Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups: Alpha Flight, Nostalgia, Dév, The Mad Scientist, Dinasours, Didi, Unreal, The Hidden Farts and Laxity.

Download:

• Glider Rider +4/D/P/TL (1091)
• Arcade Fruit Machine 101% +4DFH (1303)
• Immensity Preview (1107)
• Jet Set Willy Bugfixed - TAPES (1140)
• Jungle Jack +2 (1082)
• Superbike +P (1080)
• Titanic (1177)
• Z-Zone +2 (1092)
• Dina\'s Dinosaur Math (1053)
• Electra-Ship +2 (1120)
• Fetris 100% [pal/ntsc] [bugfixed] (1072)
• Chopper Command + (1115)
• Schlimeisch Mania (1094)
• Schlimeisch Mania +F [pal/ntsc] (1088)
• Guardian +2DH (1069)
• Trance Sector CE +10HFD 100% [pal/ntsc] (1085)
• All Games in One Archive (2659)

source: csdb.dk

Autopsy:

I have to thank my friend Damiano for sending me the ITS Module with a low serial number, which like the previous one (C64SD v2.0) i really appreciate it.

The ITS module is a interface that enables SD2IEC to play .TAP files version 1 and version 2 to a commodore machine. The ITS module was designed to fit into the pass-through tape connector of C64SD Infinity and to be connected to the C64SD by a four wires cable that allows C64SD to manage it.

SD2IEC firmware has been modified in order to add the commands and the routines needed to control the external ITS module without removing any of the original SD2IEC functionalities

Features:

• Play back any V1 or V2 standard .TAP files in order to load them into a commodore machine belonging to the “classic” or “264” series including: VIC-20, VC20, C64, C16, C116, C128 (all
• versions) and Plus/4. Note: some models of C128D doesn’t have the tape edge-card connector, of  course ITS is not compatible with these machines.
• Rebuild the original tape grabbed into all the .TAP version 1 and for most of the version 2
• Work permanently connected between the tape port of the commodore computers and the corresponding datassette (either 1530 white model flat plug or 1531 black model mini-din plug) acting
• As a pass-through transparent gateway or activated in order to play back .TAP files: no need to connect and disconnect the module to use your datassette.
• Play back .TAP content with optimal accuracy and completely in digital format without the hassle of file conversions or level adjustment
• Simulate tape motor activation logic fully so that the play back of the tape is managed as it would be in a real C2N tape. An override button has been provided able to stop the play back of the “virtual tape” at any time when necessary.
• Work with either 1530 (White model, flat plug) datassette recorder as well as with 1531 (Black, mini-din plug) datassette
• Load .TAP with multiple programs recorded one after the other (like the classic tape compilations sold in the 80′s)  

What Can’t You Do:

• Create a .TAP file representing the content of a Tape (i.e. ITS is not a “tape content grabber”)
• Fix the content of a TAP file in case it’s broken. Broken .TAP won’t load on your Commodore box. Since there are literally thousands of utilities to create and manipulate .TAP files there is the possibility to come across non-standard or incorrect .TAP files.
• Play back the content of .TAP of version V0. Use an utility to convert V0 .TAP files to V1 such as TapClean then you will be able to use the converted .TAP file with ITS module.
• Manage programs saved on tape that are based on the tape-counter management or on the time of wind-rewind of the tape.

The ITS Module can be purchased on the Manosoft site.

ITS Tape Loading video:

source: manosoft.it

Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups: Onslaught, INFERIOR Software International, Antarctica and Laxity.

Download:

• Up in the Air Preview 2 +4 (1015)
• Triangle +1D (1073)
• Ball Preview (1059)
• Flubble & Squij (+Remix) +8HD (1134)
• Gold Quest 5 (1102)
• All Games in One Archive (2598)

source: csdb.dk

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):

• 747 new SIDs
• 315 fixed/better rips
• 7 repeats/bad rips eliminated
• 629 SID credit fixes
• 750 SID model/clock infos
• 9 tunes from /DEMOS/UNKNOWN/ identified
• 5 tunes from /GAMES/ identified
• 27 tunes moved out of /DEMOS/ to their composers’ directories
• 15 tunes moved out of /GAMES/ to their composers’ directories

Download:

• HVSC Update #59 (1371)
• HVSC Complete #59 (1576)

source: www.hvsc.c64.org

Autopsy:

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from Wikipedia:

The Sharp MZ is a series of personal computers sold in Japan and Europe (particularly Germany and Great Britain) by Sharp beginning in 1978.

Although commonly believed to stand for “Microcomputer Z80″, the term MZ actually has its roots in the MZ-40K, a home computer kit produced by Sharp in 1978 which was based on Fujitsu’s 4-bit MB8843 processor and provided a simple hexadecimal keypad for input. This was soon followed by the MZ-80K, K2, C, and K2E, all of which were based on 8-bit LH0080A Sharp CPU (compatible to Zilog Z80A) with an alphanumeric keyboard.

From the first Z80 processor-based model to the MZ-2200 in 1983, the MZ computers included the PC, monitor, keyboard, and tape-based recorder in a single unit, similar to Commodore’s PET series. It was also notable for not including a programming language or operating system in ROM, like the IBM PC. This allowed a host of third-party companies, starting with Hudson Soft, to produce many languages and OSes for the system. In an era when floppy disk drives were too expensive for most home users, the MZ’s built-in tape drive was considered faster and more reliable than the drive on competing computers; however, this meant that the MZ series was relatively slow to adopt floppy drives as a standard accessory.

The MZ series is divided into several lines, including the text-based MZ-80K series, the graphics-based MZ-80B series, and the MZ-3500/5500 series, based on a completely different architecture. In 1982, Sharp’s television division released the X1, a completely new computer. The X series proved to outsell Sharp’s own MZ series, and in response, Sharp released the MZ-1500/2500 machines, which featured powered-up graphics and sound capabilities. However, this series saw little marketplace success, and eventually the company abandoned the line in favor of the X68000 series.

The MZ name lives on as the initials of two of Sharp’s most well-known products: the Mebius line of PCs, and the Zaurus line of personal digital assistants.

Sharp MZ-80B Loading Basic from Disk Drive CE 510:

source: wikipedia

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Commodore CBM 8032 fully functional but without Monitor donated by Andrea Pierdomenico.

Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups: Avatar, Nostalgia, Really Proud Lamers, Antarctica, Flimsoft, Genesis Project, Laxity, Hackersoft and Rewind.

Download:

• Phase Out Preview + (1188)
• XOR +7DS [pal/ntsc] (1112)
• Outbreak Preview (1108)
• Lights On +6HD (1057)
• Lights On (1067)
• The Last Ninja +8D (1073)
• TRAZ +7DH (1112)
• Boxing Game Preview &D (1102)
• I-Ball Revisited +35D (1067)
• Tork Fighter-8 + (1086)
• All Games in One Archive (2692)

source: csdb.dk

Autopsy:

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The horrible holes for the switch and the button are used to halt the CPU and RESET.

from Wikipedia:

The Amstrad CPC (short for Colour Personal Computer) is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the German-speaking parts of Europe.

The series spawned a total of six distinct models: The CPC464, CPC664, and CPC6128 were highly successful competitors in the European home computer market. The later plus models, 464plus and 6128plus, efforts to prolong the system’s lifecycle with hardware updates, were considerably less successful, as was the attempt to repackage the plus hardware into a game console as the GX4000.

The CPC models’ hardware is based on the Zilog Z80A CPU, complemented with either 64 or 128 kB of memory. Their computer-in-a-keyboard design prominently features an integrated storage device, either a compact cassette deck or 3″ floppy disk drive. The main units were only sold bundled with a colour or monochrome monitor that doubles as the main unit’s power supply. Additionally, a wide range of first and third party hardware extensions such as external disk drives, printers, and memory extensions, was available.

The CPC series was pitched against other home computers primarily used to play video games and enjoyed a strong supply of game software. The comparatively low price for a complete computer system with dedicated monitor, its high resolution monochrome text and graphic capabilities and the possibility to run CP/M software also rendered the system attractive for business users, which was reflected by a wide selection of application software.

During its lifetime, the CPC series sold approximately three million units.

source: wikipedia

I have received this motherboard of a CBM 8032 to repair from Rossano T.

The motherboard was devastated by rust, many components are short-circuited due to rust that was abundant on the pins side of the chip. Unfortunately the computer was turned on to test it, causing the total breakdown of more components.

I have installed 40 socket because some components are rusty other are dead, however some traces under the chips are eaten by rust and and i had to rebuild.

The repair and cleaning took me a very long time and a lot of patience, it took me about 10+ hours.

Components Replaced:

• 1 x 4650 (6845P) CRT Controller
• 3 x 4116 RAM
• 2 x 2114 Video RAM
• 5 x 74LS244
• 3 x 74LS74
• 1 x 74LS02
• 1 x 1uf 100v Capacitor

Phases of the repair:

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Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups:  Alf Yngve, The New Dimension, Bad Taste, Really Proud Lamers, Antarctica, The Hidden Farts, Genesis Project, Laxity and TRIAD.

Download:

• Bank Run (1081)
• gPng v1 (1051)
• Ann Gong +3HD (1093)
• Hit the Brick +1ED (1054)
• Axiens HS (1090)
• MArkanoid +4HD 101% (1088)
• Dot Gobbler +1D (1082)
• Trance Sector CE +8HD [pal/ntsc] (1061)
• Radar Simulation +D (1240)
• Guns \'n\' Ghosts +9MD 101% (1291)
• All Games in One Archive (2695)

source: csdb.dk

Autopsy:

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Donated By: Andrea Pierdomenico

from The Personal Computer Museum:

The PowerPad is Chalkboard’s graphics tablet. With its combination of features, reasonable price, friendly support, and wide range of software, it would be an excellent addition to your hardware.

The first thing you notice about the PowerPad is that it’s big: it measures 17 inches by 14 inches, with a drawing surface 12 inches square. It is easier to draw on than the smaller surfaces of other tablets.

The PowerPad uses 14,400 tiny digital switches to read where pressure is applied to the pad. There are 10 x 10 per inch. Unlike the surfaces of other pads, the PowerPad has no problem resolving simultaneous multiple inputs. This ability allows the PowerPad to be used as much more than just a graphics tablet: it becomes a flexible input device.

If you’ve done a little arithmetic, you may be wondering about the PowerPad’s resolution. Ten switches per inch by 12 inches equals 120 points, or pixels – not even as high resolutions as Graphics 7! However, it’s possible to design a program using the Atari’s highest-resolution screen, by “software stretching” of the resolution.

The version of Micro Illustrator ($49.45) for the PowerPad has a special feature called “Scale” that uses ,Software stretching” to let you draw pixel by pixel, even though the tablet’s resolution isn’t as high as Micro Illustrator’s.

Hardware isn’t of much use without software, but the PowerPad doesn’t come with any. However, Chalkboard offers several programs in cartridges requiring 32K of RAM for the Commodore VIC-20.

source: pcmuseum.ca

Regenerator is an interactive disassembler for C64 binaries. Regenerator will load any standard C64 .PRG file (or VICE snapshot) and disassemble it for your convenience.

There are a few options you can choose to change the output and a few tools to make the output look better and more useful to programmers. Regenerator runs under M$ windows and need .net 3.5 (or 4.0) runtime.

New in version 1.3:

• Added REMOVE command to remove part of the data from dissasembly.
• Added EDIT BLOCKS window to Edit all the DATA, TEXT and REMOVED blocks manually.
• Added COPY to Clipboard functionality (insert key) with FULL or CODE only modes.
• Added possibility to add user-defined COMMENTS to the code. This can be done as a FULL line comment or as a SIDE comment!
• Added USER LABELS – you can now add a label to any address and it will be used in the disasembly. If there should be an automatic label generated for it then it will be overriden. Also added USER LABELS editor which is part of the old Label Prefixes window. You can add/edit and remove user labels within this screen and have a general overview of the user labels.
• Added high and low partial references to immediate opcodes. This means that code like LDX #$A0 STX smwhr LDX #$BB STX smwhr+1 will be disasembled as LDX #<pBBA0 STX smwhr LDX #>address STX smwhr+1. This includes loads and stores in different order and with different registers. There is also a context menu command that lets you disable this on a currently selected address (if auto creation fails). NOTE: excluded address in STA opcodes will not be generated like this!
• Fixed the Add BLANK LINE and Remove BLANK LINE so it actually works as it should.

Download: Regenerator disassembler v1.3 (1039)

source: csdb.dk

The failure was due to a cold solder on the ram socket and a bent pin on the ic MOS 8276.

Autopsy:

Donated By: Andrea Pierdomenico

from Wikipedia:

Commodore’s RAM Expansion Unit (REU) range of external RAM add-ons for their Commodore 64/128 home computers was announced at the same time as the C128. The REUs came in three models, initially the 1700 (128 KB) and 1750 (512 kB), and later the 1764 (256 kB, for the C64).

Although the C128 could access more than 64 kB of RAM through bank switching, the memory inside the REU could only be accessed by memory-transfers (STORE/LOAD/SWAP/COMPAREs) between the main memory and the REU memory, thus, giving an equivalent to a (slow) small memory window. Additionally, the C128′s built-in BASIC 7.0 had three statements, STASH,FETCH, and SWAP, for storing and retrieving data from the REU.

Officially, only the 1700 and 1750 were supported on the C128. The 256 kB model, the 1764, was released for the C64 at the same time. However, aside from a bundled 2.5 ampere C64 power supply unit (the factory unit could not support the 1764), there were only minor differences between the three models.

In practice, the difference between the 1764 and the earlier units had little effect on compatibility, and people used 1700s and 1750s successfully with the C64, and 1764s successfully with the C128, although the C64′s stock power supply was inadequate to reliably handle the power load of any of them. Some dealers unbundled the 1764 and the power supply in order to sell the power supply to C64 users, and/or upgrade the 1764 to 512 kB.

Because of memory chip shortages in the late 1980s, the 1750 was only produced in small quantities. However it was not difficult to upgrade a 1700 or 1764 to 512 kB. Several firms did this commercially, either selling upgraded units or upgrading customer-supplied units.

In the early 1990s, DIY modification schemes to increase the capacity of an REU to one megabyte or higher appeared on various online services.

source: wikipedia

Some Commodore 64 in bad state (not working) for Spare Parts.