website/content/museum/amstrad-csd.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Amstrad CSD	Computers	Professional Computer	United Kingdom	1990	Zilog Z80A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos oc_id source CSD /media/museum/photos/amstrad_csd_system_1.jpg /companies/amstrad Amstrad label value NAME CSD label value MANUFACTURER Amstrad label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1990 label value KEYBOARD No keyboard label value CPU Zilog Z80A label value SPEED 4 MHz label value RAM 64 Kb label value ROM 32 KB + Main ROM cartridge label value TEXT MODES Not used label value GRAPHIC MODES 160 x 200 x 16 colours, 320 x 200 x 4 colours, 640 x 200 x 2 colours label value COLORS 4096 (at least in welcome screen) label value SOUND 3 stereo voices, 8 octaves +1 white noise channel label value SIZE / WEIGHT Unknown label value I/O PORTS None label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PRICE Amstrad probably gave them to dealers photos 933 title subtitle text image INSIDE (1) Game cartridges\ (2) Main cartridge\ (3) Daughterboard holding the cartridge connectors\ (4) CPC-464+ mainboard Courtesy **amstrad.cpc.free.fr** /media/museum/photos/amstrad_csd_opened_1.jpg title subtitle text image BOOT SCREEN The boot screen allows a game cartridge to be selected. If no game is selected, the machine will run all the games successively. Courtesy **amstrad.cpc.free.fr** /media/museum/photos/amstrad_csd_bootscreen_1.jpg 957 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20220819200344/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=957 2022-08-19

At the time when the Amstrad GX 4000 game console and the CPC+ computers were launched, Amstrad had designed this metallic box to be used by dealers as a demonstration model. It was mainly used in the UK by Dixons chain dealers. Of course, very few models were produced.

When opening the front side of the sturdy aluminium case, one finds a metal plate covering the main board, actually a CPC 464+ motherboard, and a daughterboard holding 13 cartridge connectors. The first connector always holds a custom main cartridge which controls the CSD system. Twelve connectors remain free for standard game cartridges. The two boards are connected together through the cartridge and parallel ports of the motherboard.

When the cartridges are inserted and the front cover is closed, a superb Welcome picture appears on the screen with a 4096-colour wave background. It is then possible to select a cartridge and run a game, or let the machine run all the games successively. A timer then allows the user to select how long each game will be played.

Thanks to Charles da Silva and his site for information and pictures.

Charles also adds:
As Roland Perry told me, Amstrad used not only CPC 464+ motherboards but also GX-4000 PCBs. In fact, they used whatever they could find. Another interesting thing is that the CSD was delivered to dealers in a nice wooden stand, like the ones we can find today for the Sony PS2 or Microsoft Xbox.