Amstrad GX4000 No Power & Ghosts n' Goblins Remake 2 in 1 Cart
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
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A quick look at a recent pickup! Was described as faulty, but sadly didn't need much work at all to get it up and running. In this video I also convert a cart into a 2 in 1 cart and check out the new Ghosts n' Goblins remake from Xifos (with fantastic music from Targhan).
Video Response here to a point someone raised about the PSU being AC:- • Video Response - GX400...
Xyphoe channel - / xyphoe
Novabug (more Amstrad love) / novabug
#amstrad #gx4000 #repair #console #games
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1) The first mistake there is I referred to the DAC as an ADC =/ It's a digital to analogue convertor. Takes 4 bits for each colour (R,G,B), and outputs three analogue RGB signals.
2) I referred to the week pull down as a pull up - doh!
3) I also forgot to include a clip there showing where the 2nd 7805 is. Its the black transistor looking component sat inbetween the SCART connector and the video output DIN. It's a smaller package to the 7805 that is heat sinked.
4) There's also a video response here regards the PSU being AC and not DC. th-cam.com/video/Dd2lQoaw_uM/w-d-xo.html
Sweet! I'm gonna take this as license to make DAC jokes again :D
Got to love the retro gamer cats! My black cats Shadow and Ravage are the same, whenever I get tech stuff out, retro gaming gear, PC gaming, or even just getting my tool box out, there they are! Ravage, my newest, sticking his head into the back of a Vectrex I was cleaning up and recapping for a mate! I guarantee, if cats had opposable thumbs, they'd be retro gaming addicts! (don't worry about Ravage, the Vectrex's picture tube was discharged, and everything was safe)
Haha =D Funnily enough, apparently Yoshi in Chinese means 'Games' or something very similar. Yoshi (one of my cats) is certainly up for some retro gaming lol.
Yoshi is awesome! I just love how he suddenly appears as you're doing a project! My Shadow, he's just laid back, and prefers the finished article (on top of my Atari 2600 or in front of my gaming pc is his place of choice) Ravage (named after the Transformers Decepticon) is far more "paws on" , and will actually poke around with what I'm working on! He probably equates it with helping (like Yoshi I reckon). Great video as always, and so informative.
Nothing nicer than getting in on a saturday afternoon and seeing gadgetuk has posted a new video yay
Thanks =D
That Ghosts n Goblins remake looks amazing!!!
It certainly is!!! If you haven't got a C4CPC cart yet - get one if you can! You can still order them apparently. I should review one soon.
I really should (do you know where to get them?), also, do they work on a GX4000 as well?
Here mate:- www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/cpc-plus-cartridge-replacement-one-more/ PM Gerald - he's making them at the moment =D Yes, they work in either the CPC+ or the GX4000 - tell him which you want to use it with and he will set it up for you.
Brilliant video. Could watch you tinker with these old consoles all day. Eprom programming bought some memories back - haven done that for 20 years lol
Hehe, thanks =D
Why couldn't the original Amstrad Ghosts n Goblins been like this one? This one is way better, it's more like something I'd see on the C64!
It is utilising the smooth scrolling, extended colour palette and hardware sprites! It may have worked on the CPC but would have been slower and perhaps not as colourful.
Nice video. It was released too late in life, but that could have worked in Amstrads favor if they had replaced the Z80A with a 16 bit Z280.
I used to play Ghosts and Goblins at the swimming pool arcade machine after I got out the pool. Back then a game of pool was 20p . I would either play pool after or two shots of Ghosts and Goblins at 10p a go! Swimming and pool or playing a game for £1.00 . I wish it was as cheap as that now!
Nice pickup and troubleshooting Chris. Love the homemade cart and the way you switch ROM, pure genius.
Cheers mate =D
KITTIES!
Meow :o)
Retro gaming cat!
I love the GX4000 - Switchblade is awesome on it
nice project again! and cats love boxes :D
Thanks! Tell me about it lol - I couldnt find one of that cats until I realised he had climbed inside the cardboard part of the box and was hidden away from view.
Some tv's particularly Samsung, are incredibly fussy about the switching voltages. My Syncmaster 711MP absolutely will not go into RGB mode unless there is at least 9V on pin 8, and at least 1.5V on pin 16. One or the other will not do - it HAS to be both.
The major pain is pin 16, because it is loaded by 75 ohms... so if you have a Spectrum +2 for example, the 12V on the video port is protected by a 1K resistor. If you use that for pin 16, it is dragged too low to provide the correct switching voltage for pin 8. When I make Amiga SCART cables, I use the 12V line and put a 1K resistor on pin 8 (for safety), and a 470 ohm resistor on pin 16.
I ended up making a breakout connector which allows me to feed the TV with an external 12V supply so that I can force it into RGB mode, for any SCART cable i use
Someone on Twitter pointed me this way - thanks for the shout out dude! Much appreciated :) And yea, I also run the gx4000.co.uk website too. Subbed!
You're welcome! Loved your live stream there on the GNG remake =D Keep up the Amstrad love =D
The reed switch was brilliant!
Thanks =D
Superb! Almost bought one of these from Curry's back in the day. Went with a master system instead. That Ghost n Goblins looks awesome.
Lucky escape? But now they are sought after =D GNG rocks! =D
haha..talk about thinking outside of the (cartridge) box. that magnetic switching mod was genius!! :-)
Haha :o) Thanks!!
Don't forget the Anti Cattic strap lol
LMAO =D
I wonder how many people get triggered by the feline investigation. Cat's just can't resist boxes, fact.
The gx4000 was prob 2 years late to market. By the time it arrived in the uk the hype for the sega megadrive was in full swing, so noone wanted to buy an 8 bit anymore
Ghouls n ghosts is very impressive
I still think the best console-ised 8-bit computer was the Atari XEGS. It retained all the ports that the computer had, so could work with tape and disk games, as well as cartridges. Shame it did little better in the market than the Commodore or Amstrad efforts, but at least it was better thought out.
That's a good point! If there had been disk or tape loading for this and the 64GS...
Loving the cart mod you did! wish id kept my GX4000 now, when i had mine (about 15 years ago) games where virtually imposable to find I had burning rubber and Robocop that’s all. I sold it boxed and fully working for about £20 :(
Could be worse, I had a GX4000, switchblade, robocopy and pro tennis. My mum gave it away without telling me years ago.
They are going up in price recently! I think its because of the C4CPC cart - now huge library of CPC games unlocked for the GX4000. There's a website with all the conversions people have done and most of the best games are there for the GX4000.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods yeah i bought a replacement i have modded a Cart so i can swap the roms. I like the idea of a c4cpc but they are quite expensive and currently i think the seller is not making them.
Omg you are always supirsing me, sir you are a Wizard👍
Thanks lol =D
I paid £50 for my Amstrad GX4000 from Dixons in 1990 was a good console i liked it.
Hard to believe this board was produced in 1990... I actually got my first computer, a C64C, around the same time, but by then the Amiga and Atari ST were well into their stride and the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo were both released, and light years ahead of the CPC and GX4000.
Nailed it there! Yes, who in their right mind would release this when the competition is the Megadrive etc. They really should have gone with a new architecture - 16 bit. But that would have required huge investment, and was risky because they were not a console producer but home computers.
I think the C4CPC is the way to go, you'll be able to play all the great games from one simple cart. :)
Absolutely =D
Very excellent video; you make seem that what you make is easy and it isn't at all. But about what matters to me, about the software; the games developed for this nice console: ¿How many games run only in this Amstrad GX4000 or in the Amstrad Plus computers?. I own a 6128 and I wonder if I should care about the plus versions.
BTW, you are about to get a ten thousand subscribers. So great!
I don't think its worth worrying about the plus versions tbh, unless you want all the models or are a huge Amstrad fan. I am not aware of any plus only titles etc. Thanks for your continued support, and thanks for the reminder on the subs - very close now =D
Personally, I thought the reed switch idea was brilliant. Now you have me brainstorming as to what other uses there might be for that. 🤔 Not to mention you scored a great find in primo condition -- way to go.
Thanks mate =D Got those C64 carts to cover toon - been meaning to for the last few weeks but things just got on top of me (especially the BBC lol).
Yeah, I surprised you didn't need to convalesce a while after the BBC mission. 🤣
The bbc mission never ended lol! Sunday, recapped the PSU and mobo (PSU wasn't fully re-capped). Did a few other mods for video etc, next thing you know it doesn't work again - continuous beep. Spent all day Sunday on it...
OMG. LOL. This is quality neverending content. I might need to convalesce by mission's end.
Hehe =D Rest assured its working again! Was a royal pain though - had me mega stressed!
Sweet I remember my mate getting one of them, two weeks later he had a Nes ..... I thought at the time it was cool looking.... Ps. 1-3volts on scart pin will enable 4:3 rgb , higher voltages normally switch it to 1:69 I also subbed
Thanks! Yes, I researched just after uploading the video and spotted that! So it is totally possible for them to have designed it so the 5v feeds through and is dropped with a resistor. Crazy they didn't do that =/ Thanks for the sub =D
I can imagine the meeting Alan sugar how much is the resistor? We will leave it out Al.
I only found out the night before from Wikipedia he he , because I made a cable for a raspberry pi to output a 240p rgb 15hz signal to a crt tv , tbh I bodged it with a AA battery 1.5v to see if it worked and bingo, it effectively turns it into arcade perfect emulation. I see you love your neo geos I have a neo mvs too and side by side I cannot tell what one is emulated. maybe that might be somthing you like to play with the I am using the cheapest pi too it's a fiver I think.
Gadget,get you a c4cpc,its lovely,there are many conversions for the gx4000.
It's on my list - broke now until pay day lol
Yep,you never can't have money enough,its like game consoles,i also want more and more.
Your replacement power adaptor didn't work because it was an AC adaptor. For the same reason your multimeter on VDC range showed 0V.
I completely forgot to mention that I checked it on both AC and DC - it's outputting nothing at all, but you are right, I hadn't actually noticed it was marked AC, but it is dead. Video response uploading now =D
Here's the video:- th-cam.com/video/Dd2lQoaw_uM/w-d-xo.html I appreciate I've not shown that the mains is switched on there, but it is. I did test it for AC when I spotted it was AC. I just completely forgot to cover that aspect.
What happens to a device if it gets the 'wrong' type of 'leccy? I once killed one of those small reversing LCD monitors, intended for use with an R-Pi, by plugging in the wrong kind of adaptor without realising. I think I still have it somewhere, in the hope that it could be revived.
If you're lucky it won't be destroyed by AC (if its expecting DC). On the GX4000 I suspect it "might" work, but glitchy and unreliably. And within a short period of time, if the AC adapter doesn't die, the system will. The negative cycles will be captured (probably) by that diode across the regulator, and that might be one reason those diodes fail. I've seen Super Famicoms working with AC - when they need DC... But I would never knowingly make a choice to use the wrong PSU. If your system has a bridge and expects an AC adapter (eg. UK NES), then you can use DC - since it passes through the bridge, polarity of that DC input doesnt even matter.
Interesting bit of UK console history, but too little too late by 1990. 8-bit consoles and computers were old news by this point. 1990 saw the UK release of the Megadrive and the likes of the Atari ST and Amiga were much more affordable having been out for a few years. Top video as always mate.
Yes, Amstrad were doomed with the GX4000 - they didn't do their research, it was bound to fail. Thanks =D
The 64GS was released in '92...
I know what you are saying, but I remember back then in 1990 most people were still playing Spectrum 's or C64s. Back then when we were at school we never saw a Nintendo until 89 - 90 in comet. We used to skive school to play it , until they switched them off after dinner time! One guy was showing off Christmas 90 that he got a master system. The guy up the stairs from me got a nes for Christmas that year. I eventually got a Mega Drive in 92 , after my friend got one in 91! As for the Amstrad console I can't remember it!
@@davarosmith1334 Anyone who was the least bit into Amstrad products remembers it. You obviously don't fall into that category.
I have ran into the fail blank check and or burn before with my programmer. It appears the voltages are set to low in software for these AMD. At least *my* programmer was .25v to low. Verified by looking up the chip datasheet and comparing to what the software preset was.
I am sure that's what it is, it's either the timing is not right for the AMD chips, or the voltage. But... other AMD chips program OK. That leads me to think that some are fakes.
I got mine from a bootable for £10 years ago never been used new old stock. Ive only ever seen one game for it burning rubber. I wonder if they do a multi cart? think there was 26 games released. SCI (chase hq 2) being the rarest game only 2 copies known according to a retro gaming magazine a had a few years ago
Bargain! Wish I had got one that cheap lol! Yeah, there wasn't 32 games for sure - I think the 32 in 1 contains all commercial releases, plus a few homebrews perhaps? The C4CPC is a better pick really since then you can play any of the CPC conversions too.
I connected a power supply bit nothing was blown
Reed switch is cute :)
Can't complain about the video content, but every time I watch one I get frustrated by the very close-up camera. Somehow feels like I'm going to hit the floor or a circuit board. Maybe you do not have the space, but I for one would appreciate a wider camera angle (and maybe a workbench). Good repair videos never the less.
What's the difference between an eprom and a mask rom? I'm guessing that a mask rom is actually stamped in when they fabricate the chip, whereas an eprom is programmed after chip manufacture?
You are correct =D Mask ROM is typically stamped at the factory. Some times people mistake OTP chips for Mask ROMs though. On the Neo Geo carts for example there are often Toshiba marked ROM chips which people call mask ROMs, but they are actually OTP chips as far I as can tell (One Time Program - no UV erasure window on top).
Oh man, I got like 4 of these all in different states hahah. I really need to get them out and work on them. Love the covert mod of G&G and it looks a great version, but still not change in weapons only the lance, unlike the other 8 bit versions. I would be interested if a keyboard could be connected to these some how to play modded carts for CPC games that require keyboard input. Ace vid as always thumbs up!!
You can change weapons! I've had the dagger, axe, fireball etc. It's complete mate! You might be looking at the proto from last year - it was updated around a month ago. =D You can connect a keyboard up and convert them to a fully fledged plus machine! With the C4CPC SD cart, you can play the conversions that people have done (there are hundreds of all the best CPC games). They have been hacked to use the controller instead of keyboard etc.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I mean the original G&G only had the Lance not this awesome version. Be nice to put like a ps/2 socket on the back and plug in a keyboard as mentioned, I would love to see that mod
My mate got on of these back in the day, all we played was burnin' rubber on it, that's all i remember, i did not like it that much especially after the 464 and 6128
Yeah, I can understand why - the CPC was more flexibly with so many games compared to the GX4000.
Pretty system but I am a little disappointed the gamepads don't actually have rockets. ^_^ Yuck I hate plastic snap shells, I'd make it a law to use screws if I could. :\
Thinking a flash cart is the only way to go with the GX4000 with prices and rarity where they are for games. Great fun to try all the homebrew on actual hardware, something not emphasized enough for all flash carts IE. homebrew scene, become a homebrew tester. :)
Yeah, gamepads aren't great but they are OK! Those snap shells are evil lol! The Neo Geo AES carts are similarly annoying to get into, but not quite as bad. Definitely the best move to get a C4CPC I think!
Will the console turn on without a cartridge
It wont boot without a cart! The game provides the only code for the CPU - there's no OS ROM / BIOS etc.
800mA should be perfect :-)
A fully working GX4000. That’s good.
So you also have a cat helping you with your repair work.
Hehe =D Or... They are there to create more faults for me - rolling around with their static electricity generating furr! I am paranoid when they are walking around lol
Turn a Super Nintendo game into a ds cartridge
Crap console in my opinion my younger sister had 1 when they first come out nice fault finding btw 👍
There's a lot of work to play another game.
LOL! True! That was why I decided to just stick GNG and Burning Rubber onto the one cart and be done with it. I have no intentions of going back in there now.
I've been trying to PM you, but that method has been dropped by TH-cam now :(
Thanks! Just replied to your PM - I think its allowing replies? You can also get me on Twitter if that's easier?