QL-SD jumperable

[Peter]

Hi,
for optional coexistence with devices that reside in the address space $C000 to $FFFF, there is now an alternative PLD logic variant for QL-SD.
Instead of the rarely used SPI interface on connector P1, it expects a pin strip soldered to the three upper right ports IO2, IO3 and IO4.

The alternative PLD provides three options:

(A) No jumper
QL-SD registers enabled and full ROM provided.
Tradidional QL-SD operation. No other device at $C000 to $FFFF allowed.

(B) Jumper at IO2+IO3
QL-SD disabled. Only ROM $0 to $2BFF provided.
Other devices at $C000 to $FFFF allowed, e.g. external ROMs or QIMSI.
QL-SD is only used to hold the operating system.

(C) Jumper at IO3+IO4
QL-SD card access enabled and ROM $0 to $2BFF provided.
A QIMSI device is allowed and will access an SD card attached to QL-SD.
QL-SD is also used to hold the operating system.
The card socket on QIMSI must be empty.

The JEDEC file containg the alternative QL-SD PLD logic is attached, together with the source code.
Use at your own risk, this PLD logic was not tested comprehesively.

[Maskenlos]

Hi Peter,

thanks for this update. As we just discussed I made 1000 write, read and delete cycles with a SCREEN$ and this new firmware. Each with the SD card in the QIMSI as well as in the QL-SD. No Errors observed. So should run well.

Best, Stephan

[Peter]

Wow that was quick. Many thanks for testing! I hope a few others will also check this out.

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi Peter,

Further from this message in the Hacking Qubide thread:
viewtopic.php?p=54200#p54200

I soldered the 3 pin jumper onto the QL-SD ROM board and updated the FPGA code with the file supplied.

I can now use QIMSI with QL-SD SD Card reader and Minerva ROM, I have the Tetroid TDI card attached with the CF Card slot disabled, so QIMSI works. Quite a nice system, with twin Disk Drives attached to the TDIfloppy drive port, maybe needs a Gotek as FLP1.

The QIMSI mouse work okay, but I prefer to use the QL keyboard.

One other thing, I use the QL-SD SD Card to hold MDV images which can be loaded into the QL with Martin Head's MDI driver software, this also works with the vDrive as well.

I employ the same MDV image usage on the Q68, using an SD Card in Slot 2 as a FAT drive so MDV images can be loaded from the SD Card, and mounted as MDV1.

So really, I do not need extra MDV emulation hardware, the software solution is better, and in this way MDV access can be achieved on any QL system, including QPC2 or Q60.

[dilwyn]

Nice work, Derek.

[Pr0f]

Hi Peter,

Further from this message in the Hacking Qubide thread:
viewtopic.php?p=54200#p54200

I soldered the 3 pin jumper onto the QL-SD ROM board and updated the FPGA code with the file supplied.

I can now use QIMSI with QL-SD SD Card reader and Minerva ROM, I have the Tetroid TDI card attached with the CF Card slot disabled, so QIMSI works. Quite a nice system, with twin Disk Drives attached to the TDIfloppy drive port, maybe needs a Gotek as FLP1.

The QIMSI mouse work okay, but I prefer to use the QL keyboard.

One other thing, I use the QL-SD SD Card to hold MDV images which can be loaded into the QL with Martin Head's MDI driver software, this also works with the vDrive as well.

I employ the same MDV image usage on the Q68, using an SD Card in Slot 2 as a FAT drive so MDV images can be loaded from the SD Card, and mounted as MDV1.

So really, I do not need extra MDV emulation hardware, the software solution is better, and in this way MDV access can be achieved on any QL system, including QPC2 or Q60.

Now that makes life more sensible - being able to mount mdv images as mdv1.

[Derek_Stewart]

Now that makes life more sensible - being able to mount mdv images as mdv1.

The only problem is that MDV image format files created by Qemulator, Qlay have to be converted into MDI image format, with the CONVERT2_MDI command, there is also a reverse commad: CONVERT2_QEMU, CONVERT2_QLAY.

This included on all Q68 SD Cards I send out.

It just struck that MDI could be used on QL-SD, though you might have cghange the MDV & MDI device driver name on the QL with real microdrives, e.g.

MDV_USE 'MDD' : REMark use MDD1_ for MDV hardware
MDI_USE 'MDV': REMark use MDV1_ for MDI image file

All work very nicely, I did think of producing all the QL sfoftware in MFI format on a SD Card, but anuone can do this, quite easily.