mainly ham radios and oscilloscopes!

passat20se wrote:Looks like its going to a new home and I am becoming a QL owner once again. - Thanks Chri$

Glad it is going to someone who will appreciate it its one of those items that you don't want to sell as its an important piece of history.

Background on the Test Jig. I purchased a QL from an Amateur Radio Rally in London in the mid 90's.
Whilst searching in the "junk" boxes below I came across the jig and the seller threw it in the deal.

I have no idea where he got it from as his other stuff was mainly ham radios and oscilloscopes!

Very much looking forward to it, thanks and thanks for the history.

Urs would have also given it a good home, so sorry you missed out this time Urs.

Your future QL microdrives seem to work fine, and that's generally 90% of the battle with these!

passat20se wrote: Background on the Test Jig. I purchased a QL from an Amateur Radio Rally in London in the mid 90's.
Whilst searching in the "junk" boxes below I came across the jig and the seller threw it in the deal.

I have no idea where he got it from as his other stuff was mainly ham radios and oscilloscopes!

London is a good match as the only UK production site of the QL was at THORN (EMI) DATATECH LTD, Feltham Middlesex, just miles west of London.