Difference between revisions of "Category:Expansion ROM"

Revision as of 09:13, 20 August 2011

This is the list of Expansion ROM you can use to add features to the CPC.

These are mostly Software available in ROM format.

It also includes the numerous ROM-boxes : the Hardwares solutions to get ROMs on your CPC.

Here's a quick introductory lesson to ROMs with the important bits you need to know (by Bryce):

1. The CPC hardware is designed to (theoretically) take up to 256 external ROMs

2. Each ROM can be up to 16K and are numbered starting from 0.

3. The ROM can contain a program or utility.

4. The programs are started using an "RSX" command: ie: A command with the bar "|" in front - Such as |M to start Maxam.

5. Standard ROMBoards or the MegaFlash allow you to install these. Older ROMBoards usually only supported 6 or 8 ROMs and each ROM was an individual EPROM chip. Whereas modern versions (SF2, Inicron, RamCard, MegaROM, MegaFlash) support up to 32 ROMs and have combined several virtual ROMs within a single larger chip.

6. Many programs and utilities were released on ROM for three good reasons:

    -They start instantly, because they don't actually need to be loaded.
    -They are always present in the background and can be called/started without needing to insert a disk or tape. (useful for utilities such as Basic expansions or Disc utilities)
    -They usually run directly from the ROM, not from RAM, so the RAM is still 99.9% empty. (useful for text editors and compilers because the RAM is free to be used for data)

7. The Hardware: The CPC can choose which ROM chip is associated with the 16K area starting at &C000. This is usually the reserved for the contents of the screen (RAM), but the address range is shared with ROM Memory. On start up, the CPC checks whether any ROMs are installed. The CPC464 only checks for ROMs in positions 7-0, but the 6128 checks for ROMs in positions 15-0. (I write 15-0 because they really are scanned in the reverse order). If a ROM is present, the CPC checks what commands the ROM offers and saves them in a table in RAM (This is why I said the RAM is 99.9% free and not 100%).

8. There are two special ROM positions: ROM 0 is reserved for Basic (known as a type &80 ROM), ROM 7 is reserved for the Disc Operating System - Not present on a 464, AMSDOS on a 6128.

9. The CPC464 has one internal ROM (0) which can be overwritten by a ROMBoard to replace Basic. The 6128 has internal ROMs 0 and 7 (0 can be overwritten but not 7). The CPC Plus series can overwrite both 0 and 7.

10. The Plus CPCs don't have internal ROMs, it was "out-sourced" to the Cartridge. The cartridge is actually situated in ROM positions 128 onwards, but the ASIC in the Plus re-maps the cartridge ROMs to 0 and 7 for compatibility.

Rom Pack Download

Cholo has created this ROM pack to get you started. The contents are as follows:

Amram 2 - Sideways RAM toolkit ROM (19xx)(Silicon Systems)(AMRAM2.ROM).zip

Amsdos 720K (19xx)(-)(720KAMSD.ROM).zip

Amstrad Eprom Programmer (19xx)(Fleet Microsystems Ltd & F.Kup)(FLTEPRM.ROM).zip

Amstrad Toolkit v1.4 (1986)(Bee Bug Soft)(TOOLKIT.ROM).zip

Bos v2.1 (1987)(Vortex Gmbh)(BOS21.ROM).zip

Cage Comms v1.1 (19xx)(D. Gorski and I. Hoare)(CAGE11.ROM).zip

Communication Interface Unit Driver Softare 1.5 (1986)(Panda Electronics Ltd)(PIADR.ROM).zip

Comstar v1.25 #1 (1986)(Honeysoft-Pace)(COMSTAR1.ROM).zip

Comstar v1.25 #2 (1986)(Honeysoft-Pace)(COMSTAR2.ROM).zip

Copy Lock v6.0 (1988)(Romantic Robot)(COPYl60.ROM).zip

Copymate + v3.2 (1990)(Marco Vieth)(De)(COPYM32.ROM).zip

Cpc 464 Basic (1985)(Amstrad)(BASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 464 Modified Os (19xx)(-)(Da)(CPC464DK.ROM).zip

Cpc 464 Os (1985)(Amstrad)(OS.ROM).zip

Cpc 464+ and 6128+ Basic (1991)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(BASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 464+ and 6128+ Os (1991)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(OS.ROM).zip

Cpc 464+ Plus A2 (1991)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(ROMPLUSADOS.ROM).zip

Cpc 664 Amsdos (1985)(Amstrad)(AMSDOS.ROM).zip

Cpc 664 Basic (1985)(Amstrad)(BASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 664 Os (1985)(Amstrad)(OS.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Basic (1985)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(Fr)(FBASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Basic (1985)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(Sp)(BASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Basic (1986)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(BASIC.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Os (1985)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(Fr)(F6128OS.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Os (1985)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(OS.ROM).zip

Cpc 6128 Os (1985)(Amstrad-Locomotive)(Sp)(S6128OS.ROM).zip

CPM Accessory Rom 1 (1988)(Graduate Software)(CPMACC1.ROM).zip

CPM+ #1 (1988)(Graduate Software-Digital Research-Amstrad)(CPM1.ROM).zip

CPM+ #2 (1988)(Graduate Software-Digital Research-Amstrad)(CPM2.ROM).zip

Disc Demon v1.1 (1986)(Bee Bug Soft)(DDEMON.ROM).zip

Disc Power (19xx)(-)(DISCPWR.ROM).zip

Discology Disccopier (1987)(Meridien Software)(DISCOLOG.ROM).zip

Discology Filecopier (19xx)(-)(Fr)(DISCFILE.ROM).zip

Discology v6.0 (19xx)(Meridien Software)(DOLOGY6.ROM).zip

Dk'Tronics Speech Rom v1.1 (19xx)(Dk'Tronics)(DKSPEECH.ROM).zip

Dos Copy v1.3 and Crime v1.3 (1991)(-)(DOSCRIME.ROM)[ROM v2.1].zip

Dragon Breed Rom 1 (19xx)(Dragon Breed)(DBREED1.ROM).zip

Extended Basic v1.1 (1986)(John Morrison)(EXBASIC.ROM).zip

Hack It-Le Hackeur (19xx)(Siren Software)(En-Fre)(HACKEUR.ROM).zip

JL Utilities v1.2 (19xx)(J0rn Lorentzen-JLCS)(JLUTIL12.ROM).zip

JL Utilities v2.1 (19xx)(J0rn Lorentzen-JLCS)(JLUTIL21.ROM).zip

Jm Eprom Programmer (1985)(John Morrison)(JMPEPRM.ROM).zip

Jm Maxidos v1.2 (19xx)(Nemesis)(MAXIDOS.ROM).zip

K.D.S Serial Interface & Comms Pack 5 v4.2B (19xx)(K.D.S. Electronics)(KSERIAL.ROM).zip

Kns Rom 6128 v1.01 (1989)(MFW)(KNSROM.ROM).zip

Lock Smith (1985)(Bee Bug Software)(LOCKS.ROM).zip

Master File 128 v2.2 (19xx)(Campbell Systems and GoldMark)(MFILE128.ROM).zip

Master File 464 v1.1 (1984)(Campbell Systems and Amsoft)(MFILE464.ROM).zip

Micro Music Creator #1 (1988)(First Byte)(MMC1.ROM).zip

Micro Music Creator #2 (1988)(First Byte)(MMC2.ROM).zip

Micro Style Rom v2.11 (1989)(Micro Style - PotPlant Systems)(STYLE.ROM).zip

Multiface 2 (19xx)(Romantic Robot)(MULTFACE.ROM).zip

Nigdos 2.24 (1988)(-)(NIGDOS.ROM).zip

Nirvana 1.1 (1990)(GoldMark Systems)(NIRVANA.ROM).zip

Nwc Utilities 1.1 (19xx)(Nwc)(NWCUTIL.ROM).zip

Odd Job 2.2 (1985)(Pride Utilities-GoldMark)(ODDJOB22.ROM).zip

Pro Skey - Procopy v1.2 and Speed Key (1990)(Nemesis)(PROSKEY.ROM).zip

Programmer's Toolbox 1.0a (19xx)(-)(TOOLBOX.ROM).zip

Programmers Tool Box v1.2a (19xx)(-)(PT12A.ROM).zip

Rodos v2.11 (19xx)(Romantic Robot)(RODOS211.ROM).zip

Rodos v2.15 (19xx)(Romantic Robot)(RODOS215.ROM).zip

Rom Dos (1988)(Kds Electronics)(ROMDOS.ROM).zip

Rom Dos XL (1992)(Siren Software Ltd - Kds Electronics)(ROMDOSXL.ROM).zip

Rom Dos XL v4.88 (1993)(Siren Software Ltd)(RDOSXL48.ROM).zip

Super Power Mailing List (1985)(Micro Power Ltd)(MAIL.ROM).zip

Super Rom v1.0 (1991)(Vorax)(SUPER.ROM).zip

Super Romplus - Auto Rom Control System 1.6 (1986)(Britannia Software Ltd)(ARCS16.ROM).zip

System-X v2.1 (1985)(Pride Utilities)(SYSX21.ROM).zip

T3m Rom (19xx)(-)(T3MROM.ROM).zip

Transmat v2.1 (1985)(Pride Utilities)(TMAT21.ROM).zip

UNCR v2.4 - Cruncher Accessory ROM for CPM (1988)(Graduate Software)(CPMCRCH.ROM).zip

Utility Suite (19xx)(-)(ROB3ROM.ROM).zip

Vorax's CPM Plus Rom #1 (19xx)(Graduate - Vorax)(CPM1.ROM).zip

Vortex Ram - Expansion Card ID (19xx)(Vortex)(De)(VRAMID.ROM).zip

X-Ddos (1987)(-)(XDDOS111.ROM).zip

XROM Eprommer v1.16 (1986)(Timatic Systems)(XROM.ROM).zip