Recent Posts

1

Games / Re: Orion Prime Support (was: Orion Prime : ordering has started !)

« Last post by CraigsBar on Yesterday at 23:57 »

Hi all,
First many thanks to the game authors for this amazing game!I have find all the ends of the game with some help found on this forum (many thanks to the contributor), but my Hackerboy is still 1.0. How to upgrade it?
I hope there is still someone around after almost ten years...

Yeah, I'm still here/ Never got very far in Orion Prime. but I enjoyed marvelling at the wonderful environment it created. I wonder if anyone would like to patch it for an Amiga Mouse on the MultiPlay board?

2

Games / Re: micromachines for cpc with vdp9990

« Last post by CraigsBar on Yesterday at 23:42 »

Given that Zhulien is trying to get enough people to order the vdp9990 add on card from Technobytes, I thought I would just post the latest video of micromachines we've just started developing. This video is taken from OpenMSX emulator, but 100% works on real CPC, MSX & Enterprise hardware. Currently all running at 50fps. Hopefully knowing software is being developed and that a game creation engine for it will soon be available might help some people take the plunge Take a look at Zhulien's thread in the hardware section.
 

https://youtu.be/uBpo8W-CS-I


QG9Kengine is a addition to the Quigs language/editor. Offering a powerful and very fast language with the tools needed to quickly get games up and running. I will be doing videos and tutorials on coding with the QG9K engine soon too.

Holy crap, that looks amazing!

3

Technical Support / Re: 6128 Plus keys issue

« Last post by CraigsBar on Yesterday at 22:39 »

I can confirm that removing the keyboard connector and reinserting it fixes the issue for a while and then it comes back again. I even managed to get another membrane when Trade In Post still had some in stock. This seemed to be a longer term fix but it too more recently has had the same issue. I’ve yet to be brave enough to remove the resistor network which I’d rather do properly than break it off as described in the article.

The problem will 100% be a build up of crud (Technical term) and corrosion on the springs in the keyboard connectors. Fortunately the 2 used in the plus are FAR more robust than those in the Spectrum 48k (which will collapse as soon as you breathe on them) so cleaning them is easy.


step 1: Douse the connectors with Isopropyl Alcohol
step 2: cut a piece of stiff cardboard (such as a Kellogs Cornflakes box - Other cereal boxes work too) into a strip that is about 3 inches long and the width of the connector
step 3. push the cardboard into the keyboard connector with unprinted side towards the contacts and wiggle it in and out a few times until the Isopropyl has all evaportated.
step 4: use the other end of the cardboard strip on the other connector
step 5: replug in the keyboard and re-assemble the plus machine
step 6: marvel at how well the keyboard works again and place that new membrane you bought on the shelf ready for when you *really* need it.


this simple cleaning trick has saved many a plus membrane for me. and I have not needed to unplug and replug a keyboard in years.


Hope it helps


Craig

4

Technical Support / Re: CP464 - keyboard not working, random noises and characters on screen

« Last post by Amsiga on Yesterday at 21:53 »

Ok so I think I've got the same issue 


I've just brought my 464 back to life after installing a new RAM chip, was having some issues with the fire button not working on my zipstick, so was using the multimeter to trace the feeds to the AY chip \ keyboard connector from inside the joystick, all was well.

Things started working after I checked the switch in the joystick and found nothing much wrong, so I set off to play Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom which was working well for a good half an hour or so. I paused the game, returned some 40 minutes later to find the machine had reset and was emmiting white noise from the speaker, clicking the tape drive relay on and off and throwing junk on the screen.


Removing the keyboard the issue remains, running the diagnostic ROM it often freezes at the CRTC check, if I leave the unit off for some time to "cool down", the diagnostics will run long enough to let me get to the keyboard test page where the keys go crazy for a while before the unit freezes.


From what I've read I'm 99% sure the AY is the cause, but it bothers me that it may fail after a simple probe with a multimeter, are they this sensitive?

5

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: CPC 464 prototype with Gate Array simulator board found

« Last post by Joseman on Yesterday at 21:39 »

That Gate Array board, is the best option to clone de GA?

6

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Play2CPC (Plus2CPC II) : Extra sound channels and rewritable cartridges

« Last post by Cwiiis on Yesterday at 21:13 »

Yes, the same expansion port, but the Amstrad Plus doesn't have an internal speaker to output the mixed audio.

I imagine that you liked this comment, because you can wait for technical informations from the wiki, next.
We have an answer around that but not now, because some work in progress and tests to do first.

Ah, I think I understand - I guess the PlayCity relies on the whole tape-sound-interference thing to mix sound with the internal sound on a CPC464? I guess the only really viable way to mix sound on the Plus without any hardware modifications in that case would be to dedicate a channel to external sound and use DMA... I guess I should get on with making a 8-pin DIN mixer+a/v passthrough board

7

Hardware related / Re: amstrad cpc 6128 drive motor repair

« Last post by bassistas on Yesterday at 21:10 »

I have access to special tools, I have a friend who is an electronics technician so now I just need to find how to open this motor and look inside to see what exactly happened. are there any tutorials available?

8

Applications / COSMOS v.27 / November 2021 - The project is completed.

« Last post by KSL on Yesterday at 20:27 »

Hi to all CPC community!


I have uploaded v.27 of COSMOS. 


Cosmos - CPCWiki


This version includes a daily logbook, an accumulator of sorted expenses and income and revised on board help (revised using Arnor ProText!).


The project is completed. I would like to thank all of you who supported its development.

I am very satisfied with the final result, as I always wanted to make an MS-DOS like application for CP/M and CPC.


Ciao!

9

Programming / Re: CPCRetrodev 2021 : Fitzroy Dives Deep

« Last post by Arnaud on Yesterday at 20:01 »

Does Arkos use self modifying code at all?

Yes Arkos2 use self modifying code

10

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Play2CPC (Plus2CPC II) : Extra sound channels and rewritable cartridges

« Last post by Neurox66 on Yesterday at 19:55 »

One for me, please