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== History & Overview ==
== The 'Version 0' Prototype ==
The 'Version 0' motherboard prototype was the motherboard originally designed for the MOS 6502 microprocessor.
That board is owned by Roland Perry, the Amstrad CPC 464 project manager by 1983.
The board was shown by Roland in Retroalacant 2023, Alicante (Spain).
<gallery caption="Pictures of the Amstrad CPC 464 'Version 0' motherboard prototype">
Image:Amstrad cpc 464 v0 prototype components side.jpg|The Amstrad CPC 464 Version 0 motherboard prototype, components side
Image:Amstrad cpc 464 v0 prototype soldering side.jpg|The Amstrad CPC 464 Version 0 motherboard prototype, soldering side
Image:CPC464_V0_PCB_Top.jpg|V0 prototype board, component side
Image:CPC464_V0_PCB_Bottom.jpg|V0 prototype board, solder side
Image:CPC464_V0_PCB_Composite_View.jpg|V0 prototype board, X-Ray view
</gallery>
== The Arnold ==
== The Gate Array Simulator ==
The [[Gate Array]] was the only component of the Amstrad CPC, which was not a standard one but developed by Amstrad. Before it could be produced as a single chip, they had to make tests with a prototype, which was a single print on top of the actual motherboard. Aside from the Gate Array logic, the PCB does also contain the 32K BIOS ROM (stored in four 8K EPROMs).
<gallery caption="Pictures of the Gate Array prototype">
Image:GA motherboard.JPG|The gate array as a complete additional PCB board
Image:Inside GA.JPG|Another picture of the gate array prototype
Image:GateArraySimulator_13006-7_PCB_Top.jpg|Component side<br>(c) Jorge Selfa
Image:GateArraySimulator_13006-7_PCB_Bottom.jpg|Solder Side<br>(c) Jorge Selfa
</gallery>
The first cases of the [[CPC]] 464 had a grey colour instead of the later used black colour. Probably these prototypes have been sent to several software houses to enable them to start developing CPC software before the computers' release.
According to [[Your Computer]], Issue 11-1984, [[:File:YourComputer841100059.jpg|page 59]], Amstrad did supply software houses with CPCs since December 1983 (the CPC464 was officially launched about half a year later, in June 1984).
<gallery caption="CPC 464 Prototype pictures by Jorge Selfa.">
Image:CPC464_Prototype.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_2.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_3.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Case_Top_Outer.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Case_Top_Inner.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Case_Bottom_Inner.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Case_Bottom_Outer.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Keyboard_Top.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Keyboard_Bottom.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Z70100_PCB_Top.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Z70100_PCB_Bottom.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Tape_Deck_Top.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_Tape_Deck_Bottom.jpg
Image:CPC464_Prototype_PSU.jpg
</gallery>
[[Category:CPC History|*]][[Category:CPC Internal Components|*]]