Sandy Electronics.

[Dave]

Hi all!

I saw there was some discussion on here of the work we're doing at Sandy Electronics. I thought it would be good to register and answer any questions and listen to any ideas.

I don't speak Spanish, unfortunately, but I will do the best I can.

I have been making replacement microdrive felt pads that seem to work for about 75-85% of cartridges. Some cartridges are too badly damaged and unrecoverable, but many come back. Even if the data cannot be recovered, they format well. When the pads are replaced on microdrives before they fail, the success rate is >95%.

Right now we're assembling the last batch of Minerva MK IIs. We also have the last batch of MPlane backplanes.

I am working on some projects, in order:

896K fast SRAM memory expansion - due in 2-3 months
UltimIDE (IDE, CF and SSD) - due in 4-6 months
UltraQ (Floppy, parallel, mouse, IDE, 4MB fast RAM, faster CPU) - 7-12 months
...and more.

The estimated delivery dates are just that - estimates!

So, if anyone has questions I will do my best to answer them. If the question is in Spanish, I will only be able to reply in English, but I will do the best I can with a little help from you and Google Translate

Thanks!

Dave
Sandy Electronics

[mcleod_ideafix]

I am working on some projects, in order:

896K fast SRAM memory expansion - due in 2-3 months
UltimIDE (IDE, CF and SSD) - due in 4-6 months
UltraQ (Floppy, parallel, mouse, IDE, 4MB fast RAM, faster CPU) - 7-12 months
...and more.

That's wonderful news. Any webpage, blog or forum we can follow progress of these projects?

[afx]

Ya que habéis coincidido los dos en este hilo (Dave y Mcleod).

¿Podría existir en el futuro algún tipo de colaboración entre Sandy Electronics y los proyectos de Mcleod_ideafix relacionados con el QL?. Me refiero a una posible "comercialización" de QLSD (sin guión) y a la ampliación RAM de Mcleod_ideafix.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2281
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2012

Personalmente, entre todos los proyectos que hay en marcha en el QL, el del QLSD me parece el más atractivo como solución al problema de almacenamiento del QL.

Todo lo que sea aunar fuerzas vendrá muy bien al desvalido mundo del Sinclair QL

[Dave]

That's wonderful news. Any webpage, blog or forum we can follow progress of these projects?

Blog: http://www.SinclairQL.com/wp/
Store: http://www.SinclairQL.com/store/

Ya que habéis coincidido los dos en este hilo (Dave y Mcleod).

I am happy to work with anyone

I think my SuperRAM expansion is a little more complicated than mcleod_ideafix's 512K SRAM - the logic was designed by Nasta to do some interesting tricks. This avoids some problems with older QDOS versions, and allows shadowing of internal RAM which gives a good speed boost.

Later, the UltraQ uses a 68008FN to add 4MB of SRAM.

Finally, the QL2 uses a 68EC030 @ 50MHz, will have 128MB RAM, and store the OS and expansion ROM images in flash, which can be updated using a Flash Utility.

[Dave]

The QLSD project is in a difficult place. There is already a QL-SD project which has been commercially released. The market for anything for the QL is very small, I do not want to hurt QL-SD's market at all - it is not big enough for two players. Instead, I would like to do everything I can to encourage Paul with QL-SD, and hope he takes on other projects too.

I also think if there is more than one QLSD system, they should use a compatible format.

However, the QL-SD project is struggling a little with manufacturing, because of the very fine pitch of the leads on the QFP chip - 0,5mm. If they can't deliver, it harms the community. There might come a time when an alternative is needed. We're not there yet. If we get there, I'll happily build either version of QLSD.

That said, UltimIDE provides IDE hard drive, dual CompactFlash and on-board SSD support. It will be faster and have better developed drivers at launch.

[afx]

the QL-SD project is struggling a little with manufacturing, because of the very fine pitch of the leads on the QFP chip - 0,5mm ...

Si, otras limitaciones son:
1) Incapacidad de funcionar en QL ampliados con (Super) Gold Card .
2) Hay que manipular el hardware original (esto es un riesgo).

That said, UltimIDE provides IDE hard drive, dual CompactFlash and on-board SSD support

Si, ¡eso fantástico!. Pero tenemos un problema, ¿Cómo transferir ficheros desde un PC a una CF con formato QutIDE?. José Leandro (otro diseñador hardware español) tuvo ese problema con su proyecto Clon QubIDE ( http://hardware.speccy.org/temp/qubide.html ). Dicho con las propias palabras de José Leandro: "Aunque el interface funciona perfectamente, no es de gran utilidad a día de hoy. Ningún emulador soporta este interface ni existen programas que permitan pasar información desde una CF formateada con el Qubide y un PC. Dicho de otro modo, no es posible tener un sinclair QL con un qubide lleno de programas sin tener que utilizar algún metodo de transferencia entre el PC y el QL"

Esto supone que UltimIDE debe venir acompañada de otra tarjea como UtraQ (una tarjea con una controladora de floppys), pero el problema es: ¿cómo metemos esas dos tarjetas dentro de la "Black Box" del QL? Además, para los sistemas QL ampliados con una (Super) Gold Card ¿cómo añadiríamos una segunda tarjeta como UltimIDE dentro de una BBQL?

Una posible solución a todas estas cuestiones podría ser QLSD que soporte tarjetas SD con formato FAT, con la cual podríamos transferir ficheros desde el PC al QL. Yo veo dos alternativas de futuro para completar un BBQL:
a) UltimIDE + QLSD.
b) QLSD + UltraQ.
También ...
c) (Super) Gold Card + QLSD.

Insisto, una solución elegante a mucho problemas de expansión actuales del QL es una tarjeta tipo QLSD.

[jzx]

Para pasar datos de PC a QL no hay ningún software para usar el puerto serie??. Será lento, pero no lo tendrás que usar muy a menudo y es barato.

[Dave]

Si, otras limitaciones son:
1) Incapacidad de funcionar en QL ampliados con (Super) Gold Card .
2) Hay que manipular el hardware original (esto es un riesgo).

My understanding is that Peter and Paul plan to release, and have already developed, a parallel port version that works with the SGC, and can work with any QL bidirectional parallel port I believe. It's a simple plug-in part. That said, I have asked for permission to incorporate QL-SD into UltraQ and QL2. When I asked, I did not know there was a separate QLSD project

Si, ¡eso fantástico!. Pero tenemos un problema, ¿Cómo transferir ficheros desde un PC a una CF con formato QutIDE?. José Leandro (otro diseñador hardware español) tuvo ese problema con su proyecto Clon QubIDE ( http://hardware.speccy.org/temp/qubide.html ). Dicho con las propias palabras de José Leandro: "Aunque el interface funciona perfectamente, no es de gran utilidad a día de hoy. Ningún emulador soporta este interface ni existen programas que permitan pasar información desde una CF formateada con el Qubide y un PC. Dicho de otro modo, no es posible tener un sinclair QL con un qubide lleno de programas sin tener que utilizar algún metodo de transferencia entre el PC y el QL"

Esto supone que UltimIDE debe venir acompañada de otra tarjea como UtraQ (una tarjea con una controladora de floppys), pero el problema es: ¿cómo metemos esas dos tarjetas dentro de la "Black Box" del QL? Además, para los sistemas QL ampliados con una (Super) Gold Card ¿cómo añadiríamos una segunda tarjeta como UltimIDE dentro de una BBQL?

Una posible solución a todas estas cuestiones podría ser QLSD que soporte tarjetas SD con formato FAT, con la cual podríamos transferir ficheros desde el PC al QL. Yo veo dos alternativas de futuro para completar un BBQL:
a) UltimIDE + QLSD.
b) QLSD + UltraQ.
También ...
c) (Super) Gold Card + QLSD.

Insisto, una solución elegante a mucho problemas de expansión actuales del QL es una tarjeta tipo QLSD.

The new 3.00 drivers on UltimIDE allow direct read/write access at the sector level. Therefore, it is possible to add support for any understood format. The support still needs to be written, but it is easy to add. I expect FAT will be first, plus Atari/Amiga formats and possibly much more.

There isn't a problem putting UltimIDE and UltraQ in a QL together. UltraQ will have an IDE interface and CF slot, but no 2nd CF slot or on-board SSD. The second thing is both interfaces will include a riser (like SQB) so they can carry a daughter-card, which can be a short QL-card.

If QLSD is as developed as QL-SD, or more, I would definitely consider adding it to UltraQ.

The main problem I have is free time. I am working full time on developing 3 all-new expansion cards and a whole new computer. I wish I had time to go search for other peoples' solutions to these problems, but they really need to find me

If anyone wishes me to include their work on a future card, they should email me at dave@SinclairQL.com. If I can see a way to do it and not make a loss, I will always consider it.

[afx]

My understanding is that Peter and Paul plan to release, and have already developed, a parallel port version that works with the SGC, and can work with any QL bidirectional parallel port I believe ...

Si, eso es una solución para una Super Gold Card, pero no para un QL con Gold Gard (Gold Card no tiene puerto paralelo ).

There isn't a problem putting UltimIDE and UltraQ in a QL together. UltraQ will have an IDE interface and CF slot, but no 2nd CF slot or on-board SSD. The second thing is both interfaces will include a riser (like SQB) so they can carry a daughter-card, which can be a short QL-card.

¡¡ Fantástico !! Estamos esperando esas ampliaciones con impaciencia ....

[Dave]

*nods*

I tracked down the QLSD prototype. It was send from RWAP to Adrian Ives, who used to run Memory Lane Computing. He had forgotten to return it, so it is now on its way home.

[speccy]

Esta Sandy Electronics, ¿Es la misma que fabricó la Sandy SuperQBoard?

[Dave]

Yes and no

I was the first employee of Sandy UK P.C.P. Ltd. I obtained permission and started a new business, Sandy Electronics, to continue that work. So, it is a different business, but by the same person. If you own a SuperQBoard V2 or V3, thru-conn 512K RAM, or a Sandy floppy drive with Citizen mechanisms, it was assembled and tested by me.

Dave

[speccy]

I have a SuperQBoard with 512k, the floppy and the printer ports... it has been very helpful

[Dave]

[sinclair200]

Good afternoon Dave,
About the aholmadillas for microdrive, I asked the 21/06 a pack of 10 and now at 25/07 is not shipping anything ....
I recently purchased 24 cartridges in RAWP and would need another 20, but the delay is making me give to.
Regards, Fernando

Buenas tardes Dave,
A proposito de las aholmadillas para los microdrives, yo le pedí el 21/06 un paquete de 10 y hoy a 25/07 aún no se nada del envio....
Recientemente he adquirido 24 cartuchos en Rawp y necesitaria otras 20, pero la tardanza me esta haciendo desistir de hacerlo.
Un saludo, Fernando