+ Sinclair QL color palette black black blue red red magenta green green cyan yellow white white Two video modes are available, pixels with 8 primary RGB colours and per-pixel flashing, or pixels with four colours: black, red, green and white. Both screen modes use a 32 KiB framebuffer in main memory. The hardware is capable of switching between two different areas of memory for the frame buffer, thus allowing double buffering. However, this would use 64 KB of the standard machine's 128 KiB of RAM and there is no support for this feature in the QL's original firmware. The alternative and improved operating system Minerva provides full support for the second frame buffer. thumb|QL internals (with Minerva ROM fitted)Internally, the QL comprises the CPU, two ULAs (ZX8301 "Master Chip" and ZX8302 "Peripheral Chip") and an Intel 8049 microcontroller known as the IPC, or "Intelligent Peripheral Controller". thumb|QL rear viewThe ZX8301 implements the video display generator and also provides DRAM refresh. The ZX8302 interfaces to the RS-232 ports (transmit only), Microdrives, QLAN ports, real-time clock and the 8049 via a synchronous serial link. The 8049 runs at 11 MHz and provides a keyboard/joystick interface, RS-232 serial receivers and an audio generator. The 8049 was added at a late stage in the QL's design, as the ZX8302 was originally intended to include its functions.
+ Sinclair QL color palette black black blue red red magenta green green cyan yellow white white Two video modes are available pixels with 8 primary RGB colours and per-pixel flashing or pixels with four colours black red green and white Both screen modes use a 32 KiB framebuffer in main memory The hardware is capable of switching between two different areas of memory for the frame buffer thus allowing double buffering However this would use 64 KB of the standard machine's 128 KiB of RAM and there is no support for this feature in the QL's original firmware The alternative and improved operating system Minerva provides full support for the second frame buffer thumb|QL internals (with Minerva ROM fitted)Internally the QL comprises the CPU two ULAs (ZX8301 "Master Chip" and ZX8302 "Peripheral Chip") and an Intel 8049 microcontroller known as the IPC or "Intelligent Peripheral Controller" thumb|QL rear viewThe ZX8301 implements the video display generator and also provides DRAM refresh The ZX8302 interfaces to the RS-232 ports (transmit only) Microdrives QLAN ports real-time clock and the 8049 via a synchronous serial link The 8049 runs at 11 MHz and provides a keyboard/joystick interface RS-232 serial receivers and an audio generator The 8049 was added at a late stage in the QL's design as the ZX8302 was originally intended to include its functions