Commodore 64...

josh · Post by **josh** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:36 pm

Is / Has anybody (Besides Ben) Built / Is Building A C64p?

Klefmung · Post by **Klefmung** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:46 pm

I would tell you, but then I would have to find a c64oac.

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:49 pm

I'm going to get one of those Hummer game things from Radio Shack and hook up a keyboard.

Seriously.

wallydawg · Post by **wallydawg** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:55 pm

I remember somebody here was making one out of a ctv something or another. I think his name started with a K, ima go search and edit this post when I find it so I don't look like a total idiot.

edit: It is Kai that was making one.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:18 pm

bicostp wrote:I'm going to get one of those Hummer game things from Radio Shack and hook up a keyboard.

Seriously.

NO! I need to get a Commodore compactflash disk drive first, anyone what to build me one (I can pay). I have the first generation C64 DTV, I know nothing compared to the 2.0 but it's where I can start.

P.S. If anyone what's to take up my offer what I need is this.

josh · Post by **josh** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:47 am

Ok i'm going to try to build one out of a 1982 Rev A c64.

Splash · Post by **Splash** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:28 pm

bicostp wrote:I'm going to get one of those Hummer game things from Radio Shack and hook up a keyboard.

Seriously.

Nice, I remember hearing about that. Why a C64OAC though? It does make sense for them to use them in the Hummer games. Is it easy to program C64 games or something? I would've used a GOAC personally.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:56 pm

Programming on a Commodore is really just using BASIC. I know you can use ASM but I haven't seen anyone do that kind of programming. I would say this though if you do look into programming in BASIC on the Commodore 64, read some manuals, the BASIC it has differences from say QBASIC and other verions out there.

jeroen · Post by **jeroen** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:09 pm

Speaking bout this. Does anybody know any way to hook up a sd card slot too a c64 dtv? If not thanks anyway.

Post by **marshallh** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:16 pm

josh wrote:Is / Has anybody (Besides Ben) Built / Is Building A C64p?

Yes.
I've been working on one for some time, I even flashed my Hummer DTV's kernel to boot straight into BASIC with color, and transferred a few SID songs as well.

I was planning to make a laptop, I even have the keyboard and screen picked out, I just haven't done it.

Instead of using a hard drive or floppy drive, why not use a 1541-III SD card interface? It's a small PCB with a PIC microcontroller, and it works with both the original C64 and the DTVs.

http://www.pyrofersprojects.com/15413.php

You can get just the PCB files to build your own, or order one pre-made.

Reaperman@home · Post by **Reaperman@home** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:22 pm

Splash wrote: Nice, I remember hearing about that. Why a C64OAC though? It does make sense for them to use them in the Hummer games. Is it easy to program C64 games or something? I would've used a GOAC personally.

if you were designing the hummer from the ground up--choosing new hardware and a fresh team of programmers/designers, then yes, it would have been much easier to use a goac.

However the hummer was created by a bunch of 8-bit nerds, not the least of which Jeri Ellsworth. There was no other real choice for hardware when you look at it that way. Nothing wrong with using what you're best at.

speaking of Jeri Ellsworth, screw making a portable c64dtv. she made the c-one, a far superior system as well. now THAT would make a nice unit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-One
would have to be at least a laptop, though.

jeroen · Post by **jeroen** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:35 pm

marshallh wrote:
josh wrote:Is / Has anybody (Besides Ben) Built / Is Building A C64p?
Yes.
I've been working on one for some time, I even flashed my Hummer DTV's kernel to boot straight into BASIC with color, and transferred a few SID songs as well.

I was planning to make a laptop, I even have the keyboard and screen picked out, I just haven't done it.

Instead of using a hard drive or floppy drive, why not use a 1541-III SD card interface? It's a small PCB with a PIC microcontroller, and it works with both the original C64 and the DTVs.

http://www.pyrofersprojects.com/15413.php

You can get just the PCB files to build your own, or order one pre-made.

Thanks for the link. Now I can reveal a little secret i'm thinking about making a c64 laptop too! Just a plastic case with a keyboard bondo'd in and a ps screen and it will all be foldeble. (I have too do a p.s. screen cause I can't afford anything better)

Post by **Sparkfist** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:11 pm

jeroen wrote:Speaking bout this. Does anybody know any way to hook up a sd card slot too a c64 dtv? If not thanks anyway.

Here, you'll have to scroll down to find it. There is a draw back though, you have to have either C64 DTV 2 or the Hummer, as the peripheral requires the cartridge slot.

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 7:43 pm

Well, I got a Hummer game thingy. Still need to fix the audio though. When they made the PCB, a resistor is supposed to regulate the volume of one of the voice channels. To fix it, the resistor needs to be removed, and the trace cut. Yes, there's a trace on the PCB that shorts out the resistor! Unfortunately, almost nothing on the main board is through-hole; everything's surface mounted.

This page explains it pretty well, and has mp3s of the game sound before the fix and after. (In the "before" audio, the drum channel overpowers and distorts the others.)
http://galaxy22.dyndns.org/dtv/common/a ... index.html

The keyboard is simple to hook up. There are two holes in the motherboard with solder pads around them, like on the Rat Shack PC boards. These are for the clock and data signals. The +5v and ground can be taken directly off the battery, since I'm using 4 rechargeable AAs. (4 x 1.25 = 5)

The site I linked to is a great resource for this stuff; it covers the DTV version 1, version 2, and the RS Hummer game in both article and video formats.

usbcd36 · Post by **usbcd36** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:20 pm

I don't know if anyone is interested, but there was a heavily-modded C64 posted on hackaday a little while ago. It was modified to be used as an audio device, but it still goes into quite a bit of detail on C64s.

The purposes were the following:

â€¢ make it smaller
â€¢ upgrade from RF to S-Video
â€¢ add a second audio channel (by way of another SID chip)
â€¢ adding a feedback loop potentiometer (which exploits a certain characteristic of the SID)
â€¢ adding potentiometers to control the music software
â€¢ adding 1/4" audio inputs and outputs
â€¢ modding the audio jacks to avoid noise
â€¢ changing the serial port to an RJ-11 connector to save space
â€¢ building an adapter to connect the serial port directly to a PC to avoid using a floppy drive (not explained, but from the way he talks about it, it seems like it would be easily found)
â€¢ adding a sync port to connect to Roland equipment
â€¢ relocating the power connection to the back of the unit
â€¢ adding a reset button
â€¢ putting in a switch to change between external controller ports and the built-in pots

â€¦and probably one or two that I missed. Anyway, if you want to do any of these, keep in mind that some depend on others. In order to move the power port, you have to relocate the sync port, for example.

Anyway, there's my bit. I'd personally like to make a C64 laptop out of the original C64 (and possibly sell it to a guy like the one who modded his for audio). I should finish other stuff thoughâ€¦