QLion Gold Card

[Andrew]

The QLion Gold card is finished
...
Speed is 5.1 bogomips and the tindex index is:

21 in qdos/68000
21.5 in 512x384 4 colour aurora mode in smsqe/68020
15.5 in 512x384 256 colour aurora mode in smsqe/68020
17.5 in 1024x768 4 colour aurora mode in smsqe/68020

So the final specifications are:

- 68000/68020 emulated cpu, TG68KdotC core
- 4MB of ram, 3712K available to OS, 256K as extra video ram
- 512K flash rom lets you choose using switches from 4 sets of rom and driver rom (patched JS+qlsd, Minerva+qlsd+tk2 etc).
- QLSD storage for win1_ to win8_ drives. It uses my implementation of SPI not bit banging, it's driver tested to work well with toolkit 2.36.
- VGA up-scaled to 1024x768 output that can be easily converted to hdmi if needed with a cheap external adapter (QL standard video output is not usable)
- 16 colors for mode 8.
- 256 color graphics modes for 256x256, 512x256 and 512x384 resolutions, 16 colour mode for 512x256, 4096 colour mode for 256x256 resolution, 3 aurora compatible modes.
- 50 hardware sprites of 16x16 pixels and 15 colors + transparency or 8x16 pixels 255+1 colour (for first 30 sprites), great help in creating games in C and even in Basic with the extensions.
- PS/2 mouse that works in the pointer environment, qimi hardware emulation.
- 3 channels of audio + noise emulating the standard AY-3-8910/YM2149 ic, 3.5mm stereo audio jack output, superbasic extensions for controlling it and a very simple/basic player for ym files.
- 8bit stereo digital sample playback at configurable sample rate, 8K dedicated buffer and a simple player I wrote for raw sample files.
- fast serial port with 3.3v lvttl output to use with a common serial to usb board at speeds much more than 115200, 1K transmit + 1K receive hardware controlled buffer.
- battery backed up real time clock using a DS1307 ic
- Execution speed control in 64 steps for playing games or accessing microdrives.

This sounds great Leon - it's the same speed as Q68 or SuperGoldcard!
A PS2 keyboard input would be great for those who would want to use it stand alone, similar to a Q68.

A QL keyboard input it's a "nice to have", but not a must. Sinclair QL keyboard can use the PS2 port by using a convertor, there are several designs:
- viewtopic.php?t=4106
- viewtopic.php?t=4117

[Maskenlos]

Hi Leon,

great job, well done.

Are you going to build a bunch of units and sell them to the community?

Stephan

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

I have the previous version of QLion board, which works really well in an issue 5 QL. It is coming my main QL based machine.

I look forward to any enhancement.

[Peter]

The QLion Gold card is finished, [...]

Congratulations!

In my own TIndex tests (using CoWo's QTop), I get around the 21x mark for the Q68 and QZero (both in mode 4, SMSQe), so these are great results for the QLion card!

You should get 24.2. Unless you see something obvious (like loading extensions that consume CPU) I'd be interested in finding the discrepancy.

[martyn_hill]

Hi Peter

You should get 24.2. Unless you see something obvious (like loading extensions that consume CPU) I'd be interested in finding the discrepancy.

I probably had FSERVE and Martin Head's brilliant IFSERVE (on the Q68) running at the same time as TIndex to be fair...

[napsternds]

The QLion Gold card is finished, I only wish to test it to more QL’s

Awesome job!!! Congratulations

[lliont]

Are you going to build a bunch of units and sell them to the community?
Stephan

Hi

Thanks, I will make a few hand soldered for testing and when everything proves ok I'll consider building a bunch, I haven't outsourced the pcb assembly before.

Even if hardware is ready there is a lot that could be done for software support of the card, for example to print to the new video modes in qdos.
I made commands for printing colored characters in 256 colour mode and for setting the background, I have to do this for the 4K mode.
There are 2 commands for the sprite control and a sound command for the AY and others to directly program it.
But in this task users can contribute also for example write a communication program for an esp connected through the fast serial port.

[Tinyfpga]

write a communication program for an ESP connected through the fast serial port.

Just a thought:-
It seems to me that it is unlikely that SMSQE systems will ever be seriously used for running media applications and suchlike. What could one do with an ESP?

SMSQE in FPGA could provide amateur industrial control enthusiasts a means of developing control programs written in BASIC, if there was support for robust long distance serial communication hardware.
How about onboard duplex RS-485?

[martyn_hill]

Hi Leon!

Just a thought - assuming low latency communications with the ESP, and again assuming that the ESP could be programmed itself, perhaps I could port the nasty bit-banging of the Sinclair network to the ESP and tap-off a pair of signal lines to drive a higher speed NET port?

[Peter]

I know two people who own unwanted QLs they would be happy to give them to me for the purpose
mentioned above.

I've become quite sceptical about replacing the QL mainboard. Before I designed QLbase, I also thought there were a good number of dead QLs waiting for a new use of the case. Turned out, I was wrong. I wasn't even able to get a single case in good condition. Seems like most dead QLs get repaired, or are not for sale. In the end, I had to slaughter a working QL in order to present the QLbase concept at all.

That said, QLbase is not only designed to carry a Qzero. It can also be used to provide some general infrastructure for other CPU boards. One usually needs a decent power switch, QL network, power supply, QL matrix keyboard converter, audio amplifier for QL speaker, QL LED connector, etc. on a board nicely fitting the QL case without modding.

In practice, QLbase has been designed and used to mount Q68s inside a QL case. But I can not see why it would not serve the QLion Gold card similarly well. Many components would not be placed, but a certain minimum PCB size is required anyway, so that does not hurt. The board is cheap two-layer.

I'm willing to make QLbase including Gerbers available, if Leon wants to use it as a minimal QL mainboard replacement alongside his card.