would you like to improve your QL with...
... a digital connection to modern displays ?
... 1024 x 768 graphics resolution ?
... 65536 colors ?
... a 40 MHz 68000 compatible CPU running Minerva and SMSQ/E ?
... 32 MB RAM ?
... a buffered realtime clock ?
... a 115200 Baud serial port ?
... all the features of QIMSI, just faster ?
If the answer is yes, let me bring you the new "Gold Card" for your QL - QIMSI Gold !
In the year of the 40th QL anniversary, this little surprise for the QL ROM port awaits you:
QIMSI Gold supports the QL matrix keyboard and Joystick with it's accelerated CPU, but currently not the microdrives. Unlike the Miracle Systems Gold Card, QIMSI Gold does not switch off the QL's 68008 CPU, but uses it as a coprocessor. And it uses state of the art electronics for lowest power consumption and very small size. You can have a look at more details in the attached QIMSI Gold manual.
I admit, the idea to use the ROM port instead of the extension slot is a little crazy, but it works... and it comes with the advantage that we can keep older QL extensions in place and easily switch back. QIMSI Gold remains 100% compatible with the standard QIMSI, so it can still just act as an SD card and mouse interface for old hardware.
I would like to thank Stephan, Jan, Martyn and Wolfgang for their fantastic support. Stephan helped to iron out a very strange hardware problem, that almost drove me crazy. Without him, I might have given up on digital video and fall back to VGA. Also Stephan laid the foundation for matrix keyboard support (only UK and DE supported yet).
QIMSI Gold will be launched with a public release at the international QL meeting on May 17/18/19 in Dormagen. So if you want the chance to get hands on one, you now have one more reason to join us there!
All the best
Peter
Update 23-05-2024: User Manual
Update 15-01-2025: Spanisch keyboard driver now available: viewtopic.php?t=5103
. Nice work, I look forward to having a play.
)
