CompuThink Disk Drive 800k + Interface (DD DSK CTL P2) + DiskMON ROM seems to be the FIRST EVER disk drive for the Commodore PET Computers ever made in 1979 in the United States, maybe even before the official CBM 2040 drive launched.
I have also a partially working “clone” or “prototype” (see photo) of this Disk Drive interface that i have posted on the blog some years ago.
As far as i could understand this interface works only with BASIC 1.0 and BASIC 2.0 because the DiskMON ROM has the starting address $B000 (SYS 45056).
My PET 2001-32 have the ROM of BASIC 4.0 and the UD5 socket where the DiskMON ROM is installed is already used by one of the BASIC 4.0 ROMs, to test the i had to program the EPROMs with BASIC 2.0. (see photo)
Also before testing the interface i had to replace almost all the tantalum capacitors because many were short-circuited.
Capacitors replaced:
- 6 x 10uF/25v
- 1 x 1.5uF/50v
- 2 x 1uF/35v
Below a video and some photos documenting the full working operation.
Gallery:
Download:
Video:
NEW TAG: C64 BIG GAME PACK
Some new games or tools (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups.
Titles:
- Alien 3 +9DFHI 100%
- QWAK 1.3
- Wyr
- The Pyramid
- Warbot +D
- Cracker in Space
- Penis Attack
- Penis Attack (Import)
- C64 Hunt
- In 80 Days Around the World +4DF
- Fighting Survivor Preview
- Simone Says Basic
- Naddando [seuck]
- Match Up +D
- Bounce 20
- C64Pac Preview 2 +
- C*Base V3.0+ U64
- Astroblitz Deluxe +3H
- Y-Quest +2
- Ski Worldcup +TD
- 105 +3D
- Char Snake 64 Preview 2 +
- Creatures 2 +10DFHIR [easyflash]
- Mercs +7DGHI
- Roulett &T
- LOGITrumps Ultimate
- Bracket
- Brainbreak Preview
- Der Aktivpfad +3TD
- Jump 4K V1.1 +1H
- Jumpin’ Jalopies Extended V1.1 +1H
- Flying Saucers +2
- Flying Saucers Preview 3 +2
- Tile Style Preview +
- Dungeons of Death +D
- Dungeons of Death
- Secret Agent &S &Map
- Flying Saucers
- Flying Saucers +
- Starfire +3
- Stix +5DGH
- Megamania C64 +2D
- Snake 6510 Preview +J
- City Bomber Preview +
- Freaky Fish DX
- Freaky Fish DX +3H
- Planet Balls +2D
- Neptune Lander Elite Preview +
- Kawasaki Synthesizer – Composer
- Planet Balls +2D
- Solar Fox +HG
- Flying Saucers +3
- Cross Bomber Preview
- Fallen +2D
- Candyman +2
- Castle Wars +6MDGT
- Antonio Savona’s ATARI Collection +*H TopScore Editions
- Grand Prix Simulator
Download: All Games in One Archive (5683)
source: csdb.dk
The VIC-Switch allows up to 8 Commodore computers to connect to a single disk drive, printers, plotters etc.
The VIC-Switch keeps track of who is currently using the device and prevents access to all other computers who might be requesting it at the same time.
Once the first computer is done using it, the VIC-Switch will then give access to the next computer.
The peripheral was made in Sweden by Handic and some models carry the Commodore logo but it doesn’t look very Commodore style
and for that reason i think they were branded by Commodore but not manufactured Commodore .
Gallery:
Download: Commodore VIC-Switch by Handic Manual (674)
Philips NMS 8245: The usual melted belt of the Floppy Drive.
Gallery:
Philips Videopac G7000 a little bit Dirty but Working. Nothing to write this time, just needed only a good clean up.
Gallery:
Dirty and Ruined Intellivision *Black Screen* repair.
It would not have been nice to put the intellivision in a very worn state and without a controller inside the spare parts box without even trying it :-)
Obviously the intellivision was not working, black screen.
The repair was simple, i have replaced the AM9114 (U8-B) RAM with a NEC 2114 and everything started working better than before :-)
I have also removed both labels in a pitiful conditions, now it looks better than before.
Gallery of the repair:
What is DiagROM?
DiagROM is a diagnostic tool for the amiga computers.
And it is to be used on defective machines, trying to help no-boot situations etc.
You simply replace the Kickstart roms in the Amiga with the DiagROM. and when poweron. your Amiga will start a diagnostic software. It will try to dump info on the serialport (and actual menus etc aswell) while also trying on the screen.
Changelog:
WOW This is a long time since I updated this. And lets be honest. I have forgot what i have changed.
BUT one thing I just been thinking. I have bumped the versionnumber in the wrong “end”.. so as I am working on a new init-routine. I consider this is the “stable” one.
So I bump the serialnumber to 1.2.1. I have been too busy with hardware so I must confess I haven’t coded so much on DiagROM. I have made some minor bugfixes etc.
I must still warn that if a routine is experimental you cannot really trust the tests.
Anyway in hope for the best in the future. the “daily” will for a while be a little “jumpy” while I get the new init working. This should be useful meanwhile.
Download: DiagoROM v1.2.1 Stable (1080)
source: diagrom.com
The High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC) is a freeware hobby project which organises Commodore 64 music (also known as SID music) into an archive for both musicians and fans alike.
The work on the collection is done completely in the Team and contributors’ spare time and is proudly one of the largest and most accurate computer music collections known.
This update features (all approximates):
- 558 new SIDs.
- 52 fixed/better rips.
- 1 repeats/bad rips eliminated.
- 242 SID credit fixes.
- 25 SID model/clock infos.
- 21 tunes from /DEMOS/UNKNOWN/ identified.
- 2 tunes from /GAMES/ identified.
- 25 tunes moved out of /DEMOS/ to their composers’ directories.
- 9 tunes moved out of /GAMES/ to their composers’ directories.
Download:
source: www.hvsc.c64.org
This is the official demo party results from Gubbdata 2020. See also the CSDB GUBBDATA 2020 section for more informations.
C64 Demo:
- 1 – Diagonality by Genesis Project
- 2 – The Residents by Atlantis
- 3 – Listen to Your Eyes by Booze Design
- 4 – 5 Shades of Grey by Lethargy
- 5 – Oblique by Hoaxers, Wrath Designs
- 6 – One by Censor Design
- 7 – The Magic of Ben Daglish by Censor Design
- 8 – Social Distancing by Triad
- 9 – ShadowMind by Hokuto Force
- 10 – Say What? by Desire
- 11 – Moving by Software of Sweden
- 12 – Flashparty 2020 Invtro by PVM
- 13 – Häva veva åka Volvo by Esl0w
- 14 – GubbLITCH [62b] by Jammer
C64 Music:
- 1 – On the Waves by psych858o
- 2 – Lundia by Flex
- 3 – Antikrundan Allstars by Fegolhuzz
- 4 – No Conocida by Zardax
- 5 – Wrong Kind of Young by Mahoney
- 6 – Dynamite by Jangler
- 7 – Lets Do It Figge Style! by Klegg
- 8 – Arpalooza by Mr.Death/Stinsen
- 9 – Lonely Planet by Dane
- 10 – A Night in Sunny Skåne by Juzdie
- - The Dream Child by Xiny6581
- 12 – Chipohoy! by Mythus
- 13 – Take Your Time, Babe by Jammer
- 14 – The Dense Poppy Cake by Haschpipan
- 15 – Theorizing by GH
- 16 – Glass of Water by Proton
- 17 – Narrow Hallway 96% by ZZAP69
- - All Roads Lead to UIT by chuinho
- - Mega… Bugs! by Flotsam
- 20 – Talespinner by DAM
- - Odd Summer by isocosa
- 22 – Turrican Autofire by Shogoon
- 23 – Boogeyman by SIDWAVE
- 24 – From Dusk Til Schweiger by Stabile Altbauten
C64 Graphics:
- 1 – Atropine by The Sarge
- 2 – Streampunk’d by Mikael
- 3 – Diagonality End by Facet
- 4 – The Mightiest Hunter by Carrion
- 5 – Stand Your Ground by Mythus
- 6 – Vid ålaboden by Twoflower
- 7 – Sidereal by Rail Slave
- 8 – Phantasy Nature II by Almighty God
- 9 – Help! Cablesalad! by Titus
- 10 – Vger Attacks by Fabs
- 11 – Calico Cat by Viljan
- 12 – Kuchi Kopi by Cupid
- 13 – Say Hello to My Little Friend by Tucker
- 14 – Angry Man by Braves of Scotland
- 15 – Shit Bird with Lerppu by Braves of Scotland
WiLD Demo:
- 2 – Tank Girl by Fairlight
- 3 – Predator Cut Out Scenes Starring Hedning by Fairlight
- 5 – Chucky by Hokuto Force
Mixed:
- 1 – Slabbarp by Hack n’ Trade (Demo)
- 2 – Midsommarblot by The Sarge (Graphics)
- 3 – Blepps Blersson by Klegg (Music)
- 4 – När Danmark blir skånskt igen by Joe (Graphics)
- 5 – Scaniakråkan by Moroten (Graphics)
- 6 – 15 minuter från Eslöv by Zapac (One-File Demo)
- 7 – Angeldog by Zeta (Music)
- 8 – Skåneland by Båtsman (Graphics)
Mixed Graphics:
- 1 – Old Man Yells at Old Computer by Archmage
- 2 – The Boars Head Tavern by Triad
- 3 – Reflection by isocosa
- 4 – LLP Street 2 by Hokuto Force
- 5 – Abejävel by Hardcore Mofokkahz
- 6 – Cabinet by Hokuto Force
- 7 – FightdPwr PETSCII by Triad
- 8 – Krokodil PETSCII by The Gumpa Brothers
- 9 – Charlie by Hokuto Force
- 10 – Long Live Gubbdata by Level 64
- 11 – Zenigada by Hokuto Force
- 12 – Fuy Gawkes by Insane
- 13 – Robot Mind Trip 2020 by Nah-Kolor
- 14 – Mazinga by Hokuto Force
Mixed Music:
- 1 – The C= Is Mine by Genesis Project
- 2 – Fargo by Lft
- 3 – It’s a Beautiful Life by Digital Crackers
- 4 – Kernkraft 400 by Latex
- 5 – F.R.I.E.N.D.S by Software of Sweden
- - Come as You Are by Atlantis
- 7 – Friend Like Me by Software of Sweden
- - It’s a Fine Day SIDtrance Remix by Finnish Gold
- 10 – Bananas in Pyjamas by Hokuto Force
- 11 – Bananas in Pyjamas by Latex
Mixed Demo:
Productions released outside compos:
- Colours Explained by Genesis Project (Graphics)
- Intro Show 2020 by The Seventh Sector (One-File Demo)
- John Stormont’s Electrosound History Book by Onslaught (Music Collection)
- Monty on the Run – D’n'B Edit [2sid] by Samar Productions/MultiStyle Labs/Genesis Project (Music)
- Propaganda by Latex (One-File Demo)
- Roblox Sid Remix Selector by Software of Sweden (Music Collection)
- Show This First or Else.. by Vivo (BBS Graphics)
- Thanos by Genesis Project (Graphics)
Download: Gubbdata 2020 Full Party stuff (975)
source: gubbdata.se
The restoration of the Sorcerer II of the Compudata (Exidy) was very simple, it was enough to replace all the tantalum capacitors with electrolytics one and make a good cleaning.
I tried the Sorcerer with the software downloadable at this link and to do a better understand the idea of the long loading (average 7 minutes) i have recorded the WAV file of the tape format on a Tape Cassette and used an old recorder to load the software, everything worked perfectly on the first try.
from Wikipedia;
The Sorcerer is a home computer system released in 1978 by the video game company Exidy.
It was comparatively advanced when released, especially when compared to the contemporary more commercially successful Commodore PET and TRS-80, but due to company focus on the coin operated video game marketplace resources were restricted for personal computer expansion and a separate division of the company was created.
Exidy Data Systems was headed by Paul Terrell to expand the product line to include small business computing with international distribution and technology license agreements to supplement corporate funding.
Distribution agreements with Dick Smith Electronics in Australia and Liveport in the UK as well as Compudata which included a manufacturing license to build, market and distribute the Tulip line of computers in Europe. Exidy sold the PC division to a Wall Street firm, Biotech, in 1983.
Gallery:
A new version of the firmware for the Ultimate-64 (U64/U64E).
Difference with previous release V1.33:
- RESTORE key to boot with default config: Implemented.
- Bootloop problem with flashed CRT: Fixed.
- C64 Hangup problem with reading debug register (D7FF): Fixed.
- C64 Hangup when disabling SID socket: Fixed.
- ARMSID config not working when UltiSid is in the same range: Fixed.
- CIA2 I/O (UserPort) not working: Fixed.
- Sprite collision in Antiriad: Fixed.
- RGB mode sync polarity: Fixed.
- PIO register fault: Flimbo’s Quest now working! (Thanks to Tom Roger Skauen, for his debugging efforts!)
Known issues:
Corrupted disk access with some loaders, when bus bridge is not on “Quiet” mode, and badlines are disabled. We know this affects Geos MP3. Still under investigation.
Download:
source: ultimate64.com github.com
CBM prg Studio Version 3.14.0 is released. There are a lot of new features in this version. I’d really appreciate it if you report any bugs you find or have any suggestions/comments.
CBM prg Studio allows you to type a BASIC or Machine Code program in using a nice Windows environment and convert it to a ‘.prg’ file which you can run on an emulator, or even a real C64 / VIC20 or PET if you’re feeling brave and have the right kit.
CBM prg Studio is the result of merging C64PrgGen and VIC20PrgGen. Adding new features and fixing bugs in two apps which were 95% similar was a bit of a nightmare so merging them made sense.
New features:
- Git integration.
- BASIC 7 abbreviations.
- Connect SID tool to MIDI devices.
- Screen editor digitiser tool.
- Sprite editor character import.
- Resize VIC20 screen designs.
- Screen compression.
Bugs Fixed:
- Too many to list here, see the help for a complete list of new features and fixed bugs.
Download: CBM prg Studio v3.14.0 (943)
source: ajordison.co.uk
A new version of the firmware for the Ultimate-64 (U64/U64E).
GIDEON Message:
* DO NOT FLASH .CRT FILES WITH THIS VERSION! *
Difference with previous release V1.28:
- Turbo Mode… The 6510 CPU can now be run faster than 1 MHz.
- Support for Nordic Power cartridge.
- Faster application processor for smoother file browsing experience.
- Significant lower noise floor when using real SIDs.
- From MarkusC64: For Geos 64 – Download D41, D71, D81 and DNP files directly from the file browser into a RAMDISK of the same type.
- From MarkusC64: For Geos 64 – Save RAMDISK to USB in the appropriate format, directly from the file browser.
- Added freeze function with USB menu (F11 key)
Bug fixes/improvements:
- 6522 VIA fixes from gyurco/master.
- Fixed 1541 floppy formatting – sometimes caused read errors.
- Fixed an issue that may have caused network instability.
- Issue #62: FTP server does not check if a directory exists when changing directory.
- Issue #109: Soft IEC seq file reading issue with GET#
- Issue #121: 1541-C ROM issues (Track 0 sensor issue)
- Issue #131: SuperGames-Cartridge issue.
- Issue #132: Builtin FC3 monitor hangs from freezer.
- Issue #136: Epyx Fastloader fails sometimes (Example: Space Taxi)
- Issue #147: Data loss on eject if save fails.
Download:
- Download link temporarily removed as there is a possibility to get into a boot loop with the wrong settings. Will be superseded with 1.34.
source: ultimate64.com github.com
I’m here with yet another useless purchase (order dating back to 2019).
There is absolutely nothing to say, all the “mini” are practically identical, change the external box, the menu and some chips inside that for the occasion are the latest version (more or less).
Strangely i have tried the “thing” … usually i don’t do that.
I used an HDMI to Composite Video converter to try it with a CRT monitor.
source: konami.com/games/pcemini/gate
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