CPCWiki forum

Dear CPC friends,

With the great success of the MotherX4 and X-MEM, I'm proud to announce you that the prototype board known as CTC-AY and shown at the previous ReSeT party will come true in MX4 format next month! :)

It's new name: PlayCity (plAY-CT)
The work on the auto-boot part of the X-MEM and his RAM support for all CPC allow the new CTC-AY to work together with it!

Here the main features of this board:
- 6 audio channels sound with programmable frequency. (stereo line out and speaker mono mix in)
- 4 counter/timer channels for programmable interrupt. (including NMI)
- IM2 vectorized interrupt support
- Raster lines interrupt support
- CRTC hardware CURSOR
...

Here the, confidential, well know developers board for illustration:

[attachimg=1]

Here the link to pre-order the final board:
PlayCity MX4 Board - Cent Pour Cent (http://www.centpourcent.net/store/p74/PlayCity_MX4_Board.html)

Ilarie, ilarie, ooooh oooh ooooh  ;D ;D ;D

That's a pretty tight layout, maybe we should start a competition for who can cram the most hardware onto a standard X4 sized PCB? How about the PlayCity + X-Mem on one board using a bigger CPLD and all SMD parts?

Bryce.

Haha!

The X-MEM already merge the ROM board and the RAM board from the same size. :D
I have definitively tried to fit the CTC-AY too... It's not possible with classic parts.
But, yes, it should be possible with SMD and merging (the splited) CPLD schematic.
For information, the final board layout is more "spacious" than the developer one.

You should try to build an FDC board in MX4 format for 464 users too... ;)

You are wasting a lot of the boards potential by only putting components on one side of the board.  ;D

Quote from: TotO on 13:54, 07 July 14
You should try to build an FDC board in MX4 format for 464 users too... ;)

My (still not built) FDC board is MX4 format :) My MegaFlash was too, I even have a MegaFlash with 90° header which is installed on my MX4.

Bryce.

@steve (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=325) : Sorry, they are not 4 layers rooted for allowing that.  ;D
(and I don't speak about the final price...)

Quote from: Bryce on 14:01, 07 July 14
My (still not built) FDC board is MX4 format :)

Great!!!
I got a tips for you so! :)

Great news and very good job as we used to see now !!
Hope that the board will come with a "demonstration" on the disc , as shown at the ReSeT ;)

count me in for one unit!!

I've been waiting news about this for months!


I want to see the demostration shown on the ReSeT party, is there any footage of this?

Quote from: SyX on 13:36, 07 July 14
Ilarie, ilarie, ooooh oooh ooooh  ;D ;D ;D

[attachimg=1]

Aw, come on man!!! We don't have time to buy them all at this rate!!!

Quote from: Joseman on 16:08, 07 July 14I want to see the demostration shown on the ReSeT party, is there any footage of this?

No, but I should record a video and add it on Youtube.

Here some raster of N lines done by simply programming the CTC... No CPU time wasted.

[attach=2] [attach=3] [attach=4] [attach=5] [attach=6] [attach=7]

Sure, it can play audio too...  ;D

Been waiting so long for this!


Now I just need to find some spare cash...

Please, push the volume because recording with an iPhone is a shit !  ;D 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=64uUrU33vXw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64uUrU33vXw#ws)

What happen if you press F0???  ;D ;D ;D

Madone! Nerd programmer never expect that.  :-\

Quote from: SyX on 16:51, 08 July 14
What happen if you press F0???  ;D ;D ;D

A nice 3D racing game appears... Quite an achievement for a CPC though...

Hung up Madonerd (http://ay-riders.speccy.cz/download/ayr_madonna_hung_up.mp3)!!!  :D :D :D

Toto: No I understand why you ask me to buy motherX4... I will as soon the audio card will be available...

Sounds awesome! Please do a video where we can hear more of the demo tracks!

With the internal AY you have 9 channels of sound!?

Need a mixer too I guess...

Quote from: Munchausen on 21:32, 08 July 14With the internal AY you have 9 channels of sound!?

Absolutely. Now, there is not real interest to handle that has that will waste the CPU time won by using the PlayCity.

Quote from: TotO on 21:59, 08 July 14
Absolutely. Now, there is not real interest to handle that has that will waste the CPU time won by using the PlayCity.

Ah, ok - makes sense. Would still be cool for music demos though.

Well, a 9 channels music player is possible, somebody need to code it, of course :)

I converted the TS player from ZX for the ReSeT party demo disk.

Markus must be in the Germany celebration, because it's rare that he has not uploaded in this thread the special version of JavaCPC (press F1 for Help) that he made it, the sound is not 100% exact (because it was a fast hack for being able to code the demo disk and without him, it would not be possible to do it in time :)),  but everybody can hear how the board sound.

Quote from: SyX on 22:59, 08 July 14
Well, a 9 channels music player is possible, somebody need to code it, of course :)

I converted the TS player from ZX for the ReSeT party demo disk.

Markus must be in the Germany celebration, because it's rare that he has not uploaded in this thread the special version of JavaCPC (press F1 for Help) that he made it, the sound is not 100% exact (because it was a fast hack for being able to code the demo disk and without him, it would not be possible to do it in time :) ),  but everybody can hear how the board sound.

This is awesome... but right now I am stuck at the intro screen. How can I send the F1/F2 etc keys in javacpc? It just brings up the help menu, load disc or whatever...

Quote from: TotO on 13:29, 07 July 14
Dear CPC friends,

With the great success of the MotherX4 and X-MEM, I'm proud to announce you that the prototype board known as CTC-AY and shown at the previous ReSeT party will come true in MX4 format next month! :)

It's new name: PlayCity (plAY-CT)
The work on the auto-boot part of the X-MEM and his RAM support for all CPC allow the new CTC-AY to work together with it!

Here the main features of this board:
- 6 audio channels sound with programmable frequency. (stereo line out and speaker mono mix in)
- 4 counter/timer channels for programmable interrupt. (including NMI)
- IM2 vectorized interrupt support
- Raster lines interrupt support
- CRTC hardware CURSOR
...

Here the, confidential, well know developers board for illustration:

[attachimg=1]


Have a nice holidays and stay tuned for more informations.

  TotO.

I just know I am gonna be getting one of these.

Many thanks.

Quote from: Munchausen on 23:27, 08 July 14

This is awesome... but right now I am stuck at the intro screen. How can I send the F1/F2 etc keys in javacpc? It just brings up the help menu, load disc or whatever...

Same place as on a real CPC : f* keys are keys from the numeric pad on a PC

Quote from: remax on 23:41, 08 July 14
Like on a real CPC : f* keys are keys from the numeric pad on a PC

Ah, there's the problem - no numeric pad on my laptop (even emulated over the top of the normal keyboard)

Quote from: Munchausen on 23:42, 08 July 14

Ah, there's the problem - no numeric pad on my laptop (even emulated over the top of the normal keyboard)

You might have to use a virtual keyboard

Quote from: Munchausen on 23:27, 08 July 14
This is awesome... but right now I am stuck at the intro screen. How can I send the F1/F2 etc keys in javacpc? It just brings up the help menu, load disc or whatever...

If you are in a notebook, remember enable "num lock" (Fn key + F11 in mine).

Quote from: remax on 23:43, 08 July 14
You might have to use a virtual keyboard

Yeah I just managed to do it using a virtual keyboard - listening now :D

Quote from: SyX on 23:43, 08 July 14
If you are in a notebook, remember enable "num lock" (Fn key + F11 in mine).

Yeah mine is so new they've done away with it all together, but on screen keyboard works :)

Quote from: Munchausen on 23:45, 08 July 14

Yeah I just managed to do it using a virtual keyboard - listening now :D

For people like me who didn't know it : there is a virtual keyboard in windows :

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/type-without-keyboard#type-without-keyboard=windows-7 (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/type-without-keyboard#type-without-keyboard=windows-7)

(keypad is to be activated in Options)

Quote from: remax on 23:46, 08 July 14
For people like me who didn't know it : there is a virtual keyboard in windows :

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/type-without-keyboard#type-without-keyboard=windows-7 (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/type-without-keyboard#type-without-keyboard=windows-7)

(keypad is to be activated in Options)

And in linux - run "onboard"

probably using the fn key + 789UIOJKL,

Here, how look the V1.2 board.
Now, you can imagine how will be the final manufactured PCB.  ;D

[attachimg=1]

Looks good ;)

Nice PCB! Looks like a nice small design! :)

Are there any technical docs about what's connected where? e.g. There was a post somewhere that mentioned the ports for the YM chips, but e.g. it's not clear where the clock divide pin on the YMs are connected (or even if the clocks come from the CTC instead of the system clock).

Looks great! I don't see the mysterious mono audio input anywhere though? Does it use the light pen connector?

Quote from: Munchausen on 12:53, 09 July 14
Looks great! I don't see the mysterious mono audio input anywhere though? Does it use the light pen connector?

Pin 1 of the 50way header I assume.

Bryce.

Cool stuff. So this is really just an audio card unless I'm missing something? I cant see rasters being much use other than in demos, since we've only got 27 colours.


Has anyone contacted Richard to get this and X-Mem into Winape?

The PlayCity is definitively not (only) a soundcard like you can see on ZX or MSX.  ;D
It's why, I have made the choice to speak about rasters first.

The board main feature is the Zilog Z80 Counter Timer Circuit, the best friend of the Zilog Z80 CPU.
The CTC is linked to the CPU to allow it to manage vectorized interrupt (IM2) and handling triggered events.
Programmers can only get benefit of that to save CPU time and make complex programs more easy to achieve.
I can only invite them to read the Zilog CTC data-sheet for more informations. (it's really easy to use)

Because the CPC expansion port have some interesting signals on it, it had been a shame to not use them. :)
- CTC channel 0 is a programable audio clock generator. i.e. allow to replay ST or ZX sound on a CPC using AUDIO pin.
- CTC channel 1 is linked to the CURSOR pin and triggered by the NMI pin. Allow accurate hi priority rasters effects.
- CTC channel 2 and 3 are linked together and offers 2x8bit or 1x16bit user purpose timer or counter.

ADDER is the ADDress decodER part of the board. It manage all the ICs.
Because ports are direct access to the hardware, it's really fast.
- CTC channels: #F880, 81, 82, 83
- Audio right: #F884, #F984
- Audio left: #F888, #F988
- Soft reset: #F8FF

At end, the LIGHTPEN pin is rooted to a 4 pins connector for plugging compatible hardware through an adapter.
I hope that will answer to your questions. :)

Quote from: Trebmint on 13:40, 09 July 14
Cool stuff. So this is really just an audio card unless I'm missing something? I cant see rasters being much use other than in demos, since we've only got 27 colours.


Has anyone contacted Richard to get this and X-Mem into Winape?

Rasters are not used only in Demo, many games are using this trick to display additional colors (look at Fugitif for example: http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=931 (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=931)

Quote from: Kris on 14:30, 09 July 14
Rasters are not used only in Demo, many games are using this trick to display additional colors (look at Fugitif for example: http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=931 (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=931)

I'm sold on the sound hardware, but i'm not sure rasters give you much in games. In Mode 0, you get 16 already so having 26 (with the added complexity and additional constraints) doesn't seem worth it. In Mode 1 you end up with banding like a stretched attribute clash. Even with 4096 colours of the plus programmable interrupts were never really used for anything other than a graduated background, and with a palette of 26 thats not an option.


Perhaps ToTo hasnt mentioned the hardware sprites feature in which case I'll buy 10 :P

Reducing all rasters effects to a simple background gradian is not very glorious.  :-\
In example, with the CTC you are not limited by the GA interrupts for splitting screen modes.

Quote from: Bryce on 13:17, 09 July 14
Pin 1 of the 50way header I assume.

Bryce.

So it's an input to mix the audio output from the CPC with that generated by the CTC-AY/PlayCity?

Yes. That allow the CPC speaker to replay the audio channels.
You are not forced to  use the external stereo jack.

@Trebmint (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=238): Think in rasters interrupts, not rasters as the change of colour fx.

You set an event that happen in the moment X and can be repeat every Y time units, one of the timers is syncronized with the CRTC for making events syncronized with the timmings of the CPC screen very easy.

In a typical CPC program, you will waste CPU waiting for the exact time moment for doing something. Possible solutions are use the GA interrupts, but the accuracy is not good (52 scanlines); or put in those delays useful code, but this increase exponentially the complexity of the code.

Having a more accurate interrupts source helps to improve games. For example:
* You can add digidrums/samples and not lose the 100% of CPU.

* You can make CRTC vertical splits with more accuracy and less headache, perfect for more complex combinations of game screens. Now making a player one window, scoreboard and player two window in the same screen is not so hellish using the CRTC Cursor and more flexible, because you not depend in GA interrupts only and you can use all the CPU wasted in maintain the screen FX in useful code for the game.

* Using the NMI interrupt and the minibooster you can transmite debug information from the CPC to the PC, without disturb your game.

* Of course, you can do change of colours and make colourful copper skies in games with a black background (Le 5 Axe with better accuracy in rasters).
.
.
.

The tiles and sprite chip, well, maybe in the future ;)

PS: We are making the wiki page and in a few hours everything will be there :)

Quote from: SyX on 16:59, 09 July 14
@Trebmint (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=238): Think in rasters interrupts, not rasters as the change of colour fx.

You set an event that happen in the moment X and can be repeat every Y time units, one of the timers is syncronized with the CRTC for making events syncronized with the timmings of the CPC screen very easy.

In a typical CPC program, you will waste CPU waiting for the exact time moment for doing something. Possible solutions are use the GA interrupts, but the accuracy is not good (52 scanlines); or put in those delays useful code, but this increase exponentially the complexity of the code.

Having a more accurate interrupts source helps to improve games. For example:
* You can add digidrums/samples and not lose the 100% of CPU.

* You can make CRTC vertical splits with more accuracy and less headache, perfect for more complex combinations of game screens. Now making a player one window, scoreboard and player two window in the same screen is not so hellish using the CRTC Cursor and more flexible, because you not depend in GA interrupts only and you can use all the CPU wasted in maintain the screen FX in useful code for the game.

* Using the NMI interrupt and the minibooster you can transmite debug information from the CPC to the PC, without disturb your game.

* Of course, you can do change of colours and make colourful copper skies in games with a black background (Le 5 Axe with better accuracy in rasters).
.
.
.

The tiles and sprite chip, well, maybe in the future ;)

PS: We are making the wiki page and in a few hours everything will be there :)

I don't doubt it has a thousand uses, but the ASIC had the same and nobody really used the interrupt facilities on that for more than graduated screens. I am however full of admiration for guys that can combine soft and hardware. I looked at FPGA's and CPLD and it makes little sense to me as a old skool z80 guy. Perhaps my dream is a cartridge that has a 512k rom with additional graphic/sound hardware built in cheap enough that we could release individual games on them.

Quote from: Trebmint on 17:38, 09 July 14
I don't doubt it has a thousand uses, but the ASIC had the same and nobody really used the interrupt facilities on that for more than graduated screens. I am however full of admiration for guys that can combine soft and hardware. I looked at FPGA's and CPLD and it makes little sense to me as a old skool z80 guy. Perhaps my dream is a cartridge that has a 512k rom with additional graphic/sound hardware built in cheap enough that we could release individual games on them.

Of course, without software support these things are a mere anecdote. But adding the interrupt generator makes a normal CPC more similar to the CPC+, sure no sprites or extended palette, but who knows what the future will bring.

The original prototype has a cartridge port and that was our idea as you can see in the picture:
[attachimg=1]
But there is not cartridge software and the rom game compo was a disaster, there was more than 30 teams registered and at the end, 28 of them did not released anything (me included, even if i could use the "we were building this expansion" card) and thanks for the two surprise entries we reach 4.

We got four fantastic games that is the only good thing, because the competition itself was disappointing. And our idea of releasing the original board with a cartridge with all the competition games was aborted, because we only could fill 1/4 of the minimal rom chip (the 256 KBs).

And after the competition, a few of the teams that took part the last year, expressed that they were not interested in taking part in future editions by the lack of competency. And the only person asking about this year edition was Gryzor, the person that sponsor the last year, nobody else.

I don't see a lot of interest in CPC cartridge games, and i can promise that we would love to release the cartridge port and those nice cartridges with its "cpc black" plastic covers and they are cheap enough for making possible small releases of less than 50 units of a game.

For my a CPC with this board is more near of the CPC i always dream, and i'm only at two expansions boards of making real my dream CPC :)

Well development is always the hard part, as I've learned with my involvement with symbos. I hope that my Unify project might be a partial solution if adopted, but I guess we will see on that. I'd certainly like to develop with the X-Mem & PlayCity.


Is there any news on the boards adoption within emulators, especially Winape?

The raster thing would be useful for more than rasters. The first thing I'm thinking of is chunky mode display. Most of the work in Sugarlumps was carefully cycle counting the raster effect whilst doing other useful things, this expansion board makes that trivial.

Great page done by SyX : PlayCity - CPCWiki (http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity)

Don't miss the download section including more examples with full sources of using the CTC, a customized arkos player that let you play songs using an external YMZ and the ReSeT party demo disk that includes a CPC version of the PT3 Turbo Sound player (6 channels song format) !!!

Quote from: SyX on 18:19, 09 July 14
The original prototype has a cartridge port and that was our idea as you can see in the picture:
[attachimg=1]
But there is not cartridge software......

I don't see a lot of interest in CPC cartridge games, and i can promise that we would love to release the cartridge port and those nice cartridges with its "cpc black" plastic covers and they are cheap enough for making possible small releases of less than 50 units of a game.

The "converting games to rom" thread has produced hundreds of 16k rom files, far more than a 512k flash rom can contain, we NEED a cartridge port for the CPC 464/664/6128, and since it doesn't need to be plus compatible, how about a 2MB or  4MB cartridge to hold all those games or maybe 1 large game :D .
I am waiting, like many others for Bluebrothers to make the cartridge cases, however the caes you have in your picture sounds like it might be okay, where did you get it?, is it commercially produced?, in a few years time we may have stacks of cartridges instead of stacks of disks and cassettes.
If you do not make an X4 cartridge board then maybe you could do a CF/SD "hard drive" card for the X4 bus.

Three likes in a row!!! Where is my price?  ;D ;D ;D

@Trebmint (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=238): With respect to emu support, that depends in if the emulator authors are interested. All the information is now in the link the PlayCity page in the CPCWiki, that TotO has just linked and we are open to answer to any doubt anybody has about the board.

Markus, as always :) , was very enthusiastic and added really fast the extra YMZs to the miniversion that let me patch and code the music players.

Adding the YMZs should not be a problem, it's only two more PSGs with variable frequency. The CTC is more complex, but it should not be too much complicated.

@ralferoo (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=476): You always sound as music in my ears, jajaja. :) :) :)

@steve (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=325) : All the work done for converting games in ROM is great as that can be used on 512K ROM boards. :)

Quote from: steve on 19:44, 09 July 14
The "converting games to rom" thread has produced hundreds of 16k rom files, far more than a 512k flash rom can contain, we NEED a cartridge port for the CPC 464/664/6128, and since it doesn't need to be plus compatible, how about a 2MB or  4MB cartridge to hold all those games or maybe 1 large game :D .
I am waiting, like many others for Bluebrothers to make the cartridge cases, however the caes you have in your picture sounds like it might be okay, where did you get it?, is it commercially produced?, in a few years time we may have stacks of cartridges instead of stacks of disks and cassettes.

Sure, but repacking old games in cartridges doesn't sound as sexy as having new games designed for this format... imagine, MacDeath could not more complain about games designed for 48 KBs of RAM + TAPE :P

Quote from: TotO on 19:54, 09 July 14
@steve (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=325) : All the work done for converting games in ROM is great as that can be used on 512K ROM boards. :)

We are going to need an X12 motherboard to hold 8 512k rom boards plus 4 other cards. :P

 :laugh:

Quote from: TotO on 15:41, 09 July 14
Yes. That allow the CPC speaker to replay the audio channels.
You are not forced to  use the external stereo jack.

But CPC and AY sound soooo much better when connected to a real stereo Hi-Fi hardware... :o
would be a crime to juste utilise the internal speaker*...

*in frenglitch

QuoteAll the work done for converting games in ROM is great as that can be used on 512K ROM boards.

One good thing but harder to achieve : get some big games like Pirates! of Defender of the crown to actually use the "444k RAMdisk"... these games would be complete win with full use of those extra RAM... no real loading time, well, need to fully load once, then load/write time when managing gamesaves...
then no more than really a few seconds to process RAMdisk datas... as an Old PC would do when processing from HDD... would feel like a slight lag at worse... (but like 3-4 minutes of full loading the  3inch floppy's 1-2 disk sides...to begin with... at worst)

but beware of disconection or power shortage... lol, not so different on PC or even iPad, to be honnest.
Yet I suppose this would need a complete re-address of the whole loading routines and stuffs.

still I hope someone will do some games or Demo will full use of both CTC-AY+ X-Mem + CPC6xx config.

Considering what Batman demo gave use, such full use would really bring CPC to an almost classic 16bit computer level... with its specificity off course, but with its full potential really used.
imagine if Batman demo would not waste NOP/CPU time to load from Disk Drive as it displays/calculate/kills other 8bit computers (and 16bits as well) ?
This is what is possible with a CPC 6-572k...

Tape+64K : Beaking Baud... yeah, great (really)
Disk+128K : Batman Begins : wow, awesome...
Disk + 572RAM+512kROM : er... seriously ? this is the next step to great achievement for our "humble" belove 30 year old Hardware.

Some Democoders would argue that the issue is CRTC  type "X" again CRTC  type "Y" or "Z"...
Other would say it is CPC vs PLUS...
Perhaps Gamemaker would simply put it into 464vs6128...
I say it is underRAMed Vs ProperlyRAMed (=maxed) (with disk of course but you can load the mass from MP3/CD/Tape drive actually... :D)

You can put 50€uros into a 64gigas USB stick, or 80+ €uros into a 1Terrabit HDD... why not 80€uros into some decent boost for your CPC ?
Totally worse it.


Concerning the PLUS features, I agree that the CTC-AY is to be seen as an update into an "half plus" specification type...
like the Atari Mega ST was compared to STF and STE...

MegaST had the Blitter yet still the 512 palette instead of the 4096, no extra sound channels (if i remember correctly) but still some few STe features on a classic ST(F)...

Toto managed to bring some great specs update for all Amstrad CPC/Plus computers, be it RAM or those extra sound channels or timers that could really give fuckhuge results.


compared to those post-1985 16bit computers, CPC was clearly underRAMed.
yeah CPU can only handle "64K" at once but still...
16bit computers were powerfull not only thx to CPU but mostly thx to fuckhuge RAM or DMA oriented MassData storages.

I remember drearly my first "IBM" MS-Dos compatible PC : AT286@12mhz + EGA + 512 (then 640) K and dual Disk Drive (HD5"1/2 + HD3"1/2) then also 80meg HDD... (no freaking sound card, jsut this underused beeper that could still manage "realsound samples, still no freaking volume potentiometer...)

To be fair, this "bureautic beast" could run irs share of decent Might and Magic 3, Low blow, Ghostbuster2 (PC version, not Ocean one) or Fighter Bomber, LHX attack chopper, Indiana Jones/Loom, Indianapolis500, Populous, SIM City, Speaball2, Xenon 2, Commander Keen 1-6... and many more... with baddass efficiency...

Not only because of the power of the actually underused CPU/EGA video card (MS-Dos wasn't really using those well indeed...) but because I had those fast access HD disk drives, this HDD 80megs and "freaking huge" 512-640RAM + multiload from said Massdata storages...


Atari ST :
"VRAM" : 32K...
CPU : 8mhz
Sound : 2mhz "AY compatible" YM.
RAM : 512K, or 1024K...

Amstrad CPC :
"VRAM" from 12K (speccy sized screen) to 16K (full normal sized screen) to 2x16k (24K) full full-screen
CPU : 4mhz turned into 3.3mhz or even less
Sound : 1mhz YM compatible AY (lol)
RAM ? 64K + tape (or at best 128K never really used...)


This does not compute... can't really get gameplay contents with a 16bit computer comparable complexity level.
had to stick to speccy48 specs... WTF ?
Most oldschool games on 16biters were nice because many cinematic graphics, different music for each stages, different tiles set for each levels, samples on in-between levels cinematics and so on... all this is not due to hardsprites or extra chainsaw sound signal but simply "massive" (= practical) RAM/fast DATA storage capacity...

Remember Bitmap brother's games ? as good on ST as on Amiga : total badassery...
Basically ST is just a souped up Amstrad CPC, but thx to RAM and 720K disks : had those neat intros with sampled music and nice splitraster
intensive graphic pages and vertical scrolltexts... GODS is simply perfect on ST... somewhat just better on Amiga but hey...

CPC is not to have animations in action games really like Amiga, but many adventure/wargame/strategy/turn-based games could really get this 16bit level of gameplay/complexity and shittons of graphical/sound contents...
And provided you don't have to stick to "artificial specifications (=464 = speccy48+tape) you can design games to be far more efficients (see R-Type128K, Rick Dangerous 128PLUS and so on...)

Many good "computer games" are just a massive database management with some nice graphics dislayed... yeah CPC is not a "console".
good news : computers actually ucked at "console type games".
But have you even seen SIMcity or Pirates! or Populous or dungeonMaster/Might&Magic/Bardstale on Arcade machines ?
Yeah, on some consoles...
but no keyboards + no disk to "load-save with no limit" = total suckness... ;D
(oh, also mouse... well it is not like CPC cannot have mouse, ask Bryce)



All this only thx to TotO's cards and dedication (or competitors of course) and Syx too for its plAY-CiTy design, the 16bit feeling is now really available even on an "humble" Amstrad CPC464... and the recently released FloppyDiskController card is good as well. ;).


oops, I know i shouldn't post while a bit tipsy/drunk/completely wasted... :laugh:
Guess I again edited too much this post, I'm on vacancy...lol.
Sorry guys.

Yeah, massive storage and all, but don't forget about having a 16bit CPU.

Quote from: McKlain on 09:35, 10 July 14Yeah, massive storage and all, but don't forget about having a 16bit CPU.

For the usage of the eZ80 I would suggest the redesign of the CPC hardware to enable more than 8 bit data lines to all periphery. Of course this will be a totally different computer...

Quote from: Kris on 15:42, 07 July 14
Great news and very good job as we used to see now !!
Hope that the board will come with a "demonstration" on the disc , as shown at the ReSeT ;)

For the Sound part you can use Cyber Chicken as demonstration. ;)
Other software is on it's way...

Quote from: Trebmint on 13:40, 09 July 14
Cool stuff. So this is really just an audio card unless I'm missing something? I cant see rasters being much use other than in demos, since we've only got 27 colours.


Has anyone contacted Richard to get this and X-Mem into Winape?

It's not about rasters, it's about having a free programmable timer which can give you NMIs at exactly the time you need it. That's good for FDC routines and anything else too. Rasters only serve as an example.  ;)


Since the X-MEM is fully compatible to the Amstrad standard, it's of course already included in emulators.
:)

The main problem about emulators is that they don't support real rom/flash board, but only individual ROM on the selected slots.
So, you can't properly use softwares or doing development tests with them.

So true!!!

The main issue with emulators is that they are quite limited in the peripherals they emulate...

Basically :
=tape, cartridges (if PLUS), disks...
=extra RAM and ROM.
and that's all...

Good emulators should include Vocal synthetizers, HDD, lightpen, network/modem  per examples.

Some can use "internet" with a CPC464 (see youtube...). Why can't an emulator do that , most PC have everything needed to allow that.



Hey, nice to have those rasters...
I guess someone could do that then :
(http://cpcrulez.free.fr/im3/montage_eldar.png)


Wht about "split line colour change" ? (not sure about the way to name that)
Mode5 should now have it easier I guess and would not use all CPU so it can be mixed with some animation perhaps ?

Quote from: MacDeath on 13:12, 10 July 14
The main issue with emulators is that they are quite limited in the peripherals they emulate...

Basically :
=tape, cartridges (if PLUS), disks...
=extra RAM and ROM.
and that's all...

Good emulators should include Vocal synthetizers, HDD, lightpen, network/modem  per examples.

Some can use "internet" with a CPC464 (see youtube...). Why can't an emulator do that , most PC have everything needed to allow that.



Hey, nice to have those rasters...
I guess someone could do that then :
(http://cpcrulez.free.fr/im3/montage_eldar.png)


Wht about "split line colour change" ? (not sure about the way to name that)
Mode5 should now have it easier I guess and would not use all CPU so it can be mixed with some animation perhaps ?

Though that image is amazing, its also really difficult to do, and is very limited for instance you couldn't change one of those images. Personally this is the sort of thing that yes its possible but is actually only of any use in the real world for a on-the-rails demo type program. Adding 10x the memory and then making the those bytes trickier to fill by interrupt images seems counter intuitive... yes it can be done, but will anyone? What we need to fill 512k of Roms is coders giving up their engine code... better mapping or any mapping tools, and a new generation of PC 2 CPC graphic conversion and art software

QuoteThough that image is amazing, its also really difficult to do, and is very limited for instance you couldn't change one of those images. Personally this is the sort of thing that yes its possible but is actually only of any use in the real world for a on-the-rails demo type program. Adding 10x the memory and then making the those bytes trickier to fill by interrupt images seems counter intuitive... yes it can be done, but will anyone? What we need to fill 512k of Roms is coders giving up their engine code... better mapping or any mapping tools, and a new generation of PC 2 CPC graphic conversion and art software

wot ?
I fail to understand lol...

are you talking about "mode5" or the picture I posted ?

The picture I posted is quite simple, it just use normal vertical palette changes and is supposed to be possible on a simple CPC.

uses only 8 colours on screen... in mode1

white & Black are common on all the screen...
others are as follow (from top to bottom) :
=pink+orange
=pink+blue
=dark yellow+blue
=pink+blue
=grey+dark cyan
The palette colour changes are to be somewhat line perfect... this is the trick : if you handle well to the exact line the palette change, with picture composition you may think the colours are crossing


This is supposed to be some dialogue screen for adventure games or cinematic dialogue screen... the black parts could get some text, perhaps scrolling or whatever.
Graphics were converted and redrawn from some dawn of war stuff (warhammer 40K)

needless to say it could be patched on a Plus with some neat Hardsprites for even extra colours on some details, doing a great many-coloured Mode1 effect.

Quote from: Trebmint on 13:53, 10 July 14What we need to fill 512k of Roms is coders giving up their engine code... better mapping or any mapping tools, and a new generation of PC 2 CPC graphic conversion and art software

And time, much more time...  or winning the lottery :P

@MacDeath (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=221): Mode5 is not wasting time, all its cycles are well used in changing colours... but yes, we can change colours without need to wait to the next GA interrupt (more colourful Le 5 Axe ;) ). Personally we added the interrupt generator to bring the CPCs and CPC+s near, nor split them. For example, my raster tests were developed in a CPC+ emulator and changing a label, you can generate code for the CPC+ or the CPC with the CTC.

A bit off-topic, guys, but I'm trying to troubleshoot something; can someone who HASN'T Liked the first post do so and notify me by posting here and mentioning me (@Gryzor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1))? Thanks...

Quote from: Gryzor on 18:39, 10 July 14
A bit off-topic, guys, but I'm trying to troubleshoot something; can someone who HASN'T Liked the first post do so and notify me by posting here and mentioning me (@Gryzor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1))? Thanks...

@Gryzor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1) Liked, Hope this helps :)

Thanks man, I appreciate it :)

@Gryzor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1) I've just added my like to the first post too. I'd previously liked a different post in this thread but not the first...

Thanks, it's ok; seems like 15 Likes hits a limit and if one more is given they don't show up...

@TFM (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=179): My friend, i have liked a lot your idea of puting the software supporting the board. But for giving better visibility, i have made its own page (linked from the board page of course), take a look and everybody of course to:
Software Supporting PlayCity - CPCWiki (http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Software_Supporting_PlayCity)

And it would be great, if you could put there for what is using Cyber Chicken the board ;)

I hope that in one year from now, we see more entries in that page :)

So bypassing the 15 likes test.


Do I get this correctly.. The PlayCity allows my 6128plus to have a theoretical 9 channels of sound and a noise generator? and all of this will be magically played though the stereo speakers built into the monitor? and making this another MotherX4 expansion is such a nice touch.


Leaving all the other raster stuff aside I just HAVE to get me one of those.


I have just played the retail Cyber Chicken in the Java CPC with the 9 channel sound emulation, that is AWESOME!


Nice work to all involved, I will DEFINATELY be buying one of these, can I put my name on a shortlist/pre-order already ;)


Craig

I am not sure but I think the CPC cannot display screens in banked ram, they must be copied to the "real" screen ram inside the console, if this is correct, would it be possible to make a DMA circuit to copy the data faster than the Z80 could do it?

@CraigsBar (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=482) : No, the PLUS monitor will not out the 6ch stereo sound from the PlayCity, because the signal come from the Pin 1 Mono audio.
@steve (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=325) : The CPC will need a blitter to do properly the task using DMA... And known when it will be free to write the GA memory w/o conflict.

Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:17, 10 July 14
Do I get this correctly.. The PlayCity allows my 6128plus to have a theoretical 9 channels of sound and a noise generator?

3 noise channels, one per chip.

Quote from: ralferoo on 10:11, 11 July 14
3 noise channels, one per chip.

We can finally have realistic synthesis of sea waves on the cpc ;D

Quote from: McKlain on 10:19, 11 July 14

We can finally have realistic synthesis of sea waves on the cpc ;D

stereo sea waves.... I cannot wait

What we need is a playcity rendition of Bobby Goldsboro - summer (the first time) including the beach noises in the intro. Tee hee hee.

So who's going to patch Beachhead to make it more realistic? :)

Bryce.

Quote from: Bryce on 11:05, 11 July 14
So who's going to patch Beachhead to make it more realistic? :)

Bryce.

Or Outrun so the music is not provided on an audio cassette?

a new challenger appears :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=19pdg9JAX80 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19pdg9JAX80#)
8)

Now you can have music with drums AND ocean waves  8)

One more time, congratulations to TotO & SyX. Mother X4, Mini Booster, X-MEM, Play-City... You release in less than two years what CPC users ask since 15 years, so thank you very much for that!

Can you give us the list of the bits (from A0 to A15) that you are decoding to adress the Play-City? It can be useful in order to avoid to send some datas on the card involuntarily when we use optimised port adressing (cf. problem with X-MEM when we select a bank with #7E, #7C, #7A, #78).

Do you know if there is already some projects who planned to use the card?

Thank you Hicks. (et ce n'est pas fini)

About X-MEM, I have updated the getstart.txt file to specify that A8 is decoded to allow up to 1MB RAM if needed in the future.
I expect a cpcwiki page dedicated to it in some weeks, time to finish boards first. I'm going to update the I/O Port Summary page.
%0xxx xxx1 xxxx xxxx

About PlayCity, a dedicated page is available here: PlayCity - CPCWiki (http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity)
The ports (decoded bits) are already listed here: I/O Port Summary - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/I/O_Port_Summary)
%1111 100A 1000 BBCC

A= audio chip address line (register/data)
BB= decoded bits to allow 4 devices (3 used)
CC= ctc chip address lines (4 channels)

- CTC channels #F880, 81, 82, 83 (device 0)
- Audio right #F884, #F984 (device 1)
- Audio left #F888, #F988 (device 2)
- Soft reset #F8FF (extra decoding)

Sure, projects are planed... (some are started, some in stand by, and others probably waiting to remove fingers from the ass hole)
But, the releases are the eternal question. 

EDIT:
I'm definitively bored by the forum text parser...

Quote from: MacDeath on 12:45, 11 July 14
a new challenger appears :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=19pdg9JAX80 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19pdg9JAX80#)
8)

Off-topic, but wow, had never heard of this... excellent presentation!

Some tests after.....


Is it normal that PlayCity's volume seems low ?
How can i stop all Playcity's action ?




Buy this extra card, for sure !

Quote from: Ast on 20:54, 28 July 14
Is it normal that PlayCity's volume seems low ?

Are you talking about using the CPC internal speaker or using an external one?

Quote from: Ast on 20:54, 28 July 14
How can i stop all Playcity's action ?

What exactly do you want to stop? Sounds or timer interrupts?

I'm speaking about internal cpc plus speakers.... the sound is really low..... not in the same level as using internal ay...


I do many test as running demo cpc plus, but it's really strange coz the music seems buggy. So i hope, it's because Playcity is running when cpc plus is on.......
Is it possible to disconnect the playcity when a cpc plus demo using the PRI is running ?


Thanks for your answer.

The CTC-AY dev board use the same audio mixing as done into the CPC with AY.
Looking on Internet, most peoples does the same too... And I don't really take care that was low.
But, I will make some extra tests about that. Thank you.

Quote from: Ast on 21:37, 28 July 14I do many test as running demo cpc plus, but it's really strange coz the music seems buggy. So i hope, it's because Playcity is running when cpc plus is on.......
Is it possible to disconnect the playcity when a cpc plus demo using the PRI is running ?

That is strange, the CPC+ Programable Raster Interrupt is not related at all with the CTC and if a program has not accessed to the CTC or the YMZs , they should not disturb the CPC at all.

Is this a general thing happening with every program in your CPC+ or only happens with certain programs that we could test?

i tried two cpc plus demo :


intro by roudoudou and my cpc plus dentro..... That's all...

Quote from: SyX on 22:09, 28 July 14
That is strange, the CPC+ Programable Raster Interrupt is not related at all with the CTC and if a program has not accessed to the CTC or the YMZs , they should not disturb the CPC at all.

Is this a general thing happening with every program in your CPC+ or only happens with certain programs that we could test?

Interesting, perhaps the PlayCity is affecting the bus and putting a vector on the bus?

The PlayCity vector interrupts not work on PLUS, because they are in conflict with the internal "CTC" embedded into its ASIC.
PLUS programmers have to use PLUS features for that, by detecting properly the target computer.

On CPC, the GA is not identifiable, that made IM2 interrupt unpredictables and buggy.
On a PLUS, the GA look to be set as device $00.

When plugged, the PlayCity set the GA as device $00 on the bus.
That make IM2 now usable on CPC and the board not crashing the PLUS.

May be, some Plus Demo use ports or vectors interrupt that have side effects if the board is plugged.

Just received some PCB and parts for the firsts orders!  ;D

[attachimg=1]

Wow. Now we just wait for the shop to reopen to order right?

Something like that.  ;D

To see what i want to tell you, just run this demo (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=7411)


So you can see a big buggy screeny followed by a great reset.


I've just tested the reset 10 dsk and i can tell you that the sound you can hear is really amazing (6 ym voices) but i was happy to see that my code test (soundtracker song player ctc-ay) works really well too. i believed my code was bugged but after hearing these two examples, the musics are played in low level compared the normal way. If i say that music played on the normal way has 100% volume in my cpc plus, a music played with my playcity version has only 20% volume.


My question is (Syx, TotO, playcity users...) : is it normal ? Do i use external amplified speakers to ear musics composed for playcity ?
Thanks for answers.


I'm going on testing this wonderfull card... Bye.

Quote from: TotO on 10:47, 29 July 14
The PlayCity vector interrupts not work on PLUS, because they are in conflict with the internal "CTC" embedded into its ASIC.
PLUS programmers have to use PLUS features for that, by detecting properly the target computer.

On CPC, the GA is not identifiable, that made IM2 interrupt unpredictables and buggy.

The firmware does detect external interrupts. It assumes that the GA interrupt will be acknowledged and will be cleared automatically. An external interrupt will hold it's interrupt request until you clear it explicitly (e.g. through a register on the interrupting device).

So the firmware re-enables interrupts inside the interrupt function to do this. If one is still active the interrupt function is called again.
So this is how they are done on CPC.

I don't know if the interrupt vector is valid twice into the interrupt routine or not.

Quote from: TotO on 10:47, 29 July 14
On a PLUS, the GA look to be set as device $00.

Yes and no. When Plus features are enabled, it's 6. When they're not enabled they do appear to be 0.

Quote from: Ast on 12:51, 29 July 14
If i say that music played on the normal way has 100% volume in my cpc plus, a music played with my playcity version has only 20% volume.
My question is (Syx, TotO, playcity users...) : is it normal ? Do i use external amplified speakers to ear musics composed for playcity ?
Thanks for answers.

Short answer : This is normal.

Long answer :
- on a regular CPC, the SOUND pin on the extension connector is a summation (using resistors) of the 3 AY channel. This SOUND signal directly goes to the speaker amp.
The PlayCT adds its channels to the SOUND signal the same way, so there is a perfect mix of the two sources on the internal speaker.

- on a plus, the SOUND pin is still a summation of the 3 AY channel, using the same method as on a regular CPC. However, this signal is only going to the extension port.
The stereo output is build from the 3 channels at AY output and then amplified (L/R) to be sent to the screen or the audio jack.
The signal from the PlayCT is audible only because the output impedance of the AY is not perfect.

On the plus, there is no way to mix the sound from the two sources, except using both stereo jack and mixing them.

Yes, the problem is the same as trying to ear the PlayCity audio through the CPC stereo jack.
And... I was sure that PLUS speakers came from not amplified lines, like on CPC.  :-\

So, it's impossible for PLUS to ear mixed audio instead of mixing both jack first, as you said.
But it is not a real issue. Just plug a pair on 10€ PC speakers to the PlayCity and rulezzz. :D

Quote from: TotO on 13:34, 29 July 14
Yes, the problem is the same as trying to ear the PlayCity audio through the CPC stereo jack.
And... I was sure that PLUS owned an internal speaker too.  :-\

So, it's impossible for PLUS to ear mixed audio instead of mixing both jack first, as you said.
But it is not a real issue. Just plug a pair on 10€ PC speakers to the PlayCity and rulezzz. :D

my plan will be to fit an audio jack adaptor into the video cable and bring the plus audio and playcity audio together in a small mixer, then put it back into the plus monitor speakers

Sure, you can mix what you want.  ;) 
May be just more easy to put extra speakers on both side.

My plus is already a bit cramped, spacewise

Thanks to Gerald and TotO for your fast reply... ;D

Quote from: TotO on 13:55, 29 July 14
Sure, you can mix what you want.  ;) 
May be just more easy to put extra speakers on both side.

More speakers are better of course, Quadrophonia!  :)

Yeaaaaa... Surround game!!!

Let's talk to Pink Floyd...  :o

Breaking the wall!  8)

Another question :


; Set both YMZ294 clocks to sound like the CPC AY-3-8912
LD BC,$F880
LD HL,$7F01
OUT (C),H ; $7F = Clock
OUT (C),L  ; $01 = CPC AY
Where can i find the bits to put $7f  in $f880 channel 0 port ?

Quote from: Ast on 12:08, 31 July 14
Where can i find the bits to put $7f  in $f880 channel 0 port ?

You can take a look in the CTC datasheet that is in the PlayCity wiki page (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity), in the page 4 appears the format of the Channel Control Word; or in the examples zip file (in the same wiki page),  take a look to the supergrafx.i include file.

Basically the control word is:
D7: Interrupt (0: Disable / 1: Enable)
D6: Mode (0: Timer / 1: Counter)
D5: Prescaler Value (0: 16 / 1: 256) *** Only in Timer mode
D4: Clock/Trigger Edge Selection (0: Falling Edge / 1: Rising Edge)
D3: Timer Trigger (0: Automatic Trigger when time constant is loaded
                    1: CLK/TRG pulse starts timer) *** Only in Timer mode
D2: Time Constant (0: No Time Constant / 1: Time Constant follows)
D1: Reset (0: Continued Operation / 1: Software Reset)
D0: Control or Vector (0: Vector / 1: Control Word)

Using $7F means:
Use CTC interrupt disabled.
Set Counter mode.
Ignore prescaler in counter mode (can be 0 or 1)
Clock Edge Selection in Rising Edge.
Ignore Timer trigger in counter mode (can be 0 or 1)
We'll give a time constant after this control word (In your example for setting the YMZs frequencies to the CPC ones)
Software Reset.
And this is a control word.

I added to the include file a few useful constants:
; Constants for Control Word
CTC_NO_INT          EQU %00000000
CTC_INT             EQU %10000000
CTC_USE_TIMER       EQU %00000000
CTC_USE_COUNTER     EQU %01000000
CTC_PRESCALER_16    EQU %00000000
CTC_PRESCALER_256   EQU %00100000
CTC_FALLING_EDGE    EQU %00000000
CTC_RISING_EDGE     EQU %00010000
CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER    EQU %00000000
CTC_CLK_TRIGGER     EQU %00001000
CTC_NO_CONSTANT     EQU %00000000
CTC_CONSTANT        EQU %00000100
CTC_NO_RESET        EQU %00000000
CTC_RESET           EQU %00000010
CTC_VECTOR          EQU %00000000
CTC_CONTROL         EQU %00000001 

; Typical values
CTC_START_TIMER16   EQU CTC_NO_INT|CTC_USE_TIMER|CTC_PRESCALER_16|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_START_TIMER256  EQU CTC_NO_INT|CTC_USE_TIMER|CTC_PRESCALER_256|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_START_ITIMER16  EQU CTC_INT|CTC_USE_TIMER|CTC_PRESCALER_16|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_START_ITIMER256 EQU CTC_INT|CTC_USE_TIMER|CTC_PRESCALER_256|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_START_COUNTER   EQU CTC_NO_INT|CTC_USE_COUNTER|CTC_PRESCALER_256|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_START_ICOUNTER  EQU CTC_INT|CTC_USE_COUNTER|CTC_PRESCALER_256|CTC_RISING_EDGE|CTC_AUTO_TRIGGER|CTC_CONSTANT|CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL
CTC_STOP_CHANNEL    EQU CTC_RESET|CTC_CONTROL

And instead of $7F you can use the constant CTC_START_COUNTER.

That's ok for me. I didn't know if all registers used the same bits control. Thanks for your help.i continue my research...

As promised, the PlayCity is available (http://www.centpourcent.net/store/p74/PlayCity_MX4_Board.html) !!!  :o 

- 6 audio channels with programmable clock. (CPC, ZX, ST, ...)
- 4 counter/timer for programmable interrupt. (including NMI)
- IM2 vectorized and raster lines interrupt.
- CRTC hardware CURSOR support.
- 16bit general purpose Timer.
- Light pen/gun connector.

Born from the same project[nb]CTC-AY[/nb], it will be the best X-MEM friend for big games and audio programs.
All those features on a MX4 board for 19.90€...[nb]Only.  :laugh: [/nb]

Quick question about the minibooster if I read right you plug it into the cpc run the software and plug in the USB cable to connect it to the PC then transfer the files?

Yes, that is an usage of the MiniBooster for transferring files between PC and CPC. :)
(you can does that wireless too, using an optional bluetooth module)

Just to understand it right, the PlayCity is the CTC-AY with an additional light-gun connector. Right? (Asking because my CTC-AY does have a couple of pins of unknown function, but not the light-gun connector. Which is no problem, since the signals are on the exp-port anyway).  :)

Quote from: TFM on 20:44, 04 August 14
Just to understand it right, the PlayCity is the CTC-AY with an additional light-gun connector. Right? (Asking because my CTC-AY does have a couple of pins of unknown function, but not the light-gun connector. Which is no problem, since the signals are on the exp-port anyway).  :)

Shhhh, you have one of the prototypes, jejeje.

Yes, the PlayCity is exactly the same + the light gun signals for making easier to support light guns and pens from other systems.

Hi ! (sorry for my poor english  :'( )

I do not know if this is already planned, a crossdev software expected to fully use all these devices?
Because in my mind I imagine a fucking SOFTWARE able to get any type of games ... and even applications!
In short, use a PC software can do it all without programming knowledge.
And do not tell me it will be a purist to use it all !!!
We agree that even though the basic idea is to have extensions that "could" be invented at the time, ...when they have never even exist.
So I cross fingers for a super crossdev soft (a WYSIWIG?) appears one day. (We will choose the outset what kind of games created (platforms, shoot, adventure, etc ...) and software for converting images, a sprite editor, a maps editor, a sound tracker, all in ONE software and, at the end, able to compile all of it.
Gods of Crocodiles, hear my prayer ...  :P 

@NiNxPe (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=777): Not supporting these boards, but there is already software for making CPC games more or less easy, we have the Arcade Game Designer (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/news-events/arcade-game-designer/) (last version is here (http://arcadegamedesigner.proboards.com/thread/154/cpc-version-1-3)), but besides of EgoTrip, nobody has used.

And with nobody using it, why should the author wasting time in improving the CPC version? Lucky for us, he is working in improve it, but with more CPC feedback, i'm sure that he will feel more encouraged to work in the CPC version.

If you take a look to the wiki thread, you will see the typical derailing about why doesn't support feature X or Y? Since when an application needs to be perfect from day 0? Or in other words, why a CPC game needs to use the 100% of the CPC? There is a lot of great small games that would use a 10% of the CPC resources and it would be fantastic to play in our machines.

Now it's when you tell me that AGD is a CPC native application. Yes, that is true... but there is a windows tool, TommyGun AGD (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwXFKYO5i1IlOE1PcFZ3LXVfVnc/edit?usp=sharing), that let you make games for the speccy version of AGD in a friendly way and the author said that if people was interested, he could add AGD CPC support too.

Without people testing and giving feedback is impossible that those projects reach any usable state. Somebody interested in the future of this project should show his interest in the AGD board (http://arcadegamedesigner.proboards.com/).

Another example, less friendly because is based in a few programs instead of one only, it's the Mojon Twins´s Churrera (http://www.mojontwins.com/juegos_mojonos/la-churrera-english/), a game engine based in  z88dk with a few assembly libraries, a tilemap editor and a script compiler, ...  making a really nice cross-development system that has been used in around 80 games (90% of them for ZX, but it has been used in CPC, NES, ZX81, Megadrive, SNES, ...).

I feel is a good idea update the CPC version to the last one available and translate the tutorials about making games in the churrera (http://www.elmundodelspectrum.com/taller.php). Maybe i could do it fast, after all i have a lot of that code converted already (and even a spectrum churrera using the Arkos player)... but every CPC MT's game has been criticized for being slow and has a similar look and i hope to get those same complains and the same null feedback.

Well, this is going offtopic, but let me join... Sometimes I have a strange feeling about people... it's ... like some of them....

-Irony mode on-  ;)


- First they want the super über mega Software which supports everything and is totally easy to use. So every noob *could* make a game. But people who ask for that are not willing to pay for the professional software company and their 70 programmer, who are needed to finish up such a project in 3 years.

- Second they ask for somebody to use this super software and make games for them. Of course they are to lazy to use this software by themselves, even if it is perfect.

- Then they want all that new games to be totally perfect and better than on PC. Also they have to be boxed, free and you get $10 with them just for taking them.

- Now they want a youtube video because they are still to lazy to play the game by themselves

- Finally they need somebody reviewing the game, so that they know what they should think about it.


Well, good for us, we don't have that guys in the CPC scene.  ;)

Mon anglais doit vraiment être nul pour ne pas saisir ce que j'ai voulu exprimer surtout quand je lis TFM.
J'essayais juste de dire qu'avec ces super périf XMEM PlayCity des outils seront développés pour en tirer parti
J'ai juste un peut dévié à imaginer une sorte de AGD "DX" avec des feature pour ces cartes
Maintenant de la a dire des bêtises sur les noobs ça va c est bon c'est tout le temps le même refrain
Et puis quand a parler de communauté CPC je trouve justement qu au niveau des dev chaque routines astuce et autre de développement sur notre machine est jalousement garder comme un trésor et pas partagé

Tu as oublié ton mot de passe ? :D
C'est marrant, mais en écrivant "I imagine a fucking SOFTWARE" j'ai tout de suite pensé que tu étais français.

Perso, j'ai compris la même chose qu'eux...
Tu imagines un gamemaker avec convertisseur de ressources sur PC qui permettrait de faire des jeux pour CPC sans aucune connaissance en programmation et qui utiliseraient les capacités de ces cartes.

La réponse de TFM est juste l'extrapolation de ta pensée. Une fois cet outils réalisé, ceux qui ne s'impliquent dans rien n'en feront rien.
Pire, il ne payeront pas pour ce travail et ça sera aux autres de faire des jeux pour eux... Et je rejoins pleinement sa vision des choses, car c'est déjà plus ou moins le cas sur d'autres machines.

Ta dernière phrase (in french) sur le non partage des routines de la communauté me fait étrangement penser à une personne qui a encore posté la semaine dernière sur cpc-rulez et qui c'est ramassé les foudres du forum, parce que c'est faux.

La communauté CPC aide, elle partage, ce WIKI en est la preuve même.
Des sources, il y en a des tonnes, le code sources et les resources complètes de R-Type 128K sont dispo et ce n'est pas le seul.
Le truc, c'est que ça ne sert seulement à ceux qui se donnent la peine de s'investir.

Apprendre à pêcher et non demander du poisson !  8)

English version:

For information, in 48 hours only, more than 20 PlayCity boards was already pre-ordered.  :o
Thank you for supporting this project that will allow really great thinks on CPC!!! 8)

Quote from: TotO on 09:37, 06 August 14
For information, in 48 hours only, more than 20 PlayCity boards was already pre-ordered.  :o
Thank you for supporting this project that will allow really great thinks on CPC!!! 8)

i am really looking forward to playing cyber chicken with 9 channel sound with mine.

 :-\ I'm felling a bit schizo about this. I can't wait to discover new game with new possibities, and I feel a bit sad that it's no more the CPC I've used to know...


Is there a project using 3d printing to make protection case for these boards?

Be reassured, this board was designed with the respect of the CPC in mind.
Improve existing things, make the programmer life easiest with more flexible possibilities.

The CPC will always sound the same, just it will be able to does it with more instruments at the same time.
- On the developer side, it's faster to program, allow more creativity and allow to save CPU time.
- On the user side, i.e. that will allow to ear music & sfx at the same time. (not have to chose between "fromage ou dessert")

The CPC will always display the same, just it will be able to does it with more rasters effects on screen.
- On the developer side, ... (OK you have understand)
- On the user side, that will allow new things that we loved to see on CPC, but few limitations avoid that.

You know, it's really easy to put an Arcade FM audio chip or Video Display Processor on the CPC to transform it.
It's definitively what I don't want... (and nobody here I think, because we love our computer)
The idea is not to change the CPC, but to make it a little better... Like when you goes from 64K to 128K RAM...  ;)

QuoteIs there a project using 3d printing to make protection case for these boards?

I'm thinking about since I started to design the boards... You have to wait that will be more accurate and cheap to be viable for us. :)
(a so little community, but we can build great things if we are enough to follow)

Surely all Games for PlayCity will always have a "CPC only" mode too (I assume), but there's nothing bad about using new hardware.

Nobody ever got mad when we replaced our GT65 with a CTM664 or our tape with a floppy disc drive back the day. And everybody was fine using 3.5" or 5.25" discs - even with 700 KB formats. It was accepted. Now play city is in the tradition of great expansions for the CPC. We can use it and code for it, because it's available for everybody. I know TotO a bit, he is a real CPCiste - and I'm sure everybody will get served. Of course I know that this was not the same with some other expansions, which can not be bought today any longer. This understandably may scare some people But now with the PlayCity we got the now shiny bright raster interrupt counted time perfect world.  :)

I've tried to print an adaptater to put a kinect on a tripod via sculteo, not cheap, but clearly more affordable than I though...

Yes, but prices drop fast and quality increase in time. :)

Quote from: jbaudrand on 16:39, 06 August 14
:-\ I'm felling a bit schizo about this. I can't wait to discover new game with new possibities, and I feel a bit sad that it's no more the CPC I've used to know...

As the people before me has explained, this board doesn't transform the CPC in a different machine.

Now you can use the NMI interrupt in your programs, when the only way of using in a CPC is through a Multiface II or a similar device. The same using the scanline or CRTC Cursor interrupt, this feature was only possible in CPC+, now it can be used in CPC too.

Those improved interrupts make possible to play digidrums during a game without wasting all the cpu in delays... but it doesn't make miracles, they have a cost in cpu, but now you can think in add this feature at your game. In the same way, now you can make a raster or a vertical split in the char where you want, not where the GA interrupts let you.

And facilitating the access to the pins needed for attaching a light gun or pen, make possible converting light devices from other systems to CPC with an adaptor from DB9 to those pins.

With respect to the extra sound chips, they sound exactly like the PSG but in a small package, jejeje. And the only thing they bring is that you can have more channels for music and sfxs, instead of choosing between music or sound, you can use both simultaneously. And how those chips are not connected through the PPI, accesing to them is really easy, even from basic is not more than 2 x OUTs (register and value).

If i can say, there is a feature that we wanted and it was not possible to add to the board, only because those days is impossible to get access to enough speech synthetizer chips... nothing is more 80s, than computers talking in robotic voice, jajaja.

I feel the soul is the same and we win a more friendly way of using difficult CPC features in games or tools, but the same limitations remain.

Quote from: jbaudrand on 16:39, 06 August 14Is there a project using 3d printing to make protection case for these boards?

Of course, it's only a question of time, maybe a few months or a year, but in the moment is possible to reach the quality and price that TotO wants (and if you have one of his boards, you know how well they are built and packed), the boxes will be available.

Great work totO !
can't wait to hear the first samples  :o

Quote from: TFM on 18:36, 06 August 14
Surely all Games for PlayCity will always have a "CPC only" mode too (I assume), but there's nothing bad about using new hardware.

If you use the programmable NMI to create a complex set of ruptures with little cost to CPU time, I imagine there'd be every chance that a 'vanilla' CPC version could potentially need to have such a sufficiently different code structure as to be 'impractical'.

Dear CPC friends,

You are probably waiting your PlayCity... (or other boards from centpourcent.net)
You have to know that all boards was build!!! :)
But... The right angled MX4 connector is actually missing, so I can't ship them since 2 weeks!

Why? Because, I have ordered in Germany 1 month ago those connectors.
Printed in stock (as usual) I was informed that no stock is available since end of August.
In fact, the company order them in China to resell them to Europe. (not built in germany)

Now, I hope to get them as soon as possible... But, we can only wait. (me too, as I have sent my boards)
Thank you for understanding,

  TotO.

Take a break after all the hard work, you deserve it!  :)
During the last couple of month you soldered probably 1 million of solder points on all this PCBs.

Quote from: TFM on 15:54, 24 September 14During the last couple of month you soldered probably 1 million of solder points on all this PCBs.

They Solder a Million !  ;D [nb]More close to $FFFF[/nb]

The missing connectors are here. :)
I will solder them this weekend and ship the boards next week!

Great news! And to come back to the imho strange kind of discussion... People having a PC constantly put in some new GFX cards, Sound cards, Hard-disc adapters and 66 other things. So where is the problem to add a better "Soundcard" to the CPC. Any critics about that is imno hilarious. Sorry, but I needed to bring that on the point.

The fact is that PlayCity add more features than a soundboard does.

Of course it does, but I tried to explain in an easy way using common terms.[nb]Dirty psychology you know.  :D [/nb]

Peoples have just to look the firsts topic pages or read the dedicated page (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity) to understand that audio is one of the features.  ;)

The PlayCity is a CPC expansion with the next features:
- 6 audio channels sound with programmable frequency (stereo line out and speaker mono mix in).
- 4 counter/timer channels for programmable interrupt (including NMI).
- IM2 vectorized interrupt support.
- Raster lines interrupt support.
- CRTC hardware CURSOR interrupt support.
- The LIGHT PEN/GUN connector.

Quote from: TotO on 08:06, 09 October 14
Peoples have just to look the firsts topic pages or read the dedicated page (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity) to understand that audio is one of the features.  ;)

The PlayCity is a CPC expansion with the next features:
- 6 audio channels sound with programmable frequency (stereo line out and speaker mono mix in).
- 4 counter/timer channels for programmable interrupt (including NMI).
- IM2 vectorized interrupt support.
- Raster lines interrupt support.
- CRTC hardware CURSOR interrupt support.
- The LIGHT PEN/GUN connector.

to be honest whilst the list of features is awesome. The most noticeable and instantly desirable to stupid users such as me *is* the 9 channel sound. So from that point I can really understand the misnomer of calling the excellent PlayCity a sound card. That however should not in any be seen as a critisism of this excellent hardware. It just means that the game coders out there need to show us stupid users what else the little board of magic is capable of.

Thanks TotO, these hardware devices are excellent, please please please do not stop innovating for the Cpc.

TotO & Craig: I didn't refer to any hardware specifications. I was talking about the acceptance of new hardware for the CPC in general. And this is where work must be done.  ;)

is there already a demo with PlayCity support ?

Quote from: radu14m on 21:30, 09 October 14
is there already a demo with PlayCity support ?

Well some, The Music Disc from Reset 10 sounds awesome and CyberChicken uses the PlayCity to provide stereo sound effects whilst playing the BGM on the internal AY

where can i find the disc ?

Quote from: radu14m on 16:25, 10 October 14
where can i find the disc ?

Right on the Wiki http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/File:Playcity_examples.zip (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/File:Playcity_examples.zip)

Because some parts see their prices increased and the EUR going low, I can't keep the actual low price for the PlayCity (http://www.centpourcent.net/store/p74/PlayCity_MX4_Board.html). (19.90€)
After the current batch will be emply, the price will increase to 24.90€.

Thank you for understanding.  8)

Quote from: TotO on 13:25, 04 December 14Because some parts see their prices increased and the EUR going low, I can't keep the actual low price for the PlayCity (http://www.centpourcent.net/store/p74/PlayCity_MX4_Board.html). (19.90€)After the current batch will be emply, the price will increase to 24.90€. Thank you for understanding.  8)

It's ok for me... :-*

Yikes that means my 2nd one for early next year will become more expensive. Oh well let's get x-mass out of the way first.

TotO : be careful, the price hasn't been changed in centpourcent.net  :P

You can see 24.90€ 19.90€ price actually.
When the actual batch will be empty, it will change to 24.90€ only.

 :o
Price displayed, price sold. People are like that.... I suggest you to change the price now, so no problems !

The goal is not to make profit... :)
If peoples want to send more, they can use the "Thank you" option.

Quote from: TotO on 19:15, 04 December 14
The goal is not to make profit... :)

I know it.

Does someone have a version of an emulator (Mame, Mess or anything else) which can use playcity feature? I need a compiled version (.exe file)


Thanks.

javaCPC does it I believe.

Quote from: Ast on 20:10, 08 January 15
I need a compiled version (.exe file)

MAME | Latest MAME Release (http://www.mamedev.org/release.html)

Quote from: CraigsBar on 20:23, 08 January 15
javaCPC does it I believe.

Yes it does it now.  :)


See here:
JavaCPC Desktop 1.0 official release (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/emulators/javacpc-desktop-1-0-official-release/msg94077/#msg94077)

Yep ;)

Dual-YM emulation. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTw6TvtRLgk)

Hi! Well, maybe somebody can help me. I had a nice PlayCity documentation, the cats killed it. And somehow I can't find the file on my computer or on the internet.


Can somebody please the PlayCity PDF here? Would be awesome :-)))

So... Type CAT !  ;D

Quote from: TotO on 22:16, 10 August 15
So... Type CAT !  ;D

Can't... see what happens then... .have to wait until my new monitor for the CPC arrives. My last one died too, the cat hit if off the table...

I have just sent to you an email...
But, the PlayCity - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PlayCity) page should be enough.

For all PlayCity users :
-Is it possible to make more than 1 raster interrupt?
-Is it possible to make simple splitscreen ?

Quote from: TFM on 22:18, 10 August 15

Can't... see what happens then... .have to wait until my new monitor for the CPC arrives. My last one died too, the cat hit if off the table...

is this a monster cat ?  ;)

Quote from: radu14m on 08:43, 30 August 15
is this a monster cat ?  ;)

No but named after the famous Snake'n'Jakes Christmas Club Lounge in New Orleans, maybe the cat took it to the heart.


Just got a refund for a Sony trinitron I bought at ebay, but the seller never sent it. So I will use ebay again to get a monitor (since I just don't know a better way). Some luck and in 2 weeks I have a working CPC system again...  :)

As an early birthday present for myself, i am going to put here one of those hacks that i have in my HD.

It's a firmware patched to use the PlayCity YMZs instead of the internal PSG. Using this every software using the firmware to make sound, it will use the PlayCity; x1 is using one of the YMZs, x2 is playing the same in both... i should make a better patch using the nice stereo capabilities of the PlayCity but i am extremely lazy and i have other hacks that made a much better use of the PlayCity YZMs... VGM anyone?!?!? :P

Aside of all the basic programs, there is a few commercial games too, my actual list is based in the Megachur fantastic work of ripping game musics, and those are the actual games that i have tested:
3d Starfighter
5th Quadrant, The
A View to a Kill
Airwolf
Asphalt
BD Story 1
Bob Winner
Boy Racer
Brainache
Bruce Lee
Bumpy
Carmen San Diego
Cerberus
Championship Jet Ski Simulator
Chiller
Chose de Grotemburg, La
Cobra's Arc
Coliseum
Contamination
Cosmos
Crazy Shoot
Dark Power
DCA
Despotik Design
Dizzy - Ultimate Cartoon Adventure
Eden Blues
Electric Wonderland
Empty Tummy
Eye
Fleche
Future Shock
Gabrielle
Ghost Hunters
Grand Prix Simulator
Hagar
Harry & Harry - Mission Torpedo
Heavy on the Magick
Holocauste
Hurlements
Jet 37
Jet Bike Simulator
Jumpjet
Last Race, The
Mach 3
Mange Cailloux
Master of the Lamps
Mata Hari
Metropolis
Mikie
Mobile Man
Nemesis
Ninja Hamster
Oxphar
Passager du Temps, Le
Pro Ski Simulator
Ricochet
Robbbot
Robin Hood
Roland in Time
Samurai
Skweek
Sram
Sram 2
Task Force
Tempest
Tetris 2
They stole a Million
Tombstowne
Top Secret
Troglo
Trollie Wallie
Turbo Esprit
Tut's Pyramid
Venusis Planet
Willow Pattern Adventure, The
Zarxas
Zone Part 1
Zone Part 2
Zox 2099

I have attached the roms as 16 KBs files and as 32 KBs files, those are ready for being used in the real machine or mame, the only emulator in this moment supporting some of the functionality of PlayCity.

Always a pleasure to read from you @SyX (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=324)

@TFM (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=179): Sorry for being so busy/offline Stefan, but only a few more months and i will be more free for doing great CPC things. Your guys have made a lot of wonderful things in the last years and i will need to work harder for reaching the new level of quality that it's now standard in the CPC :)

Quote from: SyX on 14:25, 29 June 16
As an early birthday present for myself, i am going to put here one of those hacks that i have in my HD.

It's a firmware patched to use the PlayCity YMZs instead of the internal PSG. Using this every software using the firmware to make sound, it will use the PlayCity; x1 is using one of the YMZs, x2 is playing the same in both... i should make a better patch using the nice stereo capabilities of the PlayCity but i am extremely lazy and i have other hacks that made a much better use of the PlayCity YZMs... VGM anyone?!?!? [emoji14]

Aside of all the basic programs, there is a few commercial games too, my actual list is based in the Megachur fantastic work of ripping game musics, and those are the actual games that i have tested:
3d Starfighter
5th Quadrant, The
A View to a Kill
Airwolf
Asphalt
BD Story 1
Bob Winner
Boy Racer
Brainache
Bruce Lee
Bumpy
Carmen San Diego
Cerberus
Championship Jet Ski Simulator
Chiller
Chose de Grotemburg, La
Cobra's Arc
Coliseum
Contamination
Cosmos
Crazy Shoot
Dark Power
DCA
Despotik Design
Dizzy - Ultimate Cartoon Adventure
Eden Blues
Electric Wonderland
Empty Tummy
Eye
Fleche
Future Shock
Gabrielle
Ghost Hunters
Grand Prix Simulator
Hagar
Harry & Harry - Mission Torpedo
Heavy on the Magick
Holocauste
Hurlements
Jet 37
Jet Bike Simulator
Jumpjet
Last Race, The
Mach 3
Mange Cailloux
Master of the Lamps
Mata Hari
Metropolis
Mikie
Mobile Man
Nemesis
Ninja Hamster
Oxphar
Passager du Temps, Le
Pro Ski Simulator
Ricochet
Robbbot
Robin Hood
Roland in Time
Samurai
Skweek
Sram
Sram 2
Task Force
Tempest
Tetris 2
They stole a Million
Tombstowne
Top Secret
Troglo
Trollie Wallie
Turbo Esprit
Tut's Pyramid
Venusis Planet
Willow Pattern Adventure, The
Zarxas
Zone Part 1
Zone Part 2
Zox 2099

I have attached the roms as 16 KBs files and as 32 KBs files, those are ready for being used in the real machine or mame, the only emulator in this moment supporting some of the functionality of PlayCity.

So... If I understand this correctly, this firmware will redirect the audio to the PlayCity instead of the internal ay for all the above listed games etc? I may have to try this. Any chance of it fitting into fw3.1x at any time?

Quote from: SyX on 02:24, 30 June 16
@TFM (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=179): Sorry for being so busy/offline Stefan, but only a few more months and i will be more free for doing great CPC things. Your guys have made a lot of wonderful things in the last years and i will need to work harder for reaching the new level of quality that it's now standard in the CPC :)

If everybody would do so much for the CPC as you then we would have:
- CPCs as common computers in every home
- Android running on mCPC (mobile CPC, used instead of an cell phone)
- Amsnet instead of Internet and Skynet
- an alien invasion, because they are jealous about our CPC technology  ;D ;D ;D

It's totally ok to deal with real life first, as told a couple month or less are not the problem. We've been waitiing for things over 20 years.  :) :) :)

Quote from: CraigsBar on 13:57, 30 June 16
So... If I understand this correctly, this firmware will redirect the audio to the PlayCity instead of the internal ay for all the above listed games etc? I may have to try this. Any chance of it fitting into fw3.1x at any time?

Those games use the firmware to make sounds and i attached to my message the FW3.16 patched to use that ;) (and a mame friendly version of them for people wanting to test how sounds).

PS: @Everybody: I owe a thousand of likes, you have made a wonderful work during the last year and a half, since ronaldo's cpctelera to Joseman's Skool Daze, passing for the new ports of 40Crisis, all the mini-intros of SuTeKH, Duke's wifi board, ... sorry for the people that i am forgetting, but GREAT WORK GUYS!!! GREAT WORK!!! The community only need that i disappeared for a while :D :D :D

Quote from: SyX on 22:20, 30 June 16
... The community only need that i disappeared for a while :D :D :D

@SyX (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=324): I think it is coincidence.
Stay around and don't forget your contribution! AcmeDOS, Firmware 3.15 and more!

Quote from: SyX on 22:20, 30 June 16
PS: @Everybody: I owe a thousand of likes, you have made a wonderful work during the last year and a half, since ronaldo's cpctelera to Joseman's Skool Daze, passing for the new ports of 40Crisis, all the mini-intros of SuTeKH, Duke's wifi board, ... sorry for the people that i am forgetting, but GREAT WORK GUYS!!! GREAT WORK!!! The community only need that i disappeared for a while :D :D :D

Could I please exclude myself from the "Everybody", because I did fuck all for the CPC scene in the last 12 months, other than fixing a few of them. All design this year was non-CPC stuff... Sorry  ::)

Bryce.

You made that little PCB board for the tape port of my Plus!  :D

Quote from: SyX on 22:20, 30 June 16@Everybody: I owe a thousand of likes, you have made a wonderful work during the last year and a half, since ronaldo's cpctelera to Joseman's Skool Daze, passing for the new ports of 40Crisis, all the mini-intros of SuTeKH, Duke's wifi board, ... sorry for the people that i am forgetting, but GREAT WORK GUYS!!! GREAT WORK!!! The community only need that i disappeared for a while :D :D :D

He said... Just before sending me the more amazing audio thing for the PlayCity since 2 years!  :o :laugh: :-\

@TotO I noticed that some of my playcity cards have dipswitches and some don't what is the purpose of that?

Quote from: zhulien on 18:52, 18 June 23I noticed that some of my playcity cards have dipswitches and some don't what is the purpose of that?

The Play2CPC was intended to use 6ch not 9ch for new games or demo.
I have added this switch later, to balance the mixing to the audio jack if required (not really useful).

do you have any new hardware on your mind? or you want to make with suggestions from others?

Quote from: zhulien on 19:12, 18 June 23do you have any new hardware on your mind? or you want to make with suggestions from others?

It was difficult those last years to do things, but a lot was prototyped. Now, the Play2CPC and Alcon 2020 was released and the best left to come around. The most I have done last 10 years was by listening the need of some CPC programmers to go ahead.

For me until symbiface 2 and x-mass came around it was frustrating on cpc.  Now mostly things are good, but still maturing. I think a monitor solution, as in how to connect new monitors easily with sound if possible is something most cpc users need if not already or if their crt didn't already die. What do you think?  Maybe a gfx card, or sound mixer to reduce PSUs and cabling.