Paul Chapman wrote:
>Many thanks to all who have responded already both on and off list.
We like to think we can help on this list, we are very happy when
someone new joins and STAYS with us!
>Apart from the QL itself I do have an A4 folder entitled Sinclair QL
>User Guide, two books by Robin Bradbeer namely 'Making The Most Of
>The Sinclair QL' and 'Introducing The Sinclair QL', 'The Sinclair QL
>Companion' by Boris Allen, 'QL SuperBasic' by Jan Jones and another
>folder which seems to contain a photocopied version of 'Professional
>and Business Uses of the QL' by Colin Lewis.
Be a little bit wary of the 'QL Companion' by Boris Allen. It was
written before the QL was launched and the specs of the QL changed a
bit after the book was published.
>Locksmith
This was a microdrive cartridge copier program intended to help make
backup copies of "protected" software on microdrive cartridges.
>Editor 1
As the name implies, a text editing program, good enough to use as a
simple word processor, but takes some getting used to if you don't
have instructions.
>There is a black object measuring 7x3.5x2 cm with the wording
>'Supertoolkit' and 'Care Electronics. Is that meant to fit in the
>'ROM' socket at the back?
Yes, it is a set of extensions to the operating system and the BASIC
interpreter. Many users now find SuperToolkit (or TK2 as we call it
now) an essential add on for a QL, to the degree that many floppy disk
interface cards for the QL (like the TrumpCard and Gold Card series)
came with TK2 built in. The TK2 EPROM cartridge will be useful if you
are using a microdrive only unexpanded QL. Copies of the SuperToolkit
manual are available on my website for download if you need one.
>There is a "QL TRUMP CARD 768K' by Miracle Systems but I have no
>cables to attach that to anything as far as I can see.
It can still be used without the plug in devices. It gives:
Facility to add up to 2 floppy disk drives to the QL (uses the same
floppy disk drives as the dear old BBC micro). A QL with floppy disk
drives is much better (and more reliable) than a microdrive only
system.
Adds 768K of RAM memory to the QL's 128K, giving a total of 896K. This
is well worth it even if you have no floppy disk drive, as extra
memory boosts microdrive tape performance by holding copies of the
cartridge in unused memory for faster access, these copies being known
as 'slave blocks', a kind of data-caching arrangement.
Adds SuperToolkit or TK2 to the system. You need to type in the
command TK2_EXT from BASIC to activate it.
Miracle Systems have kindly allowed me to place copies of their
manuals on my website for those who need a replacement manual.
>There is another 'thingy' about the same size as the above 'TRUMP...'
>which has the lettering 'PCML Q+ DISK' but again no way to attach it.
This is another disk interface expansion card, don't know if it has
TK2 or extra memory or not.
Both of these plug into the expansion slot on the left of the QL -
remove the plastic cover and gently insert the card into the large
socket you can see a few centimetres inside the QL.
>No other cables came with it and I have yet to even power it up. I'm
>wondering what TV or monitor to use
RGB monitors are best. It can also be used with TV sets with SCART
connections, or via a TV aerial socket.
>but will probably go the slightly
>unusual route and use the screen of my Apple iMac. I have a
>digitiser for that which can accept all varieties of TV, VCR,
>camcorder etc. inputs and it could be amusing to have the QL appear
>in a window there.
If you have an Apple Mac, you can also get a Sinclair QL Emulator to
run on that, there is a program called QemuLator Lite by Daniele
Terdina. You can find it via the QL websites links on my website.
>OK, that's it for now and again many thanks for the enthusiastic
>welcome...anyone would think you were desperate :):):)
We'd probably get desperate if it wasn't for our QLs ;-)
Just think...the QL must have something going for it to attract new
users a decade and a half after it was last manufactured.
You may like to know that there are more modern QL compatibles too.
Zeljko Nastasic of Croatia designed a motherboard called the Aurora
(sold by Qubbesoft P/D) in Britain, and Peter Graf has built one
called the Q40 (and a more recent one called Q60). There have been
other attempts at QL compatibles too over the years, few of them still
going.
Welcome to the list, Paul, don't be she about asking questions. We get
a bit technical at times, but we like to help less experienced users
too.
--
Dilwyn Jones
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
