Recent posts

#91

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Other Video Cards

Last post by Prodatron - 22:10, 12 May 24

I agree to Andy, better graphic only makes sense, if there is a blitter/GPU included in the hardware like with the (VDP9990).

#92

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Hi there!

Last post by Devlin - 21:02, 12 May 24

Welcome welcome! Looking forward to your project, it sounds very interesting!

#93

B

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Designing and building the...

Last post by Benedikt - 20:51, 12 May 24

While I'm not among the potential customers for this kind of things, I love to follow the news on them as after all, they're pretty cool.

To clarify something that must have gotten lost when I wrote the initial post:
For both, bureaucratic and logistical reasons, I will not be selling any hardware, except for the occasional spare PCB, perhaps.
The goal is a publicly available, free design that anyone who can hold a soldering iron can build.
The goal is less that people admire my work, and more that people can replicate my work.

Also, it's great (and unusual) that you're "relatively new to the CPC world". Can you elaborate on that? I mean, you need to really like the CPC to create your project, but you apparently didn't have one in the 80s or 90s. What is exactly your story? What made you interested in Amstrad's machine? What is... the magic of the CPC?

My story is that I was not even around when any of the machines in question hit the market, but learned programing on the PC platform with a then decade-old IDE for MS-DOS.
What makes me interested in the CPC is its simplicity combined with its similarity to the original IBM PC platform, and ironically the absence of magic.
The engineers in Mühlhausen have shown that a CPC can essentially be built without any special components, as long as you can live with a somewhat larger chip count.

I love the idea. I'm personally looking forward to the new keyboard.

I have to admit that I still have not made use of your second pair of adapter PCBs, but we will get there.

The expansions should best be compatibly with already existing hardware, like the additional sound chip could e.g. be compatible to the PlayCity expansion.

That is the plan, but admittedly not in the case of the PlayCity expansion:

• The first 320 KiB of RAM will be Dk'Tronics compatible, the first 576 KiB Dobbertin compatible, the full 1024 KiB will use RAM7's technique
• The DAC will be a Digiblaster compatible Bourns SIL R2R resistor network
• The AY-3-8910 PSGs will use the canonical multi-PSG addressing described in the data sheet, using external XOR gates to imitate the mask-programmed chip addresses
• The RTC, if included, will be Dobbertin compatible, because only a single "phantom clock" chip is needed
• The Serial Port, if included, will be Amstrad compatible
• The IDE interface, if included, will be compatible with Yarek's IDE8255, because of that design's simplicity
• The 8-bit bidirectional parallel port will be KC compact compatible, the 7-bit output Amstrad compatible
• The expansion port itself will use the familiar 50-pin micro ribbon connector, i.e. no obscure Robotron part

#94

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Hi there!

Last post by BSC - 20:21, 12 May 24

Welcome, that's an interesting project you have before you. You are not by any chance planning to make a video series out of this ..?

#95

Amstrad CPC hardware / Re: Designing and building the...

Last post by Richard_Lloyd - 20:15, 12 May 24

Oh YES!

#96

Programming / Re: The Heart of Salamanderlan...

Last post by dodogildo - 19:42, 12 May 24

Great! Can't wait.

#97

Other retro / Re: C64 Nightmares Kickstarter

Last post by SerErris - 19:02, 12 May 24

You know that PDF is an ebook format? That should be available, don't need it printed.

#98

General Discussion - Introductions / Re: Why 80 Columns? Very inter...

Last post by SerErris - 18:57, 12 May 24

Exactly, that has nothing to do with punch cards. As always the old stuff was the first thing to replicate. So the first computer that would print anything actually used typewriters and therefore the 80 columns was a total natural choice. Or in other words, they could not do more then 80, and using less would be just stupid waste of paper.

#99

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

Last post by SerErris - 18:52, 12 May 24

Amiga 2000 with second drive, 1MB, external sampler and the PC-XT card. I could play Flight Simulator on both the XT and the amiga, connected via 0 Modem cable on a single machine.... Unfortunately, I could only see on screen in full, or both screens in half

#100

Programming / Re: The Heart of Salamanderlan...

Last post by reidrac - 18:46, 12 May 24

Awesome. Is it in-game or titles only?

My games always have menu, in game and game over tunes; at least.

This one has one extra tune for the boss fight.