In a message dated 19/03/2004 02:00:06 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
writes:
Hi
Stephen,
>Have been lurking here for a while, reading the various
threads, along
>with looking at different websites, faqs etc. As a
beginner, the QL world
>seemed very complicated, with strangely named
Trump Cards, Gold Cards, and
>hundred of programs, expansions and
websites uncomfortably squeezing their
>names around the letters "Q" and
"L". Anyway, things are a little more
>clear now and i'm keen to give
the machine itself a try.
Ah that sounds great. I'm not often on this
list, but since I'm here at the
moment, I'll use the opportunity to
influence you right from the start :-)
>What are your opinions on
beginning this venture, for someone on quite a
>tight budget but with
enthusiasm for computer meddling and unusual
>hardware. Just how much
use would a standard QL be (there seem to be quite
>a few on EBay at any
one time)?
I had a quick look into the latest QUANTA and QL Today mags
for you, but
saw no cheap standard QL at the moment. Sometimes standard
QLs are given
away for free, especially at QL meetings.
>It
seems to me that a floppy disk interface of some description is a
>necessity to connect the QL to the outside world (i.e. for downloading
>files from the net and transferring
>them across). But oh, what
about the disk format? Didn't think about that.
I'd say you need at
least a GoldCard - otherwise most of the QL software
that is developed
nowadays won't be usable for you. The GoldCard already
includes a floppy
disk interface.
>Is a Qubbide hard drive interface another must
have?
Almost. The GoldCard allows to use floppies with 2.88 MB, so if
you're
extremely patient, you could start without harddisk.
One
thing you must be aware of, is that you can not use a normal monitor
for a
standard QL. Either you need enough room for a second monitor (an
old-fashioned beast that supports the QL video timings) or you need a QL
mainboard replacement (Aurora).
>More expense but
then
>what's the point in getting involved with the QL if i'm trying to
use
>hardware unrepresentative of the majority of current users. But
then
>things start to become quite expensive and I risk spending a lot
(for me)
>of money on something which i'll get little use our
of.
This is difficult to resolve because a full featured QL hardware
might
contain even more components than you expect. It is not unusual that
one
has speeder card, mainboard replacement, keyboard interface, harddisk
interface, improved serial interface, mouse interface, backplane. Plus,
because all that never fits into the QL case, mechanical aids to mount all
the stuff in a different case.
That was, by the way, one of the
reasons why there's the Q40 ;-)) Which has
basically the same video
hardware, memory/interrupt structure and processor
family as the QL, but
most of the old peripherals are
modernized/replaced/integrated on one
board, and there's a muuuch faster
CPU. I hesitate to recommend the Q40
for you, because it's usually not a
low budget solution. But in the rare
case someone offers you a 2nd hand
Q40, it can't be wrong if you compare
the price of the Q40 to the sum of
all the QL components/interfaces you'd
want otherwise.
All the best
Peter
You can also have a look at my own website: www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/sinclairql2.html
for a list of second hand items for sale at low prices, including a Q40 !!
We do not have any Gold Cards for sale at the moment, but can supply new ED disk
drives when you do find one.
I have also been promised a couple of Miracle Systems hard disk drives
which plug into the QLs ROM port. Unfotrunately, this does not seem
compatible with the latest operating system SMSQ/e (despite both being
originally written by Tony Tebby). If you want to use a hard disk (which
is preferable) and decide to go for a QuBIDE, then you need to bear in mind,
that you will need to build your QL into a PC style case instead. You can
also consider one of Tony Firshman's Flash EPROMs (RomDisq - see : http://www.firshman.co.uk/romdisq.htm )
However, as Peter says, you need to compare the cost of acquiring a full
second hand system with a ready built system, such as the Q40/Q60, or just make
do with an emulator running on Windows/Linux/Mac operating systems. The
beauty of buying second hand is that you do not have to buy everything together
- a standard QL with Trump Card and dual DD disk drives should suffice to get
you going. The Trump Card provides a total of 896K memory, disk access and
the all important Toolkit II.
However, in order to transfer disks to/from the PC, you will need a program
called: DiscOver - can you still get this on a QL disk??
However, just what proportion of the QL users still use this type of system
is unknown.
--
Rich
Mellor
RWAP Services
35 Chantry Croft, Kinsley, Pontefract, West
Yorkshire, WF9 5JH
TEL: 01977 610509
Visit our website at
URL:http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk
Stuck with ordinary dial up
internet connection ??
Read our review of internet accelerators and
broadband at:
URL:
http://www.rwapadventures.com/Services/reviews.html
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