Amstrad MegaPC 386SX
The Amstrad MegaPC 386SX is the first computer our family owned, and the subsequent cause of my present nerdyness. This section is dedicated to that machine, which I still have, and is still functional. I'm working on a dumb-terminal Linux distribution for the machine, so it can act as a simple remote client to run office based applications on a server. You can find out more about MegaTux here.
Contents
1. About the MegaPC
The MegaPC was released in 1993, it was a bold move by Amstrad as an attempt at a cross-business and gaming machine. Alongside the standard PC hardware, an ISA expansion card, containing Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) hardware was also included, allowing the machine to be used not just as a PC, but as a games console.
Initial take up was slow due to the price tag of the unit, £599 + VAT and the fact the machine was already a generation behind, it's 386 CPU had already been replaced with a 486, and Intel's first Pentium processors were released during the same year.
2. The PC
This section focuses on the PC hardware of the machine, see section 3 for details of the MegaDrive (Genesis).
2.1. Hardware
The Amstrad PC mode sported a Intel 386SX processor running at 25MHz, and came with 1MB of RAM. It had an Adlib sound card, the hardware of which is contained onboard the MegaDrive ISA card, see 3. The Mega Drive (Genesis) for more information on the Mega Drive hardware.
2.1.1. The Monitor
The Amstrad came with a dual-sync monitor, which allowed it to display the MegaDrive output as well as PC modes.
2.1.2. Upgrades
I've upgraded the system RAM on our unit from 1MB to 4MB in order to run Windows 3.1 in 386 enhanced mode. The RAM is EDO obviously, and can be obtained cheaply now. I have plans to upgrade the system to 8 or 16MB (the motherboard won't take over 16MB), in order to run MegaTux more efficiently.
I've also added an ISA network card, a gift from Oli (thanks) to get the beast on my network.
2.2. Software
Our Amstrad MegaPC came with the following software:
- MS-DOS 5 (including the DOS shell), also provided QBasic and thus Nibbles and Gorillas
- Multiworks: A DOS based office suite, providing word processor and spreadsheet functionality
- Contraption Zack: A puzzle game where you lead Zack around a warehouse, finding tools and using them to advance to the next level, while finding solutions to the obstacles in your way.
- World Atlas: Ours came with a World Atlas, unfortunately I no longer have the disks, and am unsure as to who manufactured this software. It is possibly the same manufacturer as Contraptions (Mindscape).
3. The Sega Mega Drive (Genesis)
The built-in Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis to the Americans) is what made the Amstrad MegaPC unique. The front of the unit sported a plastic slider, that could be in one of two positions. When the slider is to the left, it is covering the MegaDrive cartridge slot, and the 3.5" floppy disk drive is exposed, this is the PC mode.
Whipping the slider over to the other extreme exposes the MegaDrive and covers the floppy drive. There is a small switch behind the case that the slider hits and switches the mode of the audio and video output from VGA 640x480 in PC mode to the MegaDrive (I'm assuming this is PAL output over VGA).
3.1. The MegaCD Expansion
For years, we wondered what the connector on the front was for. In recent years, Google has surfaced to provide answers to questions only God could previously answer. The expansion port is for the MegaCD, but requires a special converter from Amstrad, I haven't looked into it, but no doubt it'll be priced as high as all peripherals that use a custom connection.
4. Additional Information
4.1. System Specifications
The following are the system specifications of the MegaPC:
- Processor: Intel 80386 (25 MHz) for the PC and a Motorola 68000 (7.1 MHz) for the Mega Drive
- Memory: 1MB SIMM (max 1MB)
- Storage: 3.5" Floppy disk drive, 40MB Hard disk
- Graphics: SVGA up to 800x600 in PC mode, with 256KB video RAM
- Operating System: Shipped with MS-DOS 5
5. Photo Gallery
All this writing is great, but where are the photos?
A few years ago I pulled my Amstrad to pieces to give it a clean (inside), during the process I took some photos of it in pieces.
Click here to view the photo gallery.
My sister is currently having another go at removing the smoke-stains from the casing, if this is successful, I'll post some more photos.
