Not quite sure where to post this, but I'll start here...
With Wolfgang's recent announcement of the v3.0 release of his Java-based QL Emulator, SMSQmulator and its new support for the SERial Port, I thought to test it with the QLUB Adapter (QL LAN to USB Bridge Adapter).
To recap, the QLUB Adapter allows you to connect your QL Emulator running on a Host PC (Windows/Unix or Mac with Wine or similar) to the native QL network (or indeed, the ZX Spectrum+Interface-1/Disciple PlusD network) and share files etc between them. For more info about the QLUB Adapter, see viewtopic.php?p=49194#p49194
After installing a fresh JDK on my Windows 10 laptop, firing up SMSQmulator v3 and configuring the SERial port to attach to the COM Port to which my QLUB Adapter is fitted, I'm happy to say that it worked flawlessly!
What is even more surprising is that the performance of the QLUB running under SMSQmulator was actually better than on both QPC and (to a lesser extent) Q-Emulator. Obviously, the raw network bit-rate is not improved (that is a function of the firmware built in to the QLUB's microcontroller), but the 'inter-block Gap' is noticeably shorter, effectively improving overall throughput to a rate similar to that achieved with a pair of Q68s.
Here are some test results - all with a QZero (Q68-like FPGA) running the ND-Q68 driver at the other end:
Test #1:
Running FSERVE on a QZero (net station N7), connected to the QLUB Adapter (N8) on a Windows laptop (Lenovo Carbon-X1, 6th Gen), invoking
Code: Select all
LBYTES 'n7_win1_JP_scr',131072
QPC2: 9.88s
QEmulator (Minerva): 7.83s
QEmulator (SMSQ_QEM): 7.75s
SMSQmulator v3.00: 6.36s
Test #2:
Running FSERVE on the respective emulator/QLUB Adapter (net station N8) on the Windows laptop, invoking
Code: Select all
LBYTES 'n8_win1_JP_scr',131072
QPC2: 11.02s
QEmulator (SMSQ_QEM): 7.55s
SMSQmulator v3.00: 7.24s
Test #3:
By way of a base-line comparison, results between the QZero and a normal QL:
QL Serving/QZero as client: 7.2s (c.f. SMSQmulator serving: 7.24s)
QZero serving/QL as client: 12.1s (c.f. SMSQmulator as client: 6.36s)
Great work, Wolfgang - that's another QL Emulator we can add to the 'support matrix' for the QLUB Adapter. Next stop, Daniele's excellent native Q-Emulator for the Mac (which doesn't have SERial support as yet...)