The Sinclair QL Forum

Chris_68 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 8:43 am Attached a photo how I did, but you don't have to do the same. The pins are thinner so I decided to use the legs from old restores bent in an angle.
If you don't get good contact then you can always solder them directly to the wires or PCB depending how brave you are.It can be standing and not mounted the way I did.

Looks really great

I unplugged the Trump card to make sure it wasn’t causing the write/format issues with mdv2 (it wasn’t) and when I plugged it back in instead of it booting the vdrive tools and initialising tk2 from the gotek it was just accessing mdv1 as if the Trump wasn’t functioning

Turns out I’d overwritten the gotek boot file doing something else and it was trying to run an app from mdv1!

You live and learn, lol

t0nyt wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 1:25 pm QL seems to be working fine with the new regulator and original PSU

Hello. Have you tested if it works without problems with a GoldCard?

badaman wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:03 pm

t0nyt wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 1:25 pm QL seems to be working fine with the new regulator and original PSU

Hello. Have you tested if it works without problems with a GoldCard?

Sorry, I don’t have a gold card only a Trump v1 card

t0nyt wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:20 pm

badaman wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:03 pm

t0nyt wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 1:25 pm QL seems to be working fine with the new regulator and original PSU

Hello. Have you tested if it works without problems with a GoldCard?

Sorry, I don’t have a gold card only a Trump v1 card

I am testing with a RECOM R-78B5.0-1.5, and I also have a original Trump Card v1, in addition to the original Gold Card.

The RECOM, apparently, could work same as the TRACO, but in my case, when starting with F1 or F2, the mdv1 reader remains on all the time, even though there is no microdrive inside.

Curiously, if a floppy drive is connected to the Trump Card, and the floppy drive contains a floppy disk, the boot starts from the floppy disk and the error does not occur. If there is no floppy disk. the error follows.

The Gold Card directly shows artifacts on the screen and noise in the speaker.

I have tried a Qubide with memory expansion, and it seems that there is no problem with it.

Does anyone have any idea what could be happening?

What would be the best alternative? a TRACO? Does the Tetroid power module have any advantages over the TRACO?

Any experts in the room? XD

I have opinions on this, because I have heard stories like yours before. The switching regulators apparently tend to create initial spikes on their power output that seems to disturb the QL's power-on-reset circuitry. I've even heard stories of QLs that had their 7805 replaced and died (although I really can't see a correlation here).

In my eyes, the best replacement for 7805 on the QL is a 7805. I wouldn't take the risk.

I have Tracos in most of my ZX SPectrums (and they're fine), but the QLs still all have their original linear regulators.

Thank you for all this information and your experience. The truth is, it is worrying to know the risk. However, I think it would be an advantage to replace the 7805 due to heat dissipation and interference with the microdrives.

Well, the heat argument I can understand. Yes, a linear regulator produces a lot more heat than a switching one.

The interference argument, I don't. The Tracos (and alikes) being switching regulators tend to introduce a lot more interference into a circuit than the good old 7805.

The truth, I did not know this info about the interference of TRACO and others. From what you are telling, there does not seem to be an intermediate solution.

I wonder,
why not use another DCDC converter that could be different one? not traco.
There are some better (I think) with more power load but alse the signal with less noise.
IMHO, while it is smaller than the heatsink... that is good.
Depending on the filters peaks are avoid or flattered much better than some DCDC low cost. Traco at the end, is the same but with a case.
An Oscilloscope could show us the result and how good is one or another.

I have not TRACO to do the test, but could be possible to compare.
Loads ... well... that is another thing, cause not everyone has a GoldCard or similar to check out about consumption or peaks on booting up.