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Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 11:36 am
by Retro-Mania
Hi All

I am new to the forum and would like to say Hello! Also, I have a question about the Miracle Systems Gold Card and wondered if anyone may be able to help please?

I have purchased a Gold Card but am curious about a piece of wire that I have not seen on other Gold Card images online. I have attached a pic - take a look at the heatsink and just beyond it you will see a short length of blue wire attached to the outer pins of a chip. Should this wire be there? Or is it a bodged repair job do you think?

Would appreciate any comments if anyone knows anything about this please.

Thanks and Regards
Retro-Mania

Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:05 pm
by mk79
The QL (or maybe Aurora card) it was used with was changed to 5V operation, so the 5V regulator is bypassed here. Putting this card into a normal QL will destroy it if the wire is not removed!

Marcel

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:08 pm
by tofro
Hard to tell from the picture, but this looks suspiciously like a bridge between the 9V and 5V power rail (input and output of the 5V regulator seem to be bridged)

People who built their QLs into PC cases often did this "back in the days" to supply expansion cards with 5V from the PC PSU instead of generating 5V on the cards themselves like in a standard QL.

Don't plug that card into a non-modified QL

You might destroy both the card and the QL!

First take some precautions. There should be no visible/measurable connection between the 5V and 9V supply lines on the expansion connector. From what I can see, you should be fine with simply removing the wire.

Tobias

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:18 pm
by Retro-Mania
mk79 wrote:The QL (or maybe Aurora card) it was used with was changed to 5V operation, so the 5V regulator is bypassed here. Putting this card into a normal QL will destroy it if the wire is not removed!

Marcel
Thanks for the warning Marcel! I thought it looked "non-standard"!

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:19 pm
by Retro-Mania
tofro wrote:Hard to tell from the picture, but this looks suspiciously like a bridge between the 9V and 5V power rail (input and output of the 5V regulator seem to be bridged)

People who built their QLs into PC cases often did this "back in the days" to supply expansion cards with 5V from the PC PSU instead of generating 5V on the cards themselves like in a standard QL.

Don't plug that card into a non-modified QL

You might destroy both the card and the QL!

First take some precautions. There should be no visible/measurable connection between the 5V and 9V supply lines on the expansion connector. From what I can see, you should be fine with simply removing the wire.

Tobias
Thanks for your advice Tobias! So glad I checked here first!

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 3:07 pm
by Derek_Stewart
Hi,

The mod was probably for use in a QPLANE or MPLANE, which allowed more expansions to be added to the QL. Like the Auroa, Qubide etc...

But the 9v bus of the exansion which feeds into the voltage regulator, has 5v on a Qplane or Mplane system.

I have only seen 1 QL with an Aurora connected directly to the expansion port.

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:56 pm
by Retro-Mania
Derek_Stewart wrote:Hi,

The mod was probably for use in a QPLANE or MPLANE, which allowed more expansions to be added to the QL. Like the Auroa, Qubide etc...

But the 9v bus of the exansion which feeds into the voltage regulator, has 5v on a Qplane or Mplane system.

I have only seen 1 QL with an Aurora connected directly to the expansion port.
Thanks Derek

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:05 pm
by Retro-Mania
This just gets better - I have now received the Gold Card in the post (only bought it at the weekend) and having had a look at it in the flesh, there is another, presumably "rogue" wire on the back of the card (no photos of the back of the card were provided at time of purchase). This is a similar length wire to the blue one I mentioned in my original post and connects two solder points on the rear of the PCB. I take it this is also part of the weird modification that has been carried out by the previous owner - can anyone confirm if there should be a wire soldered on the back?

I am sending the card off for the wires to be professionally removed and then given a full health-check and so have packaged it up, so apologies for no photo of the back of the card.

Thanks in anticipation
Neil

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:22 pm
by vanpeebles
Be careful though, not all wires are bad. QL's usually have wires flying arl ower. :lol: Always best to check first :)

Re: Miracle Systems Gold Card

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:53 pm
by Retro-Mania
vanpeebles wrote:Be careful though, not all wires are bad. QL's usually have wires flying arl ower. :lol: Always best to check first :)
True - but this is the actual Gold Card I am talking about which looks like it was quite a nice design - bridging wires just look out of place on it. I can't find any images online of the read of the card though.