Sinclair QL - 1984 - RAM Fix & Upgrade, Minerva ROM Install etc.

This was a machine in pretty bad condition.
Membrane was needed, 4 keys were missing.
Some RAM was fried and the micro-drive kept spinning constantly...
The addition of the MINERVA ROM gives us a set of new commands and comes along with a useful toolkit. It is the companion to all upgrades like the RAM and several pieces of software that require more than the initial 128K that the system can offer.
Finally, the additional 512K (expandeRam by Miracle systems), on top of the existing 128K, can support sophisticated software and utilities.

QL User/Service Manual online:

03:25 1. RAM Investigation and repair
10:08 2. MDV Fault investigation, things to check and narrow down
14:40 3. Fitting the MINERVA ROM and Toolkit
26:36 4. RAM Expansion to 640K (512 Expanderam + 128 System)

The EU model compared to the UK model here:

Keyboard repair and tear-down here below:

[nikolaosmavroftas]

Brilliant job, not easy to manage lifted traces right! Good video, thanks !

[TheRetroShed]

RIP Sir Clive. The QL was his baby! Flawed but we love it. Good work there mate.

[bitsinthebasement]

You've done a really nice job with that QL. Seams that the micro drives are a major point of failure on them but, you have one working and puting a SD card solution in place of the second really would be the best of both worlds. Lovely to see a QL working properly and maxed out on memory (640K is the max isn't it?). Again great job, you're but a CTRL key away from a very respectable and rare example of Clive Sinclair's ultimate business computer ;)

[byronneedham]

Hi, this has been a very useful video. I have a QL coming from eBay and would like to test the RAM, where did you get your Minerva ROM kit from?