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The video system I created can have any arbitrary resolution from 160x120 to 1024x1024 in even numbers. It supports 1/2/4/8/15/16 bits per pixel, so 2/4/256/65536 colors. There is a CLUT so arbitrary colors can be associated with any internal value, which is quite flexible. As long as the pixel...

I've been out of action for a few days. Now I'm catching up with work and opening all the packages that came while I was distracted. Lots of fun components. I received a reel of digital video ICs and protection circuitry for them. This makes it very easy to have digital video out from the video...

Some small items of progress and some clarification today. Clarification first. I'm not only building a 680X0-based PC. I'm starting by building a prototype expansion card for the Sinclair QL that offers at least CPU, RAM and flash, and the video subsystem in the first iteration. Once the...

This is gold! :D Thank you.

Can you tell me more about that?

It has some advantages, in providing a lot of civilized and trainable IO ina very compact and affordable package. It comes unstuck a little in that it's designed to sit on an ISA bus at 8 or 10 MHz. I'm hopijng it'll be able to run a lot quicker than that, but I'm not assuming anything. I chose...

There are many SuperIO. The fun part is that most have a compatible group of parts that use verty standard interfaces. I love that the ISA SuperIOs are usually plug and play compatible for Windows 95, which means they all have a consistent register format. It's also great that the floppy, serial...

With a little more thinking, one of my earlier ideas above has been ruled out as impractical. The idea of having a processor direct slot so to speak, and have the backplane plug into that. This would require cards to move down into their slots <i>and</i> back into their connectors...

One thing that has become increasingly true in recent years is that if we're to build satisfactory machines we need to have multiple power domains. All the cool vintage-relevant systems benefit from using 3.3V components. 3.3V (3V3 from here on) memories are larger, cheaper, and less power...

Any system that has ever gone anywhere and that wasn't portable/pocket-sized has some form of expansion. Maybe a cartridge port, maybe an expansion bus. The maximum capabilities of a machine always come through the addition of custom hardware to either add missing desirable features, or recently...

As this board is designed to fit in a MicroATX format there are some elements of the design that are defined by standard. One is the IO area. I have put a lot of thought into what is basic and what is optional IO. I quickly decided that there are certain elements any modern retro computer must...

I made a conscious decision to not post it there but in some parochial place where few QLers might go. I've famously not released quite a few nice bits of kit for the QL. It really is time to pull a rabbit out of the hat, but the kind of input I get there isn't the kind I find terribly useful...

I compared the memory maps of the Gold Card, Super Gold Card and the Q-Computers by Peter Graf - Q40, Q60, and Q68. I learned that the vintage unsupported OS max out at 16MB (Minerva) and even the supported OS SMSQ/E tops out at, I believe, 64MB. This doesn't prevent me from placing devices or...

Over the last week, besides fighting the pick and place that's the heart of my SMD production line, I've been preparing a test bench for this project. I live in the clutter of 20 overlapping projects, and the ADHD has me. So anyway, I started by clearing a little space and getting the basic...

I know of a project. It's the Victor, being developed by Vicenary. This is his youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vicenary

Today I received 50 MC68EC030RP40 so that's nice. I already have 40x MC68882FN40 to pair with them. I also received a couple of trays of ATF1508 in QFP100 package. I already have on hand reels and reels of 74LVCT16245 level shifters and a bunch of 8Mx8/4Mx16 PSRAM. I also have a bunch of 8Mx8...

As the master of vaporware, I've successfully not released dozens of Sinclair QL hardware bits and bobs. :) I think it's time that changed. I've done so much work on so many things, and it's time to just go through the large pile of designs and filter them and condense them down into something...

I used to work at Sandy, which was a partner company of SPEM. The Sandy Superdisk and SPEM interfaces had a lot in common and shared a common ROM image up to 1.16. The Sandy Superdisk evolved into the SuperQBoard over time. Sandy ROMs should work in SPEM products and vice versa, though some...

I *am* replying promptly. I'm a new user with less than 10 posts so my responses will be delayed by the needed mod approval. Please forgive what looks like tardiness. Also, please forgive my constant apologizing. I am an English ex-pat. :) Another question I thought of regarding ZuluIDE. Does...

Noted. Written before coffee. Edited to remove misattributed comment. My apologies folks. COFFEE! STAT!