The Sinclair QL Forum

Andrew wrote:

Peter wrote:To my surprise, a QL mainboard replacement still leads the poll.

Could some of those who voted for it, tell if they still need the QL extension bus?

Please reply under the assumption that lots of RAM, fast mass storage, mouse interface, SER, etc. are on the mainboard.

If the motherboard also runs at least as fast as SGC then I might do without it. Also a paralell port would be nice.
But it is nice to hope that someday someone will design and expansion card with lots of analogue and digital i/o ports that will allow me to use the QL in some automation system

Interesting idea - but how much is 'lots' I quite like the idea of an arduino type interface (electrically) that can be plugged into the ROM port - but the lack of a /WR signal does make that a little more interesting - I have an idea to use the expansion card port for that and present a standard Arduino board footprint with electrical compatibility for the various shields out there...

Pr0f wrote:Interesting idea - but how much is 'lots' I quite like the idea of an arduino type interface (electrically) that can be plugged into the ROM port - but the lack of a /WR signal does make that a little more interesting - I have an idea to use the expansion card port for that and present a standard Arduino board footprint with electrical compatibility for the various shields out there...

That is exactly what I hope for!!

Peter wrote:To my surprise, a QL mainboard replacement still leads the poll.

Could some of those who voted for it, tell if they still need the QL extension bus?

Please reply under the assumption that lots of RAM, fast mass storage, mouse interface, SER, etc. are on the mainboard.

I didn't vote for that option, but I'm going to go off on one anyway

I think that option is a can of worms and will surely result in the most development time and also probably a fairly hefty end price for perhaps minimal convenience? There will be discussions about having mdv support or not (if that's even possible), about what type of serial ports to go for (non-BT of course, but how many will be willing to chop up an original case for better serial ports). Other things like the modern video connection will probably also require some chopping.... and at the end of all the chopping it will no doubt be a great replacement m/b but the keyboard will still be, ahem, original.... or would it - because you would no doubt add ps/2 support - but then you end up with an external k/b and the original QL serving as just a case, which is a bit pointless I think.

I suppose you could stick all the extra connectors on the left, where the expansion port would normally be and where there would be space for some modern stuff that wouldn't involve chopping.

As much as I love the original QL, the more I think about it, the more I find the concept of squeezing new gubbins into it a bit mind blowing and don't see how it would work.

Andrew wrote:But it is nice to hope that someday someone will design an expansion card with lots of analogue and digital i/o ports that will allow me to use the QL in some automation system

And you really need the original QL case for automation?

Wouldn't a module like the Qzero with a lot of I/O be more suitable?

Peter wrote:

Andrew wrote:But it is nice to hope that someday someone will design an expansion card with lots of analogue and digital i/o ports that will allow me to use the QL in some automation system

And you really need the original QL case for automation?

Wouldn't a module like the Qzero with a lot of I/O be more suitable?

And a Raspberry Pi or Arduino would be even more suitable. But then it would not be a QL
For me the SInclair QL is about retrocomputing - and preserving the retro feeling. And the QL case is very much part of that feeling.
(Even PE is a bit too much for me - I tried to figure out how to create PE programs, but the documentation has cut down my enthusiasm. I will give it another try when I will have more spare time)

Andrew wrote:For me the SInclair QL is about retrocomputing - and preserving the retro feeling. And the QL case is very much part of that feeling.

Yes I understand that feeling of course. I was not asking in general, just about the Arduino style automation you look for. It was not obvious to me that this kind of usage relates to the original QL case. After all the Qzero is a native platform with lots of I/O and, unlike AVR/ARM, quite suitable to program automation applications in SBasic or 68000 assembler.

As you seem to want retro-computing relatively close to the original, I wonder why you voted to rip out the QL mainboard at all! An extension slot plugin would leave much more of the machine intact.

Peter wrote:As you seem to want retro-computing relatively close to the original, I wonder why you voted to rip out the QL mainboard at all! An extension slot plugin would leave much more of the machine intact.

If I remember correctly I voted for both
A replacement motherboard might add the benefit of a PS/2 mouse instead of the hard to find serial, VGA output and maybe a paralell port - and would be more reliable than a 35 years old motherbord.
Also I noticed that hardware designers tend to get very creative and I hoped you/they would not stop at a replacement mb - so maybe we might even get a beter resolution and/or colors (Aurora maybe)
I would be very happy to buy a replacement mb like an Aurora with VGA output, at least 4Mb RAM, PS/2 mouse port, floppy if, SD storage, microdive connector for use with vDrive, D-sub serial ports, paralell port and at least at SGC speed - and a bus extender to be used for an I/O module at a later date.

Chr$ wrote:I think that option is a can of worms and will surely result in the most development time and also probably a fairly hefty end price for perhaps minimal convenience?

I fully agree that the option is a can of worms. But it received most votes, so it's interesting what people expect from it.

Chr$ wrote:There will be discussions about having mdv support or not (if that's even possible), about what type of serial ports to go for (non-BT of course, but how many will be willing to chop up an original case for better serial ports).

Not me! I did not buy the ZX Spectrum Next board for the reason it requires chopping to fit the original case. That's a total no-go.

Chr$ wrote: Other things like the modern video connection will probably also require some chopping....

For that one, I found a neat solution.

Chr$ wrote:and at the end of all the chopping it will no doubt be a great replacement m/b but the keyboard will still be, ahem, original....

To use the original keyboard it would be the whole point of a QL mainboard replacement.

Chr$ wrote:or would it - because you would no doubt add ps/2 support - but then you end up with an external k/b and the original QL serving as just a case, which is a bit pointless I think.

As I'm not trained in British understatement, so I would even say it is utter nonsense to design for the QL case and then use external keyboard.

Chr$ wrote:I suppose you could stick all the extra connectors on the left, where the expansion port would normally be and where there would be space for some modern stuff that wouldn't involve chopping.

In that case, it gets quite pointless compared to the "extension slot plugin" option.

Andrew wrote:I would be very happy to buy a replacement mb like an Aurora with VGA output, at least 4Mb RAM, PS/2 mouse port, floppy if, SD storage, microdive connector for use with vDrive, D-sub serial ports, paralell port and at least at SGC speed - and a bus extender to be used for an I/O module at a later date.

The Aurora is not designed for the original QL case - except the extension slot connector nothing fits! It does not make any of it's interfaces accessible from the outside. And not even the interfaces inside the case, like the matrix keyboard. All signals are just on pin headers, leaving people alone in the difficult task to bring them to a place where they can be used. Are you sure a replacement like that would make you very happy, as the QL case is so important for you?

Peter wrote:The Aurora is not designed for the original QL case - except the extension slot connector nothing fits! It does not make any of it's interfaces accessible from the outside. And not even the interfaces inside the case, like the matrix keyboard. Are you sure a replacement like that would make you very happy, as the QL case is so important for you?

I ment Aurora video modes would make me happy, not the form factor of the board

In the end I would also be happy with a standalone machine, as long as it checks the (majority of) the specs and we can find a nice case for it, with a retro feeling. Or if I could 3D print a case . And probably use the Ql as keyboard (with tetroid's replacement keyboard maybe)