After the article Why the Z80's data pins are scrambled, here is another one by Ken Shirriff : down to the silicon: how the Z80's registers are implemented.

The Amstrad CPC use 3" disks because Alan Michael Sugar got a large batch of 3" drives, and then stayed with it for compatibility. Game editors started to add protections to avoid piracy. Amstrad CPC emulators are using the .DSK format to store the content of a disk (but it assumes that each track have only one size). This format can't manage well protections, for this you need the extended DSK format where each track can have a different size to support more protections, but still not all of them. That's why hardware solutions are necessary to preserve the exact content of the original disks in their totality (and then you can write them again to real disks) such as :

• Kryoflux, this is the official hardware developed by The Software Preservation Society. More on Kryoflux features here. The kryoflux creates a file for each track of a disk in raw format (the track is read 5 times so about 250 Ko per track). Then there is the CT Raw, one file created from the raw tracks, and lastly the .IPF resulting from the CT Raw.
• SuperCard Pro (SCP), contrary to the kryoflux, the SCP creates one file for one disk. With a firmware update, the SCP will be able soon to become a floppy disk emulator like the HxC Floppy Emulator by Jean-François DEL NERO

There is a problem to create .IPF for Amstrad CPC programs, the real disks have been either :

• written in an usine so they will be seens as originals and IPF will be created
• written on a real Amstrad CPC, so they will be seens as copies and IPF wont be created

Every emulator can use the raw or CT Raw kryoflux files if using the SPS decoder library. If an emulator doesnt use this library, then the best thing is to use .DSK created from kryoflux files with Samdisk like those dumped by Maxit on CPC-Power. SuperCard Pro support must be added internally into an emulator. Sugarbox already supports the SCP and of course the kryoflux (from a kryoflux raw or CT Raw, sugarbox can create a SCP file). Samdisk will soon support the SCP hardware, so it will be possible to read one track only.

The Amstrad notepad NC100 was out in 1992 with the protext word processing (already on Amstrad CPC and Amstrad PCW). But it's also possible to use it with ZCN by Mark Russel wich is a native CP/M, or use the all new Fuzix (fuzix announced on google+), this time an unix (system 5) by Alan Cox. You can emulate an Amstrad NC100 (and also NC150 and NC200) with nc100em (still by Mark Russel) for linux or ms-dos, and since start of 2014 as I just discovered for windows (port by Stefano Bodrato). The MESS emulator also supports the 3 Amstrad notepad NC. If you dont have the original NC100 ROM, you will need the ZCN.BIN file included in ZCN v1.3. You will find more informations about the Amstrad Notepad NC on the excellent Tim's Amstrad NC users site (see ZCN page).

Today a new version of the Amstrad CPC emulator Sugarbox is out :

• [TAPE] : Tape support : CDT/WAV/VOC/CSW(v1.1 & v2.0, with or without Z-RLE encoding) files are supported
• [TAPE] : Possibility to save Tape as WAV, CDT (with only DRB or CSW blocks), CSW (v1.1 or 2.0 compressed). Preliminary, maybe unexpected results can occurs !
• [FDC] : Head is no longer forced to track 0 when a disk is ejcted. This fix a bug in disk swapping for Targhan.
• [FDC] : Track delay time added. This fixed a weird protection scheme on Daley Thompson Olymic Challenge
• [FDC] : The US1 FDC bit is no longer wired. This fixed « Sphaira » original game.
• [FDC] : When « Read id » is performed on a not formatted track, the track was incorrect in the result. This is now fixed, fixing « Return of the jedi ».
• [FDC] : Fixed a bug that only load up to 42 tracks per side for a disk. Now, 720k disk (with 82 tracks) can be loaded again correctly
• [FDC] : Fixed a bug that prevent « motor » command to be taken in account
• [FDC] : Fixed a bug related to BC bit in register 2, making « Starfox » game to work.
• [GUI] : Added protection button for the disks
• [FDC-eDSK] : Correctly save tracks that are not formatted
• [FDC-DSK] : Close dsk file correctly.
• [SHORTCUTS] : added ctrl+f9 -> Reset
• ctrl+f1 : insert disk drive A:
• ctrl+f2 : insert disk drive B:
• [Gate array] : Fixed a bug that was displaying incorrect colors when using the ghost registers
• [General] : On exit, if a disk has been modified without being saved, user is asked about it.
• [General] : Fixed some rare crash that can occurs
• [General] : A click on speed on status bar now toggle the emulation speed between « 100% » and « No speed limit »
• [General] : Some architecture and code optimization, increasing overall emulation speed (about +25% speed)

The prisoner is a new text adventure game about the famous TV serie with Patrick McGoohan in the sixties.

First on C64 and C64 plus, an Amstrad CPC (conversion by Miguel Sky, ESP Soft) spanish version is available since October 2013 and an english version just came out.

This news isnt for the young ones under 18 years old. But are they people under 18 years old interested in the Amstrad CPC ?

So, it's the first ever nude photo on this site, and it's a hard one !

By the way, there is an intruder in this photo, a bit hard to find though...

You will find a complete report of the Reset meeting at Push'N'Pop (in french). The only problem is that the meeting only starts tomorrow o.O. So I wouldn't believe right away all what is written, especially the part about me :-) (by the way I prefer gin, not schnapps).

I dont know for you, but I would really want to have a birthday like the one NoRecess just had o.O

Happy man !

Bryce's last project that you will find on CPCWiki is something that will make you dream : a portable Amstrad CPC .

It will take time, but you can see some photos, it's only a start though, on the CPCWiki subject about the portable Amstrad CPC.

And if it's not too late, go see too the subject about the mouse adaptater for Amstrad CPC.

The Computer History Museum let you download 4 versions of CP/M for a non commercial use : v1.1 (1975), v1.3 (1976), v1.4 (1978) and v2.0 (1979), but it was v2.2 which was available for Amstrad CPC.

Gary Kildall, the creator of CP/M is sadly not anymore with us since 1994.