The Amiga scene has been dead for me from several years, long life to the Commodore 64.

Taken from a deadly boredom i have decided to do this useless hardware update of one of my Amiga 1200.

• A1208 V3 8MB Expansion.
• OS3.2 CF Card.
• OS3.2 Kickstart.
• New membrane for the keyboard.
• Lightbrightning Case and Keyboard.
• CF Trapdoor.
• 4xIDE Buffered IDE interface.

I personally updated the A1208 memory expansion with the Clock section because i had the order wrong, old age strikes again.

This is just a small update to my post.

I added another useless thing to this update … unfortunately in this case it is useful because without the 4xIDE Buffered IDE interface
the CF<>IDE adapter inserted in the trapdoor on the right side of the amiga which uses an IDE cable longer than 10-15cm, DOESN’T WORK generating a mix of reading/writing errors from the CF.

Aware of the problem, i still wanted to try, in fact in an old Amiga 1200 i had the IDE-Fix Express with IDE-Express Adapter bought 12 years ago, then sold.

So i confirm it doesn’t work, even if they write exactly the opposite (see ebay announcements)

Gallery of the useless update:

source: amigaisdead.com amigastore.eu amigakit.amiga.store

A new version of the firmware for the AVGCART (SD multicart for 8bit Atari) by tmp is released.

Changelog (v0021):

• XEX loader now doesn’t occupy $0800 page
• ATR/ATX emulation fixes (Bruce Lee, Ultima, Flight Sim II)
• Allow IDE emulation together with ATR emulation (SIO)
• Show COM/EXE files in browser
• Increased limit of virtual drives to 8 (SIO)
• Autorun key changed from ‘A’ to ‘N’ due to issues with PS/2 adapters
• Added saving facility (used by FloB)
• Stacking SpartaDOSX with another CAR (CTRL-SHIFT-RETURN)

Download:

• AVGCART [0021] (670)
• AVGCART Manual (1220)

source: atariage.com

Not completely satisfied of the previous purchase, the Eakins cam with a 100x C-Mount LENS, i wanted to try another model of cam at low-cost always of Eakins with a 150x C-Mount LENS.

I am very satisfied with this latest purchase.

Strengths that are missing in the previous cam:

• 16:9/16:10/4:3 selection (important because i use a 4:3 monitor)
• Also works with monitors with DVI input (HDMI to DVI cable), the previous one don’t work.
• Many more options for image adjustment, including an important one which is the Adjustment of the Reflection of the light, the welds Reflect the light significantly.
• Two standard 1/4″-20 holes for fixing.
• CAM sensor much more sensitive, it could also be used without additional light.

Gallery Eakins 100x Previous cam:

source: aliexpress.com

Gallery Eakins 150x New cam:

source: aliexpress.com

A new version of the firmware for the AVGCART (SD multicart for 8bit Atari) by tmp is released.

Changelog (v0020):

• Support for optional SIO cable (ATR, ATX, CAS)
• Copy/delete file, template dir
• Autorun redone, added setting shortcuts
• OSXEX renamed to OSXEX2 due to incompatible change (use the one from the update zip)
• Support for playing PDM files (thanks to Xuel)
• Scrolling long filenames (INV)
• Run random file (CTRL-R)
• See manual at https://atari8bit.net/de-re-avgcart/

Download:

• AVGCART [0020] (687)

source: atariage.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

After many years i have found in my historical backups the developer kit for Gameboy that i have used to make Demo & Trainer for Gameboy (color) for Nightfall and then Nightfall^Eurasia.

The last time that i have used this compiler was the late 90′s.

I just had to replace the old no$gbm the GB emulator that didn’t run at 64bit and i don’t like the new version of this emulator with the Visualboy Advance and everything started working perfectly, including the compiler.

source: rednex.github.io/rgbds/ github.com/asmotor/asmotor

There are not many interesting things to recover, for example the 256k x 4 ZIP Ram are absolutely useless.

So what i have recovered that could helpful (never) is the Motorola 68030RC20B CPU, the 68882RC25 math coprocessor and 3 x Clock Oscillator.

Gallery:

Two new mounting system for the optional RGB controllable 24 LED light strip for inside the 64c case.

Angled mount version:

This mounting design attaches to the top of the metal shield surrounding the cartridge port. Its angle allows the light of the RGB LEDs to exit through the ventilation slots of the C64c case.

Keyboard mount version:

This mounting design attaches to the back lip of the keyboard through existing factory holes using black oxide screws and heatsets. It is a two piece system with a left and right component.

Like the previous version, the RGB LED light comes out through the ventilation slots of the C64c case.

Note:

This version is not fully compatible with my keyboard mount that i’m using on the left side. I had to remove with the hacksaw a piece of plastic to solve the problem. (see photo)

Gallery:

source: corei64.com

The C64 Mini & Max. There are those who like it and those who don’t.

There are those who like and those who do not like said Totò in the movie “Totò in color“, personally they make me throw up both. I have nothing more to say about these two terrible objects that try to EMULATE the Commodore 64 and the VIC-20 and should remember the 80s.

Why did i buy them ? i bought them because i like to collect beautiful things and ugly things, useless things and even more useless things.

So there is no a real “why”, i can only say that i haven’t even tried them, they are still packaged and will remain packed forever.

Some retro-things received from my friend Gerben.

• 2 x Commodore 64 Manual
• 1 x Commodore 64 Programmer’s Reference Guide
• 1 x Sony HITBIT MSX-Basic Manual
• 1 x Sony HITBIT MSX-Disk Basic Manual
• 1 x Sony HITBIT Manual
• 1 x Jack Nicklaus Accolade game for Macintosh
• 1 x Commodore 64 Tune-up Book
• 1 x Getting More from your Commodore 64 Book
• 1 x Commodore VIC-1541 Manual
• 2 x Commodore Mouse 1351 Manual
• 3 x Spare Manuals of Coleco Vision Cartridge (Mouse Trap / Turbo / Time Pilot)
• 1 x 16k Memory Module for ATARI 800 (Boxed)
• 1 x Radio Shack TRS-80 Ribbon Daisy Wheel Printer II (Boxed)
• 1 x Donkey Kong Junior Coleco Vision Cartridge (Boxed)
• 1 x Narco Police C64 & C64GS Game Cartridge
• 1 x Simons’ Basic C64 Cartridge
• 1 x Power Cartridge for Commodore 64
• 1 x 16K Expansion Memory for Commodore VIC-20 (RED CASE)
• 1 x Homemade Joystick Interface for ZX-80/81
• 1 x Commodore 64 RS-232 Interface
• 1 x Multi Cartridge for VIC-20
• 1 x Protek Joystick Interface
• 1 x Philips MSX Mouse
• 1 x S.C.N. Modem for Commodore 64
• 1 x Modem House Spectrum VTX 711 for ZX Sepctrum (Boxed)
• 1 x Intel 8087
• 9 x IBM 2164-20 (RAM)
• 1 x Sony HITBIT HB-75P (MSX)
• 1 x Philips 8245 (MSX2)
• 1 x Frankenstein ZX-81 (Homemade wood case for ZX-81 with a ACORN Electron Keyboard) + Expansion Memory Inside. The worst thing i’ve ever seen.

Some RS-232 Gender Changer, Null Modem, RS-232 Tester and unknown cables.

The Frankenstein ZX-81 it works! the keyboard not but is not a problem of the keyboard but of the missing connections of the matrix, maybe an unfinished project ?

Gallery:

I was very curious what ZeroPaige has written in the description of the Super Mario Bros 64 game, the game on the C64 DTV use the Turbo mode.

I have tried the game on my upgraded C64 DTV and in fact is much more fluid, i would say perfect except for a few graphics glitches.

Below what ZeroPaige writes about the Turbo mode:

Since the NES-processor is clocked (roughly 70%) faster than a stock C64 there can be slowdowns during gameplay. A pixel indicates this on the time-watch graphics in the status bar.

This port will try to detect and use any kind of turbo functionality, such as:

• Commodore 128 (2 MHz in the border)
• C64 DTV
• Schnedler Systems Turbo Master CPU (untested)
• Swisscomp Turbo Processor (untested)
• Rossmoeller Flash 8 (untested)
• CMD SuperCPU Accelerator (untested)

Gallery:

source: lemon64.com

Atari 800 XL (VBXE-RGB/U1MB/Stereo Pokey/Side2) my Favourite Games

My Atari 800 XL Hardware Configuration:

• VBXE (RGB output)
• Ultimate 1Mb
• Stereo Pokey
• Side2 Cartridge

You can buy this additional hardware from this site: lotharek.pl

Favourite Games:

• Bosconian
• Time Pilot
• Scramble
• Popeye
• Bomb Jack
• Ms Pacman
• Pacman
• Pitfall II
• Donkey Kong
• Mario Bros
• International Karate Enhanced Edition
• H.E.R.O.

Gallery:

Download: my Favourite Atari Games (830)

These CPU MOS 6502 received from China are very interesting.

The production date is really very curious; 43th week of the year 1935. They certainly recycled non-MOS CPUs and sanding the top layer of the chip and have printed a new label.

7 CPU of 10 are working.

Gallery: