ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2025 Entry 30th March 2025: Post 1: Amstrad CPC464-DDI - Graphics Primer. Amstrad CPC464-DDI - Graphics Primer. This won't make a whole load of sense to be honest but as ever I simply record what I do. My challenge the last few days as the 'Amstrad Rubber Band Man' is to check all the drives on the Amstrad machines to see if the rubber bands are holding up. I am pleased to report they are all fine. I have two CPC464 machines set up with external 3" DDI drives. The one in the lounge sits to the side of a small table I have and is generally covered and never used. The other is on a bench upstairs and gets used frequently. To test the drives I generally pick a subject from the manual and then write the example codes, run the program and then save and transfer the disc between machines to see if they work and read the program. Trouble was that two of the programs failed. The first was only showing a single line when it should be double and the second refused to show a sine curve on a window. The graphics primer is quite useful cus it shows how to use the Amstrad in differing modes which is essential when working with CP/M and word processing. The use of windows to display the content also is important when using charts and tables of information. Sadly the file format suggested by the manual didn't work , but then it assumed I would be saving to tape. The problem of the two files occurred on both the colour monitor machine and the green screen machine down the stairs. OK time to bring out the Amiga emulator and run the CPC emulator. Having an Amiga emulator is of great value when you think you can download most of the main platform emulators. Takes very little time to set up and get running. I found the errors pretty quickly. There was a typo on one line that should have been 200 and not 500. And with the other program I had failed to enter the last line ... duh! With those two errors fixed the programs worked and I even verified as such by running them on the 6128Plus and 6128 standard. Sorry about the pictures but it is really tricky setting up the tripod in the two locations, and being able to use the machines. Half my problems when doing any of this is accommodating the camera, cus it just gets in the way. The Amstrad uses rubber bands to the main drives and the cassette drives plus even the 3.5" drives. Over time the rubber simply becomes less flexible and just snaps. It is a common problem. To change the rubber bands is a pain the whatsit, so checking them happens on a regular basis. Anyhoo here are the crappy pics of what I did , if you can fathom that out. Amstrad CPC464-DDI - Graphics Primer.

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Last updated 30th March 2025 2025

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