| QL (Quantum Leap) |
/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_side_3.jpg |
/companies/sinclair |
Sinclair |
| label |
value |
| NAME |
QL (Quantum Leap) |
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value |
| MANUFACTURER |
Sinclair |
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value |
| TYPE |
Home Computer |
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value |
| ORIGIN |
United Kingdom |
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| BUILT IN LANGUAGE |
Sinclair Super Basic |
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| KEYBOARD |
QWERTY / AZERTY pseudo full-stroke keyboard\
5 function keys |
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value |
| CPU |
Motorola MC 68008 |
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value |
| SPEED |
7.5 MHz |
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| CO-PROCESSOR |
Intel 8049 IPC (RS232, speaker, joysticks, keyboard)\
Sinclair ZX8301 (Peripheral Control)\
Sinclair ZX8302 (Peripheral Chip) |
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| RAM |
128 kb (up to 728 kb without additional CPU)\
85 kb free under Super Basic |
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| ROM |
48 kb (up to 64 kb) |
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| TEXT MODES |
40 x 25, 64 x 25, 85 x 25 |
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| GRAPHIC MODES |
256 x 256 (8 colors)\
512 x 256 (4 colors) |
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| COLORS |
256 color effects |
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| SIZE / WEIGHT |
47,2 x 13,8 x 4,6 cm / 1,4 kg |
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| I/O PORTS |
2 x Serial sockets (RS232)\
2 x Sinclair Network sockets\
2 x Controllers sockets\
ROM connector\
Expansion bus\
External microdrives bus\
RGB video output\
RF video output |
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| BUILT IN MEDIA |
2 x microdrives (100 kb each) |
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| POWER SUPPLY |
External PSU |
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| PRICE |
399£ (UK, february 1984) |
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| FRONT |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_front_1.jpg |
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| SIDE |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_front_2.jpg |
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| SIDE 2 |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_side_1.jpg |
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| SIDE 3 |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_side_2.jpg |
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| IN BOX |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_styro.jpg |
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| BOX |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_box_1.jpg |
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| MICRODRIVES CLOSEUP |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_microdrives.jpg |
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| MICRODRIVES OPENED |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_microdrives_opened.jpg |
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| MICRODRIVE TAPES |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_microdrives_2.jpg |
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| BLANK MICRODRIVES TAPES |
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This little box with 4 blank microdrive tapes was delivered with the Sinclair QL |
/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_microdrive_coffret.jpg |
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| REAR |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_rear_1.jpg |
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| REAR |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_rear_2.jpg |
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| MOTHERBOARD |
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/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_mobo_2.jpg |
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| MOTHERBOARD EXPLAINED |
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This is one of the very first pictures of the inside of a QL. The motherboard, still in beta-version, will undergo several modifications during the difficult birth of the QL and also during the QL's life.
**(1)** Expansion connector for external peripherals and internal 512 Kb. RAM extension.\
**(2)** Connector for 32 Kb. ROM software cartridges.\
**(3)** Two 9-pin joystick connectors.\
**(4)** Two 9-pin serial RS-232 connectors.\
**(5)** TV aerial RF modulator. Through this video output, only 60 char. per line are allowed.\
**(6)** RGB video output connector. 85 char. per line allowed.\
**(7)** Sinclair local network connector. Up to 64 QLs or Spectrums can be connected together.\
**(8)** Up to six additional microdrives can be connected here.\
**(9)** Integrated microdrives.\
**(10)** Intel 8049 microprocessor in charge of keyboard, sound and serial port management.\
**(11)** Two chipsets specially designed for the QL (ZX-8301/02), in charge of video display and various Inputs/Outputs.\
**(12)** Motorola 68008 microprocessor. A 16-bit processing unit, but only an 8-bit data bus. |
/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_inside_1.jpg |
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| KEYBOARD EXPLAINED |
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The QL keyboard is made of two semi-flexible plastic sheets with a wire network connecting each key. Under each key, the 2 sheets are separated by a ''bubble'' which keeps the wires from each sheet separated. When the key is pressed, the bubble is flattened and makes a contact between two wires. This bubble is also used to ensure the normal position of the key. This process makes it possible for the QL to offer a keyboard touch practically identical to a mechanical keyboard while keeping a very low profile.
**(1)** Superior key caps.\
**(2)** Vertical guide of the key.\
**(3)** Bubble which keeps the key raised and breaks the contact between two wires.\
**(4)** Two superimposed plastic sheets.\
**(5)** Wires connecting each key of the keyboard. |
/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_keyboard_1.jpg |
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| MECHANICAL KEYBOARD |
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This model is not a new mysterious version of the QL, but only a mechanical keyboard addon sold to replace the original and fragile keyboard. As it was very expensive, only a few QLs have been upgraded like this.
The funcion keys are red, the letters keys (A - Z) are dark brown and the rest of the keys are black.
Thanks to [oldcomput.8k.com](http://oldcomput.8k.com) for this picture. |
/media/museum/photos/sinclair_ql_mechanical-keyboard_1.jpg |
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| QL MONITOR AD. |
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It was actually a rebadged Taxan monitor |
/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_pub_1.jpg |
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| FRENCH ADVERT |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_sicob_pub.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #2 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s2.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #3 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s3.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #4 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s4.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #5 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s5.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #6 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s6.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #7 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s7.jpg |
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| QL CATALOGUE #8 |
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/media/museum/pubs/sinclair_ql_brochure1_s8.jpg |
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| TRUMP CARD |
from Miracle Systems |
This famous card allows to add a floppy disk controller to the standard QL and to add Tony Tebby's QJUMP Toolkit II commands to the standard QL's somewhat limited internal QDOS commands. |
/media/museum/hardware/sinclair_ql_trump-card_1.jpg |
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| 512K EXPANDERAM |
from Miracle Systems |
This card adds 512k RAM to the QL. |
/media/museum/hardware/sinclair_ql_miracle-512kcard_1.jpg |
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| SINCLAIR 512K RAM EXPANSION |
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/media/museum/hardware/sinclair_ql_512k_ram_expansion.jpg |
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| JASMIN DISK-DRIVE |
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This is the Jasmin disk-drive for the QL. It is the same as the Oric Jasmin II.
3'' floppies, double head, 80 tracks, 800kb formated.
This thing cost 3500fr in 1985. |
/media/museum/hardware/sinclair_ql_disk_1.jpg |
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| DOUBLE 5''1/4 DISK-DRIVES |
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/media/museum/hardware/sinclair_ql_diskdrive_2.jpg |
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| MONOPOLY |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_ss_monopoly.jpg |
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| LANDS OF HAVOC |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_lands_of_havoc_ss.jpg |
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| PIRATE |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_pirate_ss.gif |
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| QL CHESS |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_chess_ss.gif |
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| PHARAO ? |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_pharao_ss.jpg |
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| VROOM |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_vroom_ss.jpg |
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| TENNIS |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_ss_tennis.jpg |
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| SPOOK |
Pac-man clone |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_spook_ss.gif |
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| THE LOST KINGDOM OF SKUL |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_skul_ss.gif |
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| SLIME |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_slime_ss.jpg |
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| ICE |
Graphical User Interface (GUI) |
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/media/museum/software/sinclair_ql_ice_ss.jpg |
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| Sinclair QL Spanish Resources |
http://sinclairql.es |
Sinclair QL and compatible Spanish Resources |
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| author |
date |
text |
| Yan (Brazil) |
Thursday 28th November 2019 |
The year was 1984 and I had a TS-2068 equipped with a backyard made ZX-Spectrum cartridge. I remember to browse the personal computers magazines and literally drool over the pages wondering when I would be able to have my own QL, that supposed to be the natural next step for 2068 owners. Unluckily it was the big failure that everybody is aware of and no one of these fantastic computers have arrived in my country that I know. A couple years later I moved from the 2068 to MSX and it was a big meh for me. Quickly I got rid of it and moved to my first PC-XT. Good old times! :) |
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| zozo (france) |
Thursday 30th October 2014 |
j''en ai eu un dans les 90''s mais rien fait avec manuel en anglais... c''était a mon grand frere.dommage qu''il n''est pas eu plus de couleur et des sprites... |
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| Trevor Harvey (UK) |
Sunday 21st April 2013 |
My first computer, before I went PC mad. QL had the big breakthrough - after using BBC micros - in its bundled advanced suite of Psion programs called Xchange, plus an advanced BASIC. Tony Tebby was the software engineer - I met him at QL meets, a very enthusiastic man with long hair and glasses who thought in assembly language. The excellent Xchange word processor, database, spreadsheet and business graphics, were let down by the printers of the day, but programming the printer driver taught me loads about ASCII and serial/parallel comms. No USB then! Until the Amstrad WPs came a long, the Xchange Quill WP was many people''s first choice. We somehow got used to the clunky keyboard. I still have my QL, plus its Microvitec monitor. Somehow, I feel affectionate to the old thing. |
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| Clay Bowen (USA) |
Thursday 18th April 2013 |
This computer was my upgrade from the 2068. I had the extended memory card, a pair of external quad density 5.25" drives. I did a lot of programming on this machine with a QL version of Pascal (ISO, not Borland). I may still have it in the closet... I have to admit, even after all this time, the microdrive was one of the coolest media ever. |
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| Gordon McIntosh (UK) |
Wednesday 6th April 2011 |
I used a QL all the way through university - the 2 built in microdrives were surprisingly reliable. I also remember playing quite a good adventure game on it called "The legend of Zkul" |
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| Urs Koenig (Switzerland) |
Monday 19th October 2009 |
2009 is the year of the 25th anniversary of breaking innovations in personal computing. Early 1984 two milestones were unfolded on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Europe was first with the launch of the 32bit multitasking/multiwindowing Sinclair QL. 12 days later America saw the launch of the 32bit GUI/multiwindowing Apple Macintosh. They both entered the field to compete with IBM''s PC.
Even the Sinclair QL failed in the designated market with only about 150000 machines sold, it inspired many experts and influenced today''s products in one way or another. Most prominent example is Linux, where its creator Linus Torvalds was a QL crack back in the 80s and learned the basics about preemptive multitasking on the QL. To know more about all that, please follow the full 25th anniversary story. http://www.tinyurl.com/9ryma3 |
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| Francisco Martín (Spain) |
Saturday 27th September 2008 |
There are new QL versions available today, have changed a lot (into a some format of mix between PC and Spectrum) but if you are a QL fan, you have to visit this link:
http://www.q40.de/q40.dedownload.html
This versions have been called "Q40", "Q60" and "Q80", and have also a nick "The Super QL''s"
Greetings from Spain. |
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| Ian Gillman (UK) |
Tuesday 8th March 2005 |
I used a Sinclair QL at university in 1994. I needed a cheap computer that I could use to type up my final year project and Dr Buist sold me a QL for £50. The QL he sold me had an external floppy drive that could read and write PC disks. Once I had typed up the project I could transfer it to a PC for formatting and final printing. I even taught myself 68K assembly language so that I could play with the internals of the machine. There was one chip (I think it was the I/O chip) that used nybbles (half of a byte) to communicate. |
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