The easiest way to run software on TA Alphatronic PC nowadays?

  • Just received a TA Alphatronic PC from my cousin. it's a really rare beast here in Finland. The computer seems to work perfectly, but unfortunately my cousin never had any software or peripherals for it. I presume it would be pretty easy to build a cable for a tape recorder, but it seems all the software is is floppy image files. I don't understand the stuff deeply enough, but I guess it might be possible to make those work from tape also? I have a installed Micro Gotek to an Amiga 500 and have a HCXC2001 in my Amstrad 6128Plus, so these "modern floppy replacements" are somewhat familiar to me. Any recommendation to try or not to try installing something like that to the Alphatronic?


    Also, I haven't been able to find any ROM-images of the cartridges the TA advertised back in the day. I presume they do not exist?

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    Hi olliraa !


    Most of the application software to be used on the TA PC-8 is CP/M based, so running that from tape is not possible.

    You can use a Gotek but you need to have a floppy controller which is part of the first external Floppy (F1). The secondary Floppy (F2) is just a bare DD Disk drive in a TA housing.


    Here in the forum there are some collections of cartridge rom files and gerber files to create a cartridge on your own.


    I am not sure if there are already reverse engineered plans of the FDC available.


    I am currently unable to find the thread, but I think klaly can help with the cartridge files!

  • Thank you Toshi for a quick reply 👍 Ok, tape is basically out of the question then. Naturally, the most straight-forward way would be to make my own ROM cartridges if I could have the ROM images and the Gerber files. That would be really cool and interesting :) I'm looking forward to hear from klaly :)

  • Hi olliraa,

    hier is ther Link to TA PC-8, dies und das sorry all text in the thread is german.


    In the Tread there is an idea for remaking an TA Floppy controller card.

    But currently I've lost interest in this fdc project.


    I have remaked a ROM cardrige Board for the TA PC-8

    If you send me your address, then i can send you one of this ROM PCBs


    Also in the Thread you can find some ROM Images.

    Best regards

    Klaus Loy

  • olliraa : Here as a tiny game and text editor rom file RE: Alphatronic PC


    and here is the thread with the rom cartridge build. Can you read German?


    TA PC-8, dies und das


    Thank you for the links :) Awesome, that a design for the cartridge and seven some games are available. I'm super happy to find out this! I read german pretty okeyish, at least way better I speak it :)