Category Archives: Commodore 64

General stuff about my favorite home computer and all time best-of retro computing

sd2iec in DTV Joystick

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dtvmod02

I just built my sd2iec device board from Shadowolf. Its really small and compact so I thought why not integrate it into my modded DTV with the original joystick case. I don’t wanted to sacrificy the battery case so I knew there is not much place left…

With a lot of cramming and fiddling around I finally managed to insert the sd2iec inside my DTV Mod. Phew! Now the case is filled up to the limit – but its cool to have a sd2iec right inside the joystick;)

dtvjoy07

Have a look here at my gallery for more pictures!

dtv2ser 0.3 released

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Finally dtv2ser 0.3 is ready for prime time!

Grab your copy here: dtv2ser Homepage

The new version introduces a fully automatic bootstrap command that brings an unmodified DTV (with only a DB9 joystick connector attached) into dtvtrans mode in a few minutes without manual intervention. A normal mode types in TLR’s boot.txt basic booter on the virtual keyboard and fetches mlboot.prg and dtvtrans.prg afterwards. A new improved fast bootstrap method does some pre POKEs to speed up typing and boots in half the time. Additionally, a screen code compiler allows to type in mlboot.prg directly to screen space and run it there without the need to execute boot.txt first.

Additionally, the JoyStream is introduced to describe and execute sequences of joystick input via a special string language syntax. AutoType allows to type in arbitrary files or strings via the virtual keyboard of DTV’s basic prompt. A Screen Code compiler encodes an assembler program and directly types in the corresponding character codes on the screen to run it there.

Have fun!

My MMCReplay arrived

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The MMCReplay is the newest cartridge from Individual Computers for your C64. It combines the well-known Retro Replay cartridge with a RRNet ethernet adapter and a MMC 64 cartridge on a single board that fits into a single case.

Sounds awesome? It is! Mine arrived during this week and today I had the time to check it out. I just finished drilling out the holes for all connectors and now the board fits nicely in its case:

After using the RR+RRnet and MMC64 with the two cases interconnected and the network cable pointing upwards its a real relief to have everything in a single case.

The BIOS of the MMCReplay is really nice and full featured. You can flash ROM images directly from files stored on a SD card. You have 7 slots available that can hold different ROM images.

RRNet was tested with DiskImages64 on my Mac, of course. All works as expected
and since the MMCReplay is fully compatible to the RR+RRNet and MMC64 it is no surprise.

Now I have something new to play with… And I really feel like updating DI64 with some new features… 😉

doremac.com online!

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After thinkcommodore.com finally shut down its business, it was a sad time for Mac + Commodore fans without having a forum to discuss. Now the wait is over: a new site hit the ground: doremac.com. The site has a forum with strong focus on Commodore computing done by Mac users. Starting from data transfer connection issues to CBM emulators on the Mac you can find everything there. Head over and check it out!

Grasstust, the site maintainer, was kind enough to add a MacVICE Forum Thread. So all MacVICE related stuff including bug fixes and user support can be discussed there.

More dtv2ser+usb PCBs and a new KeyboardTwister

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Finally I got all parts for the dtv2ser+usb boards including the missing USB connector. Actually a type A female connector was placed on the layout but it is less common. By mounting a type A male connector on the lower side of the PCB upside down I was able to replace the female connector with the more common version. Now the board really looks like a USB stick:



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dtv2ser+usb Prototype

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Currently, the dtv2ser device provides a RS232 interface and you need an external usb2serial converter to connect it to a modern host computer. So why not directly include the usb2serial conversion on the dtv2ser board. I found the FT232R chip that fullfills that task and is not too expensive (and also Reichelt my local parts dealer has it available 😉

Have a look at my dtv2ser+usb prototype that will be presented in release 0.2 of dtv2ser…

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KeyboardTwister for my DTV

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The DTV supports a PS/2 keyboard for an emulation of the original Commodore 64 keyboard. The PS/2 key mapping is hard-coded to a US keyboard layout. If you use a national (here: german) keyboard you have to translate the mapping manually.. Either by remembering the correct mapping or by painting new key caps…

Shadowolf on Forum64 presented a very nice solution: The KeyboardTwister. This small tinyAVR based HW Mod sits between the PS/2 connector of the DTV and the PS/2 keyboard and translates the keymapping.

Have a look at my KeyboardTwister gallery…


The KeyboardTwister connected to my DTV

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