Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

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1024MAK
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Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by 1024MAK »

Hello

I prefer running on real hardware rather than emulators.

I would be interested in either or both a Q60 and QXL board (I have a PC with ISA slots).

So if anybody has a Q60 or a QXL board for sale, let me know ;)

Mark


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Looking forward to summer in Somerset later in the year :)

QL, Falcon, Atari 520STFM, Atari 1040STE, more PC's than I care to count and an assortment of 8 bit micros (Sinclair and Acorn)(nearly forgot the Psion's)
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Dave
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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by Dave »

QL2 might be ready before either of those come up for sale ;)


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1024MAK
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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by 1024MAK »

Well, keep us posted please, Dave :D

Mark


:!: Standby alert :!:
“There are four lights!”
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb :!:
Looking forward to summer in Somerset later in the year :)

QL, Falcon, Atari 520STFM, Atari 1040STE, more PC's than I care to count and an assortment of 8 bit micros (Sinclair and Acorn)(nearly forgot the Psion's)
Derek_Stewart
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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by Derek_Stewart »

I would still buy a QL2 and finish the QXL Cards.

But, the problem with the QXL/Super/Gold Cards is the Altera programming of the Glue Chip. I found someone on Ebay in the USA, who had all the Master Programming Adapters, bu no ISA interface card to the PC, all for the price of $299 + shipping.

So I guess Dave is correct, if on Miracle has used better chips to programme the logic on.


Regards,

Derek
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Dave
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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by Dave »

If only we knew the inner workings of the chip, we would maybe be able to work on a compatible replacement.

If that information were available, it would be a modest proposal to do a "Mega Gold Card" using an '030 at 50 MHz or so. That said, hooking it up to an old school QL does result in diminishing returns, and something like that really needs an Aurora or similar.


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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Hi,

The only files available to the Altera Chips in the QXL, Super/Gold Cards are in JEDEC format. I have looked for a JEDEC decompiler or disassembler. The only think I found was OPALjr, which has a JED2EQN.exe programme, available from:

http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/retrocomputing/mmi/palasm

I never really got this to work, maybe this is due to the version of DOS.

Since Altera Programming hardware is very hard to find and is very expensive and needs a even more rare ISA Logic Programming Card LP6. That I could decompile the JEDEC files and use a more up to date Altera chip.

This is problay more difficult than resigning the Super Gold Card from scratch.


Regards,

Derek
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Dave
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Re: Wanted: Q60 or a QXL board

Post by Dave »

I bet that is where some good money is: making those LP6 cards.


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