ICL OPD/Merlin Tonto

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon Mar 10 17:53:57 2003

> The ICL OPD (One-Per-Desk) and Merlin Tonto (identical machines internally)
> were a derivative of the Sinclair QL, featuring the addition of a telephone
> handset, better keyboard, slightly improved microdrives (sufficiently
> improved that they are, apparently, incompatible with QL mdvs; something

My QL has got OPD microdrives hacked onto it (by me). The OPD microdrives
have much the same mechanism, the same ULA, the same
joke-of-a-tape-head-mounting [1], etc. There are electrical differences
-- I remmeber having to swap wires around between the QL connector and
the OPD drives and I think I had to add a 7805 regulator chip.

They are tape-format-compatible, or at least they are when used on the
QL, in that I've never had more than the usual problems reading tapes
recorded on other QLs and vice versa

[1] The head is supported only by the electrical connections soldered to
the PCB. Alingment consists of moving the PCB on its mounting screws.
Typical of Sinclair crap, I'm afraid [2] :-(

[2] I've said it before, but I'll say it again. The QL, IMHO, cut just
too many corners. Had it sold for, say, \pounds 600 (rather than \pounds
400), but had had decent serial ports, a better keyboard, and a disk
drive, then it would have sold rather better I suspect.

-tony
Received on Mon Mar 10 2003 - 17:53:57 GMT