Q68 support thread

[QLvsJAGUAR]

Let's start this even before GA of the machine.

First questions:
- What does S*BASIC report when one invokes PRINT MACHINE?
- What does S*BASIC report when one invokes PRINT DISP_TYPE at the available resolutions?

QL forever!
Urs

[Peter]

- What does S*BASIC report when one invokes PRINT MACHINE?

18

- What does S*BASIC report when one invokes PRINT DISP_TYPE at the available resolutions?

0 in QL modes, 33 in highcolour modes, independent from resolution

[phwodehouse]

would the new q68 fit into a raspberry case?

[tofro]

would the new q68 fit into a raspberry case?

No, it wouldn't - The Q68 PCB is slightly larger in all dimensions than the RPi. It obviously also has entirely different connectors in entirely different places. I don't quite see the need, though, to re-use an RPi case when Derect offers a case which is a perfect fit for the Q68 and even looks stylish.

Tobias

[phwodehouse]

thank you, where can i get hold of a q68 and the suitable case? thanks, p.h.

[Peter]

The Q68 release has been announced here http://theqlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2082 and here http://theqlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2094.

[Zarchos]

Please tell us more about :
- timings of the opcodes and in particular registers <--> memory and memory<-> memory when code and / or data fetched is in main memory
- timings of the opcodes and in particular registers <--> memory and memory<-> memory when code and / or data fetched is in the special fast 12 kbytes space
- as above but when code and data are not in the same memory space : code / data is in 1 of the 2 types of memory and the other is in the different space of memory.
Is this 12 kbyte space some kind of cache, which would imply self / auto modifying code won't work in this area ; or will work only under special conditions ?

More generally, please give any hint on what very efficient coding would be on this machine, compared to a standard 68000 running at 40 Mhz.

My view is that 12 kbytes isn't a lot of space, but it can be perfect :
- for a sound or MOD (amiga format tunes) or better (8 channel fastrekker format for example) soundtracker playroutine (to output the number of channels the hardware natively supports but also for mixing more channels into what the Q68 can support natively hardware-wise)
- for fast horizontal segment plotting routines, for 3D ; but also for all algos to remove hidden faces, compute the 3D coordonates and do sorting
- for fast optimised sprites plotting routines

That's a lot of questions, but I am really eager to code on your machine : no hardware acceleration and a very fast CPU, it is in a way a close cousin to what I know with my beloved Acorn Archimedes

Thank you very much in advance.
I hope your health is better now, and of course first rest and get better before spending some time answering me. I mean it.

Kindest regards,
Xavier.

[QLvsJAGUAR]

In todays preparations for the upcoming Mahlerts Meeting I built a new home for my Q68. See the photo Story:
https://plus.google.com/+QLvsJaguar/posts/B1rQHWsGWWG

QL forever!

[NormanDunbar]

Nice!

Of course, it couldn't really have been any other colour but black.


Cheers,
Norm.

[vanpeebles]

Lego is great for building computer cases, as long are they are not too big, gets expensive quick!