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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 b274874139 All machines linked to their forum thread (full comment import)
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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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2026-10-13 17:26:43 +02:00

5.8 KiB

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params
title categories types origins years cpus params
Amstrad PC 1512
Computers
Professional Computer
United Kingdom
1986
Intel 8086
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PC 1512 /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pc1512_2s.jpg /companies/amstrad Amstrad
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NAME PC 1512
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MANUFACTURER Amstrad
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TYPE Professional Computer
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ORIGIN United Kingdom
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YEAR 1986
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KEYBOARD Full-stroke professional keyabord, with function keys, numeric keypad and editing keys
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CPU Intel 8086
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SPEED 8 MHz
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RAM 512 KB (up to 640 KB)
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ROM 16 KB
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TEXT MODES 40 x 25 / 80 x 25
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GRAPHIC MODES CGA graphic modes : 320 x 200 / 640 x 200 + Amstrad specific mode : 640 x 200 / 16 colors
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COLORS 4 (CGA colors) / 16 (Amstrad Mode)
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SOUND bipper
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I/O PORTS Centronics, RGB, RS232, Mouse (proprietary), Joystick, 8 bit ISA slots (3)
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BUILT IN MEDIA One or two 5.25'' disk-drives
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OS MS-DOS or DR-DOS
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POWER SUPPLY PSU built-in
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PRICE Monochrome 1FD: $799 - 2FD: $899 - 10 MB HD: $1299\ Colour versions: add $200 (USA, March 1987)\ From £490 to £1090 (UK)
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AMSTRAD PC-1512 Model with color monitor and double disk drive (2 x 360 KB) /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pc1512_2.jpg
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UK ADVERT (1986) November 1986 price list:\ Monochrome - Single drive: **£399** + VAT\ Monochrome - Dual drive: **£499** + VAT\ Colour - Single drive: **£549** + VAT\ Colour - Dual drive: **£649** + VAT Optional 10 MB hard disk: **£300** + VAT /media/museum/pubs/amstrad_pc1512_ukadv_1.jpg
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FRENCH ADVERT (APRIL 1987) "Compatible with you know who.\ Equiped like nobody.\ Priced like Amstrad". Single drive, monochrome monitor = 4997 FF + VAT\ Double drive, monochrome monitor = 6290 FF + VAT\ Single drive, colour monitor = 6890 FF + VAT\ Double drive, colour monitor = 8190 FF + VAT\ Single drive, 20 MB hard-disk, monochrome monitor = 9990 FF + VAT\ Single drive, 20 MB hard-disk, colour monitor = 11890 FF + VAT /media/museum/pubs/amstrad_pc1512_pub-fr_1.jpg
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DMP 2000/3000 PRINTERS /media/museum/hardware/amstrad_pc1512_dmp2000-3000_1.jpg
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The Amstrad 1512DD home page http://www.amstrad1512.co.uk/ Site is dedicated to the Amstrad 1512DD and other Amstrad 1512's.
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Amstrad PC Finnish commercial (1987) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrQfi8iG-Gk Length: 10 s
/museum/amstrad-pc-1640
/museum/amstrad-ppc-512-640
/museum/ibm-pc-at
/museum/ibm-pc-model-5150
/museum/ibm-pc-portable-model-5155
/museum/ibm-pc-xt-286
/museum/ibm-pc-xt-model-5160
/museum/ibm-ps-1
/museum/micronique-hector-xt
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https://web.archive.org/web/20230608143035/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=183 2023-06-08

The Amstrad PC 1512 was launched in 1986. After the Amstrad CPC 464, the CPC 664 and the CPC 6128 (three home computers based on the Z80) and the PCW 8256 and the PCW 9512 (both dedicated word processing computers based on the Z80 as well), Amstrad decided to make its first low-cost PC clone. It was a great European success, capturing more than 25% of the European computer market (impressive now and phenomenal then).

This cheap computer was, however, complete and offered more than some others did. The small power supply (57 W) was integrated into the monitor.

Eight models were offered: The PC 1512 SD/DD (with one or two 5.25" floppy disk drives) and two models with hard disk (HD10 with 10 MB hard disk and HD20 with 20 MB hard disk). FD and HD versions could be acquired with a monochrome or colour monitor.

The Amstrad used an "enhanced" CGA graphic mode, which could display 640x200 pixels with 16 colors (or grayscale). It was sold with MS-DOS 3.2, DR-DOS plus 1.2 (an operating system from Digital Research), GEM (a graphic interface, also used in the Atari ST, TT & Falcon), GEMPAINT and GEM BASIC.

The mouse port, although using 9 pins like a COM port, is proprietary to Amstrad ... The port is female and is only for use with an Amstrad mouse. The special PC-CM monitor provides power to the system unit by a large 14-DIN connector.

Charles Da Silva adds:
Digital Research brought all its support to the Amstrad PC with its DR-DOS, expecting it to know the same success as the CPC and PCW series. The problem is that, near to the launch, Sugar decided to also include MS-DOS, destroying all D.R. hopes to get even on Microsoft...

Andrew Balls comments:
The PC-1512 was CGA-compatible software wise, but the display had a round DIN connector instead of 9-pin D and the signals were different: I vaguely recall that they were analogue instead of digital and perhaps had composite sync. It has been many, many years since I looked at these. The PC-1640 had proper TTL EGA on a 9-pin D.

Rond Ofstad adds:
On the earliest versions of the 1512 model SD/DD you could get a HardCard. It was a controller card with onboard 10 or 20 MB HD.