Selcom Lemon II Floppy Drive Repair and Clean.
Defect: The Floppy Drive motor spins and the LED stays on but the R/W head does not move and don’t read anythings. This is a classic failure due to incorrect insertion of the Floppy Drive connector into the male connector on the side of the Floppy Drive Controller card.
By inserting the connector moved one row externally the supply consequently go to in the wrong places and the first IC to explode in the true sense of the word is the 74LS125 (see photo).
Replaced the component, everything has started to working again.
Taking advantage of the repair, i have cleaned the inside of the LEMON II Computer and done a DUMP of the EPROM, i also cleaned and lubrificate the mechanical parts of the Floppy Drive.
Gallery of the repair:
Download: Selcom Lemon II ROM EPROM Dump (855)
What can I do with this?
With the new Ultimate 64 firmware (>=1.1c) there is an option to receive video frames & audio over a network connection at 50fps.
You can use this tool to capture those frames into an image, audio or video file.
Changelog v1.24 (20/03/2021):
- ~ Fixed: CTRL+C image capture key, was not working anymore
- ~ Fixed: F1..F8 key assignment/remap
- ~ Fixed: NTSC scaling optimalisation
- ~ Fixed: Video frame processing optimalisation
- + Added: mouse actions on outputImage. left click=toggle menu, right click=settings
- + Added: U64 stream will be stopped when hitting “stop stream” button or closing app, if auto start/stop stream is enabled
- + Added: new image scale algorithms to make output quality better.
- + Added: screen resize / full screen function (PAL/NTSC), with realtime PAL/NTSC switching
- + Added: scan line simulation, use with default or scale algorithm, nearest neighbour can create unwanted artifacts (values:Disabled..20%)
- + Added: audio mute function
- + Added: audio volume slider
- + Added: menu position/visiblity optimalisation for different screen sizes/positions
- + Added: window size and position saving
- + Added: restore original size on double click on output window
Download: U64 Streamer v1.24 (671)
source: u64streamer
2 x Atari Lynx II Repair and Recap.
The first Atari Lynx II did not turn on but when powering the console at 5v bypassing the power stage it worked properly.
I had to replace all the electrolytic capacitors and the critical components of the power stage.
- 1 x MOSFET MTDJ055E with a equivalent one.
- 2 x Transistor 2N3906.
- 1 x Zener Diode 1N5991B.
- 1 x 120 Ohm resistor.
The second Atari Lynx II working correctly so consequently i have only replaced the electrolytic capacitors.
Gallery of the repair:
Released a new “unofficial” version of the firmware for the Ultimate-64 / U2+ by Gideon.
Changelog:
Changes since official release (3.9 / 1.37)
- Fixed RGB mode (U64 only)
- Fixed block read command
- Fixed access of files with special chars in CBM disk images, accessed from IEC
- Fixed UCI issues with SidPlay and others
- Fixed colon issue in Ultimate Kernal ROM
- Fixed crash on invalid file chain CBM filesystems
- Fixed check order DIR / VOLUME; fixes some issues with exFAT directories
- Added M and V commands in modem emulation layer, V now supporting numeric responses. Thanks Scott Hutter
- Fixed the root cause of the VOLUME bit set in exFAT directories
- Fixed missing ‘probe’ for filesystems on multi-partition disks
- Fixed loading from wrong device ID when issuing the ‘run disk’ command
- Fixed many little bugs in the generation of CVT files (copying GEOS files from a disk image)
- Implemented writing CVT files back to a disk image (enables copying CVT files across disks.)
- Adopted changes to U64 Kernal to set default loading ID, as submitted by Leif Bloomquist
- Adopted USB modifier key handling, as submitted by Peter de Schrijver
- Corrected bug in extended partition table reading
Download:
source: ultimate64.com github.com
This is the official demo party results from BCC #15. See also the CSDB BCC #15 section for more informations and download.
C64 Demo:
- 1 – None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive by Atlantis, Delysid, Excess, Mayday!, Padua, Rabenauge, The New Ninja Skateboarders of Death
- 2 – Thirty by Focus
C64 Music:
- 1 – Mayday! in Monsterland by Toggle
- 2 – Astronomia Remix by Uctumi
- 3 – XV21 Prototype by Vincenzo
- 4 – Filterlicious by Mythus
- 5 – On a Floor Somewhere in Tegucigalpa by Røly
- 6 – Wanna Tell, Can’t Say! by Manganoid
- 7 – Rising Sun by Onosendai
- 8 – Bad Apple by Slaxx
- 9 – From Fake to SID by Nordischsound
- 10 – My Soul by G-Fellow
- Il pranzo è servito by Nordischsound
- 12 – SYS 4000 Part III by Sonki
- 13 – Fugue by Stabile Altbauten
C64 Graphics:
- 1 – Habanero by The Sarge
- 2 – Noodles & Sake by Lobo
- 3 – Thought by Almighty God
- 4 – Solar-Sonar by Leon
- 6 – Open Up by Exocet
- 7 – Roots by Luisa/Oni
- 8 – The Stars Are Right by Mythus
- 9 – Hangman Tree by Fabs
- 10 – Taikatiili by Brittle
- 11 – Speccy Siblings by Mikael
- 12 – The Mad Downvoter by Fabs
- 13 – The Blossom by Nordischsound
- 14 – Firebirds by Firelord
- 15 – RX-79 Close-Up by Titus75
- 16 – Etrurian Sunset by Titus75
- 17 – Roboformx 2 by Fabs
- 18 – BCC Tower by Parr
- 19 – FOS by LZwerch
WiLD Demo:
- 1 – Embukyaku [fm-yam] by Atlantis, MultiStyle Labs, Pretzel Logic
- 2 – Corontäne Companion Bot by !BASICGOTT
C64 64k Demo:
- 1 – Catwalk by Pretzel Logic
- 2 – Little Intro by Hokuto Force
- 3 – BCC= Cat by Logiker
- 4 – Thanks by 4gentE
- 6 – Turkey Served by Hokuto Force
- 7 – Blau & Schlau by Franzi, Hansi
Mixed Graphics:
- 1 – A-Team by Hokuto Force
- 2 – Bison Man by Logiker
- 3 – Yang-Myung [KR] by Logiker
- 4 – A Nibble by Chagizzz
- 5 – Mr.T – Pop Art by Hokuto Force
- 6 – Stalin by Hokuto Force
- 7 – Mayday! by Mayday!
Download: BCC #15 Full Party Stuff (824)
source: csdb.dk
This is a Modem for Commodore 64 to allow the connection to the Compunet services.
Compunet was a United Kingdom based interactive service provider, catering primarily for the Commodore 64 but later for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. It was also known by its users as CNet.
Compunet hosted a wide range of content, and users were permitted to create their own sections within which they could upload their own graphics, articles and software. A custom editor existed in which the “frames” that made up the pages could be created either offline or when connected to the service.
The editor’s cache allowed users to quickly download a set of pages, then disconnect from the service in order to read them, thus saving on telephone costs.
Gallery:
I don’t feel like unwrapping the Modem box so i will only take a pictures of the outside.
The 1670 was Commodores first “Hayes Compatible” modem. Hayes compatibility meant that the modem understood a series of control commands that had become the standard modem “language” (a language still used today).
Commodore marketed the 1670 at Commodore 128 users, even going so far as to claim that the Commodore 64 was too slow to use the 1670 at 1200 baud.
This was false, however; the Commodore 64 could use the 1670 without problems. The original 1670 also had an annoying feature of answering your phone on the first ring automatically whenever it was plugged in.
Later, a newer version of the modem was released with a dip switch allowing you to turn this “feature” off. This later version was called the “New 1670″ or the “1670CR”, and except for the extra dip switch in back, was identical to the old 1670 modem.
Gallery:
The VICMODEM it’s been the first modem to cost under 100$ and the first to sold over a million units, contributing to the diffusion of online services and BBSes outside laboratories, universities, big Companies and military agencies.
Much of the credit for the project goes to Michael Tomczyk, who also created the Commodore Information Network to decrease the workload of the customer service department of the company. In 1982 the section with the most traffic on Compuserve was the Commodore network.
The modem connects to the user port of the Commodore VIC 20/64/128; on one side there’s a switch to choose if the computer answers the call (A) or originates it (O).
On the back there’s the plug for the cable that usually is connected to the phone handset – the modem couldn’t directly dial the number, so you had to dial it on the phone and then connect the modem in place of the handset.
You can read the full article by Giacomo Vernoni here
Gallery:
Firmware upgrades for THEC64 Mini/Max & TheVIC20 provide new features and/or correct any technical issues.
We always recommend that you use the latest version of the firmware.
Version 1.5.2 – Changes and additions:
- [THEC64 Full size European] Fixes missing Bluestar carousel cover image which was broken in release v1.5.1 under some circumstances
- [All models] Adds C64 joystick port selection; see notes below
- Adds C64 only Classic mode added to THEC64 Mini
- Adds disk swapping added to THEC64 Mini
- [All models] Adds Commodore REU support with 512K, 2MB or 16MB as filename flags or CJM parameters; see notes below
- New games for THEC64 Mini: Hessian (C64) and PET Snake (C64)
- New games for THEC64 full size: Hessian (C64), PET Snake (C64), City Crusher(VIC20) and Mine Sweep (VIC20)
- New games for THEVIC20: Hessian (C64), PET Snake (C64), City Crusher(VIC20) and Mine Sweep (VIC20)
Notes:
To enable REU support you can use either a filename flag or a CJM file parameter. Note that REU support does not work with VIC20 software.
To select using a filename flag, use one of the following:
- R5 = 512K REU enabled
- R2 = 2MB REU enabled
- RM = 16MB REU enabled
For example:
myreudisk_R5.d64
See the user manual for further details on the use of filename flags.
To select with a CJM file, use one of the following parameters:
- reu512 = 512K REU enabled
- reu2048 = 2MB REU enabled
- reu16384 = 16MB REU enabled
For example:
X:64,reu16384
See the user manual for further details on creating CJM files.
To switch the joystick in use between joystick port 1 or port 2 when running a C64 program, press and hold the joystick ☰ button, and then pressing joystick Ⓐ for port 1 or joystick Ⓑ for port 2. This will override the J1 filename flag or CJM primary port setting, if either are supplied.
Changes from previous versions:
- v1.4.2 – Fixes an issue with THEC64 Full size: Under some circumstances C64 games may not recognise joystick port 2 when VIC 20 is the default machine
- v1.4.2 – Adds Datasette controls for tape files in THEC64 Classic mode Media Access menu
- v1.4.2 – Adds soft and hard reset hot-keys to THEC64 and THEVIC20 Classic mode
- v1.4.2 – Adds freeze button support to THEC64 and THEVIC20 Classic mode
- v1.4.2 – Adds C64 games Barnsley Badger, Soulless, Galencia and Planet of Death, plus VIC20 games Blue Star, The Keep, and Gridrunner to THEC64 North American model
- v1.4.2 – Adds C64 games Barnsley Badger and Soulless, plus VIC20 games Blue Star and The Keep to the European THEC64 and THEVIC20 “Special Edition THEC64” models
- v1.4.2 – Adds C64 games Barnsley Badger and Soulless to all THEC64 Mini models
- v1.4.2 – Fixes Tank Battle on THEVIC20 to support two joysticks
Download:
source: retrogames.biz
Released a new “unofficial” version of the firmware for the Ultimate-64 / U2+ by Gideon.
Changelog:
Changes since official release (3.9 / 1.37)
- Fixed RGB mode (U64 only)
- Fixed block read command.
- Fixed access of files with special chars in CBM disk images, accessed from IEC.
- Fixed UCI issues with SidPlay and others.
- Fixed colon issue in Ultimate Kernal ROM.
- Fixed crash on invalid file chain CBM filesystems.
- Fixed check order DIR / VOLUME; fixes some issues with exFAT directories.
- Added M and V commands in modem emulation layer, V now supporting numeric responses. Thanks tlar54!
Download:
source: ultimate64.com github.com
Modem and Software for Commodore 64 by Total Telecommunications.
Full-duplex 300 Baud CCITT V21 Modem with Auto Dial, Auto Answer complete with software and manual for Commodore 64.
Gallery:
The Siel Midi interface allows the connection of one or more electronic synthesizers to a C64 or a Spectrum.
The interface communicates with the instruments through a standard communication protocol developed expressly for the interconnection of electronic instruments and called MIDI (Musical Instruments Digital Interface).
Produced by the Italian SIEL, manufacturer of popular electronic keyboards in the 80s, this MIDI interface is equipped with appropriate software application that also allows you to compose music, archive the compositions and listen to them again, save and program instrument timbres and other things.
The device is supplied with a special connector enabling immediate connection to the Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
Gallery:
Download: Siel Midi-CMK49 C64 Software (1076)
source: MCmicrocomputer #39 (March 1985)
The Commodore 1520 is a printer/plotter made by Commodore and the printer mechanism made by Alps. The printer has a IEC interface and is a device that draws computer graphics on paper using fiber pens.
The advantage of this device compared to a printer is the good resolution and especially the precision. The second advantage was that these were the first color printers.The main disadvantage is the very low printing speed and that you could not print areas so well with plotters.
Plotters were primarily intended for technical drawings, as the typeface usually looked very scrawly.
Gallery:
The Commodore 1581 is a 3½-inch double-sided double-density floppy disk drive that was released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM) in 1987, primarily for its C64 and C128 home/personal computers.
The drive stores 800 kilobytes using an MFM encoding but formats different from the MS-DOS (720 kB), Amiga (880 kB), and Mac Plus (800 kB) formats.
With special software it’s possible to read C1581 disks on an x86 PC system, and likewise, read MS-DOS and other formats of disks in the C1581 (using Big Blue Reader), provided that the PC or other floppy handles the “720 kB” size format.
This capability was most frequently used to read MS-DOS disks. The drive was released in the summer of 1987 and quickly became popular with bulletin board system (BBS) operators and other users.
Specifications:
- Onboard CPU: MOS Technology 6502 @ 2 MHz
- RAM: 8 kB
- ROM: 32 kB
- Disk controller: WD1770 or WD1772
- Communications controller: MOS Technology 8520A
- Transfer protocols: Standard and fast serial; burst mode; and commands for parallel interface (the latter not used)
- Disk type: 3.5″ inch
- Storage format: MFM, double density, double-sided
- Interface: CBM’s proprietary serial IEEE-488
- Power: 5 V @ 1 A (5 VA) – 12 V @ 0.5 A (6 VA)
Gallery:
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