30 years of The CPC on The Register

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

You're NOT fired: The story of Amstrad's amazing CPC 464 • The Register

[chinnyhill10]

Article on 30 years of the CPC on The Register:


You're NOT fired: The story of Amstrad's amazing CPC 464 • The Register


Please go into the comments section and help out. Sadly there are the usual bitter and ill informed comments about the CPC. Trying my best to fight for the CPC but some help would be appreciated!


Comments page is here You're NOT fired: The story of Amstrad's amazing CPC 464 • The Register

[dragon]

The picture is interesting. Simon Rockman a owner of a cpc prototype? . Maybe someone can contact he to make a better pictures of the motherboard etc etc....

[Bryce]

Page 2: "The report said the new machine would have 64KB RAM expandable to 4MB"

Aaaarrrggghhh, they'd obviously been speaking with TFM back then

Bryce.

[dragon]

They explains the changue ferranti ula to sgs ula very well. From "ferranti's bipolar process to LSI Logic's CMOS process". MC0001A(designed to ferranti ula)->To issue MC0002D(designed to sgs ula).

So is confirm the 40007 is  ferranti bipolar ula with 1200 gates. and 40008 is Lsi logic cmos gate array version from sgs.


The article is very good.

[The Last Bandit]

Close to being another 6502 box....

[Bryce]

They explains the changue ferranti ula to sgs ula very well. From "ferranti's bipolar process to LSI Logic's CMOS process". MC0001A(designed to ferranti ula)->To issue MC0002D(designed to sgs ula).

So is confirm the 40007 is  ferranti bipolar ula with 1200 gates. and 40008 is Lsi logic cmos gate array version from sgs.


The article is very good.

Actually that whole section doesn't seem to make sense then. If they were having such serious signal level issues with the Ferranti part, then there would be significant schematic differences between MC0001A and MC0002D to compensate the problem. The MC0002C was still using the 40007 and is almost identical to the MC0002D boards some of which were already using the 40010?

Do the 40007 GAs display any noticeable defects?

Bryce.

[Munchausen]

I read that whole section as having happened before mass production? (i.e. before the final 40007 was produced?)

[Gryzor]

Close to being another 6502 box....

I think this has been well documented, perhaps even since the early nineties (The Amstrad Story)...

[Bryce]

I read that whole section as having happened before mass production? (i.e. before the final 40007 was produced?)

Yes, that's what I understood too. Which means all Gate Arrays whether 40007, 40008 or 40010 were SGS devices.

Bryce.

[dcdrac]

I have never really understood why the CPC attracts so many bitter comments even after all this time.

[Gryzor]

Merged the two threads into one.

[dragon]

Yes, that's what I understood too. Which means all Gate Arrays whether 40007, 40008 or 40010 were SGS devices.

Bryce.

No, i think at  99% the 40007 is ferranti.

In Alan sugar book He says that in the end, ferranti managed to deliver a certain amount of chips.

In  the other hand, the gate array 40007 is marked as "20RA043" That fits practically perfect with the serial number of ferranti 5000 ula series(taken from  the spectrum book how desing a microcomputer).


And finally in 8bitscomp Roland perry said years ago:


"I happen to know that the first
chips were Ferranti ULAs made exactly to Amstrad's design, while later
models were SGS custom chips which were plug compatible, but not
identical at the gate level, allegedly."

Google Discussiegroepen

40007 and 40008 are plug compatible


I think at finish ferranti solve the problems. And They recieved a batch of ferranti chips. At the same time the other sgs were designing/produced. But probably Alan continues with sgs, and later he made a revisión of the 40008 the 40010.

[TFM]

At least the 4 MB thing got mentioned, but the article skips ANT II. Ok, would really be asked too much.

[sigh]

What a brilliant article.

I really do wish there was an in depth article of the PLUS machines.

[arnoldemu]

At least the 4 MB thing got mentioned, but the article skips ANT II. Ok, would really be asked too much.

ANT II == The PCW16?

OR?

[chinnyhill10]

I'd like to see Alan Sugar in front of himself in the Apprentice boardroom over the Plus machines!


"2 years too late, woeful marketing, overpriced, poor selection of expensive cartridges and a total lack of awareness of what was going on in the market. And for those reasons, you're fired."

[TFM]

ANT II == The PCW16?

OR?

No, it was the Arnold Number 2, sadly abandoned. But the Joyce has some of its features (which make no sense for the Joyce), since both computers were intended to use the same board.

[dcdrac]

I'd like to see Alan Sugar in front of himself in the Apprentice boardroom over the Plus machines!


"2 years too late, woeful marketing, overpriced, poor selection of expensive cartridges and a total lack of awareness of what was going on in the market. And for those reasons, you're fired."

Although I like the Plus machines for what Roland Perry managed to do, Amstrad missed a trick what they could have done was make a 16 bit machine with CPC emulator either in software or onboard in a rom, with floppy drive adapter for a 3 inch drive and a kit to go with it as an optional extra they could have sold.

[CanonMan]

Although I like the Plus machines for what Roland Perry managed to do, Amstrad missed a trick what they could have done was make a 16 bit machine with CPC emulator either in software or onboard in a rom, with floppy drive adapter for a 3 inch drive and a kit to go with it as an optional extra they could have sold.

Think of the cost though! That'll be why they didn't do that.....