On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 1:46 PM, Marcel Kilgus <ql-us...@mail.kilgus.net>wrote:
> Dave Park wrote: > > Indeed an FPGA implementation of an m68k chip, or emulation of an n68k on > > some other lightweight chip are the only two economically sensible > > solutions. > > Actually, the cheapest solution would be to buy something like this > > http://mini-box.de/fr/catalog/il/1261 > > and use a thin software layer to emulate 68k code. 60 EUR for a > complete board with 1,8Ghz and everything but a kitchen sink already > on board can hardly be beaten... > > I imagine however that many would say this does not count as real QL > hardware, even though that as a user the only part where one could > notice that it's PC hardware is the BIOS bootup. > > But the actual main problem with this solution is that it's too > modern. The graphics chip alone is so advanced that I would not dare > programming it without at least VESA-Bios support. Much of this is > probably true for the other devices, too. In the end one might even > need a small Linux layer to reign in the hardware, but this would then > really make it just a "PC with an emulator on top". That is a neat board and would be perfect for running QPC2, for example. The catch is that the QL is much lower powered in terms of heat and current demands, and these PC-type boards do not fit that power envelope - therefore they can't be used embedded very easily. For the majority of users, this isn't an issue. However, if we're going to do one last QL design before there simply isn't enough interest to make any, it should be something that can be used in as many situations as possible and have embedded, automotive, robotics, remote monitoring etc. uses. A PC won't run off a solar panel. My guess is a new design hardware "QL" would cost around £250 initially, but once the development costs were paid off, that could quickly drop to the £125-150 area. Maybe less. As for beagleboards, note that while an individual can use them, they are not UR rated, lead free, and do not meet any emissions requirements, and they are explicitly forbidden for use in commercial/end user products. Dave _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
