Q68 New users and general usage thread

[Peter]

Yes it's 1.97.
It boots, but freezes after the F1/F2 timeout. I guess because the 8049 isn't emulated by the hardware? This probably will need a rewrite of some low level I/O code, as well as a WIN driver for SDHC access. Would be an interesting project . Are there any details available about the I/O hardware?

The Q68 can boot Original Minerva, if you just patch MDV1_ to WIN1_ and append an SDHC driver ROM. That will boot to the blinking cursor and even run the bootfile.
Minerva will not hang by the absent 8049. But working keyboard input requires a PS/2 driver ROM. Both ROMs exist, just no time to make the stuff ready for public release at the moment.

[Peter]

By the way, it would have been feasible to implement the 8049 inside the FPGA and convert the PS/2 keycodes to QL matrix by hardware. I did not do it, because direct PS/2 support was already existent for SMSQ/E and QDOS Classic. It looks like this does not upset any software except a few games.

[daniel_baum]

The only real obstacle was getting the FAT partition right.

Just for completeness: The FAT16 partition, which Derek apparently has added, is not required for a standard Q68 card. A single partition FAT32 formatted card is fine. The manual contains information on suitable software to create it.

Yes, I realised that, but it is quite useful to have it there...

D.

[Andrea.C]

I created two images of Compact Flash Cards formatted with QUBIDE
The first contains 4 QUBIDE partitions
The second 1 QUBIDE partition

To create the images I used on Windows 10, HDD Raw Copy 1.10
The images are correctly read on the PC by Habisoft Image Editor
I copied them to a SDHC FAT32, fomatted using SDFormatter (format size adjustment on)

I inserted the SD in the second slot of Q68
I try to link the images with QUB_DRIVE 1.2, "filename", but nothing happens
DIR qub1_ prints nothing

Where am I wrong?

Andrea

[Peter]

To create the images I used on Windows 10, HDD Raw Copy 1.10

I don't know this particular software, and the Compact Flash adaptor on your PC, but it is likely that you created a wrong Qubide image.

First check if you have a correct Qubide image, e.g. by opening it with Qxlwinreader: http://www.wlenerz.com/qlstuff/QxlwinReader.zip

If Qxlwinreader can not interpret your image correctly, you are probably suffering from this issue: The (little-endian) Intel architecture of your PC swaps the bytes when reading the Compact Flash, while a 68K system (your QL) does not. 68K hardware interprets numbers in a normal way (big-endian). You need some way to undo the Intel byte-swapping. Have a look if your copying tool can do that. If not, use a different tool, e.g. "dd" with the right options. Or get/write a software that swaps all bytes of the image.

After that, check again if you have a correct Qubide image.

I copied them to a SDHC FAT32, fomatted using SDFormatter (format size adjustment on)

If in doubt, use the tool recommended in the Q68 User's Manual. But I would not expect the problem here.

I try to link the images with QUB_DRIVE 1.2, "filename", but nothing happens

It must be QUB_DRIVE 1,2, "filename"

[Andrea.C]

To create the images I used on Windows 10, HDD Raw Copy 1.10

I don't know this particular software, and the Compact Flash adaptor on your PC, but it is likely that you created a wrong Qubide image.

First check if you have a correct Qubide image, e.g. by opening it with Qxlwinreader: http://www.wlenerz.com/qlstuff/QxlwinReader.zip

If Qxlwinreader can not interpret your image correctly, you are probably suffering from this issue: The (little-endian) Intel architecture of your PC swaps the bytes when reading the Compact Flash, while a 68K system (your QL) does not. 68K hardware interprets numbers in a normal way (big-endian). You need some way to undo the Intel byte-swapping. Have a look if your copying tool can do that. If not, use a different tool, e.g. "dd" with the right options. Or get/write a software that swaps all bytes of the image.

After that, check again if you have a correct Qubide image.

I copied them to a SDHC FAT32, fomatted using SDFormatter (format size adjustment on)

If in doubt, use the tool recommended in the Q68 User's Manual. But I would not expect the problem here.

I try to link the images with QUB_DRIVE 1.2, "filename", but nothing happens

It must be QUB_DRIVE 1,2, "filename"

You are right. Qxlwinreader doesn't read the two images that I created.
But Habi "Image Editor" reads theme: http://hardware.speccy.org/temp/qubide/ ... ftware.zip

I will try with dd for Windows, if I understand who to use

Thank you

[Peter]

I have no idea about "Habi Image Editor", there is no documentation. Probably it was made for Intel PC only, and does not work with correct Qubide images.

How to use "dd" for this was already on the forum. IIRC it helped someone else in a similar situation.

[XorA]

I have no idea about "Habi Image Editor", there is no documentation. Probably it was made for Intel PC only, and does not work with correct Qubide images.

How to use "dd" for this was already on the forum. IIRC it helped someone else in a similar situation.

dd if=<blah> of=<blah> swab

[Dave]

http://www.chrysocome.net/dd

The actual home site of dd - all the info you could ever need, including accessible examples.

[janbredenbeek]

I've added a page to the QL Wiki about the Q68. It can be found at http://qlwiki.theqlforum.com/doku.php?id=qlwiki:q68.
Please feel free to make changes or additions if necessary.

Jan.