C64 1541 UltimateII+ alternative possible on the CPC? I'd buy one!!

[philuk2000]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3JwAmPUIIw


I was pretty blown away by this (EXPENSIVE!) feature rich cart for the C64 - particularly the ability for DMA, ROM switching and things like emulating other cartridges (Action Replay, etc).

So, hypothetically, could either the CPC 464 or 6128 (or both!) facilitate an adapter of this kind and its features through a single port? - It would be pretty awesome. Even if not created using a dedicated FPGA then maybe a Raspberry PI could be used with its PiHat ability, like with the SideKick64 for C64 does.


I would definitely buy one - if it was a good price!

[SkulleateR]

Already asked for it, but there don't seem to be much interest here


https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/would-something-like-the-sidekick64-be-possible-for-cpc-too/

[philuk2000]

Already asked for it, but there don't seem to be much interest here


https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/would-something-like-the-sidekick64-be-possible-for-cpc-too/

That's a real shame if true - something like these adapters would catapult the CPC scene imo

[SkulleateR]

And with a RPi it's so damn cheap, PCB 15 Euro presoldered, RPi 3A+ 17€ and 5€ for the TFT Display .... it's really a bargain but sadly I don't know enough about creating hardware and programming the Pi, so I cannot design it myself sadly

[philuk2000]

Things like this (Action Replay on the Amiga's and C64s, Light Pens/guns and music machines on the CPC, etc.) back when I was growing up and dipping my toes into 'computing' were what made having these machines so fun and exciting - that constant urge to discover new insights of what could be accomplished from these machines is what enticed millions of kids around the world back them (and the games!!) into micros.


I hope we see a new wave of such hardware accessories for the CPCs.

[norecess464]

I may be wrong, but I'm not sure to understand why you are so envious about the C64 1541 Ultimate 2.

We have ROM boards, we have RAM expansions, we have SDCard/USB-based storage, there is hardware to push RAM snapshots / CPR cartridges directly to an Amstrad machine, the PlayCity is even able to add PRI interrupts + 6 more AY channels, and I'm not even mentioning here all the other expansions available to us... WiFi, Bluetooth, C4CPC...

[SkulleateR]

I may be wrong, but I'm not sure to understand why you are so envious about the C64 1541 Ultimate 2.

We have ROM boards, we have RAM expansions, we have SDCard/USB-based storage, there is hardware to push RAM snapshots / CPR cartridges directly to an Amstrad machine, the PlayCity is even able to add PRI interrupts + 6 more AY channels, and I'm not even mentioning here all the other expansions available to us... WiFi, Bluetooth, C4CPC...

Because you could have ALL THAT in only one expansion without needing to switch around, fully software configurable (Speaking of the SIDEKICK64 here btw) and very cheap (see above) ... on my 464 there is a Lambdaboard + M4 + Ram Expasion + Usifac + UART mp3 player and IMHO that is UGLY as hell, I would prefer an all-in-one-and-cheap solution ... but hey, only my opinion 

[philuk2000]

I may be wrong, but I'm not sure to understand why you are so envious about the C64 1541 Ultimate 2.

We have ROM boards, we have RAM expansions, we have SDCard/USB-based storage, there is hardware to push RAM snapshots / CPR cartridges directly to an Amstrad machine, the PlayCity is even able to add PRI interrupts + 6 more AY channels, and I'm not even mentioning here all the other expansions available to us... WiFi, Bluetooth, C4CPC...

I'm not aware of all that is already available for the CPC as regards to add-ons/expansions - which is why I asked whether it is possible, theoretically (/technically). The Ultimate II+ seems to fit so much into one unit so if there is something already available for the CPC in one unit then I'm all ears. I'm certainly not taking away from the other accessories available for the CPCs (many I obviously do not know about).  From a software development point of view, having those features in one cart, would offer so many advantages for me on the CPC.

[CFox]

I may be wrong, but I'm not sure to understand why you are so envious about the C64 1541 Ultimate 2.

We have ROM boards, we have RAM expansions, we have SDCard/USB-based storage, there is hardware to push RAM snapshots / CPR cartridges directly to an Amstrad machine, the PlayCity is even able to add PRI interrupts + 6 more AY channels, and I'm not even mentioning here all the other expansions available to us... WiFi, Bluetooth, C4CPC...

You have a point there in the sense that I'm not sure that all the features of UII+ are that useful for CPC.

But. I have UII+ for my C64 and it is simply amazing. And it is probably best single addon for vintage micros I have, although for the price Atari 8-bit Average Cart and FujiNet are also terrific. UII+ offers staggering amount of features which as a separate products would cost a lot more. Most important to me are cycle accurate emulation Commodore 1541 diskdrives (some software doesn't work with cheaper SD2IEC and likes), cartridge and modem support. It really does pretty much everything you want from a C64 addon without overriding or replacing the functions of original hardware (like PiStorm for Amiga does, for example).

[norecess464]

Because you could have ALL THAT in only one expansion

If the form factor etc. is important to you, then I understand and yes, an all-in-one device might be definitively good !

Personally - my opinion - I like having several cards cleanly reunited behind the @TotO 's Mother X4 card (as presented in this thread: https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/mother-x4-board/msg66245/#msg66245). With it, you can alter your current configuration while still keeping the other functionality working as intended. With all the new cards popping here and there through the years, I'm glad to have this choice.