Commodore Free Magazine Issue #44

Free to download Commodore magazine dedicated to Commodore Computers.

In this issue you can find:

• ACE Commander 128 RC.
• Vandalism News #53 Released.
• Shredz64 Updated, PSX64 Available.
• Pocket 1541.
• Contiki Download Page.
• Aladdin 4D & ARES Partnership.
• A Conversation With Chuck Peddle, Bil Herd, Jeri Ellsworth.
• IceFileSystem 1.13 For MorphOS.
• AmiUpdate 2.
• CommodoreServer.com.
• Maziacs on the Plus/4.
• VIC20 New Game: Pillow Fight.
• UWOL Quest For Money.
• SCACOM Issue 18/19 Released.
• BOH Update13 Released.
• …more

source: commodorefree.com

I have decided to upgrade my Amiga 2000 PAL REV 4.5 for get 1MB of chip ram. I also took advantage of this update to install a new battery for the system clock. Amiga 2000 PAL REV 4.5 Fat Agnus 8372A Installation:

• Install a new Fat Agnus 8372A or 8375 (8375 R1)
• Look for jumper J101 beside the power connector to the motherboard. Change it to the opposite position. (photo)
• Look for trace J500 at the back of the machine near the Cia’s (8520′s). It’s a jumper trace that you will have to cut with a razor blade. (photo)
• Look for trace J102 near the Fat Agnus (8372A). It’s a jumper trace that you will have to cut with a razor blade. (photo)

source: amiga-hardware.com amigahardware.mariomisic.de amiga.org

from C64scene homepage:

Tomi Malinen is currently developing a dual SID board, although there are other solutions available for your C64 this one is interesting because of the ability to use either 6581 or 8580 as SID #2 no matter the board revision.

This means that you can play games with 6581 sound from the first channel and 8580 sound from the second.

Other features of the dual SID board are:

• Small board, only about 40mm x 50mm.
• SID #2 address jumper selectable between D400, D420, D500, DE00, DF00.
• MSSIAH-compatibility at DE00.
• Full game compatibility with double mono setting at D400.

Installation requires soldering, two wires attach to the cartridge port and two have to be soldered to the Kernal IC. When the SID #2 is mapped to D400, D420, D500 the wires to the cartridge port are not used.

Photo of both protypes installed:

source: c64scene.com lemon64.com

Autopsy:

12►

My new desoldering station and a magnifying lamp has arrived!

After some frustrating times removing solder on an almost 30 year old PCB i decided to get a desoldering station.

So after using this for a few hours what one word can I use to describe this station? AWESOME! I don’t know how i lived without this in the past. Using desoldering braid or a soldapullt is OK but not consistent.

Package content of Aoyue 474A+:

• 474 Station.
• Desoldering Gun.
• Filter pads 6pcs.
• Silicone Grease.
• Filter pipe.
• Nozzle cleaning pins.
• Power cord.
• Desoldering gun holder.

source: aoyue.com

This is a new version of the Java SidPlayer (Command line & Gui Interface).

This Java applet should work on Mac OSX, Linux and Windoze.

Download here the latest final version v2.0 (Live Installer).

source: jsidplay2.sourceforge.net

It is finally out! With this editor (PAL/NTSC) you can edit NUFLI (static) image directly with your Commodore 64.

source: noname.c64.org

Some new Games & Utility for Commodore VIC-20.

• Ball to the walls. An action game where you break through barriers and try to master all 34 screens. (16K expansion required)
• MaxiGrafik. BASIC extension for true 208×256 hires graphics. (+24K RAM expansion, or more; disc drive)
• VIN (GUI File browser). A GUI file browser and demos. (24K expansion required), Joystick or Mouse.

source: Denial (The Commodore VIC-20 forum)

This is the last notice for the Ultimate 1541 version 2.

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

• It is now possible to order accessories for the 1541U-II. This is possible through the “Order Status” page. In case your unit has already been shipped, please create another order of 0 (zero) 1541U-II units, and add the accessories to that order.
• Tape connector boards have been ordered. Expect 150 of them in about 2 weeks. One board clicks under the 1541-II case; the other holds the 2×6 pin tape connector and tape feed-through. The two boards connect to each other using a standard 10-pin flat cable. The part that clicks under the 1541-II case can also be used to power the cartridge for stand-alone mode (requires software update). I am planning to ship the tape connector boards as build-it-yourself kits to keep it cheap. Assembly possible for a small extra fee.
• If you paid after June 1, you will need to wait until the new production batch is finished. You will receive an E-mail about this soon! (Refund possible..)

Read more…

CartographPC is a Windows application created to assist in designing tile-based datamaps. This devtool serves as a companion piece to our C64 native Cartograph devtool.

The original purpose of CartographPC was to enable us to take nice screenshots of our datamaps without having to take four or six screenshots of smaller windows and piece them together.

CartographPC has since grown into a full editor with the benefit of being able to load datamaps created on the C64 directly into memory and edit, save, and move them back to C64 without much hassle.

It works by creating datamaps using tilesets created on C64 with the old, but popular, ultrafont editor. Datamaps can have dimensions of 1 to 255 tiles horizontally and 1 to 127 tiles vertically. CartographPC allows the user to create a datamap as small as 40×25 tiles (one screen) and up to 255×127 tiles.

Read more…

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

Autopsy:

Today i picked up a Commodore 64 with Powersupply in original Box and in good working condition for 13$. The plastics of the Commodore 64 / Powersupply are yellowed but does not affect the right use.

Title: SX64ual Healing

A Fucking awesome C64 Multicolor picture by Archmage.

source: noname.c64.org arthak.net

Autopsy:

123►

Today i picked up a Commodore Amiga 2000 (Revision 4.5) in good working condition with Keyboard and Mouse.

I have removed the battery and thoroughly cleaned the PCB in that area. I noticed that the PCB is pretty delicate when trying to unsolder. The solder mask becomes damaged when exposed to too much heat for too long, and probably one would easily kill leads unless being extremely careful. Maybe the board’s age adds to it.

from Wikipedia:

The A2000, also known as the Commodore Amiga 2000, was released in 1986. Although aimed at the high-end market it was technically very similar to the A500, so similar in fact that the A2000B revision was outright based on the A500 design.

What the A2000 had over the A500 was a bigger case with room for five Zorro II proprietary expansion slots, two 16-bit and two 8-bit ISA slots, a CPU upgrade slot, a video slot, and a battery-backed clock.

It should also be noted that, like the Amiga 1000 and unlike the Amiga 500, the A2000 came in a desktop case with a separate keyboard. The case was more PC-like than the A1000 – taller to accommodate the expansion cards and lacking the space beneath for the keyboard.

source: wikipedia

From the Yape homepage:

Exactly 10 years has passed since the first public alpha (or rather: WIP) of Yape saw the light of day. It is just as unbelievable as it can get… sheesh.

It started off as an attempt at a more intelligent disassembler when I realized how much fun it really is to learn the hardware AND C++ programming at the same time while dealing with my all time favourite hobby.

I thought this anniversary would be also a nice opportunity to abandon the rather clumsy versioning I have been following in the past. Anyway I have not got much time to make a long rant here, so you will be spared :-)

v1.0 compared to v0.86 are as follows:

• 32-bit and automatic bitdepth option in fullscreen mode (8 bit full screen mode might be slow under newer Windoze’s)
• Copy & paste to/from the clipboard now respects upper/lower case mode.
• Partially implemented 48 bps mode of the T6721A speech LSI.
• G64 image support is no longer read only (yay, at last)
• Reading from open address space.
• Plenty of bugfixes (drive, TED, autostart, monitor etc.)

source: yape.homeserver.hu

Autopsy:

Today i picked up a Commodore 64 in good working condition with Powersupply / RF Cable, Commodore 16 Datassette and a Suncom TAC2.