Powering an Amstrad 1640 without the screen?

LoveableJunkie · 11-26-2008, 07:18 PM

Hi there,
I've been restoring alot of my old computers lately, and among them I dug out my old Amstrad 1640. I used to have it connected to an IBM PS/1 with the wonders of Intersvr - (Remember when networking was that simple?) and as it was the host, it had alot of my old BASIC programs on it, which it'd be fun to get access to again. The problem is I don't have the screen for it anymore. Has anybody ever come up with a way to power them without it? Any advice would be seriously appreciated
Cheers

**belfasteddie** · 11-27-2008, 10:59 PM

I haven't seen an Amstrad for at least 20 plus years, but, from memory they were 100% proprietry. So, I am guessing you'll need an original monitor. They used to come with a manual that was 3 inches thick. Made a really good door stop. Good luck, hope you find it.
Just had a thought, in one of the UK Comp mags I can't remember which one, it has a section in the back with a For sale and a part that people ask if anyone has this or that part, might be worth a look. The adverts are free and the mag cost about £2.00.

LoveableJunkie · 11-28-2008, 12:59 AM

I've still got, well, the remains of that manual. I wonder if anybody who owned one ever actually read all of it,
Cheers for the advice, I'll flick through the computer magazines next time I'm in a Tesco or something and see if I can find the right one

**magnethead** · 11-28-2008, 11:26 PM

I'm willing to bet if you found a display device and a wiring schematic, you could power it with a modern psu and fab your own connections ect.

cauldron · 03-11-2009, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveableJunkie

I've still got, well, the remains of that manual. I wonder if anybody who owned one ever actually read all of it,
Cheers for the advice, I'll flick through the computer magazines next time I'm in a Tesco or something and see if I can find the right one

Try this: http://www.seasip.info/AmstradXT/1640tech/section1.html

There you can find the 1640's power supply pin-outs, Volts etc. The difficult part is to find a 14 DIN connector ...

11-26-2008, 07:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
LoveableJunkie Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: England Posts: 50 OS: WinXP Pro & FLP, 2k Pro, 95a, 98SE & NT4WS DR & PC DOS, OS/2 2 & 4, Linux Mint	Powering an Amstrad 1640 without the screen? Hi there, I've been restoring alot of my old computers lately, and among them I dug out my old Amstrad 1640. I used to have it connected to an IBM PS/1 with the wonders of Intersvr - (Remember when networking was that simple?) and as it was the host, it had alot of my old BASIC programs on it, which it'd be fun to get access to again. The problem is I don't have the screen for it anymore. Has anybody ever come up with a way to power them without it? Any advice would be seriously appreciated Cheers

11-27-2008, 10:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
belfasteddie Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Belfast N.I. Posts: 1,551 OS: Puppy Linux 4.12	Re: Powering an Amstrad 1640 without the screen? I haven't seen an Amstrad for at least 20 plus years, but, from memory they were 100% proprietry. So, I am guessing you'll need an original monitor. They used to come with a manual that was 3 inches thick. Made a really good door stop. Good luck, hope you find it. Just had a thought, in one of the UK Comp mags I can't remember which one, it has a section in the back with a For sale and a part that people ask if anyone has this or that part, might be worth a look. The adverts are free and the mag cost about £2.00. Last edited by belfasteddie; 11-27-2008 at 11:29 PM.

11-28-2008, 12:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
LoveableJunkie Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: England Posts: 50 OS: WinXP Pro & FLP, 2k Pro, 95a, 98SE & NT4WS DR & PC DOS, OS/2 2 & 4, Linux Mint	Re: Powering an Amstrad 1640 without the screen? I've still got, well, the remains of that manual. I wonder if anybody who owned one ever actually read all of it, Cheers for the advice, I'll flick through the computer magazines next time I'm in a Tesco or something and see if I can find the right one

11-28-2008, 11:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
magnethead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 3,570 OS: Vista ultimate 32bit My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Powering an Amstrad 1640 without the screen? I'm willing to bet if you found a display device and a wiring schematic, you could power it with a modern psu and fab your own connections ect. __________________ For proper support: what are you running? graphics, cpu, m/board, ram, PSU brand wattage PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W PSU. Power Supply Info and Selection . Info on thermal compounds & application . TEST PSU USING MULTI-METER . Bench Testing Your System