transfer from pc to ql is it possible

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robsoft
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by robsoft »

dilwyn wrote:Ah, another stab in the dark - the JM ROM. Again without knowledge of the way the transfer software works, the JM ROM does have a limited input buffer (128 bytes) whereas with other later ROMs it is dynamic.
Ah, now that's interesting - I was trying to decide whether the next upgrade (once I've got floppies working) would be a HERMES chip or to upgrade to JS. I think a HERMES chip is around £20-£25 on SellMyRetro and Rich has a JS chipset for about £15, I think.

The floppy/ram card I've got coming is 'Trump compatible'. I know it's impossible for you to say with any certainty but do you think I would benefit from upgrading to JS asap? My goal with the QL is to try and write a few useful programs for it, in time, and I wonder if the fixes and improvements in the JS rom would make that the obvious 'next step' for me to upgrade.


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dilwyn
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by dilwyn »

robsoft wrote:Ah, now that's interesting - I was trying to decide whether the next upgrade (once I've got floppies working) would be a HERMES chip or to upgrade to JS. I think a HERMES chip is around £20-£25 on SellMyRetro and Rich has a JS chipset for about £15, I think.

The floppy/ram card I've got coming is 'Trump compatible'. I know it's impossible for you to say with any certainty but do you think I would benefit from upgrading to JS asap? My goal with the QL is to try and write a few useful programs for it, in time, and I wonder if the fixes and improvements in the JS rom would make that the obvious 'next step' for me to upgrade.
If dabbling with serial comms I'd have said that Hermes is a better choice of the two. The improvements in a JS ROM over a JM are fairly minimal and mostly cancelled out if you intend to write programs in BASIC which will be compiled with QLiberator or Turbo. If writing programs is your main likely application, it might even be worth considering a Minerva ROM if you can get one, as that provides many more improvements than even a JS ROM.
I'd suggest waiting until you've got a lead (serial comms-pun not intended) on the comms issues before deciding, and for the Trump Card to arrive, by which time you might have developed a clearer chain of thought as to where your priorities are likely to take you.


robsoft
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by robsoft »

dilwyn wrote:I'd suggest waiting until you've got a lead (serial comms-pun not intended) on the comms issues before deciding, and for the Trump Card to arrive, by which time you might have developed a clearer chain of thought as to where your priorities are likely to take you.
Thank you Dilwyn, that seems sensible and very helpful. Cheers :-)


georgeo
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by georgeo »

Hi Robsoft,

I don't know if you are still wrestling with serial transfers, but I've managed to make some progress, though I'm not exactly sure how!

I, like you. got stuck using QTerm to complete an XModem 1k transfer. All I received was a no-response warning in QTerm, which timed out after a few attempts.

However, i tried again tonight and was able to transfer the 'qterm_doc' file using XModem 1k mode. I don't quite know why it worked tonight, but i can tell you the three things that i did check:

- i set hardware flow control in TeraTerm, for the serial port configuration.
- i checked that QTerm was reading from Serial Port 1, via the [F3] configuration options.
- i closed and then restarted TeraTerm for each transfer attempt - in the hope that this resets the serial port and clears any data from the buffer on the PC end.

I could only transfer data reliably at baud rates of up to 4,800. At baud=9,600, i received repeated errors and didn't manage to transfer even one block.

I haven't yet tried running config_bas, so i need to remember to configure the serial port whenever i run the terminal program. However, I'll experiment with config_bas when I get chance.

I hope this helps,
Georgeo.


georgeo
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by georgeo »

P.S. Not specifically a QL observation, but the same serial cable can be used to connect a QL (Serial Port 1) to a PC or a Spectrum +3/ +2A to a PC. The cable I'm using was originally built for a +3 but seems to work equally well with a QL.

Of course, serial port support on a Spectrum is much more rudimentary than on a QL, but you can reliably transfer data at baud rates up to 9,600 bps with a bit of machine code.


robsoft
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by robsoft »

HI Georgeo, just catching up here! I'm not doing anything else with my serial cable now, must admit that since I got the 2 floppies working I have done all my transfers using floppies.

I run a licensed Q-eMulator install on my Mac, I tend to prep things up on that and then transfer to floppies and then over the machine. It's not ideal, but it's fine. I haven't tried using the cable on my +3 (currently at the repair shop) but I will do when it comes back :-)


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1024MAK
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by 1024MAK »

I'm just reading through the new posts on this thread. I don't know if you are aware, but some USB-RS232 adaptors don't correctly handle hardware flow control signals.

Just like some built in RS232 ports on PCs don't work properly with hardware flow control when the OS is Windows. Although "modern" software when used to connect a "modern" MODEM works around this.

Mark


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georgeo
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by georgeo »

Hi Mark,

This is a good point. My previous attempt to transfer data using QTerm involved my old laptop with a built-in serial port. However, on this occasion, I used a Keyspan USB-to-serial converter.

From previous experiments with serial communications on a ZX Spectrum, I discovered that I had to implement a rudimentary hardware flow-control in software (the irony) to get reliable transfers with my laptop's built-in serial port.

Time permitting ... I could probably create a simple serial transfer program to replace TeraTerm XModem support, but that can cope with poor RS232 implementations. At the very least, I'll retry the built-in serial port again, to check what I said above.

Thanks,
George.


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dely
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by dely »

Hello,

I am a new QL User and I am looking for way to transfer an unzip app to my new machine. I have built RGB and serial cables for my QL and using tutorial from this topic I have managed to transfer QTerm, but... I have original, unexpanded 128k machine without FDD interface. Is there any way to send unzip with my config?

Thank you!


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dilwyn
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Re: transfer from pc to ql is it possible

Post by dilwyn »

On a 128K QL, nope. Unzip needs over 100K for code, 50K for dataspace plus space for any files.


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