While lurking the net I found this picture (see attached one)
And was wondering, it would be great to have those kind of High resolution informative poster concerning the computer we love...
Should/would include the main components (Z80, ASIC, Gate Array, RAM chips and so on...), models, palettes, official peripherals, connectics and so on...
Needs a lot of clear and good quality pictures to achieve this.
Is it a good Idea ? I think so...
Is someone willing to make a template ?
We need a proper list of all we will include.
Then getting the Template done, then find Pictures (create...) to fill this template.
Of course we can do 2 posters with some kind of thematic, but it would be better to put all on a big one.
The one I posted here is Connectic oriented, but A CPC oriented one wouldn't be all on Connectic...
Such stuff, if printed, may be so great at demoparties or conventions such as RetroMadrid...
Can someone start a "whish-list" ?
That's a pretty cool poster. If they managed to get all the PC stuff on one page, then we should be easily be able to get the CPC stuff on one page too.
I can see the advantage of the poster for PC, because the parts get swapped between PCs and every year there are new standards for Memory / expansion etc. But in a CPC it's all static and soldered into place, so it would just be a "nice to have", it wouldn't be as useful as the PC one really would it?
Bryce.
Well, more like some intro for beginers...
Not the same usefullness as this PC-computering connectic stuff, yet a bit usefull for peoples that just want to get their long-time-forgoten CPC working again...
Or to show to all the people who don't even know that CPC exist the wonders of this legendary era of computering... ;D
Also it is to notice this informationnal "poster" actually includes stuff present on our beloved CPC...
Letme check...
=DIP PIN 40... is that z80 compatible ?
=DIPP memory...
=Modem RJ11...actually used as Lightgun plug on PLUS...(is it RJ11 or something else ?)
=Centronics...on PLUS or German CPCs...
=DB9 (joy) and DBer...25 or 15 for Analog ?
And so on...
Dip 40 => Physically compatible, but not pin compatible.
DIL Memory => Yes, but there's SRAM DRAM and hundreds of types of each (kind of like saying, yes the CPC used resistors too)
RJ11 = True, this is the same connector. Edit: now that I think of it, wasn't the CPC one an RJ25?
Centronics and DB9 => Again it's a standard part, see Resistor comment above.
I think a good poster for the CPC range, would be a top view of the PCB showing what each part / section is and does. If it's online, you could even make it interactive, ie: click on the printer port / CPU / Memory and it takes you to the appropriate Wiki page?
Bryce.
That would be a nice idea.
Which would be better? To have a poster with all PCB's (I mean one per computer model) or a different posters for different computer models?
Well, I was more into a global poster, with most models displayed, without the too numerous sub-variants...(PCB variants...)
Exemple :
=CPC old :
464, 664,6128... perhaps a few pictures of the exotic variants or keyboards (Spanish, English, french, 472, Schneider too...)
=their connectics one for each :464,664,6128,German rears picture...
joy port, and so on...(same on many models... same as on the poster I posted...)
=Close up picture of most specific/essential components (Z80, CRTC, Gate Array, the mundane kind of RAM/ROM chips, AY, and so on...)
Not the resistors of course ! ::)
=the different monitors.
Perhaps a few mother boards variants, but not that many...I mean because they replaced one resistor doesn't need another picture...
Yet the Cost down version (Pre-Asic and the average mundane basic original Motherboard.... not too zoomed...
=Palette (monochrome and Colour monitor)
=the official Amstrad peripherals (Printer, DiskDrive, MP1-3 TV adapters...)
And the same with the PLUS range (would be shorter...)
I know the amstrad connectics use the same plug but not the same wiring, henceby are not compatible with the PC-standards...
This must just be a visual and informationnal poster about the CPC range...
Detailing a bit about all I listed, but hey, doesn't need to be too encyclopedic or detailed too...
Er... another one with more empathy on Motherboards variants may be great too... But this is getting too much Geeky perhaps...
Is this idea still alive? It's certainly a great one...
Mmm I dont have proper pictures... Nor all the CPC models...
But why not...
The Ideal would be to get 1/1 scale for most small parts : connectors, Chips...
Concerning the machines and monitors it would be great to get them on scale with each other... yet of course not a 1/1 scale...
Also : photos or drawing ?
Lets see what we have here :
(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.cpc/bw.cpc.6128.png?w=160)(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.cpc/bw.cpc.664.png?w=160)(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.cpc/bw.cpc.464.png?w=160)
(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.plus/bw.6128.plus.png?w=160)(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.plus/bw.464.plus.png?w=160)(http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.plus/bw.gx.4000.png?w=160)
(taken from Grimware)
At CPCwiki :
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/3/3d/2ndDiscDrivePinout.gif)(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/7/72/Cpc-printer.jpg)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/e/eb/CpcPlusAuxSocket.gif)(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/6/68/ExpansionPortPlus.png)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/5/5c/ExpansionPortEdge.gif)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/d/df/Plus-printer.jpg)
just like like thoses... are they available as Vector graphics ? would be usefull actually... ::)
or the one available in the manuals just get them on scale and good...)
possible Elements to display :
=each Computer models (reduced scale) with a rear/side/upper view (the upper view, should it be faced or with some angle ?) ...
= connectors (all) : individually at 1/1 scale... don't forget the internal disk drive connector (power and "IDE"...sort of...)
= each monitors (reduced scale)
=Each main/spécific componnents : Z80, AY, CRTC, ASIC, Gate Arrays, memories... (with "every" variants then... mostly for CRTCs...)
=Cartridges...
=perhaps the different models of 3" disk drives (without casing, reduced scale) just got to know how many kind were used perhaps...
=Colour palettes : CPC and PLUS... easily available (Wikipedia...)
What else ?
To ease the scaling aspect, would be great if the photograph could put something so We can compare (measurment rule or anything else...) and the photos should have a quite good resolution too... (better when re-demensionned...)
also avoid bad/corrupting format at all costs (no JPG please...)
It seems we still have quite a good amount of existing material at CPCwiki...Please help me to find all the "oh exploitable!" ones by submitting links in this topic...
Addon/sidenote :
While searching for those kind of pictures at CPCwiki I saw that many "conector:xxxx" pages had no categories...I corrected this a bit...
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/6/68/WalgenbachAmstrad_CPC464_spanish_Large.jpg)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/8/85/WalgenbachAmstrad_CPC664_Large.jpg)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/a/a9/WalgenbachAmstrad_CPC6128_Large.jpg)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/b/b9/WalgenbachAmstrad_CPC464%2B_Large.jpg)
(http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/6/68/WalgenbachAmstrad_CPC6128%2B_Large.jpg)
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/8/85/GX4000_Top.jpg
ouch this one is too big.. lol...
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/f/f1/CPC6128_PCB_Top_%28Z70290_MC0020B%29.jpg
ouch far too big, but if I cut some bits this may be good to get the proper stuffs (board connectors per exemple)...
And most Chips...
My scans are that big on purpose. We only need to scale them to our needs. If they were smaller, quality would be much lower.
I can make vector images like my Arnor logos easily with Inkscape, so that would be no problem either.
Well, getting the elements in vector graphic may be a good solution to get something clean...
let's say the "template"...
Then we may see if a "photo" version could be good too...
IMO it should be either drawings or photos for all... or maybe we could do both? :)
Nice job there!