The Sinclair QL Forum

Actually just taken a more detailed look at it and I think it's just going in the bin

(The "packs" are marked 1K Ohm)

But when I look at the track layout if I cut them off I'll leave breaks in the circuitry to the socket

Probably not worth bothering with?

EDIT: if someone knows what system this particular cartridge was designed for, and has a use for it, they can have it FOC (to save e-waste)

Thanks

BBC Micro Sideway ROM cartridges.
The resistor pack is there to allow ROM switching.
https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.or ... CCart.html

dex wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 5:07 pm BBC Micro Sideway ROM cartridges.
The resistor pack is there to allow ROM switching.
https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.or ... CCart.html

Hi Dex

The top cartridge is for a BBC (I have the Viglen port in my beeb) but the odd one (bottom in picture) is different to all the rest

I know they made these things for other systems but perhaps it’s for a different bbc model (the slot to prevent inserting the wrong way is much slimmer)

Thanks

dex wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 5:07 pm BBC Micro Sideway ROM cartridges.
The resistor pack is there to allow ROM switching.
https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.or ... CCart.html

After re-reading your link I spotted the cartridge picture with the resistor packs, sorry I missed that - so mis-understood

Looks like the one with the resistor packs is an original cartridge and the others I have must be later I guess

Probably ok to use it in the beeb I guess, but I still don't really understand why it knocks out the ROM Port in the QL as it has no logic on-board

Not knowing anything about electronics does this mean my other cartridges can't be "hot swapped" as described in the article please? (I always switch off currently when swapping cartridges)

Many thanks
Tony

Theres no buffering on the ROM port - so I would not have thought you could hot swap anything on it.

Pr0f wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 6:26 pm Theres no buffering on the ROM port - so I would not have thought you could hot swap anything on it.

I've been doing the right thing switching off then, thanks

EDIT: I'm assuming we are talking Beeb ROM Port

t0nyt wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 6:28 pm

Pr0f wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 6:26 pm Theres no buffering on the ROM port - so I would not have thought you could hot swap anything on it.

I've been doing the right thing switching off then, thanks

EDIT: I'm assuming we are talking Beeb ROM Port

I was talking of the QL ROM port - sorry.

I've been annoyed that the BBC ribbon cable comes out of the top of the QL ROM port which means I can't plug any ROM dongles in unless I remove them from their case

So I made a slight modification to the case so it now runs out over the top of the CTL1/2 ports (which are still accessible)

(Next up is to make a ZIF version of a ROM dongle)

Have completed burning & testing various ROM versions for the external ZIF socket