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Question On Amstrad PC 1512SD

C

Craiger1987

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Jul 1, 2019
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5
Hey all!

I’m currently working on a restoration project of an Amstrad PC 1512SD. It was my aunts back in the 80’s (bought new in Dec ‘87). Thing was left outside (literally) for about 20 years. To my surprise after a hoseing and about a gallon of IPA (there was more dirt and dust than PC) I’ve got the Monitor/PSU working and the Mobo posts, now just waiting on some caps for the floppy drive.
My question is, as I understand it the 1512 was imported as the PC6400 to the US with the color monitor, 20Mb ISA Hard Card And 640Kb Ram as standard. This PC has all of that but is still marked as a 1512 even as a US machine. When looking for images of system disks etc should I be looking for the ones that came packaged with the 1512 or the 6400? (I assume it was sold and marked as a 1512 because it was an early import and perhaps they hadn’t gotten around to making new decals and molds yet). Also, does anyone know if the Lo-Tech ISA/IDE CF adapter card would work in this? I know it’s an “IBM Compatible” but also not 100% compatible. Want to use one of those instead of the 31 year old 20Mb Hard Card. Thanks for any info :)
 
I have a 1512SD that I purchased from its original owner here in the states. As far as I know the OS'es were the same with the exception of a HDD install disk. I did try to perform an install on a CF card, however I could only get it to boot in DOS and not DOS Plus/GEM. There may be a way to accomplish this, but I was not successful. So I used the excuse to stick in a Lapine Titan 3532 I had been waiting to use (the Cadillac of RLL drives!).
 
Every Amstrad PC I ever saw back in the day was labeled a 1512; granted they weren't terribly common, but they did sell them at a local department store, and later I ended up with a dead one fished out of the remnants of a church rummage sale. (The computer was kaput but I salvaged the floppy drives, a hard card, etc. Also kept the monitor around for a while hoping I could figure out some way to reuse it, but never succeeded.) Perhaps the PC6400 labeling was a regional thing, or only applied to the higher-spec "1640" configuration.
 
Formulator said:
I have a 1512SD that I purchased from its original owner here in the states. As far as I know the OS'es were the same with the exception of a HDD install disk. I did try to perform an install on a CF card, however I could only get it to boot in DOS and not DOS Plus/GEM. There may be a way to accomplish this, but I was not successful. So I used the excuse to stick in a Lapine Titan 3532 I had been waiting to use (the Cadillac of RLL drives!).
Click to expand...

Ah okay, thanks for the info :) maybe I’ll have to keep an eye out for a NOS Hard Card if that’s the case. The original one spins up but doesn’t seem to read, from what I remember that’s why it got binned in the first place. I’ll keep an eye out tho :)
 
Eudimorphodon said:
Every Amstrad PC I ever saw back in the day was labeled a 1512; granted they weren't terribly common, but they did sell them at a local department store, and later I ended up with a dead one fished out of the remnants of a church rummage sale. (The computer was kaput but I salvaged the floppy drives, a hard card, etc. Also kept the monitor around for a while hoping I could figure out some way to reuse it, but never succeeded.) Perhaps the PC6400 labeling was a regional thing, or only applied to the higher-spec "1640" configuration.
Click to expand...

Could be that it was regional. The monitor would be tough to reuse (or replace for that matter) it’s a pretty proprietary item being as the computers PSU is housed in it and I think it has non standard set up on the pins. From what I understand it was a cost savings thing, Mr Alan Sugar was all about cutting corners :p
 
Ah okay, could have been a regional thing. The monitor would be difficult to reuse (or replace for that matter) being that the PSU for the computer was housed in it and iirc they used non standard wiring for the pins as well. From what I understand it was a cost saving measure, Mr Alan Sugar was all about pinching a penny I hear :p
 
Do hang on to your hardcard. You may be able to get it working again. There have been a couple of drives that I used SpeedStor to get them working again:

http://minuszerodegrees.net/software/speedstor.htm

If not, I know the OP of this thread is looking for a non-functional unit:

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...completely-non-functional)-HardCard-(20-or-40)

It is way easier to diagnose problems if you have access to other known working vintage machines; I have an XT clone that I have used to test MFM and RLL drives, etc.
 
My first ever pc was a amstrad 1512 with dual 1.2 floppy drives. I was 17. It was monochrome. I upgraded the cpu from the 8088 to the 8086. Add some more memory chips to bring it to 640K and a 10 MB hard disk on a card in the back. Fond memories
 
The Amstrads actually were very good clones with close to 100% IBM compatibility and passed all the relevant tests of the day (running Microsoft Flight Simulator, Lotus 1-2-3 and being able to run IBM PC-DOS amongst others).

Both models had a set of 4 disks supplied as standard and both would give you the same base system of MS-DOS 3.2 and GEM 2. The disksets did vary between the UK PC1512/1640 models but the only substantial difference is the PC1512 set includes DR DOS Plus and GEM Paint 1 (and also has anything to do with hard disk systems relegated to an optional 5th disk which you only got with hard disk models) whilst the PC1640 omits DOS Plus but does have GEM Paint 2 and doesn't need an extra disk for hard disks.

It doesn't really matter which you go for as they are readily interchangeable between the two (and indeed you can get by just fine on an Amstrad without any original media).
 
Also the PC1640 and PC1512 have different video hardware, so GEM is configured with different video drivers on each disk set.
 
Mine, a PC-1640, is working fine with a XT-IDE card and a 2GB CF. I've installed PCDOS 7 (the best one I've found so far) and it works flawlessly, the DIR command keeps me waiting a lot until it shows the free space tho :p
 
I had a 1512 when I was a student with a 30MB HD and 5.25" floppy drive. I added a 3.5" floppy drive, and it was a great PC that ran everything that IBMs etc did at uni e.g. Harvard Graphics, WordPerfect 5.1.

I recently tried to revive it (had been in the loft since the mid-90s!). All working except the HD which has died. The molex power is still ok (checked with a voltmeter), but the drive is dead, so either that or the controller card are fried. I even tried the HD in another 1512 system unit- same issue. I'd love to repair this but don't have the skills. Anyone in the UK who can repair these?? Miniscribe 8438 drive (which I thought were high quality?) with WD controller card.
 
Tharg said:
Just checking if there's anyone in the world who fixes these?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking when an old hard drive sits for a very long time the bearings typically seize up. I have a few Tandy Hard Cards and an original 10MB IBM drive (that's NOS by the way) that exhibit this same problem. I was able to get the 10MB drive spinning eventually but the noise coming from it sounds like a Chevy 454 with blown piston rods. Not pretty at all.

Your best option is to go the XTIDE controller route with a CF card acting as the hard drive.
 
Thanks. I ordered a solution (hopefully!) as replacement HD for the Amstrad 1512 (an XT clone that was popular in the UK and EU in the late '80s):

https://monotech.fwscart.com/XT-IDE_..._19478732.aspx

In another thread a chap said this worked in an Amstrad 1640. With universal BIOS and firmware it is literally plug and play, apparently.

Nevertheless, I'd still like to persevere with the old Miniscribe 8438 HD, which had light use then 27 years in an attic! Can you open these and oil the bearings and force it to turn? As long as I could get it to work long enough to copy it over I'd be happy! Ideally I'd like to use it though. Any advice to do this and I would be phenomenally grateful.

Being a stickler for detail, I backed up the entire drive onto 3.5" floppies before moving to a newer PC, so could literally reconstitute the entire HD. I intend to do this with the Monotech HD replacement. But it would be super sweet to get the ancient HD working again :) This computer means a lot to me as I used it when a uni student for research etc., and was my first 'proper' PC running WordPerfect 5.1, Harvard Graphics, SMART etc. I even bought a NOS (unused!) Amstrad 1512 system unit (no HD), but alas the HD still doesn't work. What does 'tapping' a seized HD entail? Sounds risky.

Anyway, many thanks for any advice you might be able to provide!
 
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