LK1,LK2,LK3
LK1,LK2,LK3 connect to PPI Port B, Bit1-3. The links select the manufacturer name (which is displayed by the BIOS in the power-up message). These LKs exist on all CPC mainboards (in CPC Plus/GX4000 schematics they are named LK101,LK102,LK103). By default, LK1-LK3 are not installed (Amstrad). Other combinations are LK2 installed in german Schneider models, and LK1+LK2 in australian Awa models.
| Bit 3 (LK3) | Bit 2 (LK2) | Bit 1 (LK1) | Distributor Name |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Isp |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | Triumph |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | Saisho |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | Solavox |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Awa (australian CPCs) |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Schneider (german CPCs) |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Orion |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Amstrad (default) |
Note: "0" means LK installed.
Used Brand Names
Amstrad
Awa
Australian CPCs were distributed by Mitsubishi Electric AWA Pty Ltd. Externally, these CPCs are looking identical to english CPCs (with the normal Amstrad logo above the ESC key). Internally, LK1 and LK2 are shortened, so the BIOS displays "Awa" instead of Amstrad in the boot message. Whereas, Amstrad made a small mistake: The correct name would be "AWA", not "Awa".
- For more info, see Awa
Schneider
Somehow used
Solavox
Unused Brand Names
Orion
ORION is japanese company, founded 1958 by Shigemasa Otake. In an interview, Alan Sugar has confirmed that Amstrad planned to export CPCs to "far east", using Orion as a partner. As with some other brand names, Amstrad 'converted' the upper-case "ORION" to "Orion" in the boot message.
As far as known, the partnership didn't worked in that direction - there have been no CPCs sold using the Orion brand. However, it worked the opposite way around: Amstrads CTM640/CTM644 and GT64/GT65 monitors contain cathode ray tubes from ORION.
The confusing part here is that there is also another company, Orion Electronics Ltd, established in 1913 in Hungary. Using exactly the same ORION logo than the later japanese company from 1958.