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#21
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Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Designing and building the...
Last post by Benedikt - Yesterday at 19:27Quote from: Bryce on Yesterday at 12:18some work in this direction has been done in the past. I know I've seen details of a modern KC Compact design using all western 74 Series IC's, complete with a PCB layout. This could save you a lot of the initial groundwork. Maybe someone here knows where it can be found. If not, I can check my archives too.I am only aware of a modern redesign of the expansion unit that contains the floppy disk controller and the upper 64 KiB of RAM.
If there is a redesign of the system board, too, that could indeed be interesting.
#22
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Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: 6128 compatible, mechanica...
Last post by Benedikt - Yesterday at 18:43Yes. The adapter PCBs are just for the ribbon cable sockets. You can ask @eto for a PCB design that is already half-suitable.
However, I found out that a pair of flat cables with 2.54 mm pitch is not flexible enough and ends up being too thick.
You might be able to make it work with a single flat cable with 1.27 mm pitch, but the column lines are rotated 180° compared to the row lines.
The pinout on the keyboard side is the one that makes the most sense for the system board I eventually want to build.
Ideally, just use a bunch of wire-wrap wires, solder the adapter PCBs to one end and crimp the connector to the other.
The row and column lines are labeled next to the pin header on the keyboard assembly.
And yes, the firmware has to be (made) aware of the keyboard layout.
However, I found out that a pair of flat cables with 2.54 mm pitch is not flexible enough and ends up being too thick.
You might be able to make it work with a single flat cable with 1.27 mm pitch, but the column lines are rotated 180° compared to the row lines.
The pinout on the keyboard side is the one that makes the most sense for the system board I eventually want to build.
Ideally, just use a bunch of wire-wrap wires, solder the adapter PCBs to one end and crimp the connector to the other.
The row and column lines are labeled next to the pin header on the keyboard assembly.
And yes, the firmware has to be (made) aware of the keyboard layout.
#23
I find the idea of rearranging the layout to use standard keycaps ingenious. I take it the ROM will also need updating to reflect the layout (if I'm not mistaken the lookup table is in RAM, so should also be run-time patchable, eg. via a sideways ROM).
When you talk about adapter boards is that just the boards to go into the ribbon cable sockets? Ie. other than that the pinout it the same? If so I'm due to design up such a board shortly for my own use. The keyboard end would be able to use a standard IDC ribbon cable connector.
When you talk about adapter boards is that just the boards to go into the ribbon cable sockets? Ie. other than that the pinout it the same? If so I'm due to design up such a board shortly for my own use. The keyboard end would be able to use a standard IDC ribbon cable connector.
#24
So... let's sum up the debate:
A CPC... is bad.
Making it "not a CPC"... is bad.
How can we add to a CPC without making it "not a CPC"?
Let's think outside the box, shall we?
We take a CPC, but it can't do game logic and pretty graphics at the same time, so we take the CPC and add to it... a CPC?
Then we have a CPC that takes care of input, game logic and sound, and a CPC that does nothing but graphics.
The graphics of a CPC are not pretty enough, you say? Well, let's add... another CPC? And maybe yet another?
Our cluster of four CPCs would then have four times the processing power and four times the RAM. Also four times the polyphony, actually.
Synchronizing the CRTCs and combining three monochrome video outputs into a single RGB output would give us 4096 colors on screen.
And nothing about it is "not a CPC".
A CPC... is bad.
Making it "not a CPC"... is bad.
How can we add to a CPC without making it "not a CPC"?
Let's think outside the box, shall we?
We take a CPC, but it can't do game logic and pretty graphics at the same time, so we take the CPC and add to it... a CPC?
Then we have a CPC that takes care of input, game logic and sound, and a CPC that does nothing but graphics.
The graphics of a CPC are not pretty enough, you say? Well, let's add... another CPC? And maybe yet another?
Our cluster of four CPCs would then have four times the processing power and four times the RAM. Also four times the polyphony, actually.
Synchronizing the CRTCs and combining three monochrome video outputs into a single RGB output would give us 4096 colors on screen.
And nothing about it is "not a CPC".
#25
Doing some last minute pleasure testing with my kids!
https://mastodon.sdf.org/@reidrac/112440343822086939
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https://mastodon.sdf.org/@reidrac/112440343822086939
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#26
I wanted to write "TIME FROM ANNOUNCEMENT TO RELEASE (IF ANY)". 
I lost my initial message by the old method of selecting some text, pressing "DEL"... and accidentally being returned to the previous page after losing the textbox focus.
I lost my initial message by the old method of selecting some text, pressing "DEL"... and accidentally being returned to the previous page after losing the textbox focus.
#27
Applications (CPC and CPC-related) / Re: UniDOS, the new multi-devi...
Last post by zhulien - Yesterday at 16:17Quote from: Prodatron on Yesterday at 11:54What is the problem to open an own thread for this off-topic stuff?How is unidos nvram off topic to the unidos thread?
#28
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NC100, NC200, PCW, PDA600 - the rest of the Family! / On The Run for PCW
Last post by squelch41 - Yesterday at 16:16Does anyone have/know of a link to the game On The Run for PCW?
Is shown in this video amongst others
Link in video description dead and on wayback machine a) files arent caches and b) On The Run isnt listed!
Google seems to draw a blank too
thanks!
Is shown in this video amongst others
Link in video description dead and on wayback machine a) files arent caches and b) On The Run isnt listed!
Google seems to draw a blank too
thanks!
#29
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Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: 6128 compatible, mechanica...
Last post by Benedikt - Yesterday at 16:05Quote from: eto on Yesterday at 09:15I really love that. I have actually no idea how/where to order keys and switches.Key switches
What do I need to consider when ordering those?
Do you have a recommendation/example of what works well?
The PCB design is compatible with arbitrary full-size Cherry MX or compatible key switches.
The 5-pin variant with its pair of alignment pins is preferred over the 3-pin variant, because this keyboard has a PCB-only design without mounting plate for the switches.
I have empirically determined that 3-pin switches work, too, but I have also empirically determined that keeping them aligned for soldering is a bit of a pain.
My reason for using the 3-pin variant was that I had already ordered a bag of switches before I settled on the plate-less design.
The Cherry switches' characteristics are typically color coded.
My personal recommendation is MX Brown, because they are tactile, but quiet, i.e. not deliberately noisy like the "clicky" MX Blue switches.
The linear MX Red switches are also quiet, but haptically not quite as much of an upgrade compared to the original 6128 keyboard.
Considering our use case, I figured that original Cherry switches would be a waste of money and ordered generic brand MX Brown switches by Outemu instead.
Other alternatives are e.g. Gateron or Kailh.
Keycap sets
You need keycaps with a profile that is the same for every row of keys, e.g the XDA profile, because the keycaps have to be rearranged a bit.
You also need both, the ISO and the ANSI "enter" key and two 1.5U wide keys, e.g. "command" keys, for the bottom row.
I picked a universal ANSI+ISO XDA keycap set for contemporary English Apple keyboards.
The included 142 or 144 keycaps are a bit excessive, considering that we only need 76, but it is still way cheaper than a bespoke keycap set.
This type of keycap set is apparently available for contemporary English, German, Spanish and French keyboard layouts, which gives us additional flexibility.
This is a list of matching AliExpress offerings by various sellers (May, 2024):
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005678126686.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004756762691.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006305805809.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006378645433.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005744151847.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005449570662.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005471085203.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005449681220.html
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005914890395.html
P.S.: You also need 75 diodes (I used cheap 1N 4448 diodes), the angled 2x10 pin header and a set of stabilizers for the wide keys.
#30
I see Bubble Quest continues his journey... I don't see it reaching the top, but I think a 2nd position is doable:
GAME_______________TIME FROM DEVELOPMENT TO RELEASE (IF ANY)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Key___________________________0 days
Sugar City________________________0 days
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
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__V______________________________________
Bubble quest___________________3.5 years
__|_______________________________________
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__V______________________________________
Vespertino_______________________5 years
__|_______________________________________
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__V______________________________________
Duke Nukem Forever__________14 years
GAME_______________TIME FROM DEVELOPMENT TO RELEASE (IF ANY)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Key___________________________0 days
Sugar City________________________0 days
__|_______________________________________
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__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__V______________________________________
Bubble quest___________________3.5 years
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
__|_______________________________________
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__V______________________________________
Vespertino_______________________5 years
__|_______________________________________
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__V______________________________________
Duke Nukem Forever__________14 years