Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

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vanpeebles
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by vanpeebles »

hmmmmm.....NO! :ugeek:


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bwinkel67
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by bwinkel67 »

vanpeebles wrote:1611245862873.JPEG
That looks great. I have a plan for a new QL case for the Q68 that will pay homage to a Rick Dickinson design...waiting for the parts to come in and then see if it's dooable. It may not work out but I'm going to prototype it with easy material to see if could fit into place to scale.


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vanpeebles
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by vanpeebles »

bwinkel67 wrote:
vanpeebles wrote:1611245862873.JPEG
That looks great. I have a plan for a new QL case for the Q68 that will pay homage to a Rick Dickinson design...waiting for the parts to come in and then see if it's dooable. It may not work out but I'm going to prototype it with easy material to see if could fit into place to scale.
Please say it’s the mini wafer tower!


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bwinkel67
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by bwinkel67 »

vanpeebles wrote:
Please say it’s the mini wafer tower!
Is that what it was called? The one on the cover of the DELETE. I'm hoping to put a 60% keyboard into the left that's removable (or you can keep it in the housing to use like a QL) and the Q68 sits in where the wafer drive sits (with the cover removable to get at it). I saw someone on eBay had 3-D printed that with a raspberry pi but the dimensions were not correct as it needed to be slimmer and it was pieced together. My plan is to create a mock-up, then prototype, and hopefully eventually a mold so it's not pieced together from 3-D printed parts. Of course it all has to fit and due to the modern 60% keyboards all being USB I bought an inexpensive USB to PS/2 converter by Tripp Lite that I need to see if it works as the one I previously bought from Black Box did not with my Q68 (FPGA code needs to be updated as the Black Box unit didn't behave itself properly).


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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Hi,

I
bwinkel67 wrote: I bought an inexpensive USB to PS/2 converter by Tripp Lite that I need to see if it works as the one I previously bought from Black Box did not with my Q68 (FPGA code needs to be updated as the Black Box unit didn't behave itself properly).
The Black Box PS/2 to USB converters all work with the Q68, but as you suggest,there is a update to the Q68 FPGA code. However, there is only a small quantity of the converter and no other supplies and Black Box have classified the converter as end of line. Maybe the converter can be copied, but the old copyright issue raised its head.
vanpeebles wrote:That looks great. I have a plan for a new QL case for the Q68 that will pay homage to a Rick Dickinson design...waiting for the parts to come in and then see if it's dooable. It may not work out but I'm going to prototype it with easy material to see if could fit into place to scale.
I did not like some of Ricks designs, there are some better solutions.


Regards,

Derek
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vanpeebles
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

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Derek_Stewart wrote: I did not like some of Ricks designs, there are some better solutions.
Heresy!!


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bwinkel67
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by bwinkel67 »

Derek_Stewart wrote: The Black Box PS/2 to USB converters all work with the Q68, but as you suggest,there is a update to the Q68 FPGA code. However, there is only a small quantity of the converter and no other supplies and Black Box have classified the converter as end of line. Maybe the converter can be copied, but the old copyright issue raised its head.
It was cheaper for me to spend $30 on a replacement by Tripp Lite in hopes that it works, than reprogramming the FPGA since I don't have a programmer and we don't have one available at school and shipping the Q68 to and from the UK to have you guys do it would have cost more than that. I'll get to play with it next week but Tripp Lite is newer and slightly cheaper (you can get it new from NewEgg for about $98).
Last edited by bwinkel67 on Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.


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bwinkel67
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by bwinkel67 »

vanpeebles wrote:
Derek_Stewart wrote: I did not like some of Ricks designs, there are some better solutions.
Heresy!!
I definitely like the red waferdrive design as it uses the same keyboard, seems a bit lower profile for easier typing, and the red wafer drive actually looks surprisingly good. It really does look like it could be the next model in the QL production line.
510cdZE470L._SY445_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
Had you said "hey, how about we paint the microdrive bay red on your current QL" I would have thought, wow, that's going to look bad, but the red actually works on that wafedrive dome. The tower QL (was it the QL Plus which was white and grey) was not my favorite, neither was the glossy look curvy one Rick had on his business website...but the one on the cover of DELETE, that is nice IMHO.


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vanpeebles
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

Post by vanpeebles »

Finally had some nice weather so I got the clear coat on! Just the leds and wires to do.
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vanpeebles
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Re: Cyberpunk Retro Futuristic QL Case Project

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Clear coat went on well and removed any sign of hand painted markings etcs.
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