The Sinclair QL Forum

Is there demand for a external version of QL-SD?
End of this month I will offer some first external QL-SD devices.
So you don't have to open your QL anymore.
And you can use it on any stock QL with any rom.
As its PCB is significant larger and in lower numbers this feature will be a little bit more expensive than the internal version.
Comments are welcome
Kind regards
Paul

I'd buy one! What will it look like? Will it use the rom port or the expansion port?

Is this version working with Gold and Super Gold Card?

vanpeebles wrote:I'd buy one! What will it look like? Will it use the rom port or the expansion port?

It's for the rom port (by design)
For the look: I have no final version at the moment. So no photo yet. Sorry.
My prototype is all golden (no solder stop mask) and the final version will be green.
The rom is on top looking the same as the internal version and the sd card is on the under side to the right.
And I'm afraid Goldcards and Supergoldcards are also not guaranteed to work or fail as the internal version. Also RAM requirements are the same as the internal version.
Kind regards
Paul

Hello,

If it's by design for the ROM port, I would be interested getting one.

I am living in France : no problem ?

Paul alias POLKa

me too, I would like one

I think the reality is that the market is desperate for a new storage device for the QL - if it plugs into the ROM port and therefore does not require the user to open up the QL, remove ROM chips and switch to Minerva, then it is bound to be a winner and get even more people after it.

A lot of people have QLs as a result of a collection, but then have no means of getting software on them to use them (due to the microdrive cartridges being so unreliable - and lack of repaired cartridges out there!).

However, they want to keep the QL as original as possible, therefore an expansion which means opening the QL goes against their requirements. Also Minerva is not the best platform for using older QL sofware (as not all of it works, or you have to remember to run the QL in dual screen mode).

Then all we need is a cheap and readily available RAM expansion

polka wrote:Hello,

If it's by design for the ROM port, I would be interested getting one.

I am living in France : no problem ?

Paul alias POLKa

No problem at all. I have also been shipping to Brazil, USA, Japan, Canada, Finland Australia and New Zealand. Sending within the European community is comfortable.
Kind regards
Paul

RWAP wrote: Then all we need is a cheap and readily available RAM expansion

I really do agree to that. We have been waiting for ages for Dave's superram. Just to hear he wants to start a new redesign in a new pcb software
Tcat showed his 512k ram.
It's so easy, a german guy made about 8 hand wired versions of this for our german forum members.
I didn't want to dig in Dave's garden.
Dave, how likely is it you manage to deliver super ram before begin of December?
If it's not coming I will offer a 512k ram pack to be bought together with QL-SD.
It will not be brilliant but it will work and be a quality like QL-SD
Kind regards
Paul.

The package of QL-SD and RAM extension sounds very interesting. A quick question just for info, as I'd like to know if it would be possible to put QL-SD, RAM extension (and maybe a floppy controller) on one card for the expansion slot ... Just out of curiosity.