Commodore.news

C64 cartridge dumper | Rob needed a way to get the data from a Commodore C64 cartridge. He made a device that can dump standard 8 kByte cartridges. He uses a Arduino that is connected to the cartridge to get the data and transfers the data to a PC via the USB connection. The schematics and firmware is available.

Exploring the SID 8580 | Richard Atkinson has made a video about the Commodore SID chip. In the video he explains all the features from the SID chip. He uses a PC with an HardSID, a Behringer BCR2000 controller and a Yamaha V50 keyboard. The system is Richard Atkinson hat ein Video über den Commodore SID Chip gemacht. Im Video erklärt er alle Eigenschaften von der SID Chip. Er verwendet einen PC mit einem HardSID, einen Behringer BCR2000 Controller und einen Yamaha V50 Tastatur. Das System wird mit Speziale Software kontrolliert.controlled with custom software.

Chameleon 64 - 9a | An new core is available for the Chameleon. Changes in this core: Improvements for: RESTORE key, CIA timer B interrupt, Pagefox cartridge emulation, Disk drive emulation, VIC-II emulation, SDRAM refresh counter, SIDplayer and the file browser. And a player for Compute Gazette SID player files (.mus/.str) is now available.

Cassiopei | Firmware update for the Cassiopei. The new version supports the PET2001 series, and the 40XX series is no longer in the beta stage. Also some small bug-fixes for speech synthesizer and the sample player. The Cassiopei manager has an improved progress-bar and allows batch file (add/delete) processing.

Commodore monitor information | Gona updated his web page with technical information about Commodore monitors. This web page has information about: manufacturers, connectors, resolutions, introduction year and application. Recent updates: Philips BM7513/BM7523 schematic diagram (Commodore 76BM13). The European Commodore 2080 model. And updated the information on the 1084, 2080 and 1960.

SD-BOX Cartridge v1.11 | The SD-BOX is a cartridge for the Commodore C64 with an SD card interface. The cartridge has many functions for the disk drive and the Datassette. Recent updates: Added quick-listing of the SD-card for the SD2IEC. Quickly change drive number (read and write). Improvements for the manual and for displaying the directory.

GadgetUK164 C64 repair videos | GadgetUK164 has made an number of repair videos for the Commodore C64. The most recent videos are about the repair of a black screen, color RAM, SID chip, Datassette, keyboard and the repair of a Competition Pro joystick.

SID card for the Apple I | Vicious has made and expansion card for the Apple I with an Commodore C64 SID chip. The card also has a CIA chip (timers / joystick) and a ROM with firmware for the Vicious SID Player. The card can use the 6581 and 8580 SID. The Vicious Sid Player is able play many of the tunes created for Commodore 64 environment, but not all.

Sakura 4MB PCMCIA SRAM | The Sakura card is a prototype Fast RAM expansion for the Amiga 600 / 1200. The features are: 4MB Fast RAM. 1.67 MIPS (A1200). SRAM access: 55ns. Very simple installation in PCMCIA slot. Compatible with many accelerators such as the Blizzard 1230/1240/1260, Apollo 1240/1260, ACA 1220/1230/1231/1232. If there are enough pre-orders the production will start in August of 2014.

GLINK232 | GLINK232 is an UART cartridge for the Commodore 64/128 developed by GG Labs. The standard communication of the Commodore 64/128 is limited to 2400 Baud. The SwiftLink232 and turbo232 cartridges could reach higher communication speeds but these cartridges are no longer in production. The GLINK232 Can reach communication speeds up to 38400 Baud.

C64 RAM Tester cartridge | GI-Joe made an cartridge that can test the RAM inside the C64. This cartridge can test the RAM chips without the use of the Kernal ROM, Basic ROM, CIA1/2 and the SID. For the cartridge he uses an old game cartridge. You must replace the game ROM with an EPROM with the firmware for the RAM tester.

Commodore Amiga A500 repair | GadgetUK164 made a video about the repair of a Amiga A500. The Amiga had multiple faults: Corrosion from coffee, damaged Fat Agnus socket, dirty disk drive, and faulty RAM. He also talks about the upgraded 8372A, and a switch for switching between 512KByte and 1MByte of Chip RAM.

Universal power supply C64, VIC-20, Plus/4 and C128 | Ray Carlsen has developed a universal power supply for the Commodore C64, VIC-20, Plus/4 and C128 computers. Features: Input 120V, 60Hz or 220V, 50 Hz. Output: 5VDC - 5A, 9VAC - 1A. Built in Computer Saver. The whole system is built inside a sturdy metal casing.

Kerberos - C64 MIDI Interface | This project is about a MIDI interface in the form of a cartridge to fit the C64 expansion port. Features: Connecting MIDI devices such as keyboard and synthesizers. File transfers PC / Mac. Internal flash memory chip with a menu system, for saving your own programs and games.

HandyPNP | Lovablechevy made the HandyPNP. The Handy Plug n Play is a system with an 3,5 screen, controls, batteries and a universal connector. In this connector you can plug a cartridge which contains a complete game system. The system supports the C64 DTV and many other game systems.

Commodore 64 - Internet | Dan Wood made a YouTube video on how to connect a 1980's Commodore 64 8-bit computer to the Internet, BBS, IRC, WWW and Warpcopy. For his system he uses the 64NIC+ cartridge and the Contiki Software.

Core System C64 | Codefactory is dreaming about a successor of the C64. He made a 3D drawing of his successor of the Commodore C64 with the help of drawing program Blender. His wish list for the next generation home computer is: Simplified and transparent technology, easy to understand hardware, transparent architecture, easy to program and a graphic mode of 640 x 400, 24 bit colour or 1280 x 800, 16 bit colour.

Lunchbeat | Lunchbeat is a simple groove-machine with 8 step sequencer and four 1bit sounds. With this device with an Atmel Atmega328p microprocessor (16 MHz) you can make your own Commodore SID or Atari retro music. The functions are: Start/Stop, Setup, Edit, Sound Buttons and Mod Pots to tweak sound parameters in real time.

Commodore V364 | Rob Clarke has made a video of the Commodore V364 motherboard. The V364 is a extreme rare Commodore and there maybe only 3 or 4 of them in the world. The motherboard was not functional but after replacing a few components it is working again.

Power switch replacement Commodore 1084 | Carsten Jensen made an article about the replacement of the power switch in a Commodore 1084 or 1081 monitor. Cartsen had a replacement switch available, but it was not exactly the same as the original. But with a small alteration he could successfully repair the monitor.

C64p | The C64p is a laptop version of the C64DTV. The system is built inside a donor laptop. The features are: new 7 TFT screen, SD2IEC, keyboard interface and 3 custom PCB's for charging the battery, audio amplifier, joystick and mouse. The production is very limited, visit the web page for more details.

RadeonHD driver - AmigaOS 4 | A-EON technology has released the official RadeonHD driver for AmigaOS. Features: Radeon X1300 - Radeon HD 7000. 2D graphics acceleration. Supports output via VGA, DVI and HDMI. Available for all AmigaONE, AmigaOS next-generation machines and compatible models.

C64 Reloaded | Jens from Individual Computer has made new a Commodore C64 motherboard. The C64 Reloaded will fit in all original C64 cases. The power supply will be a standard 12 VDC adapter, the video signal will be S-video, but you need to supply the CPU, VIC and the SID yourself. The price will be 149,90 Euro.

Minimig case | Thomas Koch made a prototype for a Minimig case last year. It is now possible to print the case with a 3D printer. After printing it may be necessary to make some small modification to fit the LEDs and if you want to hide the small lines from the printing process you can apply a coat of paint.

Sovox Datassette emulator | Sovox has made a Datassette emulator for the Commodore C64, that is based on a mp3 player. The mp3 player can be connected to a real Datassette for recording a .tap file and to a real Commodore C64 to replay the .tap file.

RS-232 - C64 | On the blog from biosrhythm you can see how to build a RS-232 interface for your Commodore C64. The C64 doesn’t have a standard RS-232 serial port. But is has a user port with RS-232 at TTL levels. With a simple RS232 module you can make a real RS-232 port with the necessary -15 Volt and +15 Volt levels.

SD-BOX Cartridge v1.09 | The SD-BOX is a cartridge for the Commodore C64 with an SD card interface. The cartridge has many functions for the disk drive and the Datassette. Recent updates: Support for the Micrus Copy program. HEX preview of the tape buffer and protection removal program. Improvements for the tape load and verify functions, and the manual is updated.

Hardware (FPGA) retro computer emulation | Grant Searle has made a web page where you can find information on how to emulate old computers. The computer is assembled with a low-cost FPGA board and a few external components. You can add a keyboard, video or VGA, serial interface, external SRAM and a SD card interface. At this moment there is support for the 6502, Z80 and the 6809.

Cortex Floppy Emulator - Amiga | For the PC it is possible to replace the old disk drive with an emulator that uses a USB memory stick. Sadly this doesn't work for the Amiga, because the Amiga uses it's own format for diskettes. But now you can replace the firmware of the disk drive emulator and use it on the Amiga.

GPS View - C64 | Timo Voutilainen started a new project. He connected a GPS device to the Commodore C64. If you want to built your own C64 navigation system you will need the following components: CRIUS NEO-6 GPS v3.0 + I2C-GPS NAV -combo, 3.3V USB FTDI cable, Arduino IDE 1.05 and a user-port connector.

Cassiopei | Jan Derogee released new firmware for the Cassiopei. Changes in this version: More control over TAP files when the Cassiopei is connected to the PC. Added joystick functionality to the menu program of the VIC20, C64 and C16. Improved functionality regarding the PET-30XX series and support for the PET/CBM-8000 series. Jan is also working on support for the CBM-4000, C128 and the CBM-2001.

USB joystick adapter | Sidchip made a adapter that allows connecting two joysticks to USB. The features are: Two digital joysticks simultaneously, Supports for paddles on port 1, Compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac. The device is built with an PIC18F14K50 micro controller, the schematics, PCB layout and firmware are available.

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