News:

Printed Amstrad Addict magazine announced, check it out here!

Main Menu
avatar_arnolde

I got a 664 !

Started by arnolde, 17:23, 31 August 22

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

arnolde

Hi guys, I just wanted to share with you my new treasure: A Schneider CPC664.

You cannot view this attachment.

I think it looks quite in a good state, but unfortunately, I don't have am monitor at the moment, so I can't test it (it was sold as not tested). For now, I opened it and at least all important parts seem to be on the PCB. I'll try to keep you updated in this thread when I can test it  properly.

Until then, I want to thoroughly inside and out. I already know that I should NOT put it in the dishwasher, but I do have another question, especially for the german speaking Schneider-friends here:

Are these stickers with the alternative german layout (umlauts and stuff) something you have ever seen? Is it special? I only want to make sure not to destroy some really rare and precious collector feature before i put all of the keys in a soap bath or rub them off with glass cleaner...

Thanks for your help!

Gryzor

Oooh nice!

My guess is the stickers were put on early versions? 

SkulleateR

Stickers were sold seperetaly ... My parents bought them for my 464 back then when I got it, but I never got around sticking them on those keys  :P

arnolde

Quote from: SkulleateR on 18:00, 31 August 22Stickers were sold seperetaly ... My parents bought them for my 464 back then when I got it, but I never got around sticking them on those keys  :P
So nothing special then?

SkulleateR


Guess that depends what you will define as "special" ... I don't think there are many of those out there BUT I also think, this will not make your CPC worth more  ;D

Rabs

They say there should be no regrets in life.

I had a 664. Bought it at 17, with savings from my first job. I had the memory expansion pack, light pen, speech synthesiser, I upgraded it with a  6128 ROM. It got me through university.

I gave it away...

I don't have a picture to remember it by.

Thanks for sharing.

JayBlood

Great treasure! Make fun with him. ;)
Jay

arnolde

Quote from: Rabs on 22:08, 31 August 22I gave it away...
I *threw* away my 6128 with color monitor not so long ago (before I discovered the joys of retro computing)... Still so much remorse  :(

eto

Quote from: arnolde on 19:38, 31 August 22So nothing special then?
I would say it is quite rare. But at the same time not really relevant. Unused stickers incl. software pop up rarely on Ebay but if I remember correctly, not very many buyers were interested.  

Maybe a few (semi)professional users out there who used it. But honestly, if you always have to first start a program before you can use the keys according to their stickers, I doubt that it was used a lot.

I wonder to which ASCII code they mapped the keys, especially since the printer port only had 7 bit. 

arnolde

#9
Quote from: eto on 08:51, 01 September 22I wonder to which ASCII code they mapped the keys, especially since the printer port only had 7 bit.
Well, it seems to be a very common layout, as the pen markings on this machine show

https://youtu.be/0X-yUGM3YQo?t=86
But anyway, I removed the stickers, a) because they are ugly and b) because I couldn't clean them properly.

arnolde

So, quick update: I still don't have a monitor, but I took a 5V Power supply to check at least if the LED is going on, and... of course it didn't.  :(

But then I thought, OK, maybe I'm lucky and it's just the power switch. I closed the circuit on the board manually and, tadaaa, I was lucky  ;D

Once the keyboard is cleaned and reassembled, I'm gonna try and press CLR or DEL in order to see if it beeps...

ComSoft6128

Quote from: arnolde on 15:23, 01 September 22
Quote from: eto on 08:51, 01 September 22I wonder to which ASCII code they mapped the keys, especially since the printer port only had 7 bit.
Well, it seems to be a very common layout, as the pen markings on this machine show:

https://youtu.be/0X-yUGM3YQo?t=86

But anyway, I removed the stickers, b) because they are ugly and b) because I couldn't clean them properly.
That's funny!

I have the music for that game scheduled as a YT video for tomorrow morning :)

xesrjb

Quote from: arnolde on 17:23, 31 August 22Hi guys, I just wanted to share with you my new treasure: A Schneider CPC664.

You cannot view this attachment.

I think it looks quite in a good state, but unfortunately, I don't have am monitor at the moment, so I can't test it (it was sold as not tested). For now, I opened it and at least all important parts seem to be on the PCB. I'll try to keep you updated in this thread when I can test it  properly.

Until then, I want to thoroughly inside and out. I already know that I should NOT put it in the dishwasher, but I do have another question, especially for the german speaking Schneider-friends here:

Are these stickers with the alternative german layout (umlauts and stuff) something you have ever seen? Is it special? I only want to make sure not to destroy some really rare and precious collector feature before i put all of the keys in a soap bath or rub them off with glass cleaner...

Thanks for your help!
Uhh, this CPC looks very ugly. If you don't know what to do with it, send it to me. I'll pay the shipping costs...😉

xesrjb 
,,The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true."

arnolde

Quote from: xesrjb on 19:59, 01 September 22Uhh, this CPC looks very ugly. 
Not after the treatment in Leosoft Spa...
I cleaned everything, including the power switch which works now again.
I put it together, connected 5V, turned it on, pressed DEL and... it beeped!
To test further, I typed blindly:
for a=1 to 200:sound 1,a,2:next aand I heard the expected glissando! 
So the keyboard membrane seems to work OK as well. I guess, the only thing that still could surprise me when I'm finally connecting a monitor would be a defected CRTC or Gate Array...

Bryce

Quote from: arnolde on 22:05, 01 September 22
Quote from: xesrjb on 19:59, 01 September 22Uhh, this CPC looks very ugly.
Not after the treatment in Leosoft Spa...
I cleaned everything, including the power switch which works now again.
I put it together, connected 5V, turned it on, pressed DEL and... it beeped!
To test further, I typed blindly:
for a=1 to 200:sound 1,a,2:next aand I heard the expected glissando!
So the keyboard membrane seems to work OK as well. I guess, the only thing that still could surprise me when I'm finally connecting a monitor would be a defected CRTC or Gate Array...
It wouldn't have beeped if the Gate Array was broken.

Bryce.

arnolde

Quote from: Bryce on 08:10, 02 September 22It wouldn't have beeped if the Gate Array was broken.
Oh, yes, I just looked it up, the Gate Array also provides the interrupt! That's good news then!

arnolde

So, today I finally got a monitor and also some other stuff (amongst others a 6128), and I can proudly present my 664 in all its blue-yellow glory. now, only the floppy is missing, I already ordered some new belts (btw, the floppy of the aforementioned CPC6128 is working!)

GUNHED

Great! Now you got the 664 and 6128. All you need (aside of the 664 working drive) is now a RAM and ROM expansion, maybe some mass media and the LambdaSpeak.  ;)
Then you can have you software in ROM and save data to the RAM disc or maybe mass media. All this while your CPC is playing MP3 songs.  ;D
http://futureos.de --> Get the revolutionary FutureOS (Update: 2023.11.30)
http://futureos.cpc-live.com/files/LambdaSpeak_RSX_by_TFM.zip --> Get the RSX-ROM for LambdaSpeak :-) (Updated: 2021.12.26)

anyweb

congrats it looks like a very clean example, and it works !

next you should buy a 464 and a 472 to expand your collection :-)

arnolde

Quote from: anyweb on 20:27, 06 September 22and it works !
Well, unfortunately I noticed yesterday that the keyboard doesn't completely: Two keys, cursor right and up, seem to be dead. I'll try to clean it again, worst thing that could happen is that I have to order a new membrane...

GUNHED

http://futureos.de --> Get the revolutionary FutureOS (Update: 2023.11.30)
http://futureos.cpc-live.com/files/LambdaSpeak_RSX_by_TFM.zip --> Get the RSX-ROM for LambdaSpeak :-) (Updated: 2021.12.26)

anyweb

you can always try repairing the membrane yourself, it works if you are skilled at it (I'm not), I did a video of the process here https://www.amstrad-noob.com/2021/03/01/repairing-or-replacing-keyboard-membranes-for-the-cpc-664/

Powered by SMFPacks Menu Editor Mod