CBM-Command is a disk manager for the Commodore 64 / Commodore 128 / Commodore VIC20 / Commodore C16 computers. It is written like Norton Commander or Midnight Commander, but is much simpler due to the target platforms. Both the C128/C64/VIC20/C16 have their own native version of the application.

Release Notes – 2010-07-13 – Version 1.0.3/1.0.4

New Features:

• (ALL) New color picker for the configuration program
• (64, 128, PLUS 4) 1581 Disk Image (D81) Support

Changes:

• (ALL) Removed CTRL key from hot keys that previously required it. Hot keys the use the C= key still require it.
• (ALL) If you have 1 or more files selected (highlighted) and choose delete, all selected files will be deleted. If you do not have any files selected (highlighted) then only the file that the selector is pointing to will be deleted.
• (ALL) When you rename a file the textbox is pre-populated with the name of the old file.
• (VIC 20, Plus 4) Configuration files are enabled and working correctly
• (ALL) Changed the UI for file transfers to use a new progress bar to give feedback on the copy operation.
• (64, 128, Plus 4) Changed the UI for disk image creation/writing to use a new progress bar to give feedback on the image operation.

Known Issues:

• (VIC 20) Many of the keyboard shortcuts on the left side of the keyboard do not work under VICE. After speaking with members of the VICE team they are pretty sure this is a problem in the GETIN kernel routine which is used by cc65. I would greatly appreciate it if someone with a real VIC can verify that the keys do not work on real hardware before I bring the problem up in the cc65 forums.
• (Plus 4) Viewing a text file crashes the program.

source: cbmcommand.codeplex.com

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

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

• 184 Ultimate-II units shipped.
• The last few (5) will be shipped out tomorrow….
• If you paid after June 1, you will need to wait until the new production batch is finished.  (Refund possible..)
• New production startup in progress!
• Unprocessed payments will be processed before the end of the week (week 27). Please hold your payments until further notice!
• Question of redistributing the Free Xilinx tools within a virtual machine is under review by the legal department of Xilinx. If they approve, I can provide the planned virtual machine; if not, I will need to write instructions on how you can instal the tools separately.
• Last firmware version: 2.0RC4. Downloadable update available by end of week 28.

source: 1541ultimate.net

CBM-Command is a disk manager for the Commodore 64 / Commodore 128 / Commodore VIC20 / Commodore C16 computers. It is written like Norton Commander or Midnight Commander, but is much simpler due to the target platforms. Both the C128/C64/VIC20/C16 have their own native version of the application.

Release Notes – 2010-07-09 – Version 1.0.1/1.0.2

New Features:

• Added support for Commodore Plus 4 computer.
• 32K Expanded VIC-20 now supported.

Changes:

• (VIC20) Refactored many of the screens to better fit the 22×23 layout.
• (VIC20) Filename shortening removed and the file type moved to the left of the directory display.
• (PLUS4) Created color scheme to match the environment.
• (VIC20) Panels are not displayed side by side, only one panel is displayed at a time.
• (VIC20) D64 support is removed, the RAM was needed elsewhere.
• (ALL) The screen has been made more scalable.

Known Issues:

• (VIC20) Many of the keyboard shortcuts on the left side of the keyboard do not work under VICE. After speaking with members of the VICE team they are pretty sure this is a problem in the GETIN kernel routine which is used by cc65. I would greatly appreciate it if someone with a real VIC can verify that the keys do not work on real hardware before I bring the problem up in the cc65 forums.
• (VIC20) I still haven’t figured out why saving the configuration doesn’t work. :(
• (VIC20) CTRL-D and CTRL-E don’t work.
• (VIC20) The launcher doesn’t yet know about the VIC, so it loads the wrong version of CBM-Command.
• (VIC20) The configuration tool cannot save.

source: cbmcommand.codeplex.com

Autopsy:

For a new review see the italian version of this article.

from C64Scene Homepage: This project is interesting not only because it’s another mass-storage solution but because it combines already existing solutions to a new and fresh product. Damiano has always followed all the Commdore related websites and forums especially concerning the MMC and SD2IEC projects.

That’s when he got the idea to build a solution for which one doesn’t need soldering, wire cutting or the IEC cable. C64SD utilizes the Datasette connector to power the SD2IEC circuit. An IEC connector connects right into the IEC port.

The whole module stand vertical along the back of the C64 (or VIC20). The module is fitted with two rather large buttons, one reset and one diskswap/multi-function button.

SD-CARD Tested:

SANDISK SD-CARD 2GB = 100% WORKING.
CORSAIR SD-CARD 512MB = 100% WORKING.

source: c64sd.roxer.com c64wiki sd2iec c64wiki sd2iec firmware

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

Finally, the software for the 1541 Ultimate II is finished. In the last two weeks, an enormous amount of work has been done:

• USB is now working stable, including insertion and removal.  (My external 500 GB harddisk was detected flawlessly!)
• Support for USB devices with multiple LUNs (like card readers)
• GCR (G64) supported added, including write (the Ultimate-I couldn’t do this)
• T64 file support re-integrated.
• Tape support, using TAP files (I needed to test the hardware anyway!)
• Comprehensible menus.
• Real time clock functional  (still need a clock widget…)
• I made a wooden mould, to simplify closing the plastic cases without damaging them.

The plan is, to ship the first 40~50 units this coming Wednesday! The remaining units will follow as soon as possible!  Thank you for your patience!

source: 1541ultimate.net

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

About 100 plastic cases have arrived, and they look really great! I am glad that black has become the color eventually, and that the material looks the way it does. And I am sure that everyone who is waiting for their unit will be satisfied with the case as well! The remaining cases of the batch that are ordered will arrive a bit later. I’ll update you as soon as I know more.

There is also a downside on the cases; due to the shrinkage of the material along the long side (not very visible, but when you measure you can see it), the board is a very tight fit inside the case. It is therefore very difficult to close it, and once it is closed, well… good luck with opening it! Unfortunately it will cost me a lot of time to build the units together. Hopefully I will get good at it after the first 10 or so.. ;)

Due to the demand, another 100 units (the hardware boards) have been ordered for production and will be ready in about a month, in the end-of-april time frame.

Read more…

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

February is already drawing to the end, so some news about the 1541U-II is needed here. The good news is: the boards have been produced, and the first few have been tested and are working! They are currently back at the assembly house for a missing connector, but I am expecting them back early this week.

The not-so-good news is, that the plastic cases have more delay. The Chinese company sometimes makes some promises that they are breaking afterwards. Yesterday I received a message that the new samples will be shipped on the 10th of March, while they had previously promised to send 100 cases upfront on Feb 25. I pressed them to send at least 100 pieces on, or before that date.

The good news about the cases is, that they will be black and not cream! I noticed that a lot of you have a strong preference for black. They will be produced using the PA material, enforced with glass fiber. :-)

source: 1541ultimate.net

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

Finally, you might think! An update on the 1541U-II… As time is going fast, the moment that all the hardware parts for the 1541U-II will be ready is drawing near. It all was not too easy, but things are going now the way they should.

The major difficulty showed to be the plastic case. Finally I have found a contractor who is willing to make the plastic case exactly as I wanted it, for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, the mould for plastic injection is quite expensive; in fact about double of what I expected initially, based on an unrealistic quote that I got a few months ago. Because of the large interest in the 1541U-II, I decided to just continue with it, and leave the selling price of the total product intact.

Earlier this week, I received the first pictures of the first try-outs of the injection mould tool. The result shows a little problem in the design, with the planned material (ABS). Due to the thick and sturdy plastic constuction on the inside, sink marks are visible on the outside.

The manufacturer has tried to run the case with a different material (PA), which looks a lot better. However, due to different shrinkage characteristics, the mould tool needs to be adapted to adjust for the difference in material. (You can see this, that the matte version does not close perfectly…) They will do this, but it will take one week extra before the cases are ready. The final color won’t be black (unless I am getting a lot of angry E-mails now.. ;-), but light cream color, to match the C64C better.

Read more…

Spreadsheet with intuitive interface, powerful calculation engine, graphics generator, color themes, and much more.

source: plus4world.powweb.com

After many years, Resource release a new version of Project One (Converter and Paint program).

source: resource.cx noname.c64.org

DLH’s Commodore Archive latest news:

• 1084-P Service Manual 314890-01 (1988 July) (39 pages)
• 1084-D PAL Service Manual (45 pages)
• Super Snapshot V5.2 (Dutch)
• Tech Topics Issue 29 1990 Apr-Jun (25 pages)
• Tech Topics Issue 30 1990 Jul-Sep (12 pages)
• Tech Topics Issue 31 1990 Oct-Dec (18 pages)

source: DLH Commodore Archive

A new Ftp archive is available with Plus/4 demo’s, documentation, games, magazines, parties and tools.

The archive is will be kept up to date by Luca. All changes are available in the txt file in the main folder.

source: commodore-gg.hobby.nl

from 1541 Ultimate homepage:

It is about time to release some news about the 1541U-II. I think some of you must be really curious about the extra features and possibilities that the 1541U-II give, and about the progress on production and firmware. To start off with the 1541U-II features, I can tell you that it differs from the ‘standard’ 1541U Plus/Ethernet that:

• the board itself is about 30% smaller than the 1541U;
• it has a MicroSD connector, instead of a full-size SD;
• it has a real-time-clock function, for correct file time and date;
• it has a larger FPGA, which enables the implementation of more features;
• it has a USB Host port, which can be used to connect USB-sticks;
• it is targeted to have a suitable case for the device.

Some of you have written in the forums, that the MicroSD connector is not much of an improvement. But the rationale behind going to MicroSD is mainly the available space on the board is less, and that with the addition of a USB-A port, the average user will use the usb-stick rather than the SD-card.

So the MicroSD-card does not need to be removed from the cartridge very often. However, because at the moment that I announced the 1541U-II, the USB port was not yet tested, I could not reveal this feature as I did not want to make promises that I can’t keep.

The USB turns out to be quite a bit of work to get it to work, but I can now announce that I managed to implement enough of a host-controller function to be able to talk to USB devices and send the most basic commands to access a mass-storage device. I am quite close to have implemented the ‘read-block’ and ‘write-block’ functions, which is the interface level that the file system module uses. In other words, I expect to be able to access the (FAT) file-system on the USB stick quite soon!

How will it work for the user? My objective is to have one ‘directory’ level above the current root of the SD-card, where you can select which partition you want to browse. There the USB flash drive becomes visible, as well as the MicroSD card, if present.

source: 1541ultimate.net

It’s in German Language but with English subs.

source: circuit-board.de

From the Yape homepage:

Now the summer hiatus is over, a small update to Yape is ready. Mainly tape related fixes/features but let us not forget the simple external assembler that is now added to the monitor and is available via the A (or .) command, just like for the good ole TEDMON.

It could still be improved but for now it’ll suffice I guess. It also supports illegal opcodes, of course.

But here’s the full log of what’s been changed:

• Implemented a simple assembler in the external monitor (yay, at last!)
• Tape head adjust dialog for wave samples.
• Optionally invert tape sample input signal (soundcards may invert the phase while recording WAV’s)
• Tape fast forward and rewind in 15 sec steps.
• TAP’s with non-native encoding now supported (C64, VIC20 frequencies)
• Bugfixes (sound, tape)

source: yape.homeserver.hu