The Sinclair QL Forum

Here's my Q68 case, knocked up from an old mdv cart box, red rubber band a sharp knife and a few minutes.

Good idea in principle I thought. Even though it doesn't quite close properly and is not very sturdy because most of the inside structure is now missing.

At least it keeps the dust off and means I don't have to worry about shorting the board on stuff laying around.

Well, it's far better than many other PCB cases I've seen

After all, microdrives aren't that useless.

Superb! I have ordered one from Derek, and hope that I was not too late. If I have had seen this before, I perhaps would have had ordered it without case (albeit I cannot see the QL NET connectors).

ql_freak wrote:Superb! I have ordered one from Derek, and hope that I was not too late. If I have had seen this before, I perhaps would have had ordered it without case (albeit I cannot see the QL NET connectors).

Well spotted. My QLNET connection is a glued mess and would only fit if I also cut a hole for it in the back of the case. I want to try that again, do a better neater job and then run the QLNET connection out of the side somewhere. Also missing is access to the sound output (I don't use that currently) and although there is what looks like a slot for SD1 in the spine, I shouldn't have bothered as you have to remove the rubber band and open it to get at the SD card(s).

Cristian wrote: Well, it's far better than many other PCB cases I've seen

Thanks!

Chr$ wrote:Here's my Q68 case, knocked up from an old mdv cart box, red rubber band a sharp knife and a few minutes.

Ingenious idea! I wonder if it could be improved by solid panels at the sides, so top & bottom become fully planar.

Peter wrote:

Chr$ wrote:Here's my Q68 case, knocked up from an old mdv cart box, red rubber band a sharp knife and a few minutes.

Ingenious idea! I wonder if it could be improved by solid panels at the sides, so top & bottom become fully planar.

Thanks Peter, that means a lot from you . I had some old cases sitting there next to the Q68 and thought, hmmm, it looks like that could fit, and it (sort of) does.

Perhaps it could be stiffened, but it's just a real shame that it doesn't close properly. It's pretty much only due to the protruding solder joints on the bottom and maybe the springy bit on one of the connectors. It's like 1mm too thick.

Chr$ wrote: Perhaps it could be stiffened, but it's just a real shame that it doesn't close properly. It's pretty much only due to the protruding solder joints on the bottom.

Hi,

The soldered joints on bottom of the Q68 board could be soldered so that the joint is not protruding. I am not saying every one do this.

But I could fit components to new Q68 boards without any protuberance on the bottom of the board.

Chr$ wrote: and maybe the springy bit on one of the connectors. It's like 1mm too thick.

This sounds like the RJ45 Network socket, the "springy bit" is probably not required on the Q68, which designed to give the Network socket support. But can not be removed without damaging the socket.

Derek_Stewart wrote:
But I could fit components to new Q68 boards without any protuberance on the bottom of the board.

Just checked again and it may be more than 1mm too thick. I'll check again tomorrow and do more pics.