New Disk Drive Interfaces

[RWAP]

Whilst we wait on one of the QL-SD interface projects coming to fruition, I was wondering if anyone has any designs for a basic floppy disk interface with 512K RAM (or 256K at a push) for the QL.

We could maybe get some new interfaces made (if we can find suitable edge connectors for a start) - as there is a revival of interest in the QL (AT LAST!!) and its software, but most users really need to get a disk interface and extra memory to run the latest software (or even software where the microdrives have failed)....

[Dave]

I have 79 gold plated NOS DIN41612 RA connectors. These are in addition to the connectors Tony Firshman sent me with the mplane backplanes.

These are available, if someone actually produces a functional board.

[vanpeebles]

I reckon an interface like this for new QL users would be a superb thing. The first major hurdle when you start out is to get a decent disk drive setup which really transforms the machine.

[tofro]

All,
connectors shouldn't really be a problem. You can still buy them new, e.g. from here:

http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/7415 ... 0&ref=list

Re-Engineering ancient hardware, however, has the problem that most floppy controller ICs the QL used to use are long out of production today.

Regards,
Tobias

[vanpeebles]

I reckon there is a fairly big market for a device supporting ide too. I got blown away on an ebay auction for a QL hard drive setup with a 40mb hard drive. In the end it went for over £160, the market seems to be there and people are certainly buying QL stuff on ebay. Would of been to nice to see what I've been missing not having a hard drive. Ho-hum!

[Mr_Navigator]

RWAP Master, are you not involved in the DivIDE, could this route not be explored for the QL with the designer?

+ is it not that most floppies and hard drives are with USB connection devices nowadays, would not that possibility work from the LHS edge connector, the board containing memory chips and the edge of the QL with four USBs sockets?

Have we been down this route before?

Is there an argument for keeping it simple?

[RWAP]

The problem (as always) is the different architecture used by the QL and something like the ZX81 or Spectrum - it is a steep learning curve for a hardware designer to start working on designs for the QL - they also need a QL computer and then to write drivers all in wonderful 68000 machine code.

The beauty of the DivIDE is that the design was made several years ago - people tend to just build them based on the original design.

I was looking for a simpler solution - someone somewhere must have the designs for the CST or PCML interfaces (for example)....

[tofro]

I was looking for a simpler solution - someone somewhere must have the designs for the CST or PCML interfaces (for example)....

Rich,
I seem to remember that someone (could it be Marcel Kilgus?) once mentioned he had re-engineered a Sandy SuperQ-Board. My comment above would however apply to that as well (I think the Q-Boards used to have a WD177x, which is long out of production - But my memory is not as it used to be... ).

Regards,
Tobias

[Dave]

The SQB used the WD1772, though the 1773 was a drop-in replacement.

The logic of the 1772/3 are available as code for CPLDs. Could have a lot of fun with that if someone happy to design CPLDs popped up.

[1024MAK]

Rather than thinking about Z80 based devices, I think it would be better to see if an open source 68000 device could be adapted.

Now, 68000 systems use a 16 bit data bus unlike a 68008 system like the QL. However, the 68008 can execute most 68000 code.

Now the port on an Atari ST used for hard disk drives (I notice the old term "fixed disk drive" seems to have died) is the ACSI port. This port has a data bus that is 8 bits wide. For more on the Atari ACSI port see here.

So why am I telling you about Atari ST's and their ACSI port?

Well Jookie has developed a SD card interface that plugs into an Atari ST ACSI port. I think this design could be adapted for use with the QL. This device is called UltraSatan. It is an open source project. In terms of the hardware interface, I think a suitable interface between a QL and a UltraSatan should be do-able without too many problems. Note that the ACSI port is normally used in DMA mode for data transfer.

Now, the 68008 software side. As Atari ST's were designed with a HDD interface in mind, there is some very limited support in the Atari OS ROMs. The main HDD "driver" is loaded from a partition on the HDD.

So, either someone clever writes a suitable QL HDD driver, or someone clever works with the author of a current Atari HDD driver to come up with a QL HDD driver...
The current HDD driver is called HDDRIVER and is still actively developed by Uwe Seimet. Note that HDDRIVER is a commercial product and is NOT open source.

So it may well be possible to have a new SD "HDD" like system for the QL.

Mark