[comp.os.cpm] Amstrad

rcarter@WSMR-EMH02.ARMY.MIL (Raymond Carter STEWS-NR-AD 678-1536) (01/13/89)

I see the Amstrad 9512 (CP/M+) system advertised in Computer Shopper
for what looks like a fairly good price.  
This brings to mind two questions I was wondering if someone could
answer:

1.  How much data can be stored on each of the 3-inch disks.

2.  Has anyone sucessfully transplanted 3.5-inch disks, or added one
to the system?  (3.5's are a whole lot more readily available,
and a bunch cheaper, too.)

Thanks for any responses!!

bbs00167@uafcseg.uucp (Keefe Jackson) (11/16/90)

Does anyone know anything about the Amstrad "128k CP/M" machine? 
Is there a hard disk available for it? Is it still availble?
Thanks in advance...

-KNJ (bbs@uafcseg.uark.edu)

ewen@actrix.co.nz (Ewen McNeill) (11/19/90)

In article <5543@uafhp.uark.edu> bbs00167@uafcseg.uucp (Keefe Jackson) writes:
> 
> 
> Does anyone know anything about the Amstrad "128k CP/M" machine? 
> Is there a hard disk available for it? Is it still availble?
> Thanks in advance...
> 
> -KNJ (bbs@uafcseg.uark.edu)

I tried mailing this.... but as I expected with a from address like
the one given, it bounced.  Sorry about the wasted bandwidth --
perhaps that particular BBS would care to fix up the from line so
that it is a propper domain address (if this BBS (Actrix) can
manage it, I don't see why everyone else can't).

I know a reasonable amount about the Amstrad CPC128 (which I presume
is the machine you refer to).  I have owned one for about 5 years,
and still think it is a good machine.
 
There is not a hard disc available for the 6128, to my knowledge.
There was talk of one, a while back, but I think it was going to
cost about twice as much as the computer :-)   The other Amstrad
8-bit models (PCW8256, PCW8512 and PCW9512) have a hard drive
available for them.
 
Does that help?   BTW, if you are running out of storage space, you
might consider using a large capacity ("1MB") 3.5" or 5.25" drive,
and RAMDOS.  That should give you 800K to a disk, which seems huge
compared to the 178K you normally get.   If you are worried about
the speed, you might consider a ram disk.  DK'Tronics used to make
one, but they have been bought out so many times I am not sure who
owns the name now.  I think it might be Ram electronics.

-- 
Ewen McNeill.				Email: ewen@actrix.gen.nz

donm@pnet07.cts.com (Don Maslin) (11/19/90)

ewen@actrix.co.nz (Ewen McNeill) writes:
>In article <5543@uafhp.uark.edu> bbs00167@uafcseg.uucp (Keefe Jackson) writes:
>> 
>> Does anyone know anything about the Amstrad "128k CP/M" machine? 
>> Is there a hard disk available for it? Is it still availble?
>
>I know a reasonable amount about the Amstrad CPC128 (which I presume
> 
>There is not a hard disc available for the 6128, to my knowledge.

Assuming that it is a Z-80 based machine (display of ignorance here!), it
seems that it might be possible to get a HD kit from Emerald Microware which
uses a small daughter board that plugs into the Z-80 socket plus the WD1002-05
hard disk controller.  The one problem that might crop up would be the
software modifications to the BIOS.  I know Emerald has it for 2.2, but I'm
not sure about 3.0.  A telephone call should answer that though.

Ewen, would you care to comment?
                                                - don

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