CD-ROM drive on CPC

[MacDeath]

Is it possible to have a CD-Rom drive on CPC ?

The Tape drive interface enable limited control if I remember well. (Remote)
could this be used with a CD-Rom ?
Would certainly need circuit bending and custom design...

But a pimped mini Hifi with tape and CD would then be a good stuff to upgrade a CPC6128...
You would us it as memory loading device, and sound output.

Never understood why amstrad didn't released a CPC/PLUS compatible miniHiFi...
I used to have an amstrad Mini HiFi...
Radio+Tape+CD...

like this one actually :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/Mini-chaine-AMSTRAD-MC-50-/260597598116

(Mine was not exactly this model though)



Or like this one :


Mine was like this one... I still have the speakers... or even perhaps the rest, got to look at my parents home...

Such device could even be tuned to include a DiskDrive perhaps... by removing the Radio part...




So, would a CD rom be used as upgraded tape drive or real CD-ROM (more like a disk drive then ?).


The amount of Data available would simply be humongous...

[ukmarkh]

Yep... you can load games from the stock CPC 464 using a special cassette that links with any CD Player through the phono socket. The tape sits in the cassette drive and relays the sound wave via the CPC cassette head and loads the game.





If you mean directly connected and access in the same way you would a F.D.D then I'm not sure?

[Bryce]

If it's just be used as a modern audio player, then you can simply connect any CD Player to the Tape-in socket on a 6128/664 or use an adaptor on a 464 as ukmarkh mentioned below. Obviously the Tape-Out and Remote sockets can't be connected (Remote possibly, but pretty pointless doing so). I have a Sony Discman connected to my 6128.

If you however mean connecting a PC CD-ROM drive to a CPC, the IDE interface of a CD-ROM is electronically identical to a hard-drive, so any HDD interface (SymbiFace etc) should be able to read CD-ROMs aswell.

Bryce.

[MacDeath]

Yes, I have such a numeric tape...

Do you have more information about the "Remote" function of the Tape socket ?

Does it simply only stop the tapedrive or can be used differently ?
What kind of signal does it produce ?
How do you programm this ?

is it a simple pulse ?

The key element would be to use it as a way to control (sort of) a bit the CD drive...CD drives do not feature a remote fonctionality... that's the point. and perhaps the thing that would need to be fixed...

But depending of what signal the remote produce, this may be bended and twisted in a borderline use...
or not...


I saw nothing about this remote signal on CPCwiki...


I mean, it was possible to sample sounds from the Tapedrive thx to Ultrason... a stuff it wasn't really designed for...


Another way may be to use the Data out too... as a CD drive rarely enable writing process (as a Read only) the Data Out may be used to command the drive then...perhaps.
a proper component would read pre-defined instructions, which would launch the selected Track, or play/stop functions or whatever would be needed...


Of course this would be completely homemade useless obsolete custom stuff, mostly unsupported by any softwares...so a completely necessary stuff.

[Bryce]

The Remote pin on a 6128 is shorted to earth with a transistor when activated. There is a "Call" or "out" to switch it, but I can't remember what it is, I'm sure someone else here can tell you though. Connecting it across the Play/Pause contacts of the CD Player button would probably give the same effect. Or you could use the signal to activate a relay?

Bryce.

Edit: Here's the schematic from the 6128:

Further edit: Here's some info on turning the motor on/off: http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/8255#PPI_Port_C

[MacDeath]

Thx Bryce.

[bleeper]

I know you can use one of those tape converters for the 464, but Is it possible to modify to have a remote jack & 3.5mm audio in/out jacks on the 464?

[arnoldemu]

OUT &F600,&00 -> relay off
OUT &F600,&10 -> relay on

[Devilmarkus]

Kev was faster than me, but:
http://cpc-live.com/taperelay/

[Bryce]

@Bleeper: Yes, theoritically you could solder some wires onto the tape circuit board and extend them to a "Tape" socket if you really wanted to, just nobody seems to have wanted to up to now. If you want to know where to add the wires I can do you a diagram. Let me know.

Bryce.

[bleeper]

Bryce,

If you had the time, that would be excellent! I think it would be a neat mod that I'd definitely perform on my 464. Hopefully someone else somewhere might also want to do the same

[Cholo]

All this got me to think of how the Codemasters CD would have worked .. or perhaps it was 6128/664 only ?

http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Codemasters_CD

[Bryce]

This is all you need to do... The picture is of the Tape deck PCB, not the 464s main pcb. There's an 8-way connector going to the main board, and this is probably the best point to solder to, large solder points in a row with colour coded wires, are pretty easy to recognise . You only need three wires, GND which goes to the outer contacts of both 3.5mm Sockets, the sound wire (white) goes to the Audio connector, but be careful it's the correct one, there's two white wires and the other one is the 5V line, feeding this into your CD Player wouldn't end happily. Then the remote wire (yellow) which will short to earth when the tape-on signal is sent, is connected to the Remote socket. That's it...

Make a page in the Wiki for it under DIY/Mass Storage: http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/DIY#Mass_Storage if you have time, unfortunately I don't.

Bryce.

[Executioner]

If you however mean connecting a PC CD-ROM drive to a CPC, the IDE interface of a CD-ROM is electronically identical to a hard-drive, so any HDD interface (SymbiFace etc) should be able to read CD-ROMs aswell.

Well, it could in theory but there's not support for the CD file-systems which have 2K sectors rather than the standard 512 bytes on other media.

[Gryzor]

Or like this one :

My parents-in-law-to-be actually have this one in their bedroom. Each time I visit them I stare at it

[Bryce]

I've added the circuit above to the Wiki: http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/DIY_464_External_Audio_Socket

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

Nice

[MacDeath]

Be nice, with bryce....


(french pun from the movie Brice de Nice...Bryce from Nice...)
[youtube=kF9dCDCWo64]brice de nice[/youtube]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF9dCDCWo64

[robcfg]

HAahahahahahahaa!


You nailed it with the video, I can't get it out of my head 


Be nice, with Bryce... 

[Bryce]

Ha, cool yes, haven't ever seen the film, but the french relatives have said it's a blast (ie: very funny), must see if I can find the original here in Germany (I hate translated films, got to be original language).

Bryce.