The Sinclair QL Forum

Derek_Stewart wrote:Hi Popopo,
I have read the Oqtadrive threads on va-de-retro.com, looks like you had a quite a bit of success with the Oqtadrive.
I have downloded the PI SD Card image file and translated the text file to English.
I only got 10 v1.2 PCBs made, the difference being the motor noise emulstion and the LED is dual colour.
This means a ZX Microdrive could be used or an updated Oqtadrive case.
The Raspberry Pi Zero W has been replaced by the Pi Zero 2 W, which is only available 1 per customer and sells out quickly.
But the Oqtadrive can work without the Pi accessing the SF Card via the USB connection.
So maybe I make the PCBs up, or supply componet kits, with the option to supply the Arduino. The Pi Zero 2 W is a user upgrade.
I can get more PCBs made if the demand requires.

Hi Derek,
Need to be told that it was not me, but the group forum that did it possible thanks to the improvement Tom Dalby on the work of Alexander Vollschwitz.
One guy ordered the PCBs and started the bunch, another one bought the components and programmed the Arduinos, one prepare a image to use directly, another one printed the cases for who wanted, another one found a place to buy cheap the RasbPi, I just coordinated the payments and collected the address, another one did a manual about how to prepare the oqtadrive, another one checked every... and so on, not me , it was a work group.
I didn't try the last version of Oqtadrive, but I Thought it worked fine with Raspberry Pi Zero, Pi Zero 2 works.

About Leds yeah... some of us needed to adapt leds or the case to fit it properly, but was not a big problem.
To be able to transfer files by WiFi oooh that is great and awesome feature

Who would have thought back in 1984 that by the year 2022 it would take a quad-core 1GHz processor fed by a 16Mhz microcontroller daemon to provide the same service as their humble tape driven microdrive. What innovators they were...

\irony mode=off

Ho-hum

ones' complement wrote:Who would have thought back in 1984 that by the year 2022 it would take a quad-core 1GHz processor fed by a 16Mhz microcontroller daemon to provide the same service as their humble tape driven microdrive.

And all that -including reliable, high speed data transmission via radio waves & 30'000+ cartridges- for less than 10% of the original price of a microdrive unit (adjusted back to 1984)

Looking back I'm always amazed by how far computing has come. When I wrote my thesis for example, I re-paginated the document only once a day - during (a very long) lunch break...

BTW, single-core, e.g. Pi Zero 1, will do nicely.

Great to see such interest in the humble Microdrive with some new emulation hardware on the scene! Was a bit disappointed though, I must admit, that on reading through the source, I couldn't find any 68000 assembly code anywhere ( and I thought this was a retro project ...)

Full discosure: I'm the maker/designer of the vDrive QL- I still make them, by the way, for anyone who's looking for a truly standalone Microdrive hardware emulator that simply needs a QL to get it up and running. And no - it doesn't come with a wifi connection

Bloodnok wrote:... for anyone who's looking for a truly standalone Microdrive hardware emulator that simply needs a QL to get it up and running.

Actually, OqtaDrive + a Raspberry Pi is truly standalone. The last missing piece is controlling it from the QL/Spectrum, but for that I already have a few ideas.

Hi,

I feel I am stepping on the toes of the vDrive, but since I have a vDriveQL & VMAP, I would make an Oqtadrive to work with VdriveQL.

The only problem I have at present, is the supply problem of the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which has been replaced by the Rapsberry Pi 2 W and is on;t available to 1 per customer and sells out within minutes.

xelalex wrote:

Bloodnok wrote:... for anyone who's looking for a truly standalone Microdrive hardware emulator that simply needs a QL to get it up and running.

Actually, OqtaDrive + a Raspberry Pi is truly standalone. The last missing piece is controlling it from the QL/Spectrum, but for that I already have a few ideas.

Hi Alex,

My comments were only in jest (using relatively massive computing power for a simple hardware emulator is just too tempting a target - I thought using an ATMega328 for the vDrive QL was a step to far!). As far as the OqtaDrive is concerned - it's great to see new projects around the QL as they are becoming few and far between.

On a personal note, I'm happy with what was achieved with the vDrive QL (it is what it is) . I doubt I will move forward with any further development apart from finally adding a sound effects upgrade(done on the vDrive ZX, just not available yet for the QL). With over 800 (hopefully happy) vDrive QL customers, I think, after about 6 years in the market, demand has likely peaked!

So, all the best for your project and look forward to seeing where you take it.

Cheers,

Charlie

Derek_Stewart wrote:Hi,

I feel I am stepping on the toes of the vDrive, but since I have a vDriveQL & VMAP, I would make an Oqtadrive to work with VdriveQL.

The only problem I have at present, is the supply problem of the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which has been replaced by the Rapsberry Pi 2 W and is on;t available to 1 per customer and sells out within minutes.

Hi Derek,

Certainly not stepping on my toes!

Even the genuine ATMega328P used in the vDrive are in short supply - plenty of fakes around of course...

Bloodnok wrote:My comments were only in jest (using relatively massive computing power for a simple hardware emulator is just too tempting a target - I thought using an ATMega328 for the vDrive QL was a step to far!).

No problem! This is actually a good point. When I start a new retro project, I always think about the right balance between the capabilities of the vintage h/w and the new h/w to be added. The Arduino Nano I'd say is computationally in the same ball park as a Spectrum or QL, and that would be a good balance from my point of view. With the Pi that's already a different story.

But as I wrote further up, computer h/w has made tremendous progress over the last 50 years. What may seem powerful in comparison to a vintage machine, could be nothing by today's standards. And what motivates me to work on my projects, in addition to keeping the old h/w running, is combining it with what we have available today. I guess we all set the dials to different values here. And when it comes to my classic car for example, I'm taking a whole different approach. I'm quite a 'keeping it stock' fanatic there...

Cheers,
Alex

xelalex wrote:

Bloodnok wrote:... for anyone who's looking for a truly standalone Microdrive hardware emulator that simply needs a QL to get it up and running.

Actually, OqtaDrive + a Raspberry Pi is truly standalone. The last missing piece is controlling it from the QL/Spectrum, but for that I already have a few ideas.

That is nice, also I have an idea XD one day... in the far future use the RaspBPI in the Oqtadrive to acelerate the QL as it were plugged an Super Gold Card accelerator + sound card Why not? just one day.... far away