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website/content/museum/amstrad-pcw-16.md
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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 b274874139 All machines linked to their forum thread (full comment import) 
1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-13 17:26:43 +02:00

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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
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_running_s1.jpg
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
forum_thread: 68
photos:
- title: LARGE VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: When switched on the computer displays this main menu.
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_running_s2.jpg
- title: SIDE VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_sideview_s1.jpg
- title: TOP VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_topview_s1.jpg
- title: BACK SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_rearside_s1.jpg
- 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: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_romtrap_s1.jpg
- 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: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_keyboard_s2.jpg
- 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: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_inside_s1.jpg
- 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: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_mainboard_s1.jpg
- title: USER'S MANUAL
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/amstrad_pcw16_manual_s1.jpg
screenshots:
- title: MAIN SCREEN
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/amstrad_pcw16_screenboot.jpg
- title: WORD-PROCESSOR
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/amstrad_pcw16_softwp_s1.jpg
- title: SPREADSHEET
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/amstrad_pcw16_softss_s1.jpg
- title: DIARY/ALARM
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/amstrad_pcw16_softdiary_s1.jpg
- title: FILE MANAGER
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/amstrad_pcw16_softfm_s1.jpg
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
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...
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