Commodore 64 hardware
Someone finally got too tired of waiting for Phase5 to deliver new keycaps from their 2015 campaign (link). Jim Drew, from CBMstuff.com (link) just launched another Indiegogo campaign in which he tries to reach a fixed funding (all-or-nothing) goal of 1000 keycap sets (link). If … Read more
Getting commercially available parts to produce a brand new Commodore 64, that has never set foot in a Commodore factory, has been on top of my ‘must have’ list for quite some time. It’s fairly easy to get a brand new C64 motherboard (C64 Reloaded … Read more
A little more than a year has passed since I presented Mod of the Year 2017 (link). That machine was a tribute to my all time favorite Commodore 64 game Montezuma’s Revenge (link). Since then, I’ve spend a quite some time on creating a brand … Read more
This is a short tutorial on how to mod the C64 Reloaded MK2 (link) motherboard with an SD2IEC unit. The C64R-MK2 comes with jumper pinouts for adding an SD2IEC unit. The pinout is called CN4b and is located near the cassette port. No connectors are … Read more
To reduce any radio frequency (RF) interference with surroudning hardware (e.g. old tube TV’s), Commodore added shielding to their machines. In the early machines the RF shield came in the form of an aluminum covered cardboard that was wrapped around the motherboard. As carboard is … Read more
Part of the QA procedure for the MechBoard64’s (link) includes testing the keyboards in a real Commodore 64. Doing it this way calls for a lot of power cycles, cartridge swaps for testing keys, plugging and unplugging of the keyboards etc. I therefore use a motherboard … Read more
Introduction I own a near mint Commodore 1541 diskette drive that I only use for special occasions. At those times I drape my sweaty hands with white cotton gloves, gently release my original Montezuma’s Revenge diskette from its paper pocket and with my breath held … Read more
I’m a Commodore 64 hardware horder! I have spend quite some time collecting some of the different versions of the Commodore 64 (link) that was produced over the years. Whenever I manage to get a new machine for my collection, I usually clean it (keyboard, … Read more
Replacing the original Commodore 64 power supply may be the single most valuable step to prolong the life of the old hardware! The main issue with the original C64 power supplies is the 5V line. When it eventually fails (and it will!), from e.g. a shorted internal … Read more
Getting a brand spanking new Commodore 64 is no longer just a wet dream for a retro geek like me. With the new Pixelwizard cases (link), new motherboards (link, link) and new keyboards (link) the dream is certainly within reach. However, I still need new … Read more