 | |
| Type | Personal computer |
|---|---|
| Release date | 12 January 1984 |
| Introductory price | £399 (equivalent to £1,620 in 2023) |
| Discontinued | April 1986 |
| Units sold | 150,000[1] |
| Operating system | Sinclair QDOS, SuperBASIC |
| CPU | 68008 @ 7.5 MHz |
| Memory | 128 KB[2] (896 KB max.) |
| Storage | 2× Microdrive |
| Display | PAL TV or RGB Monitor 256 × 256 (8 colours) 512 × 256 (4 colours) |
| Graphics | ZX8301 |
| Sound | Intel 8049 |
| Connectivity | expansion slot, ROM cartridge socket, dual RS-232 ports, proprietary QLAN local area network ports, dual joystick ports, external Microdrive bus |
| Predecessor | ZX Spectrum |
| Successor | Sinclair PC200 |
The Sinclair QL (for Quantum Leap) is a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as an upper-end counterpart to the ZX Spectrum.[3][4][5]
The QL was aimed at the serious home user and professional and executive users markets from small to medium-sized businesses and higher educational establishments, but failed to achieve commercial success.[6]
While the ZX Spectrum has an 8-bit Zilog Z80 as the CPU, the QL uses a Motorola 68008.[7] The 68008 is a member of the Motorola 68000 family with 32-bit internal data registers, but an 8-bit external data bus.[5]
- ^ "QL, what? Never heard of the QL..." Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ 1 KB = 1024 B
- ^ "Sinclair QL - Computer". The Centre for Computing History. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ Smith, Tony. "Sinclair's 1984 big shot at business: The QL is 30 years old". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ a b Claaßen, André (2015-04-18). "Sinclair QL — The first real Computer". Medium. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ Smith, Tony (2014). "Sinclair's 1984 big shot at business: The QL is 30 years old". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ "Sinclair QL microcomputer". Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2022-11-22.