STOP THE PRESS!
I finally have an Amstrad CPC464, this is the third machine in the playground wars of the 80's after the Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
Back in the day Amstrad were known as a manufacturer of cheap and crappy all-in-one hi-fi equipment, but then "SIR ALAN SUGAR" decided to find an additional source of revenue to bring in to his stagnating Amstrad company back into profit growth. And so the CPC (Colour Personal Computer) range was born.
The CPC range were far from crap. They had the same design ethos as Amstrad's all-in-one hifi range, that was to be simple to setup and operate, just plug in and go.
The hardware specs of the CPC464 were a Z80A processor running at 4MHz, 64KB of RAM, a General Instruments AY-3-8912 sound chip which offered three audio channels which could also output white noise, and a palette of 27 colours, of which 16 could be on screen in low resolution, the video also had medium and high resolutions available, but the colours were reduced to 4 and 2 respectively.
The BASIC interpreter was from Locomotive software, and was regarded as one of the best and fastest implementations of the era
The CPC would be supplied with either a green screen or colour monitor, the monitor would supply the power to the computer, meaning there was only one plug needed, and no need to take over the family TV, however using the computer with any other TV would need the MP1 modulator and power supply unit, or a modern SCART cable
Also in the CPC range were the short lived CPC664 with a 3 inch disk drive instead of a cassette, and the CPC6128 with the same 3 inch disk drive and 128KB of RAM, this machine could run the popular CP/M business software
There was also the CPC472 which had an additional 8KB of RAM on a board that wasn't actually connected to the main board, this was to get round the Spanish tax rules for computers with 64KB or less of RAM
Later there were the CPC464 Plus and CPC6128 Plus which were minor hardware upgrades with restyled cases, the plus range also included the GX4000 games console, which was a major flop
Years ago I nearly bought a CPC464 Plus at a car boot sale, but the price was too high
The CPC464 did suffer from some lazy Spectrum ports due to the Z80 processor, but not always
The Spectrum+2 and +3 were manufactured by Amstrad after they bought the Sinclair brand, they had the same built in cassette and disk drive styles, the +3 and CPC6128 even used the same 3 inch disk drive
Looking at the CPC, you'll see it's a long, but thin machine, with a splash of colour on the keyboard, it looks nice, but it is long
Close ups of the keyboard and Datacorder (with and without a cassette), you'll notice a tape counter, the Amstrad made Spectrum +2 didn't have this, and neither did the updated CPC464 Plus, so trying to load multiple games recorded onto a blank C90 was a frustrating experience. Maybe that was by design to combat piracy?
Bottom of the machine with a close up of the serial number for those people who like that sort of thing
It's a bit tricky to fit it all in as it's so long
The CPC has a single, but quite loud internal speaker, along with a stereo line out. There's only one joystick port, but it supports a splitter cable, the official joystick had a pass-through connector for a second joystick. There's also floppy disk and printer ports.
The CPC was designed to be connected to its own monitor, either a green screen, or colour. The monitor would also supply the power for the CPC, so there isn't a regular TV connection available. It's either RGB or black and white video, although there was a PSU/modulator available for connection to a regular TV set. Happily the monitor port is compatible with a SCART connection with the appropriate lead
On the right there's a power switch, and volume control for the internal speaker, however plugging something into the line out port does not disconnect the internal speaker
I was so excited to receive this, I took a photo outside when I finally got to hold it in my hands, then tried to take an arty type photo for social media teasing. I spectacularly failed
If you're not using the original monitor, you'll need your own 5v, 2A power supply with a 2.1mm barrel plug, A Raspberry Pi PSU is ideal for this, although you'll need to fashion an adaptor, or cut the plug off and replace it
The PSU plugs into the SCART lead, which has connectors for the monitor, audio out, and power sockets
I had to buy a SCART lead to use the CPC, it would appear it has the same pinout for the monitor plug as the BBC Micro, but the Beeb needs resistors and the CPC doesn't, so it's not compatible
This is an active SCART lead, meaning it takes power from the PSU to drive the SCART sense and blanking pins to help some TV's switch to RGB. The PSU plugs into a socket in the lead, which then has a suitable plug to power the CPC
This was a PSU I already had, it came with some old IT equipment, it is rated at 5v at 4A and runs the CPC nicely, although I did have to solder a plug onto it, and I know the lead isn't very long, but I don't care
Time to try out the cassette... To start loading games, you have to press CTRL and the small enter key to start the process
Pressing play does not start the tape running until any key is pressed, although rewind and fast forward works
Trying some BASIC programming
Ready
10 print "Amstrad CPC464 is cool"
20 goto 10
run
This computer is packing some length, so here it is with its peers for comparison, My Sinclair ZX Spectrum +3, Commodore 64, and my Raspberry Pi powered Sinclair ZX Spectrum
It's longer than a NES and a Master System 2 put together, and the Apple Pro keyboard, but is dwarfed by the mighty BBC Micro
It's even longer than the LCD TV I use for testing
Software
Harrier Attack
This is the only game I have so far, it came with the CPC. Apparently it was "Sarah's", or at least I think that's what it says
Obviously more games will follow...
...and here they are!
But first, the Amstrad CPC 464 User Manual
Kung-Fu/Number 1
Quattro Firepower, Mig29, Operation Gunship, Terra Cognita, 3D Starfighter
Operation Thunderbolt
Turbo Outrun
Highlander
Predator 2, How to be a Complete Bastard
The Running Man
3D Stunt Rider
Int. Rugby Sim
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Twin Turbo V8
Quattro Adventure, Vampire, Ghost Hunters, Super Robin Hood, Dizzy
Flight Simulator
Miami Vice
American Turbo King
Action Force International Heroes
Double Dragon
Rugby Boss
Dragon Ninja
Robocop
Super Stock Car
Aliens
Platoon
Batman
Combat Lynx
Fighting Warrior
Turbo Kart Racer
Ninja Warriors
Kane
Bounty Bob Strikes Back
Pneumatic Hammers
World Series Baseball
Battle Ships
Protector
Formula 1 Simulator
Future Bike Simulator
Top Gun
Guardian Angel
Enterprise
Tetris
Combat School
Gryzor
Grid Iron 2
Hacker II
Super Trux
Live Ammo Compilation, The Great Escape, Top Gun, Green Beret, Rambo, Army Moves
The Munsters (Came with a Sinclair Spectrum Plus bundle)
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