The Sinclair QL Forum

Hi folks.

Last update: [27/12/2024] : Adding the nice case design from Jbizze.





Last Gerbers Versions
The gerbers are ready to be make by JLCPCB, but you can choose your favorite one.
Would you like to get one set?
Built your own (all info and material in this thread) or
Buy it to me directly by the price is 37€ + shipping.

• Shipping to any place. Tracked is usually about 9€. Non tracked about 3€. It may vary some cents depending on the country.
• Mounted and tested.
• It includes: 1 driver unit, 1 cartridge, 1 screw separator (for original screw)
• 1 Month of support and guarantee that it works as shown when shipping.

Interactive BOM & Schemas

• BOM for Driver*
• BOM for Cartridge
• Driver Schema
• Cartridge Schema

*Note: R1 could vary its place (bottom/Front part of the PCB).

Last Firmwares Versions
My personal firmware is on process of development, so keep in mind that you could suffer some unexpected behaviors. Here you can find it and use it.
In any case, it is not a big problem to solve. Due to it's software, you could replace it by the original one or report it to me, helping me to improve it with bugfixes.
Note If you want to use the new features, you'll need to add the Config.cfg file to your microSD in the root directory.
Functional changes in my firmware

• 2 screen modes. Original size and doble size for old eyes (like mine)
• Fast & automatic browsing. You can hold 'Next' button pressed and it will skip files in the mSD card
• Not compatible files are ignored in the browsing, making more comfortable to browse the mSD card
• Autoload image, now you could define a default file to load when inserting the cartridge or when booting up the QL (hard reset)

Video Tutorials
Overview & presentation of the MPD
How to install the driver (main unit)
User's Guide I - Preparing the mSD & the Driver (programming the firmware), how to browse the files


TODO

• User manual (WiP)
• Sound module (WiP)
• Midi module (WiP)
• Menus in different languages
• Bluetooth module
• Port the original tools to Java

Troubleshooting
In case there is a weird behavior you can use the original one, from Dr. Gusman site. Report the issue on my Github or here in order to find a solution. Keep in mind that not all weird behavior are easy to determinate. QLs is a complex system that very often mask the root of an issue.
Please to be kind and watch & read the info. It took/takes time to create them, so before to ask use them. Nobody can read/watch for you.

How to check the unit

1. Testing IDC connector. Usually when the unit get powered but cannot load any image (even tested one from the official repository)
2. Testing power regulator (DCDC converter). When the unit doesn't get ON (Pico Led) connected to the QL but does when powered by USB cable.
3. Reprograming the Pico. When the unit doesn't get ON (Pico Led) even when it is powered by USB cable.
4. Downgrading the firmware to original one or previous release. If you experiment some strange behavior of the unit.

Why some soft doesn't work? It may be due to very usual factors described bellow.

• Hardware requirements for this software (ROMs type or version, Memory, sound card, other).
• Format of the image (Magic Fields, Headers, etc). It is related with some OS (Windows) that could change some datas or format from the images.
• Faulty ULAs, Units, or another component from the QL.

For those issues the user should contact with the developer of the software or post a message in this forum where it corresponds.

Extras
A beautiful case for cartridges was created by the user Jbizze, and shared with the community.
Very stylish and nice for collection
Link to thingverse to download the STL



Disclaimer

I re-design the original project created by Dr. Gusman in order to make it easier to use and to build it up for anyone. Whatever there is always a risk of damage your system. Use them under your own risk and responsibility. Those designs and firmware are tested in my QL and on the QLs from some people who help me with their own use and test. It is your responsibility to read and watch all the information about the device. I will help with any doubt, when it's possible to me to answer.

All the suggestions are welcome in order to improve this nice device (if it is possible).

Breaking news.
RC10 is in the oven.
It requires some little fixes but already functional and working fine.

Any feedback is welcome.
Even if is to tell that shit is not cool, just be kind and tell something more like why and where

In the video are shown 2 cartridges. Each one with a different preference in Config.cfg file, in order to compare the 2 screen modes.

• testing detecting personal configurations.
• testing 2 screen modes
• testing automatic browsing
• testing recalling loaded file
• testing warning flashing led when no cartridge
• testing some bugfixes and adjustments

Testing & demo of the new firmware RC10
https://youtu.be/0L1rC8I1Cxk


Note: I will publish the firmware RC10 tonight.

Here we go
RC10
I couldn't improve some small details, but my time ran out for probably this week and next.
So here we go with this one with nice features for who needs its or wants to try it out.

Enjoy it!

Updating
My repo has now some images to test. Those images are games, Office software and demos.
Some will run, others not.
Why not every soft? because not every soft is compatible with every QL System due to requirements (ROMs type, Memory, protections, headers, etc). There is a lot of threads in the forum and in the Internet about that matter. For example, you cannot run a demo that requires a SGC or sound card if you have none of them, or you use Minerva ROM when it only works with JK or another one.

Whatever they could help to test the units and play around with the QL when we are newbies.
Also there is a empty and formatted MDV image that can be used to save your personal data, basic programs, whatever.

Also: my RC10 Works nice but it has a bug, if last entry in the File System is a file (and determinate kind of file) the driver get frozen. But when the last entry is another directory, it cycles the browse properly.
Working in a fixbug, till then, if you suffer that problem, you can or add a new folder to your mSD, downgrade the firmware to RC7 or the original one.

Now working in some extra manuals and videos for helping in the use for newbies. But keep in mind, every one must rely on the community when get a issue, because 95% of times is not related with the system that load the images. I am happy to help and that issues helps me to know better the QL. Sadly also make slower my progress in other features like the sound emulation and bluetooth feature.

Thank you for that update regarding the menu cycling - I will create a place holder directory "zz_end" in each of my folders to avoid that problem then That's a nice simple bodge I can happily live with.

One of the other issues I faced relates to the way emulators use zip files - it seems the documentation for qemulator isn't totally clear on this - it says if you mount a zip file and extract to a directory mounted on another device that it should preserve the qdos header - it doesn't - it put's a new header on it - which doesn't work with the microdrive image creation tool.

I will use my Q68 to unzip using smsq/e and then copy the resulting unzipped files out from there. Then I can read the datasize needed for the program that's in the QDOS header - as I suspect that's what I am missing.

Pr0f wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:24 pm Thank you for that update regarding the menu cycling - I will create a place holder directory "zz_end" in each of my folders to avoid that problem then That's a nice simple bodge I can happily live with.

One of the other issues I faced relates to the way emulators use zip files - it seems the documentation for qemulator isn't totally clear on this - it says if you mount a zip file and extract to a directory mounted on another device that it should preserve the qdos header - it doesn't - it put's a new header on it - which doesn't work with the microdrive image creation tool.

I will use my Q68 to unzip using smsq/e and then copy the resulting unzipped files out from there. Then I can read the datasize needed for the program that's in the QDOS header - as I suspect that's what I am missing.

Are you talking about mdvtool not recognising the q-emulator header? Thats a pretty easy new feature to add to mdvtool!

Dr Gusman's tool has a very similar name - mdtoolsui - but I don't think this is the same program as the one you are referring to?

It creates the Microdrive image with no problem - but because the header is missing the information about dataspace once it's been through Qemulator, or at least I no longer know where to find that value, I can't include that vital piece of information when asked for it in the tool.

I was using this thread as my reference:

viewtopic.php?p=53682#p53682

Pr0f wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 11:32 pm Dr Gusman's tool has a very similar name - mdtoolsui - but I don't think this is the same program as the one you are referring to?

It creates the Microdrive image with no problem - but because the header is missing the information about dataspace once it's been through Qemulator, or at least I no longer know where to find that value, I can't include that vital piece of information when asked for it in the tool.

I do wish people would stop calling it a header, as it isnt, the dataspace is stored in the directory file.

On Q-Emulator you can look in the documentation for how it stores the directory entry in a header on the front of a file in order to re-create this inside QDOS.

mdvtool was written by the MiST core creator, I have forked it and added some features since, it produces QLAY format images which may or may not work with this form of uDrive emulator. It has the awesome feature of being able to convert zip->mdv directly. https://github.com/xxoraa/mdvtool

XorA wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2024 8:50 am

Pr0f wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 11:32 pm Dr Gusman's tool has a very similar name - mdtoolsui - but I don't think this is the same program as the one you are referring to?

It creates the Microdrive image with no problem - but because the header is missing the information about dataspace once it's been through Qemulator, or at least I no longer know where to find that value, I can't include that vital piece of information when asked for it in the tool.

I do wish people would stop calling it a header, as it isnt, the dataspace is stored in the directory file.

Apologies - but as it's at the front of the file (or not), surely header isn't a bad description?

XorA wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2024 8:50 am On Q-Emulator you can look in the documentation for how it stores the directory entry in a header on the front of a file in order to re-create this inside QDOS.

I've not found anything specific in the documentation about the file structure.

XorA wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2024 8:50 am mdvtool was written by the MiST core creator, I have forked it and added some features since, it produces QLAY format images which may or may not work with this form of uDrive emulator. It has the awesome feature of being able to convert zip->mdv directly. https://github.com/xxoraa/mdvtool

I will try that tool - see if it can generate a compatible mdv image for this microdrive emulator. Thanks for the heads up