Blocktris by Under4Mhz is a new reflexion/puzzle game for Amstrad CPC, based on a ms-dos game.

It's a Tetris clone with some nice background images.

Wawa.voun had made a FPU extention card (floating point unit) for Amstrad CPC.

Rodrik Studio has done another new interesting video, this time about using an Amstrad PC 1512 without its original monitor (WIP).

Vexed by Under4Mhz (I like the name) is a new puzzle game for Amstrad CPC. Match blocks and dont leave one or you must start anew the level.

I found a new way to play it, see below (well when I will find how to use the buttons as the joystick button, I am new to EmulationStation).

A new video by Oldschool is beautiful presents the new Recalbox hardware to boost old consoles and computers.

For our Amstrad computers, there is only an alternative remplacement for the disk drive of the CPC, PCW and PPC using the FlashFloppy firmware, so an alternative to a Gotek.

If you have a Sinclair PC200 (PC XT) still with its RAM default (512 Kb), I invite you to see the video by Amstrad Retro Geek which shows how to upgrade to 640 Kb.

Matronica has announced on CPCWiki his Amstrad CPC romboard using a Raspberry Pico. The sources are available on Github.

I invite you to check the Youtube videos of Amstrad Retro Geek, including the one showing the installation of a backlight on an Amstrad PPC. And the following video showing two different colors of backlight.

An Amstrad PPC 640 with an internal Gotek and a deported screen on System.CFG, done by Dedion30. The deported screen is parked in the slot for the modem cable when the computer is closed.

A nice Sinclair PC200 fitted with an external Gotek and a deported screen on System.CFG, done by Dedion30.

Super Sylvestre wrote a new article (in french), this time about cars and Amstrad CPC, not an usual one.

Longshot has released version 1.4 of the Amstrad CPC CRTC Compendium which is a documentation about the CRTC 6845 (and some others circuits). Note that the CRTC is a generic component used in several computers including the IBM PC.

It is possible to check if an emulator is good with the SHAKER tests by Longshot. SHAKER is a program designed to run on CPC machines produced by AMSTRAD in the 80s-90s. The objective of this program is to carry out extensive tests on the video circuits of this machine. These video circuits are the GATE ARRAY and the CRTC 6845. AMSTRAD produced several series of GATE ARRAY and used CRTC models produced by different manufacturers (HITACHI, MOTOROLA, UMC, AMSTRAD). This has been causing compatibility problems on operations that exceed the functional specifications of these circuits. The identified CRTCs are numbered from 0 to 4.

There is already an ISA interface for Amstrad PPC done by Retro Theory. Retro Erik let us discover in a video another ISA interface for Amstrad PPC by Enide. You can buy this card in his Tindie shop (assembled or not), the stock is 0 at the moment so join the waitlist to let Enide you want one. More informations on Enide's web site.

As explained in the video, Enide's interface doesn't have a power input like the one by Retro Theory, but the PPC has enough power for a possible hard disk (on a few PPC sold only) and two 3,5 disks drives, so it should be able to provide power to up to 3 ISA boards without a problem. Retro Erik recommends to check the video by Gouldfish on Games where the card has been installed inside the Amstrad PPC. But if one day you replace the internal screen by a new LCD screen, you should check if there is enough power with the ISA interface used.

I was lucky to be able to buy the card by Retro Theory on System.CFG's forum.

Due to compatibility problems between the Amstrad Plus ASIC memory mapping and existing memory expansions, PulkoMandy has designed its own : Gemini.

This is a 1 Mb expansion with a switch to force it to 512K (in case you hit compatibility problems with something). Unlike other RAM expansions, it tracks the status of the ASIC to avoid conflicts if software attempts to map both the ASIC and expanded memory to the same address. At the moment the only software known to hit this situation is the Soundtracker DMA. But let us know if you find (or make) more :)

More info on Gemini's PulkoMandy web page.

Compatibility chart :

• Amstrad Plus (464 or 6128) : this card is for you
• GX4000 : why not, if you have soldered an expansion port
• CPC 6128 : this will work, unless software tries to unlock and map the ASIC. If there is enough demand, I can make a modified (and simpler) version of the Gemini for CPC 6128
• CPC 464 and 664: this will not work. Do not use this card on 464 and 664 machines. Since he doesn't own one of these, he doesn't plan to make a version of the card for them.

Availability : for now PulkoMandy has built a very small batch of 3 cards, and all 3 are already sold (someone really wanted to own the one with serial number 0). But he will build more (parts are on the way) and he will take preorder to know how much I need to build.

The price is 35 € including worldwide shipping. Reduced price if you come to my home to get it, or if you buy it from me during a meeting or demoparty (but tell him beforehand, so he knows how many he should bring).

Longshot has released version 1.3 of the Amstrad CPC CRTC Compendium (beware, the english version isn't definitive, only the french one is actually) which is a documentation about the CRTC 6845 (and some others circuits). Note that the CRTC is a generic component used in several computers including the IBM PC.

As seen on CPCRulez, the AMSpiriT emulator by Dmanu78 is respecting by a great margin the SHAKER tests by Longshot than other emulators. SHAKER is a program designed to run on CPC machines produced by AMSTRAD in the 80s-90s. The objective of this program is to carry out extensive tests on the video circuits of this machine. These video circuits are the GATE ARRAY and the CRTC 6845. AMSTRAD produced several series of GATE ARRAY and used CRTC models produced by different manufacturers (HITACHI, MOTOROLA, UMC, AMSTRAD). This has been causing compatibility problems on operations that exceed the functional specifications of these circuits. The identified CRTCs are numbered from 0 to 4.

So AMSpiriT is better especially if you like to see Amstrad CPC demos, and can't be bad either for games. I don't have the time to test extensively all Amstrad CPC games, but for sure I will take time during the Benediction Coding Party #2 to use it.