Hi guys!
I am starting this topic just to show you what I have been doing with the 464+ I bought a few months ago, maybe you will find it entertaining :) . Long story short is that I managed to buy this machine for cheap including a CM-14 monitor. When I received them I found that both the computer and the screen were in great apparent condition. However, when I plugged the computer I realized that the screen presented some distortion and adjustment problems: the image was a bit rotated and the v-size was not right either. The 464+ was fine, besides a few not working keys.
I firstly was very reluctant to open the screen but at some point I decided that I would give it a try. The summary is that it was necessary to adjust the position of the deflection coil, change the caps and adjust the v-size as well. After that, the screen looked as great as new. However, as it was mentioned before, messing with a monitor is something dangerous that maybe I should not have done.
Regarding the computer, I decided to go for a 6128+ conversion. Bryce posted a great "how to (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/464Plus_Conversion)" in the Wiki long ago, so I just needed to source the components and install them. This is how the motherboard looked after removing all the necessary solder. I used quite a lot of flux and two rolls of desoldering braid, that is why it looks so brown. Nothing that a good cleaning with isopropanol cannot solve.
[attachimg=1]
Here is the board with all the new sockets installed. I used traditional sockets because I already had them at home.
[attachimg=2]
With all the sockets in place it was time to install the RAM, that needs a couple of caps and a pair of resistors to work. It tested that everything was fine loading some 128KB only programs before going on.
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
Then I installed the rest of the components. This is how the board looks when everything is in place. For the floppy drive power I decided to solder a 4-way connector. It is the same one that PC fans use and allows to keep the cables very short if we decide not to install an internal drive. Moreover, if we go for it, or for an internal HxC, this allows to choose the length of the power cables at will.
[attachimg=5]
[attachimg=6]
Finally, I did the RGB output mod to remove the jail bars that usually plague the Plus range image. Again, it was Bryce the one who came up with the solution, that is a simple as soldering 3 220pf caps between the colour signals and the ground.
[attachimg=7]
[attachimg=8]
It was time to test everything, and since I still did not receive the Centronics connector for the external port I prepared a crappy cable for a quick test. As you see, it seems to be working nicely :) .
[attachimg=9]
Now I need to install the Centronics port and make a hole in the case. I will probably go for a reset button as well. I am still not sure about the internal expansion port, though :D
Amazing job!!!!!!
Very nice work, glad my guides were of use to you. Wouldn't it have been possible to put a 4x pinheader directly on the PCB for the floppy power? The spacing should be correct (2.54mm).
And if you can do all this work so nicely, why have you sent the other plus to me for modification? :)
Bryce.
Excellent work and thanks for the pictures.
It'll be nice to have a reference for when I attempt this.
I am glad you like it guys!! :D
@ Bryce Regarding the connector, I completely agree, a pinheader is the way to go. Yesterday I was thinking about it and I think that I will do the substitution today. Luckily, it is in one of the easiest parts of the board. I think I will install a Molex like this one:
[attachimg=1]
Regarding the other question, the answer is obvious: you are Sir Bryce, the one who makes the tutorials and designs new hardware. I am a solder junkie that just follows instructions. My beloved 6128 is way better in your hands than in mine :D
Yes, that's exactly the type of connnector I was thinking of. Just make sure you install it in the correct direction for the 5V and 12V to be correct with a standard lead.
No problems regarding your 6128+. As soon as I get around to doing it, I'll be back to you (to remind me of exactly what you want done).
Bryce.
Well, everything done! There was only a way to put the connector, so it was really easy. If you try to install it the other way around and you need to move all the caps :laugh: I like it much more now :)
[attachimg=1]
Another thing I did was to give the keyboard a deep cleaning. It was really dusty but great otherwise, no yellowing at all.
[attachimg=2]
:o That keyboard.
So white
Yup, the connector is a much nicer solution.
Bryce.
I think that this computer was barely used :) I bought it from a lady that received it as a present in the 90s and she mostly kept it in storage. In fact, the CRT was completely clean inside when I opened it. However, that does not prevent many Pluses to became yellow. I have some at home in Spain that come from a new old stock that was always in the dark and one in particular is like a lemon. The others, however, are much more withe :)
Great job. Threads like these make me really wish that I'd payed more attention in my electronics classes back in college.
So, I finally received the centronics port and finished the board. I chose to secure it using a couple of screws and two protectors to prevent any damage. The screws were not touching the tracks but it is always nice to have some cushioning :) The other option was to solder it, but the screws are much easier to remove in the unlikely case that the port needs to be replaced.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
And this is how the board looks once is completed:
[attachimg=3]
Definitely quite crowded when everything is in place :laugh:
[attachimg=4]
I was checking that everything works and now what is left is to make the hole in the case for the new port and, maybe, install the reset button. I have the switch here but I still do not know if I am going to put it or where. If you have any suggestions about the placement, they are very welcome :)
The cavities under the sides of the keybaord are good for hiding switches, but there's not a lot of space on the inside, so check that the switches would fit before you start drilling holes! Se pictures here: 464+ Mod (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/464-mod/msg52512/#msg52512)
Bryce.
Huuuum... that is actually not a bad idea! I was thinking to install this guy in the picture, but I have some that could fit in those gaps without drilling the case :)
[attachimg=1]
On the other hand, and although it works fine, I will have to clean the tape deck a bit. I do not know about replacing the cables that go to the head, of at least resolder the black one. It looks awful but, on the other hand, maybe it is not necessary.
[attachimg=2]
Those joints look fine, I'd leave them as they are. Just clean the heads and remove the dust.
Bryce.
Thanks Bryce! At the end that is what I did :)
So, today in the evening I decided to make the hole in the case :) . I marked the shape with a pen and masking tape and then I removed the bulk of plastic with a hot knife.
[attachimg=1]
After this, the rest is a question of patience and elbow grease using the files. I almost finished with it :D
[attachimg=2]
Wow, great work there... that's almost factory-like!
Glad you like it! :D Actually, making a hole is not difficult if you are patient with the file, hehe.
Well... it seems that the mod is over, same as my sleeping time. At the end, adjusting the case was quite complicate, or at least, more complicate than expected :) First, I removed the filter that has the Plus inside after Bryce confirmed that is more or less useless. This made some room (I had moved it far away, but this is much nicer).
[attachimg=1]
Then, I had to work with the file in the left hinge of the tape deck because it hit the new centronics port and did not allow to put the case back in place. At the end, I removed a little bit of plastic in a corner of the port too, very little, it is invisible from the outside, but it helped as well. Below is how the modified hinge looks. Still plenty of plastic left to hold the lid.
[attachimg=2]
And this is the back of the computer!
[attachimg=3]
Everything works very well so far :) Now, it is time to go to bed :picard:
@ ||C|-|E||
Would you be able to put this Update-Mod on the Wiki with all the Photos Please.
Brilliant upgrade Well done
Ray
He did the mod following my Guide that is already on the Wiki. You can find it here: 464Plus Conversion - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/464Plus_Conversion)
However, I didn't include a picture of the hinge modifications, maybe we could add that picture to the page.
Bryce.
Edit: I've just added the hinge picture to the Wiki Guide.
Nice upgrade and clean work; good job guy :)
Excellent workmanship, well done :D
And thanks for all the pictures.
Mark
Glad you like it guys! I am super screwed and sleepy today, but anyway, reasonably happy with the results :)
So yes, I did the mod following Bryce´s article, that is very detailed and gives all the info you need. However, since I uploaded many pictures in the post, maybe we can make and extra section, just for the pics, as a future reference for the people that wants to do this as well :) We can also include some little additional details, like the possibility of removing the filter, that is really annoying.
Great idea, some kind of 'conversion handbook'. :) :)
@ ||C|-|E||
Great works, look really good. 8)
I think I'd like to get one of these custom 464+ / 6128+ one day, I'll have to keep my eyes open incase one comes available for sale though. ;D
Is there anyway to add a tape counter to the plus? looks like the only thing missing from the perfect Cart / Disc / Tape machine.
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 12:26, 09 June 16
Glad you like it! :D Actually, making a hole is not difficult if you are patient with the file, hehe.
It's certainly neater than mine :( but hell, it's at the back so who sees it anyway ;)
Quote from: CraigsBar on 10:22, 12 June 16
It's certainly neater than mine :( but hell, it's at the back so who sees it anyway ;)
You can always go through it again and make it perfect :)
About the counter, it would be nice and possible, but probably not so simple to build and fit inside. I would go for a digital one: it could read the number of spins, probably with an optic sensor, and just add one to the previous number. It should have a reset button and, in case it is needed, it should be able to count when you rewind and do fast forward.
If you workout the tape counter let me know, I'd love one too.
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 16:33, 12 June 16
You can always go through it again and make it perfect :)
About the counter, it would be nice and possible, but probably not so simple to build and fit inside. I would go for a digital one: it could read the number of spins, probably with an optic sensor, and just add one to the previous number. It should have a reset button and, in case it is needed, it should be able to count when you rewind and do fast forward.
All possible, but most digital displays are relatively large and would require a lot of case space.
Bryce.
Quote from: CraigsBar on 17:49, 12 June 16
If you workout the tape counter let me know, I'd love one too.
Maybe it will be possible to work out something (maybe) :) . We found some nice bubble leds that are very cool and small enough to integrate in the case:
Retro 4-digit LED Display (QDSP6064) - Pimoroni (https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/retro-4-digit-led-display)
But then, there is all the mechanical part, much more complicated :)
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 16:18, 13 June 16
Maybe it will be possible to work out something (maybe) :) . We found some nice bubble leds that are very cool and small enough to integrate in the case:
Retro 4-digit LED Display (QDSP6064) - Pimoroni (https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/retro-4-digit-led-display)
But then, there is all the mechanical part, much more complicated :)
Just ordered 5 of these. Not particularly to make a tape counter, but because they are cool and I'm sure I'll use them for something :)
Bryce.
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 16:18, 13 June 16
Maybe it will be possible to work out something (maybe) :) . We found some nice bubble leds that are very cool and small enough to integrate in the case:
Retro 4-digit LED Display (QDSP6064) - Pimoroni (https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/retro-4-digit-led-display)
But then, there is all the mechanical part, much more complicated :)
This is cool!!!
Quote from: Bryce on 20:10, 13 June 16
Just ordered 5 of these. Not particularly to make a tape counter, but because they are cool and I'm sure I'll use them for something :)
Bryce.
I use them all the time... in my Commodore pocket calculator :D
Ok, these are seriously cool!
I wouldn't really know what to do with them but they look awesome 8)
This baby I repaired long ago uses something very similar ;D
[attachimg=1]
I have a few already from old calculators, but they are usually one single unit with 10 digits. That would be a looooong tape!
Bryce.
Or a very precise one! We could put decimal numbers! Something like 6 seems fitting.
It was difficult enough back then on my tape of self-written BASIC programs, writing all the start times: "3DCircuit.bas = 148". I don't think something like "3DCircuit.bas = 148.6572184" would be very useful. :D
Bryce.
Ok, nice to have a counter. But... do people really use tapes in these days? :o
Quote from: TFM on 15:15, 14 June 16
Ok, nice to have a counter. But... do people really use tapes in these days? :o
I doubt it to be honest, but if a tape counter is do able then why not. ;D
It should have been put in to begin with by Amstrad. :doh:
Quote from: TFM on 15:15, 14 June 16
Ok, nice to have a counter. But... do people really use tapes in these days? :o
Not for multi-loading games but for the others, yes, I still use tapes from time to time, particularly to load text adventures. They bring back a lot of good memories :) I still enjoy buying some original games and I really love to load them in the classic way when I feel like doing it. Most of the time, however, I use the HXC and I think that for modern productions floppies or floppy images are the way to go :D
Can someone please build... something, whatever, for the CPC that uses these nifty LEDs? I don't care how useless of silly!
Quote from: Gryzor on 14:22, 15 June 16
Can someone please build... something, whatever, for the CPC that uses these nifty LEDs? I don't care how useless of silly!
Well I have 5 of them on their way to me. Tell me what you want them to display. :)
Bryce.
We can make an ABBA switch that says 1A-2B and when everything is normal but when you change says 1B-2A :D My Plus is there Bryce!! Feel free :D :D :laugh:
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 15:42, 15 June 16
We can make an ABBA switch that says 1A-2B and when everything is normal but when you change says 1B-2A :D My Plus is there Bryce!! Feel free :D :D :laugh:
Ehhh, no. Cutting a hole in the Plus case just for a glorified status LED goes against everything I stand for! :D
Bryce.
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 15:42, 15 June 16
We can make an ABBA switch that says 1A-2B and when everything is normal but when you change says 1B-2A :D My Plus is there Bryce!! Feel free :D :D :laugh:
Excellent idea! :) :) :)
Quote from: Bryce on 20:43, 15 June 16
Ehhh, no. Cutting a hole in the Plus case just for a glorified status LED goes against everything I stand for! :D
Bryce.
Aaah... you have made Gryzor very very sad :-X :-\
Oh I wouldn't know... how would you drive it? Through the expansion port? Is there a way to have a constant supply of data without specific software running constantly?
Yes, you could have it displaying the contents of the data bus or the frequency the CPC is running at (a bit boring on a fixed frequency system) or (with a little bit more hardware) even the contents of some specific address in RAM (Score display?).
Bryce.
Data bus contents is something very cool as well, and useful I would say :)
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 12:07, 16 June 16
Data bus contents is something very cool as well, and useful I would say :)
It would be changing so quickly that it would be unreadable.
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 12:05, 16 June 16
Yes, you could have it displaying the contents of the data bus or the frequency the CPC is running at (a bit boring on a fixed frequency system) or (with a little bit more hardware) even the contents of some specific address in RAM (Score display?).
Bryce.
Yeah, the frequency would be cool, even if static; it'd give you the impression it can be changed :D I thought of the contents of an address, but you'd need to be able to specify that address, and also it'd just be empty unless you run something that uses it?
Bus contents would be great if you could add something to delay it and sample it say, twice a second or something like that.
Another idea, but more complicated, would be to use them to display several things. In this case, next to the leds we would have a button or a couple of them and we would be able to cycle through several options: ABBA switch status, data bus, ram content... and more things. That would be super cool! :)
...a thermal sensor inside the case... :D
A row of dipswitches could be used to select the address you wanted to monitor. If you knew the address where the score is stored it could display this. Temperature is also easy, but also not really that interesting (I doubt it changes much after the initial rise after booting). I don't see the point of an ABBA display. There's only two options and you can see how it's set from the switch.
Bryce.
Well, the interested in the ABBA display is just that I am extremely forgetful and my switches are in the cable of the floppy. I never remember when it is A, B, side 1 or side 2 :laugh: On the other hand, I lived 29 years a flat that had two light switches next to each other and, until the last moment, I was always turning on the wrong one :-X I still do, when I visit my parents :picard2:
Well, how about the slowed-down display of the data bus?
Quote from: Gryzor on 12:53, 16 June 16
Well, how about the slowed-down display of the data bus?
That's easy, but of what use?
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 13:52, 16 June 16
That's easy, but of what use?
Bryce.
Looking cool? Duhhhh!
Quote from: Gryzor on 13:52, 16 June 16
Looking cool? Duhhhh!
Of course! :laugh:
But I thought that this was the whole point, really :D
Actually, the RAM thing is useful by itself, or at least extremely cool :) It would be great, for example, to see what is in there not only for the score, but for the energy, etc. And I have a book of POKES for many many games. Of course, combining this with a tape counter system in a 464 Plus would be awesome.
Yeah, I thought of a tape counter too, but it'd require more hardware...
The tape counter is not trivial, for sure :-X
Instead of DIP switches, you could have two IO port addresses to write an address value to (low byte, high byte). Then the display can show that memory location (or rather, a copy of whatever is stored there).
Of course, this would require rather a lot of conventional logic chips. Unless a 5V CPLD was used.
With this, before a game is loaded, a couple of lines of BASIC can select a useful memory address for the game you are intending to load 8)
Mark
Have it display the current time, for those with an RTC installed.
Found this on the net somewhere ?
Ray
That actually seems to be a tape counter already :)
Sorry i don't know where i got it from, I will have a look to find out.
Ray
@ ||C|-|E||
Found it, The site Looks interesting.
The display connects to a Gotek
The World's Best Photos of amstrad - Flickr Hive Mind (http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/amstrad),retrocomputer/Interesting
Ray
True, it is just the display of the Gotek :) Maybe is showing the number of the disk image you are loading?
That would be a sensibe use for the tiny 7-Seg displays, displaying the track number of the drive. The displays have 4 positions, so it could display A/B in the first segment (to show which letter the internal drive has and the two right hand digits could display the track number.
Bryce.
Not the same computer, but the same owner, so I thought I'd post these pictures here. This is a 6128+ mod that I did today to add a Tape port to ||C|-|E||s other plus.
PCB fitting:
[attach=2]
PCB Populated (the little white box is a tiny relay for the remote function):
[attach=3]
Populated PCB in place (yup, not a lot of space there):
[attach=4]
Case modded for the new port:
[attach=5]
Just needs to be tested and the mod is finished.
Bryce.
It looks awesome! particularly how you managed to install everything in such a tiny space! :D
Yeah, it's a bit of a squeeze in the corner, but it was the only place the port fits properly. I've tested the relay and that works fine. The data from a cassette (using an MSX tapedeck) is getting to the PCB, but I haven't managed to load anything yet. Probably need to fiddle with the levels a bit to get it to load.
Bryce.
That was always the most critical part with the external tape decks, yes :( In that sense, the modded 464 Plus always loads the tapes beautifully, same as the old CPC 464 was always doing compared to my CPC 6128 through the tape port.
What's the other port at the rear for please?
It is S-Video output :)
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 11:54, 26 June 16
It is S-Video output :)
Ah, thanks! Just wondered as that's where my Dad and I put my tape connector 25 odd years ago!
Tape port, S-video, reset switch all finished and tested. Drive checked too. It'll be on its way back to you tomorrow.
Bryce.
Great! It will be probably here just in a little bit longer than a week then! :D
Man, how did you get so white keyboard? :o I want mine! :)
Another question about keyboard: how can I dissasemble one key to replace for other one? My 'D' key is very hard and I'd like to replace for one function key like f8-f9 that practically don't use.
Thanks.
Quote from: AxelStone on 07:21, 03 May 17
Man, how did you get so white keyboard? :o I want mine! :)
Another question about keyboard: how can I dissasemble one key to replace for other one? My 'D' key is very hard and I'd like to replace for one function key like f8-f9 that practically don't use.
Thanks.
If the "D" is sticking, just pop it off carefully by levering it up with a screwdriver. the shaft is the bit that's sticking. you need to clean and lubricate the shaft and then put the cap back on (after you've found that spring that just fell on the carpet).
Bryce.
Bryce is right about they key :) . You can also completely disassemble the keyboard and give the plastic parts a good rinse. It usually helps.
My keyboard is so white, same as the rest of the computer, because I was lucky enough to buy it from a girl that received the machine as a present in the 90s and never actually used it :) . The Amstrad was in a box all these years, ignoring that it would be eventually modded and used to test Doomsday Lost Echoes!