<gallery>
File:Enterprise 128 arabic Large.jpg| A fine looking machine.
File:Enterprise 128 arabic Keyboard Large.jpg| The infamous built-in joystick.
File:Enterprise 128 Box Large.jpg| They didn't sell a million.
</gallery>pictures courtesy from S.Walgenbach.
The '''Enterprise 64''' and '''Enterprise 128''' computers were a range of [[Z80]] based machines, who were quite influancial on the design of the Amstrad CPC.
==Informations==
Wikipedia's Article :
The Enterprise is a Zilog Z80 based home computer first released in 1985. There are two variants, the Enterprise 64 with 64 kB of RAM, and the Enterprise 128 with 128 kB. The machine was also known by the names DPC, Samurai, Oscar, Elan and Flan before the Enterprise name was finally chosen[1].
The machine has a Z80 CPU running at 4 MHz,[2] 64 kB or 128 kB of RAM and 48 kB of ROM containing the EXOS operating system and BASIC. The case is unique for its time, at least in the UK, for containing both a full-sized membrane keyboard with programmable function keys and a joystick. Its overall shape was also notably distinctive compared to the more conservative designs of the time, the designers stating that they wanted break away from the norm although this did tend to polarise opinions in the computing press.
A successor machine, the PW360, was developed in 1986 to compete directly against the Amstrad PCW 8256, but by this time the company was in severe financial difficulties and went under.
==Hardware==
The Enterprise has custom video and sound hardware.
===Video Chip===
The video chip is called "Nick" and it executes a display list. This allows the mode to be redefined every scanline.
The Enterprise has a variety of bitmap modes, ranging from cell based bitmap modes similar to the Spectrum, to bitmapped modes like the CPC. It also supports hardware text mode, and 256 colors (8 levels of red * 8 levels of green * 4 levels of blue).
Therefore converting graphics and code from either platform was fairly easy, although mode 0 of the CPC was made somewhat more difficult by the fact that only the first 8 colors of the palette can be chosen freely, while the second 8 colors are generated by using the lower 3 bits of the color index as the most significant bit of the red, green, and blue components, and the remaining 5 bits are added from a "fixbias" register. For this reason, a 16-color CPC conversion usually needs to find a good "fixbias" value, and convert all pixel data to the changed order of colors in the Enterprise palette. In the case of Spectrum conversions, it was also necessary to convert the attribute data.
===Soundchip===
The sound chip is called "Dave" and has 3 channels of sound (square wave or noise), and a fourth channel that can only generate noise; it also has 6-bit stereo volume control for all channels, simple (digital) filters, ring modulation, various noise waveforms, has a selection of interrupts and can play samples easily.
Basically, all this make approximately the same capability as a ZX spectrum128, combining an AY-3-8910 and a beeper.
==Games==
Rick Dangerous 2, recently ported from the CPC.
The Enterprise has custom video and sound hardware.
The video chip is called "Nick" and it executes a display list. This allows the mode to be redefined every scanline.
The Enterprise has a variety of bitmap modes, ranging from cell based bitmap modes similar to the Spectrum, to bitmapped modes like the CPC. It also supports hardware text mode, and 256 colors (8 levels of red * 8 levels of green * 4 levels of blue).
Therefore converting graphics and code from either platform was easy, although mode 0 of the CPC was made somewhat more difficult by the fact that only the first 8 colors of the palette can be chosen freely, while the second 8 colors are generated by using the lower 3 bits of the color index as the most significant bit of the red, green, and blue components, and the remaining 5 bits are added from a "fixbias" register. For this reason, a 16-color CPC conversion usually needs to find a good "fixbias" value, and convert all pixel data to the changed order of colors in the Enterprise palette. In the case of Spectrum conversions, it was also necessary to convert the attribute data.
The sound chip is called "Dave" and has 3 channels of sound (square wave or noise), and a fourth channel that can only generate noise; it also has 6-bit stereo volume control for all channels, simple (digital) filters, ring modulation, various noise waveforms, has a selection of interrupts and can play samples easily.
The fact it the Enterprise 64/128 could mix Character attribute system or Amstrad like bitmap Graphic modes, with a greater freedom, means it could easily benefit from both Softwares Software Library with a bit of hacking.
*http://www.enterpriseforever.com/enterprise_forum/who_has_converted_the_games-t501.0.html
*http://sourceforge.net/projects/ep128emu/
[[Category:Non CPC Computers]][[Category:Clones]]