GX4000 converted to 6128 plus, job almost done ;)

[Piotr]

Ok i convert GX4000 to cpc 6128 plus. On this moment : Ps2 keyboard working, extra 64kb ram working, DDI floppy interface working , edge slot working .So stage one is done. Now i need do PCB boards to clean mess with wires inside.

Amstrad GX4000 console converted to fully 6128 plus computer - YouTube

[Phantomz]

Ok i convert GX4000 to cpc 6128 plus. On this moment : Ps2 keyboard working, extra 64kb ram working, DDI floppy interface working , edge slot working .So stage one is done. Now i need do PCB boards to clean mess with wires inside.

Amstrad GX4000 console converted to fully 6128 plus computer - YouTube

Great work there. 

[remax]

I don't think it's as good as the original game from codemasters, but I've converted " Robin Hood - Legend Quest ".

It's on the wiki page now. 

I guess you're on the wrong topic, no? 

[Phantomz]

I guess you're on the wrong topic, no? 

sure am  had a few tabs open in the browser 

I've sorted it now 

[CraigsBar]

Great work there. 

Excellent news. Would it be possible to create a simple solder in memory expansion for the gx4000? So many games would be great on cart but are 128k only?

Just a thought? I'd buy one!

[Munchausen]

This is great! So I guess you added 74HC174 somewhere for the keyboard?

[Neil79]

    Nice

[CPC_Fan]

That's a good job you have done there Piotr.

[Piotr]

I back to topic, PCB for conversion is on the way from factory..I expect busy weekend 

[Piotr]

And...





Board with installed PS2 keyboard module ,




And test ,



Gx4000 conversion for 6128 plus, PS/2 keyboard interface test - YouTube

[Bryce]

Really cool, except I don't understand why you added an unreliable edge connector onto it? Wouldn't it make more sense to just have added a 50 way pin header?

Bryce.

[Piotr]

I have my own reasons  Wait some time, i finish it and all be clear     Anyway, DDI-3 fits perfect for this egde connector It is complex solution

[Piotr]

Demo time,

[Phantomz]

Excellent news. Would it be possible to create a simple solder in memory expansion for the gx4000? So many games would be great on cart but are 128k only?

Just a thought? I'd buy one!

It would be good if there was a simple way to upgrade the memory from 64k to 128k, it's a shame that the console didn't have 128k to start with. 

It might not be as important as the memory upgrade, but it would help if there was a easy to fit  PS/2 keyboard interface too. 

I think it would be a nice tidy machine for converted 128k games then. 

[TFM]

It would be good if there was a simple way to upgrade the memory from 64k to 128k, it's a shame that the console didn't have 128k to start with. 

Carts can have 512 KB  ROM with great banking features. Now use 32 KB V-RAM and 32 KB for Variables. That's enough!

The GX4000 was made for Cartridges, not for game conversions.

[Phantomz]

Carts can have 512 KB  ROM with great banking features. Now use 32 KB V-RAM and 32 KB for Variables. That's enough!

The GX4000 was made for Cartridges, not for game conversions.

True the console was made for cartridges, but that was in 1990, it's now 2015 and we have options now.

I think even when it came out it was made for conversions, how many game were just pretty much straight ports more or less.

The cart might be able to have 512 kb, but we are limited to 64k games with conversions.

I've got a 6128 and a 6128 plus, just wish I had 128k in my GX4000 

[chinnyhill10]

The GX4000 was made for Cartridges, not for game conversions.

An opinion some of us do not share. I am extremely grateful to those who convert games to cartridge so I can run them on my 464 Plus.

[andycadley]

I think TFM's point was more about the design of the hardware rather than against the community effort to port games.

The GX is capable of playing "128K Only" games even though it only has 64K RAM. Porting them would be more effort than just the disk remapping trick currently used.

[dragon]

Trick?

Porting 64k games to gx4000  not is a trick.

My last game ninja spirit was compressed as fort nox.I disassembly the decryption  line by line.They have the disk partially encripted the "guide" to the algoritm select the z80 hex code from two tables, changue one in a table means changuing the code in unwanted sites.With unwanted results. I changed the last jump uncompressed thats jump go to first line of code decompresed by croko algoritmh. I made jump here to an unused memory, there gx4000 find my basic program loader that patch two mag keys menus at the fly in memory, and patch the code, so after he decrypt the main game they return me the control to other unused memory, then my basic code patch the game button 2 and pause in memory. Then the controls return to gx4000 he copy the modified code to other memory ram and games load patched.

Hes not a trick, its hacking the crocko compression. It took me days to find where intercept the decompression. And now urusegui is uncompress/compress a cngsoft game.

Not a trick

[Phantomz]

I'm glad some people are happy with the conversions, as dragon said, it can take a lot of time to do them, it's not just a simple case of tricking the computer / console to think the game is running from disc.

Thanks to arnoldemu, we have nocart, which converts the game to cart, but that's the easy part, then comes all the hard work, making all the trainers work and remapping the controls, which can take a lot of work and time.

I've just finished doing a new version of Smash TV that I've uploaded to the Converted GX4000 thread, this game took me some time to do as I needed to figure out the keyboard scanning on this game, I've even activated the inbuilt cheat mode and got it down from needing to hold down 5 keys, to just using 2 Buttons on the pads. 

[MacDeath]

Basically some GX4000 games WERE actual conversions... Barbarian 2 , Batman ? Klax ?

[TFM]

Not a trick

Yes it is, because it can be quite tricky to do a conversion. Don't get lost in the language barrier wonder land.