Recent posts

#1

Technical Support - Software related / Re: Looking for .DSK software ...

Last post by Johnny Olsen - Today at 02:05

I have copied "The Music Machine" tape to disc.
The immediate difference between the tape and disc file is that a byte in &19A0 must be changed from 00 to 01 in the MMC.BIN file.
Without the hardware I can't test the program but it seems to work.

By the way, what do you want to use a DSK file for? it does not work on a real Amstrad CPC machine.

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#2

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Amstrad CPC WiFi

Last post by Prodatron - Today at 01:31

CP/M is able to do random file access.
Amsdos not at all. Until you try to introduce some hacks.

Random Access Database is an AMSDOS BASIC program with some machine code subroutines, not sure what they did as I haven't been able to get a copy.  I did come across it many years ago and missed out on the ebay auction so it definitely exists.

No idea how they did this. Maybe with direct sector read/write?
I remeber that there were some programs which used an ASCII file and read the original and wrote a copy of the complete file on the fly to insert/delete parts, which was horrible slow...
Random file access means, that you can open a file, move the file pointer to any position inside the file, and then read or write any amount of data to/from the file.
Amsdos only has sequential read/write for Ascii files or "in one piece" read/write for binary files.
CP/M was able to do random file access in 128byte records, or even in other portions since 3.x.

#3

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: USIfAC II:Convert a PC or ...

Last post by Prodatron - Today at 00:46

Maybe an RTC can be also interesting for SymbOS users, but I guess we can survive without it. :-)

That would be a good idea, but maybe first we should wait for USIfAC II to be supported by symbos as compatible mass storage device 

I agree.
Hope I will have some time for the CPC again soon! Providing mass storage support in SymbOS shouldn't be that difficult, as I already have drivers for hardware with the same core. But I just have to reserve some days for adapting them for the USIfAC II, which would be really cool.
Anyway I am very glad that we have another very good multipurpose hardware for the Amstrad, thanks a lot, Ikonsgr, for your great work!

#4

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: USIfAC II:Convert a PC or ...

Last post by ikonsgr - Yesterday at 23:08

@ikonsgr John, that would be nice to add 2 more LEDs on the board to indicate read and write activity of the USB storage.
What do you think? Can this be done? Furthermore, the current USB connection LED is not visible on ULiFAC, the blue board hiding the LED light at normal light conditions. But I guess this LED is not so important since the USB connection is automatically built by the new board and its firmware.

It can be done of course, but to tell you the truth i find these blinking leds a bit distracting and with low ambient light they can be even annoying...   

Maybe an RTC can be also interesting for SymbOS users, but I guess we can survive without it. :-)

That would be a good idea, but maybe first we should wait for USIfAC II to be supported by symbos as compatible mass storage device 

#5

Technical Support - Software related / Re: Looking for .DSK software ...

Last post by RetroCPC - Yesterday at 22:54

Thank for the links - it looks like I will have hardware built but no way of testing without the software

Still hoping someone paid the extra GBP10 for the Disc version  At the time I only had a CPC464 - so tape drive...

#6

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: How long have you owned yo...

Last post by Shaun M. Neary - Yesterday at 21:48

<gif>ba-dum tsss</gif>

I know you laughed!

#7

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: How long have you owned yo...

Last post by Gryzor - Yesterday at 21:32

<gif>ba-dum tsss</gif>

#8

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: How long have you owned yo...

Last post by Shaun M. Neary - Yesterday at 21:26

Funnily enough, been then I couldn't fathom what GODS made and maintained these sites! I'm so grateful...

Greek Gods clearly!
(That one wrote itself!)

#9

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: How long have you owned yo...

Last post by Gryzor - Yesterday at 21:20

Funnily enough, been then I couldn't fathom what GODS made and maintained these sites! I'm so grateful... 

#10

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: How long have you owned yo...

Last post by Shaun M. Neary - Yesterday at 20:56

Haha even ADATE is vintage now... Oh good old ADATE! Thanks for sharing your tapes btw 

Looking back at that, I wish I had more time to contribute to it at the time, but I wasn't the most patient person in my mid 20s so to learn something or to take the time out to do so was something quite rare. Especially that I had so many tapes but it was such a messy process to do back then. It's a lot easier to do now, thankfully.