Spectrum Next Sinclair QL Core
Spectrum Next Sinclair QL Core
I am at the very early stages of learning about the Sinclair QL via the Spectrum Next QL core. I am wondering if there is anyway (not neccesarily the RetroPrinter) of getting a file from Quill or other QL applications on to a Windows PC and printing it? Or any other solution?
Re: Spectrum Next Sinclair QL Core
OK, whilst this is not a forum for the Spectrum Next, I can give some details from my own experience. I have never owned a Spectrum Next, so am limited to the information I can find.
The original QL would have been easier - it has RS232 ports and several expansion cards which allow you to add a parallel port (or use a standard Miracle serial to centronics adaptor).
Connect the RS232 to a PC, or the Retro-Printer and print files to it with things like
OPEN #3;ser1
LLIST #3
CLOSE #3
(to transfer a program listing)
Whether the PC can understand the data depends on whether the QL is printing using plain text, or an Epson or HP printer driver.
The Retro-Printer can handle either - it just needs the serial verson of the software and the serial dongle running on a Raspberry Pi, plus a USB to RS232 adaptor.
As to how you get the QL Core running on the Spectrum Next (which does not appear to have any USB ports nor RS232 ports) I don't know - you would need to ask the Next developers how you transmit data over RS232 and whether the QL core includes access to the RS232. It looks as though you would replace ser1 with ser3 in the above simple example, and plug in an ESP32 module to give you RS232 (I don't know enough about ESP modules).
You then use an RS232 to USB adaptor to capture the data on the Retro-Printer, or on a PC (possibly with a null modem connector, dependiong on how the ESP32 module is set up and whether you need to cross-over the RxD and TxD pins.
The Next does have an expansion port (which is compatible with some ZX Spectrum interfaces) - so you could also use a ZX Spectrum centronics interface plugged into this presumably - but I guess that would only work from the ZX Spectrum side of things, not the QL core.
The original QL would have been easier - it has RS232 ports and several expansion cards which allow you to add a parallel port (or use a standard Miracle serial to centronics adaptor).
Connect the RS232 to a PC, or the Retro-Printer and print files to it with things like
OPEN #3;ser1
LLIST #3
CLOSE #3
(to transfer a program listing)
Whether the PC can understand the data depends on whether the QL is printing using plain text, or an Epson or HP printer driver.
The Retro-Printer can handle either - it just needs the serial verson of the software and the serial dongle running on a Raspberry Pi, plus a USB to RS232 adaptor.
As to how you get the QL Core running on the Spectrum Next (which does not appear to have any USB ports nor RS232 ports) I don't know - you would need to ask the Next developers how you transmit data over RS232 and whether the QL core includes access to the RS232. It looks as though you would replace ser1 with ser3 in the above simple example, and plug in an ESP32 module to give you RS232 (I don't know enough about ESP modules).
You then use an RS232 to USB adaptor to capture the data on the Retro-Printer, or on a PC (possibly with a null modem connector, dependiong on how the ESP32 module is set up and whether you need to cross-over the RxD and TxD pins.
The Next does have an expansion port (which is compatible with some ZX Spectrum interfaces) - so you could also use a ZX Spectrum centronics interface plugged into this presumably - but I guess that would only work from the ZX Spectrum side of things, not the QL core.
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Re: Spectrum Next Sinclair QL Core
Thank you. I will ask the Next team regarding RS232 communication. I know you can send plain text via Wi-Fi to a printer in NEXT mode, but suspect the commands to so this are not available when you are in the QL core. (Someone is also writing a print server for the NEXT) I am new to the QL world, but I have seen at least one PC emulator that appears to direct the printing to the PC printer it is running on. It's a long way around, but I am guessing I could copy QL application files onto my Next SD card, then onto my PC and then print them out on my PC with an emulator using the same QL application the file was created with on the NEXT. I have also seen a utility called QStripper that claims to convert Quill files (only) on a PC. Of course an ideal solution would be to use my centronics RetroPrinter somehow. In Spectrum 48K mode on the NEXT I am able to use an LPRINT III centronics interface on the NEXT edge connector, but this won't work in QL Core mode. So far in addition to my NEXT, I am successfully using my centronics RetroPrinter on 3 of my real Spectrums with Centronics interfaces (including one built into the Opus Discovery floppy drive interface for the Spectrum), my Atari STe plus my Pentium II with Windows 95 and Windows 2000 on it - so very very happy indeed. Thank you again for creating the RetroPrinter 