The 4th version of the HxC Floppy Emulator Manager is available.

It features :

• User can now edit up to 20 slots (previous version: 15 slots was the max.)
• New UI, removed the old "demomaker style" presentation, now displaying more files on screen (with longer filenames)
• DEL key added to move back to parent folder while navigating
• The manager now skips DSK files when using a HxC SD/Slim device
• The Help page now reports the firmware version + build date of the Manager
• Switched compilation to SDCC 4.2.0 (resulting better Z80 implementation)
• Now compiled using RASM from roudoudou (previous version: Pasmo)
• Now compressed using ZX0 packer (previous version: the good old Bitbuster)
• Smaller binary (11KB) resulting a faster load from BASIC prompt (previous version: 16KB)

It remains compatible with the 64KB RAM-based machines, and the ROM version is sdirectly available into the AUTOBOOT.HFE file.

Rodrik Studio has done another video, the second about using an Amstrad PC 1512 without its original monitor (WIP), following the first video where he was using a breadboard.

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.