Recent posts

#1

K

Technical support - Hardware related / DIY key plunger for cpc664

Last post by kolleykibber - Today at 00:09

Hi all,

Has anybody located or fashioned a new key plunger for a 664? As it's unseen, I guess it doesn't need to be an exact replica, just needs to hang on to the key and bridge the membrane contacts (gently).

I have one last key to fix to get this one done...

#2

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Zilog announced ...

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 23:57

I think the fact that Zilog stopped producing the CMOS variants is a clear indicator, that there is no demand left.

The NMOS variant (which we would need for CPCs to have 100% compatibility) has been out of production from Zilog for a loong loong time. No one would create a new design with NMOS technology nowadays.

Goldstar, ST and some others have continued to produce NOS variants in mass production until the end of the 90s. So it should not be short stock in quite a while. Even if Ebay scalpers try to make a margin now. A single Zilog Z840004PSC up to 50€ ...   They are going nuts.

You can find trustworthy sources of clones around 5-6 € at this point in time and gamble ones in China for 1-2€.

Also there is an interesting approach to put it on FOSS Z80. https://github.com/rejunity/z80-open-silicon via the Tiny Tapeout project. We could also consider to put the GA40007 and GA40010 on it. That would fit easily inside one of the fields, however the pinout is problematic as Tiny Tape out only supports 24 pins (8 in, 8 out, 8 bidirectional). For Z80 CPU they needed to multiplex the lines. 

#3

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: What computer did you have...

Last post by ZorrO - Yesterday at 23:37

Yes, it's like calling on the desert. 

#4

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Firmware and Languages

Last post by ZorrO - Yesterday at 23:27

"just keyboard layout and some special characters" - in Amstrad CPC world thats true, but ...
There is OS Finnish/Swedish version for 6128, (both languages using the same alphabet) made not official by Amstrad but by some local distributor.
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php?title=ROM_List

CPC is easy, layout and characters could be change by 1 line of Basic:
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/programming/basic-programming-tips/msg117543/#msg117543

#5

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: What computer did you have...

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 22:00

My parents had a Sharp PC-1245 pocket computer at that time. That could run a Basic dialect and together with this great book, I learned my first Basic skills and programs.

It had a total of 2.2 kb RAM :-) But a whopping amount of ROM 24kb.



This was the book 
You cannot view this attachment.

Another great book from Rodney Zacks.

#6

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Firmware and Languages

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 21:52

And language is just keyboard layout and some special characters. Thats it.

There was never a German version or an Italien Version or a Swedish Version etc. 

#7

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General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Why did you choose the CPC...

Last post by cwpab - Yesterday at 21:49

As far as I can remember, the C64, MSX, Enterprise, C64 and Atari 800XL were the options. My father chose the CPC as we only had one TV and my father (wisely) thought, that if the computer didn't come with a monitor, conflicts may arise.

Your father was a wise man: instead of chosing one of the two C64s, he opted for a secret option... the CPC! I wonder what kind of morse code was transmitted or wrinkled note was handled to your dad so he could understand...

#8

Hardware / Re: Expansions Port

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 21:32

@Bongorocker
Ein board habe ich noch, kann ich Dir zukommen lassen. Musst dann nur selber die Koponenten besorgen. Das sind aber nur ein paar Connectoren und vor allem ganz schwierig zu bekommen: zwei Kondensatoren 

Das ding isses:
https://github.com/revaldinho/cpc_ram_expansion/wiki/CPC-Expansion-Backplane

PM, wenn Du die platine haben möchtest.

#9

Applications (CPC and CPC-related) / Re: Soundtrakker 1.0 source co...

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 21:29

Awesom, thank you for that.

And as always great comments   That was not master class at that time, where the assembler just had enough memory to compile it without any comments.

So nice little program but a little bit hard to understand for anyone want to learn how such a thing works 

#10

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Why did you choose the CPC...

Last post by SerErris - Yesterday at 21:24

Lucky you, so you could right away deploy a Gotek withit