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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
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---
title: Amstrad PCW 16
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1994'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80 A
params:
name: PCW 16
company: /companies/amstrad
company_name: Amstrad
specs:
- label: NAME
value: PCW 16
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Amstrad
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: United Kingdom
- label: YEAR
value: '1994'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: None
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full-stroke keyboard, PC-AT type
- label: CPU
value: Zilog Z80 A
- label: SPEED
value: 16 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: Winbond 83787 I/O chipset
- label: RAM
value: 1 MB DRAM + 1 MB Flash RAM (holds Operating System and built-in software)
- label: ROM
value: Unknown
- label: TEXT MODES
value: Bitmapped characters
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 640 x 480 dots
- label: COLORS
value: Monochrome built-in display
- label: SOUND
value: 1 channel
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: 35.5 (H) x 30 (D) x 31 (W) cm (main unit)
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Serial & Parallel Ports, Serial mouse, AT keyboard
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: One 1.44 MB 3.5'' disk-drive
- label: OS
value: Roseanne + CP/M 2.2
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Power supply built-in
- label: PRICE
value: £299 when it came out
tabs:
- photos
- software
- emulators
- links
photos:
- title: LARGE VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: When switched on the computer displays this main menu.
image: null
- title: SIDE VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: TOP VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: BACK SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: UNDERNEATH TRAP DOOR
subtitle: ''
text: Among the numerous expansions planned by Amstrad, this trap door allowed a ROM chip and a connector to be added.
image: null
- title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: The keyboard was a colored version of a standard PC-AT model. Each fuction key allowed a software module to be called. Four-color keys was used to manage system windows.
image: null
- title: OPENED
subtitle: ''
text: Like all other Amstrad PCW computers, the inside electronics is made up of two boards. The upper one **(1)** is the analog board, holding the power supply unit and the video circuitry. The logic board **(2)** is located under it.
image: null
- title: MOTHERBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Only two chips provide all the internal functions of the PCW-16, a Winbond I/O chip and an Amstrad custom chip.\
Provision is made for additional RAM and Flash RAM as well as a possible hard disk interface.
**(1)** 1 MB RAM chips. Provision is made for a second 1 MB RAM bank\
**(2)** A trap door, allowed to insert a ROM chip from underneath the computer. However, in this version, the location is empty, no socket is soldered\
**(3)** 1 MB Intel Flash RAM chip\
**(4)** Custom Amstrad chip. Holds a 16 MHz Z80 CPU, video interface, addresses and data bus management\
**(5)** Winbond 83787 I/O chip. One found this chip in numerous PC compatible I/O cards\
**(6)** Provision is made for additional Flash RAM chips\
**(7)** Provision is also made for either a second floppy drive, or an hard disk drive\
**(8)** Video output connector\
**(9)** FDD power connector\
**(10)** Power supply connector\
**(11)** Backup battery and buzzer.
image: null
- title: USER'S MANUAL
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
screenshots:
- title: MAIN SCREEN
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: WORD-PROCESSOR
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: SPREADSHEET
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: DIARY/ALARM
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: FILE MANAGER
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
emulators:
- title: Joyce
url: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/pcw.html
platform: MS DOS
text: Emulates PCW systems under DOS
- title: Joyce
url: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Unix/Joyce/index.html
platform: Windows
text: Emulates PCW systems on Windows platforms
- title: Joyce
url: http://www.bannister.org/software/joyce.htm
platform: Apple
text: ''
- title: Joyce
url: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Unix/Joyce/index.html
platform: Unix / Linux
text: Emulates PCW systems
links:
- title: 16 Storm, the PCW-16 site
url: http://www.aster.fsnet.co.uk/pcw16.htm
text: Reviews, tutorials, news and links
comments:
- author: roger jowett (ulster)
date: Saturday 26th May 2012
text: |-
MSDOS 3.5" 1.44 MB double-density floppy disk.
hi density\
double density was 720kb on the pc
- author: Graham Holloway (Stevenage, UK)
date: Thursday 28th July 2011
text: I still have my PCW-16, from Dixons, with the Citizen Dot Matrix printer. I used to love playing with the Rosanne O/S and loading CP/M which allowed me to play and make games on the machine, someone provided me the neccessary floppys from PCW Format magazine, not sure that still exists. Great little machine, as long as the screen holds out I''ll keep it.
- author: Alan Birt (England)
date: Sunday 9th May 2010
text: May 2009. Further to my previous posting about the PCW16 some five years ago, may I report that I am STILL using my PCW16 for all my general correspondence. What a splendid machine it is and still giving faithful service. Since I purchased it for a pittance, it has also proved to be great value for money. May it long continue !
- author: Lee (UK)
date: Wednesday 24th June 2009
text: Hi, the interpreter is finished and available! I am uploading it in the next few days. I found the author who was more than happy to release the code as Open Source! So check out my site soon for updates! I also have programs to download, manuals, articles and more there and coming soon!
- author: MS (Dreamland)
date: Saturday 19th August 2006
text: |-
As Alan Birt mentions, the PCW series still has a handful of faithful fans, thanks to its simplicity and sole focus on basic writing/office tasks. Sure, they're not remotely comparable feature-wise to modern PCs, but still orders of magnitude simpler to use if you just want to write a letter or report.
Anyhoo, some extra tidbits about the PcW 16:
The OS, Rosanne, is an astounding achievement; written solely in Z80 assembler, it incorporates a graphical WIMP environment with the usual menus, dialog boxes, etc. that are de rigeur on multi-GHz machines. Additionally, it's really nice to program for -- a good set of well-documented OS calls means you can knock up a graphical app in a few lines of Z80 asm. Someone started on a BASIC interpreter, but it never came to light. The only way to use another language (hosted) is to use the CP/M port.
PcW 16s have severe build-quality issues. I've had two fail on me, and from speaking to other '16ers', it's not uncommon for machines to stop working. Inside the machine, it's quite clear it was cheaply put together. A shame, because the keyboards were great!
Hardly any third-party programs exist for the '16. An accounting program was produced after launch, and there was the idea to utilise the machine's serial port (with modem) for rudimentary internet access, but that died out as the PCW line ended. By far the most significant 'external program' (in '16 parlance!) is John Elliott's CP/M emulator which, although not supporting graphics, is excellent for text-mode CP/M programs, thereby extending the '16's software capability dramatically.
Also of note is John's 'ANNE' emulator, based on his 'JOYCE' program, which emulates a PcW 16. It's currently in mid-development status but works pretty well.
The '16 is a fascinating little machine, but was perhaps doomed from the start -- computer shops are more interested in selling expensive and absurdly complicated machines to Auntie Ethel than a simple little word processor and spreadsheet. Same thing I see happening with the em@iler, which my parents use happily! Not much commission in flogging those devices :-)
If anyone's still using a '16, it'd be great to read about it on this site. Oh, and this is the first time I've visited this site for a couple of years -- kudos to everyone involved. It's retrostalgic tastic!
- author: Alan Birt (UK)
date: Monday 6th December 2004
text: I am still using a PcW16 for all of my writing - my PC is used only for e-mail; websites and digital photography. I have several spare PcW16s, bought for next-to-nothing, which I am keeping as spares in case my first machine "blows up". \[I also have one example of all the Amstrad PCWs, just for nostalgia\] The PC word processing programs are too complicated for me, but I am a retired pensioner.
oc_id: 52
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608075417/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=52
date: '2023-06-08'
---
The PCW 16 replaced the [PCW 9512](/museum/amstrad-pcw-9512/). Contrary to the previous models, which used a text-based interface, the PCW 16 used a graphical user interface called The Desktop. The computer didn't run CP/M like the old PCW computers, but had its own operating system called Roseanne. Even though CP/M wasn't supplied, it was adapted to this machine by independent developers.
Unlike the previous PCW models which came with only the Locoscript word-processor, the PCW16 came with a complete range of built-in software - word-processor, spreadsheet, address book, diary/alarm, calculator and file manager.
Luckily, Amstrad abandoned the Hitachi 3" floppy format and switched to the standard MSDOS 3.5" 1.44 MB double-density floppy disk. The Roseanne system could use long filenames (up to 31 characters). The display was also standard: 640 x 480 VGA mode.
Amstrad provided Several internal expansions for the PCW-16, 1 MB RAM, 2 MB Flash RAM, Application ROMs, second FDD drive; but it seems that none of them saw the light.
---
**Rob W.** remembers:\
Dixons UK were selling the PCW-16 as late as December 1997, bundled with a Citizen Dot-Matrix Printer for about £170, which seemed expensive, but up against the latest £1,999 P233-MMX Packard Bell at the time, it seemed somewhat cheap :)\
Sadly, despite being taken in by its psychedelic keyboard colours and constant nagging, my dad didn't buy me this :(\
But... the following year he bought me a P233-MMX for £600 and the rest is history.\
Unfortunately, I have not seen one since. Wonder why...