Re: [Ql-Users] QL-SD interface and SGC
Hi Andrea, >> My guess is that replacing the QL motherboard could fix this issue. >> Unfortunately, I have no Aurora system to try. > > Is it possible to install QL-SD on Aurora? > Although the ROM socket is different from that of the QL? The Aurora has a jumper setting for standard QL ROMs. In that setting QL-SD should work. Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QxlwinReader
Hi Andrea and Bob, thanks for your input! Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QL-SD interface and SGC
Hi Peter Il 23/06/2017 14.16, via Ql-Users ha scritto: > My guess is that replacing the QL motherboard could fix this issue. > Unfortunately, I have no Aurora system to try. > Is it possible to install QL-SD on Aurora? Although the ROM socket is different from that of the QL? Andrea Con Mobile Open 7 GB a 9 euro/4 sett navighi veloce con 7 GB di Internet e hai 200 minuti ed SMS a 15 cent. Passa a Tiscali Mobile! http://tisca.li/Open7GB0617 ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] QL-SD interface and SGC
Hi Davide, > Just for curiosity (for sure discussed many times in the past): why the > QL-SD interface is not compatible with GD or SGC? You mean GC, not GD I assume. It is mainly a SGC issue, some users reported GC to work with QL-SD. The slewrate of some SGC signals is too fast for the QL motherboard. As a consequence, the SGC produces illegal electrical signals inside the QL, which can cause QL-SD to malfunction. Because the disturbances have a high frequency, they are not "seen" by the slow components of the QL itself, but only by the much faster QL-SD. My guess is that replacing the QL motherboard could fix this issue. Unfortunately, I have no Aurora system to try. Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] R: R: QxlwinReader
Hi Peter, Thank you for your interesting explanation, I was simply not aware of the fact that QL-SD already uses an image file on a FAT32 formatted SD card. And indeed it would be very interesting to have a similar approach for Qubide IDE hard disks which would be the solution of all the last discussions (using Wolfgang utility). Just for curiosity (for sure discussed many times in the past): why the QL-SD interface is not compatible with GD or SGC? Thanks and regards Davide -Messaggio originale- Da: Ql-Users [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] Per conto di via Ql-Users Inviato: mercoledì 21 giugno 2017 09.59 A: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Oggetto: Re: [Ql-Users] R: QxlwinReader Hi Davide, > The DD Unix utility might be of course an interesting option but maybe > it could be more useful for SD cards written with the QL-SD interface > rather than a Qubide hard disk (especially if it has more than one > partition) There might still be a misunderstanding, because the DD utitly is completely useless for QL-SD. DD can convert a raw media (Qubide formatted in this case) to an image file. But QL-SD already has the Qubide partitions in an image file! It does *not* have Qubide raw media, although that would have made it easier to get a working driver. The whole reason I initially wrote the QL-side FAT32 code, is to save the step of converting raw media to image files. Or in other words, the basic concept of QL-SD is *not* to need tools like DD. On QL-SD you can directly read the Qubide image file from a PC, for instance with QxlwinReader or an emulator. By the way, the same approach could also be taken for Qubide IDE harddisks! The IDE harddisk (or compact flash, etc.) could be formatted in FAT32, and then have Qubide inside an image file like QL-SD. That way, DD would no longer be needed. Now that the QL-side FAT32 code is there, it could be re-used. Maybe Alain could comment on this? The only remaining issue would be to convert old "raw" Qubide harddisks once. > I think maintaining compatibility and support of native QL hardware > should have some priority. I agree, insasmuch retro-computing becomes pointless if it lives only on emulation. Whereever I saw people returning to the QL in the recent years, it was hardware-related. All the best Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] R: QxlwinReader
Hi Wolfgang, thank you for the explanations. Regarding the voluntary work: I am astonished as well as grateful to people like you, Marcel, Giorgio in Italy and others who still find some time for QL related activities for the benefit of very few remaining active users. This is even more true considering that we are not talking anymore of young students with high energy, free time and almost no hassles. Kind regards Davide -Messaggio originale- Da: Ql-Users [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] Per conto di Wolfgang Lenerz via Ql-Users Inviato: mercoledì 21 giugno 2017 09.26 A: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Oggetto: [Ql-Users] QxlwinReader Hi Davide, > ... The DD Unix utility might > be of course an interesting option but maybe it could be more useful > for SD cards written with the QL-SD interface rather than a Qubide > hard disk (especially if it has more than one partition) Whilst it's true that this was written with these cards in mind, I'm not sure about this statement. If you have a PC that still has the connections for your hard disk (I presume it's IDE ?), using DD (or equivalent) might be the fastest way to get your data off that disk. I think I can confidently state that if I had an image file with several partitions, I could probably figure them out pretty quickly and amend QxlwinReader so that it can handle them. Tracks/cylinders/heads would be more difficult. > Talking more in general I think it is a pity that some possibile > implementations or bug fixes are becoming very difficult if not > impossible just because lack of the native hardware to test to the few > people which have the knowledge to solve these issues. I wonder how > this could be improved. Yes, not being able to reproduce and trace a bug is a problem. For example, some time back, a problem with SMSQ/E for the Atari was reported to me. I used to have some Ataris (and still had/have them but not in working condition). So there wasn't much I could do, until I stumbled upon an Atari emulator for the PC, which at least allowed me to see and even test the problem, and eventually figure out what went wrong. That was pure dumb luck! As you rightly point out, without the actual hardware this is going to become practically impossible - not only to fix, but even just to check whether the problem exists (a case in point : some recent QXL screen problem, one user (Andrea) reported a problem, I had a look at the code to try to find out why but couldn't, and then another user (Bob) said that it worked OK...). I'm not sure what can be done about this situation. Perhaps your solution, to supply actual hardware to people still fixing things might work. Without false modesty, I think I can safely say that most recent development for SMSQ/E has been done by Marcel, and to a much lesser degree, by me. I won't presume to speak for Marcel, so this only goes for myself : I'm just not sure that I'd want more hardware here! Also, don't forget that working on SMSQ/E is purely a voluntary work. For me, there is a big difference between writing something new like the recent Thing, and then fixing the problems I inevitably introduce on the one hand, and fixing other bugs, on the other hand. Since I've become the "regsistrar", which was supposed to be a purely administrative job, I'm often being asked to fix problems in some old code which I didn't write nor know about. It then takes me a lot of time to look at the code to try to understand it. In most cases I then just chicken out and refer this to Marcel :-), on some rare occasions, I manage to find the problem myself and fix it. For me, this is less fun than writing something for myself. I still do it just because I like SMSQ/E... But the point is that I do it because I want to, not because there is any obligation to. Finally just a not-so-related question: There is a bug reported here that precludes formatting disks on a SuperGoldgard - does anybody know whether that is also true for a simple Goldcard? I ask because I know that I can get my hands on one of those. Regards Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List ___ QL-Users Mailing List
