Q40 (motherboard)

Last updated
Q40
DeveloperPeter Graf
ManufacturerD&D Systems
Product familyQx0
Type Personal computer
Operating system QDOS Classic, SMSQ/E, Linux
CPU Motorola 68040 @ 40 MHz
Memory1 MiB of video RAM + up to 32 MiB of RAM
StorageHard Disk
Removable storage Floppy Disk
Display PAL TV or Monitor
256×256 (8 colours)
512×256 (4 colours)
512×256 (16-bit colour)
1024×512 (16-bit colour)
GraphicsPLDs
SoundStereo 20 kHz audio DACs
ConnectivityRS-232, Centronics printer port
Backward
compatibility 		Sinclair QL

The Q40 and Q60 (sometimes known generically as the Qx0 series) are computer motherboards designed in the late 1990s, based on the Motorola 68040 and 68060 microprocessors respectively and intended to be partially compatible with the Sinclair QL microcomputer. [1] Later these were sold as a fully assembled computer in an AT desktop case. [2] [3]

Contents

Hardware

The Q40 and Q60 motherboards were designed by Peter Graf of Germany [1] and manufactured by D&D Systems of the United Kingdom. Peter Graf designed it to fit any standard AT form factor computer case, although D&D later sold it as complete, fully assembled computer. [2]

The Q40 consists of a sub-AT form factor board comprising a 40 MHz 68040 processor, 1 MiB of video RAM, and several PLDs implementing a QL-compatible video display generator, an ISA bus, stereo 20 kHz audio DACs and an AT keyboard interface. Floppy disk, ATA hard disk, RS-232 and Centronics printer port interfaces are provided by an ISA "multi-I/O" card in one of the two ISA slots provided. Up to 32 MiB of FPM or EDO RAM can be installed in two 72-pin SIMM slots. Also included are sockets for two ROM devices, 2 kiB of non-volatile RAM and a real-time clock. Both of the QL's standard video modes are supported, plus two extended modes: 512×256 or 1024×512 pixels with 16-bit colour. The Q40 board was produced in limited quantities before being superseded by the Q40i; essentially a Q60 board with a 40 MHz 68040. [4]

The Q60 became available in 1999. [5] It is a revised board with a 66 MHz 68060 (Q60/66) [6] or 80 MHz 68LC060 (Q60/80) [7] processor and support for up to 128 MiB of RAM.

In 2013 Peter Graf announced that he was working on the Q68, a FPGA based QL compatible single board computer. The Q68 was first presented to the public in April 2014 and became available in autumn 2017. It is produced and marketed by Derek Stewart (of former D&D Systems). [8]

Software

Three operating systems are available for the Q40/Q60; these comprise QDOS Classic (an enhanced version of Qdos 1.10), SMSQ/E and a custom Linux distribution. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola 68060</span> Motorola 680x0 microprocessor, released in 1994

The Motorola 68060 ("sixty-eight-oh-sixty") is a 32-bit microprocessor from Motorola released in 1994. It is the successor to the Motorola 68040 and is the highest performing member of the 68000 series. Two derivatives were produced, the 68LC060 and the 68EC060.

The Sinclair QL is a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as an upper-end counterpart to the ZX Spectrum.

The Motorola 68000 series is a family of 32-bit complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessors. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they were popular in personal computers and workstations and were the primary competitors of Intel's x86 microprocessors. They were best known as the processors used in the early Apple Macintosh, the Sharp X68000, the Commodore Amiga, the Sinclair QL, the Atari ST and Falcon, the Atari Jaguar, the Sega Genesis, the Philips CD-i, the Capcom System I (Arcade), the AT&T UNIX PC, the Tandy Model 16/16B/6000, the Sun Microsystems Sun-1, Sun-2 and Sun-3, the NeXT Computer, NeXTcube, NeXTstation, and NeXTcube Turbo, early Silicon Graphics IRIS workstations, computers from MASSCOMP, the Texas Instruments TI-89/TI-92 calculators, the Palm Pilot, the Control Data Corporation CDCNET Device Interface, and the Space Shuttle. Although no modern desktop computers are based on processors in the 680x0 series, derivative processors are still widely used in embedded systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 4000</span> 1992 personal computer

The Amiga 4000, or A4000, from Commodore is the successor of the Amiga 2000 and Amiga 3000 computers. There are two models: the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari Falcon</span> 1992 personal computer

The Atari Falcon030, released in 1992, is the final personal computer from Atari Corporation. A high-end model of the Atari ST line, the machine is based on a Motorola 68030 CPU and a Motorola 56001 digital signal processor, which distinguishes it from most other microcomputers of the era. It includes a new VIDEL programmable graphics system which greatly improves graphics capabilities.

QDOS is the multitasking operating system found on the Sinclair QL personal computer and its clones. It was designed by Tony Tebby whilst working at Sinclair Research, as an in-house alternative to 68K/OS, which was later cancelled by Sinclair, but released by original authors GST Computer Systems. Its name is not regarded as an acronym and sometimes written as Qdos in official literature.

SMSQ/E is a computer operating system originally developed in France by Tony Tebby, the designer of the original QDOS operating system for the Sinclair QL personal computer. It began life as SMSQ, a QDOS-compatible version of SMS2 intended for the Miracle Systems QXL emulator card for PCs. This was later developed into an extended version, SMSQ/E, for the Atari ST. It consists of a QDOS compatible SMS kernel, a rewritten SuperBASIC interpreter called SBasic, a complete set of SuperBASIC procedures and functions and a set of extended device drivers originally written for the QL emulator for the Atari ST.

SuperBASIC is an advanced variant of the BASIC programming language with many structured programming additions. It was developed at Sinclair Research by Jan Jones during the early 1980s.

The Atari Coldfire Project (ACP) is a volunteer project that has created a modern Atari ST computer clone called the FireBee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle Systems</span> Manufacturer of personal computer peripherals and upgrades, specializing in the Sinclair QL

Miracle Systems Ltd. were a manufacturer of personal computer peripherals and upgrades, specializing in the Sinclair QL, in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Tony Tebby is a computer programmer and the designer of Qdos, the computer operating system used in the Sinclair QL personal computer, while working as an engineer at Sinclair Research in the early 1980s.

The CST Thor series of personal computers are Sinclair QL-compatible systems designed and produced by Cambridge Systems Technology during the late 1980s.

The ZX8301 is an Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA) integrated circuit designed for the Sinclair QL microcomputer. Also known as the "Master Chip", it provides a Video Display Generator, the division of a 15 MHz crystal to provide the 7.5 MHz system clock, ZX8302 register address decoder, DRAM refresh and bus controller. The ZX8301 is IC22 on the QL motherboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macintosh Quadra 610</span> Personal computer by Apple Computer

The Macintosh Quadra 610, originally sold as the Macintosh Centris 610, is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from February 1993 to July 1994. The Centris 610 was introduced alongside the larger Centris 650 as the replacement for the Macintosh IIsi, and it was intended as the start of the new midrange Centris line of computers. Later in 1993, Apple decided to follow an emerging industry trend of naming product families for their target customers – Quadra for business, LC for education, and Performa for home – and folded the Centris 610 into the Quadra family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leading Edge Model D</span> PC marketed by Leading Edge Hardware

The Leading Edge Model D is an IBM clone first released by Leading Edge Hardware in July 1985. It was initially priced at $1,495 and configured with dual 5.25" floppy drives, 256 KB of RAM, and a monochrome monitor. It was manufactured by South Korean conglomerate Daewoo and distributed by Canton, Massachusetts-based Leading Edge. Engineer Stephen Kahng spent about four months designing the Model D at a cost of $200,000. Kahng later became CEO of Macintosh clone maker Power Computing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 4000T</span>

The Amiga 4000T, also known as A4000T, is a tower version of Commodore's A4000 personal computer. Using the AGA chipset, it was originally released in small quantities in 1994 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040 CPU, and re-released in greater numbers by Escom in 1995, after Commodore's demise, along with a new variant which featured a 50 MHz Motorola 68060 CPU. Despite the subsequent demise of Escom, production was continued by QuikPak in North America into at least 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PowerUP (accelerator)</span>

PowerUP boards were dual-processor accelerator boards designed by Phase5 Digital Products for Amiga computers. They had two different processors, a Motorola 68000 series (68k) and a PowerPC, working in parallel, sharing the complete address space of the Amiga computer system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DraCo</span>

The DraCo, also known as DraCo Vision in one of its later models, was a non-linear video editing workstation created by MacroSystem Computer GmbH in 1994, based on the Amiga platform.

References

  1. 1 2 "q40.de: The Home of Q40 and Q60 users". q40.de The Home of Q40 and Q60 users. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  2. 1 2 QUANTA (2012). "Q40/Q60 | QUANTA". QUANTA - QL Users and Tinkerers Association. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  3. ↑ "q40.de: Sales". q40.de - The home of Q40 and Q60 users. 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  4. ↑ "q40.de: Overview: Q40i". www.q40.de. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  5. ↑ Preinsack, Anton; Mulder, Richard (January 2010). "History Special – SINCLAIR QL – AN OLD RELATIVE" (PDF). Amiga Future (82): 35.
  6. ↑ "q40.de: Overview: Q60/66". www.q40.de. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  7. ↑ "q40.de: Overview: Q60/80". www.q40.de. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  8. ↑ Stewart, Derek. "Q68 Order Process" . Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  9. ↑ Godefroy, Thierry (1996). "Sinclair QL and compatible computers". qdos.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  10. ↑ Mellor, Rich. "Items for the Sinclair QL Home Computer - bring your black box up to date!". www.rwapsoftware.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  11. ↑ Jones, Dilwyn. "About The QL". www.dilwyn.me.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  12. ↑ Godefroy, Thierry. "Linux-Q40". linux-q40.sourceforge.net. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  13. ↑ Godefroy, Thierry (2016). "Linux on Q60/Q40". q60linux.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-01-16.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.