| QL Hardware World |
THE Computamate QDisk could be the definitive floppy disc interface for the QL.
The disc drives can be used as a direct substitution for the microdrives, and that includes the PSION packages. A conversion program is provided on disc for those and they can be made to work from a single drive. The new versions of the programs can be configured for discs.
As a bonus you get a number of extras apparently lifted from the forthcoming Sinclair Toolkit program - in the form of true random access, enhanced file handling, Basic control of jobs - provided you can get back into Basic - and Hex and Bin conversion routines. CST must have pointed its prayer mat towards Fetter Lane as the Q-Disk will be available from W H Smith, priced £149 inclusive. They will also be selling a number of combined drive and interface packages from £299 up to £574.
Fitting the interface is easy. The cover on the expansion port is removed and the interface slides in.
Up to two drives can be used, 5¼, 3½ or 3in; the software in the interface could handle more drives but the hardware is the limiting factor. Each drive can be any combination of 40 or 80 tracks, single or double-sided. You have between 354 and 1434 sectors available per drive, depending on the type of drive, or 177K to 717K bytes free, a hefty 1.5Mb possible with two drives. Compared to the 100K of the microdrives, and despite the recent price reduction of the cartridges, that is a more cost effective method of storage.
At its lowest level you can use the interface to replace the microdrive, replacing MDV1_ with FLP1_ and so on. All the usual load and save commands are available for programs and code and EXEC and EXEC_W have been redefined for the drives. The disc is about four times faster in loading and saving code but, due to the way QDOS is designed, only twice as fast saving Basic and takes almost as long as the microdrives to load it.
Where Q-Disk scores is in its file handling. You can use the normal open and close commands, but those have the nasty habit of stopping a program running and generating an error. To overcome that you now have five new commands for opening files which, when used, return the error code in a variable. You can have a program line which says IF err=7 THEN etc.
The other disc-specific commands allow you to rename a file, truncate it, use a wild-card when obtaining a directory or deleting files and set default devices. There are four other commands, not detailed in the manual for obvious reasons which allow you direct access to individual tracks.
If you have no faith in microdrives and need the reliability of discs then go and buy one. If not, then you could do worse than to buy one anyway.
The Computamate QDisk is available from the larger branches of W H Smith.
IF YOU have a Centronics Printer and a QL you have two options, either to spend up to £70 on converting your printer or spending only £49.95 on buying the RS232/Centronics converter from Technology Research.
While other converters have appeared, some at a lower price, this has the advantage that it should be available in high street stores soon. As with other converters, one end plugs into the SER1 socket of the QL and the other, through the obligatory little black box, connects to the printer. The overall length from plug to plug is nearly three metres. It is preset to the QL default settings, 9600 baud etc., and so it can be plugged in and ignored.
Further details from Technology Research Ltd, Middlesex.
MBS Data Efficiency has the distinction of being the first hardware company to have its product officially endorsed by Sinclair. The product in question being a 12in monitor called the Vision QL.
The monitor is made by Kaga in Japan and so is full of state-of-the-japanese-art technology. That includes 'a 90 degree deflection tube', 'Linear Amplifieres' and 'an X-ray protection circuit'.
Why Sinclair should back this particular monitor is a bit of a mystery. It has a smaller picture than the usual 14in monitors and the picture, while adequate, is not outstanding. Trying to cram 85 characters onto that screen size means you have to be closer than usual and turn the brightness up to distinguish the characters; even then they tend to blur. The monitor we were sent for review, which you would expect to be correctly set up, had the added disadvantage of having spare screen around the picture.
Unlike other monitors, however, the Vision QL has a good array of controls on the back to adjust picture size and position so you can get the most from it. On the front is a brightness control and the on/off switch.
It is supplied with the RGB lead already attached and so is, initially, easy to set up. Also it has a black housing and so complements the overall QL style.
If it was not for the Sinclair seal of approval this monitor would not stand out from the rest. Its price of £299 inc seems to be about the average. As it is, and bearing in mind the wide service base of MBS, you can expect to see a lot of them.
MBS Data Efficiency Ltd, Hertfordshire.