How Address Decoding works on the KIM 1 single board computer @commodorehistory

Commodore History This video starts with a thorough explanation of the memory architecture of the KIM-1 computer, then moves into how address decoding works on the KIM-1 such that the viewer may understand what's involved in expanding a KIM-1 computer system. Two detailed expansion examples are shown:

1. Adding a 4K 2732 EPROM to a breadboard and mapping it in to the KIM-1's address space at $0400.

2. Adding an 8K 2764 EPROM to a breadboard along with a 74145 address decoder and mapping it in to the KIM-1's address space at $2000.

Learn to get the most out of your MOS Technology, Inc (or Commodore International) KIM-1 single board computer!

0:00 Introduction
1:03 KIM-1 memory architecture
2:01 Address decoding introduction
2:46 How address decoding works on the KIM-1
3:35 The 74145 address decoder truth table
6:15 Example one: expanding the KIM-1 with a 2732 EPROM at $0400
10:25 Example two explained: expanding the KIM-1 with a 2764 EPROM at $2000
12:26 How the 6502 NMI, RST and IRQ vectors map into KIM-1 address space
14:15 Example two implementation

Music used in this video:
Special Delivery - The New Fools
Ballroom Bob - Elliot Holmes
Move Over - Martin Klem
Other Intentions - Martin Klem
Stark Naked - Martin Klem

updated 2 years ago

How Address Decoding works on the KIM 1 single board computer

Commodore History 2022-05-28 | This video starts with a thorough explanation of the memory architecture of the KIM-1 computer, then moves into how address decoding works on the KIM-1 such that the viewer may understand what's involved in expanding a KIM-1 computer system. Two detailed expansion examples are shown:

1. Adding a 4K 2732 EPROM to a breadboard and mapping it in to the KIM-1's address space at $0400.

2. Adding an 8K 2764 EPROM to a breadboard along with a 74145 address decoder and mapping it in to the KIM-1's address space at $2000.

Learn to get the most out of your MOS Technology, Inc (or Commodore International) KIM-1 single board computer!

0:00 Introduction
1:03 KIM-1 memory architecture
2:01 Address decoding introduction
2:46 How address decoding works on the KIM-1
3:35 The 74145 address decoder truth table
6:15 Example one: expanding the KIM-1 with a 2732 EPROM at $0400
10:25 Example two explained: expanding the KIM-1 with a 2764 EPROM at $2000
12:26 How the 6502 NMI, RST and IRQ vectors map into KIM-1 address space
14:15 Example two implementation

Music used in this video:
Special Delivery - The New Fools
Ballroom Bob - Elliot Holmes
Move Over - Martin Klem
Other Intentions - Martin Klem
Stark Naked - Martin Klem

Commodore b128 Power Supply (and clock generator) Replacement

Commodore History 2024-05-26 | The power supply in this Commodore b128 failed and shot sparks out of the case. Because I lack the knowledge to diagnose and repair it, I chose to replace it with a modern power supply from Mean-Well. In this video, you'll see how I went about mounting the new power supply in the original PSU case to preserve the original look, and you'll see how I dealt with providing a clock signal, which the original PSU provided but the new Mean-Well did not.

In the video, I mention a clock generator circuit that Steve Gray designed a board for. If you're interested in using that board for your own CBM-II PSU replacement, you can find more information about it on Steve's website: http://cbmsteve.ca/cbm2clock/index.html

April 2024 Update and Whats in the Box?!?

Commodore History 2024-04-29 | This is a quick and dirty, low production effort video just to let you know what I've been up to and what I'm working on now. Most of the video is spent giving you a preview of a box of Commodore documentation that was sent to me by former Commodore staffer, Michael Tomczyk.

How Does Epyx Fastload Make Loading Faster on a Commodore 64?

Commodore History 2024-03-24 | This video does a fairly deep technical dive into exactly what the Epyx Fastload cartridge does on a Commodore 64 to make loading from a Commodore 1541 disk drive faster. I use a logic analyzer to trace the signals on the bus and explain what's going on every step of the way, comparing Epyx Fastload wire protocol to the standard Commodore serial bus wire protocol.

To learn how Epyx Fastload works, I did a complete disassembly of the Fastload kernal load routine (not the entire cartridge ROM), including the code that is uploaded to the 1541 disk drive by Fastload. These files have been uploaded to zimmers.net.

Epyx Fastload Kernal Load routine source (relocated to $C000):
http://zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/c64/diskutil/fastloaders/epyx_fastload_kernal_load.asm

Epyx Fastload 1541 Disk Drive disassembled source code:
http://zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/c64/diskutil/fastloaders/epyx_fastload_drive_code.asm

If you'd like to run Epyx Fastload from disk instead of cartridge, I created a d64 of my assembled, relocated code:
http://zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/c64/diskutil/fastloaders/fastload.c000.d64.gz

I said I would do some benchmark tests using Epyx Fastload, but the video got long on me, so I'll do some benchmark testing later.

Thanks for watching!!!

Update to my previous video on why the Commodore 1541 disk drive was so slow

Commodore History 2024-01-23 | This is an update to my most recent video: youtu.be/kaeFV0oZaps?feature=shared

I mentioned in that video how terrible my benchmark methodology was, and a few folks commented on the poor performance. I realize that I'm giving Commodore drives a bad name across the board if folks think that's typical performance.

This video was created to set the record straight about Commodore disk drive performance. The 2040, 2031, 1540 and 1541 will be vindicated!

Why Was the Commodore 1541 disk drive so slow?

Commodore History 2024-01-18 | UPDATE: I created a follow-up video to provide more accurate benchmark tests for the drives I discussed in this video: youtu.be/7SPr5S0eEYM?feature=shared

Like millions of other kids, I had a Commodore 64 with a 1541 disk drive when I was growing up. For all the great memories I have of that system, I don't fondly remember how slow the disk drive was. All I wanted to do was play a game of Racing Destruction Set, but I'd have to wait seemingly forever for it to load. I preferred the instant option of playing games from cartridge, but all the great games were on disk. Fast loader solutions worked, so why didn't Commodore just make the 1541 faster in the first place?

This video explores Commodore's history in the disk drive market and explains the intentional cost-cutting and incredible bad luck that resulted in the 1541's dismal performance.

I worked on the technical parts of this video in collaboration with Andrè Fachat, and he did his own video on the technical details of the 6522 shift register bug where he gets deep in the weeds. Please take a look at his video if you enjoyed this one: youtu.be/6cwVQahVCdc

Beginners Guide to Disassembling 6502 Binaries

Commodore History 2023-09-10 | This video walks through the disassembly of the Commodore PET Space Invaders 6502 executable. It starts with an explanation of assembly language and how that is converted to machine language that can be executed by the CPU. It then walks through an example disassembly of the Space Invaders Commodore PRG file step by step, resulting in a final disassembly that can be modified and re-assembled to a working game.

You can download the disassembled Space Invaders code here:

http://www.commodore.international/downloads/invaders.asm

Historic Commodore building, 3330 Scott Blvd

Commodore History 2023-08-07 | This is a completely unedited, raw video with poor audio quality of my recent visit in August 2023 of 3330 Scott Blvd in Santa Clara, California. I was visiting California to attend VCF West and stopped here to take a quick video. This building was built in 1978 and Commodore took occupancy in 1979. It's most famous for being the initial assembly location for Commodore 64 computers in 1982.

Historic Commodore building: 390 Reed St in San Jose, California

Commodore History 2023-08-07 | This is a completely unedited video of a short visit to a historic Commodore building in August, 2023. This is 390 Reed Street in San Jose, California. This is where the very first Commodore PET assembly line was set up in 1977.

Was it Jack Tramiels Commodore? Radio edition

Commodore History 2023-06-20 | The Commodore name represented many companies and products over the years. Some, like the cruise line, are obviously not related to the Commodore that was founded by Jack Tramiel. Others aren't quite as clear, though. In this video I'll be looking at Commodore-branded radios and digging into the history so we can learn which, if any, Commodore-branded radios were taken to market by Jack Tramiel's Commodore.

Building Wizard of Wor for the Commodore 64 from the original 1983 source code

Commodore History 2023-05-23 | In this video I build Jeff Bruette's original 1983 Wizard of Wor source code for the Commodore 64 using all the original development tools that Jeff would have used in 1983 and all the original hardware that he used, and I end up with a working Wizard of Wor game.

0:00 Intro
1:22 Commodore 8032 PET as a C64 Dev/build environment
1:46 Commodore's build environment quick history
2:21 What was included with the PET assembler/dev system
2:41 Commodore build process, step one: writing the code
3:16 Commodore build process, step two: assembling the code
3:34 Commodore build process, step three: running the loader
3:51 Commodore build process, step four: testing the binary
4:06 Commodore build process, overview
4:28 Introduction to the real world demonstration of the build process
6:38 Bo Zimmerman's UUPX code
7:07 Building a cable for data transfer between the PET and C64
7:24 Real world build walkthrough, step two: assembling the code
9:23 Wizard of Wor source code walkthrough
12:25 Real world build walkthrough, step two: running the assembler
13:39 Real world build walkthrough, step three: running the loader
17:55 Running Bo Zimmerman's UUPX to transfer the binary from the PET to the C64
21:30 Running the newly assembled Wizard of Wor binary on a C64

Commodore 1700 REU 512KB Upgrade

Commodore History 2023-05-15 | My friend Tony Schiffbauer purchased a 128KB Commodore 1700 Ram Expansion Unit at VCF East in 2023. He stopped by my house with the 1700 and with some additional burly 41256 256K x 1 DRAM and asked me to upgrade his new 1700 to 512KB. I typically wouldn't make a video about such a thing, but Tony suggested that I do so, so here it is. I hope you enjoy!

Using GIMP to preserve historical documents

Commodore History 2023-04-23 | When I'm not having fun with old Commodore computers, I put a lot of effort into preserving historical Commodore documents. You can see all of my uploads here:

archive.org/details/@dave64wayback

I take great care to not upload sloppy pdfs with different page sizes, bad resolution and such. In this video, I walk through examples of the type of things I do using GIMP on three real-world example documents.

If there's any interest in me walking through further examples, I'll create more videos. If folks don't like this I'll probably delete it and get back to my roots making more of the same stuff I've been making.

Repairing Commodore employee Neil Harris 8050 Disk Drive

Commodore History 2023-02-13 | Neil Harris was hired by Commodore in January 1981 as one of the original VIC Commandos reporting to Michael Tomczyk. Recently, Neil posted to Facebook looking to divest some of his old Commodore equipment from the 1980s. I drove to meet Neil, enjoyed some wonderful conversation and came home with a hatch full of Commodore gear. In this video I repair and test the 8050 disk drive that I got.

MOS Technology Plant Visit 2022

Commodore History 2023-01-26 | This is a completely unedited and unscripted video of me and my son Jim walking around the former MOS Technology / Commodore plant at 950 Rittenhouse Road in Norristown, PA in April, 2022. We were driving from our home in Pittsburgh to VCF East in Wall, New Jersey but stopped here to take a quick video. I originally uploaded this as a Facebook livestream, but I'm uploading it here for posterity. My narration was entirely off the top of my head, so I apologize if there are any inaccuracies.

Part 2: Commodore Pong Console composite video mod

Commodore History 2022-12-19 | In my previous video I introduced Commodore International's 1977 foray into the home pong console market: the 2000K and the 3000H. In this video I'll show you how I converted these consoles to output composite video instead of PAL RF.

Commodore Pong History: The Commodore 2000K and 3000H pong consoles from 1977!

Commodore History 2022-12-16 | Before Commodore became world famous in 1982 with the release of their Commodore 64 computer they released two Pong consoles to the consumer market in 1977. This video describes the progression from MOS Technology creating the MOS7600 microcontrollers through Commodore's purchase of MOS Technology and finally to the release of the Commodore 2000K and 3000H home pong consoles.

Thanks are in order to Bil Herd, Al Charpentier, Cameron Kaiser, Brian Bagnall and katho8472.

This is part one of two videos I plan to do on the Commodore 2000K and 3000H. This video covers the history of the devices. Part two will be more technical in nature and I'll show you how to convert the 2000K and 3000H to output composite video.

EDIT: well after I completed this video, I found the data sheet for the MOS 7600: archive.org/details/mos-7600-datasheet

Commodore Vixen History

Commodore History 2022-11-28 | In this video I examine a Commodore VIC-1001, serial #100399 from my personal collection. I open the case so you can see the guts, and I talk through the history of the development that led to the finished product. I finish off playing a game of Donkey Kong on this vintage VIC-1001.

The Commodore Logo: A Short History

Commodore History 2022-08-14 | A very brief and high level look at the history of logos used by the company that brought us the Commodore 64. From their humble beginnings in 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited, to the creation of the famous "chicken lips" logo in 1965 when they were called Commodore Business Machines (Canada) Limited, to their demise in 1994 as Commodore International Limited.

Exploring an early silver-label Commodore 64

Commodore History 2022-07-25 | Enjoy this fairly thorough discussion of Commodore64 serial #S00001450, which was the 450th Commodore 64 ever to roll off the assembly line. This video focuses mostly on historical discussion rather than technical and it concludes with a demo of this perfectly working, all-original specimen along with a bonus comparison of this c64 and a later 64C both playing the intro of Epyx World Games such that you may compare the audio and video from the early and later versions of the Commodore 64.

Thanks and credit go to:

John Feagans: historical photos and countless questions answered over the years.
Pete Rittwage: The amazing c64preservation.com
Thomas ’skoe’ Giesel: c64 PLA dissected document I used for reference.
Brian Bagnall: I drew considerably on his "Commodore: A Company on the Edge" for historical information.

Music used in this video:
Stegosaurus - Margareta
My/Your Place (Instrumental Version) - King Sis
Studio 75 - Margareta
Rhubarb Pie - Margareta

Commodore 2031 Disk Drive Cleanup and Minor Repairs

Commodore History 2022-07-05 | I recently purchased this Commodore 2031 disk drive from an eBay seller. It was listed in non-working condition and it has some obvious issues that I'll resolve in the video. Before I get to that, I provide a short history lesson about the evolution of Commodore's early disk drives leading up to the 2031. After that, I disassemble, clean, perform the necessary repairs, reassemble and test the 2031 disk drive.

Special thanks to John Feagans for providing me with great historical information and photographs.

00:00 Intro
00:45 History of Commodore disk drives leading up to the 2031
02:46 Unboxing a 2031 purchased from eBay
03:32 Removing the top case from the 2031 drive
04:14 Removing the main logic board
05:14 Removing all socketed chips from the main logic board
05:49 Cleaning the main logic board
06:37 Cleaning inside the 2031 drive bottom case
08:01 Replacing the fuse holder and power connector
11:44 Testing the AC step-down transformer
13:12 Replacing the drive activity LED
15:27 Smoke test
15:41 Connecting the 2031 to a PET and doing a complete test
18:33 Closing

Music used in this video:
Mayflower - Daniel Fridell
Cooper’s Island - Martin Klem
Staying Classy - Elliot Holmes
Ain’t Nobody Else but You (Instrumental) - Chris Shards
In Suburban Streets - Elliot Holmes

Implementing Commodores IEC bus protocol on a KIM-1 single board computer

Commodore History 2022-06-21 | Commodore never provided a disk storage solution for the KIM-1 single board computer. A few third party solutions existed years ago, but it's time for this oversight to be corrected! In this video you'll get to watch how I implemented Commodore's IEC protocol for the KIM-1 computer so I can load and save to a Commodore 1541 disk drive from the KIM-1. This should work with any of Commodore's IEC drives like the 1571 or 1581, and it should work with any of the modern storage solutions like sd2iec.

0:00 Intro
0:42 KIM-1 Intro
1:52 Commodore International purchase of MOS Technology, Inc.
2:25 Commodore PET introduction.
3:05 Commodore's first IEEE-488 drives
3:15 Commodore's entry into the consumer computer market
4:14 Third party disk drive solution for the KIM-1 computer
5:25 Analysis of the Commodore 64 schematic focusing on the IEC bus
8:15 Various IO/Timer chips used in Commodore 8-bit computers
8:45 How the KIM-1 will be connected to the Commodore IEC bus
10:25 Building a breadboard to connect the KIM-1 to the Commodore IEC bus
13:54 Analysis of the Commodore 64 serial kernal routines I modified to run on the KIM-1
20:45 Burning the modified c64 serial kernal code to an EPROM
21:15 Formatting a floppy to test the KIM-1 with a Commodore 1541 drive
21:36 Saving a file from a KIM-1 computer to a Commodore 1541 disk drive
23:25 Confirming the saved data using HESMon on a Commodore 64
24:08 Loading the saved file back to a KIM-1 from a Commodore 1541 disk drive
25:05 Closing remarks

Other videos I mentioned in this video:

How to build the 8K KIM-1 EPROM expansion board used to store the modified kernal ROM routines
youtube.com/watch?v=CCRim2e0vUc

How Commodore's IEC protocol works
youtube.com/watch?v=OA4v7ElGWuA

Music used in this video:
Sandstorm - Chris Shards
Shake n' Bake - Chris Shards
It's My Day, It's Friday - Johan Glossner
Eternal Glide - Chris Shards

To download the assembly source code or a binary for the modified kernal routines that make this possible:

https://commodore.international/kim-iec/kim1541_public.asm
https://commodore.international/kim-iec/kim1541.bin

Converting a Commodore 8250LP disk drive from 220V to 110V power

Commodore History 2022-05-30 | In this video I replace the original 220V power supply from a European Commodore 8250LP dual floppy disk drive with a Mean Well RT-65B power supply for use with 110V North American power.

0:00 Intro
1:27 Commodore 8250LP disassembly begins
5:17 The replacement Mean Well power supply is unboxed
5:52 Scavenging needed parts from a Commodore 1541 disk drive
7:07 Cleaning the 1541 parts and preparing to repurpose them
7:57 Starting to put the Commodore 8250LP drive back together
10:32 first test of the Mean Well with AC mains connected
11:52 testing with the Mean Well wired to the 8250LP main logic board and drive board
12:22 Powering on the reassembled 8250LP and closing out the video

Music used in this video:
Took Me for a Ride - The New Fools
Bushwick Folks - The New Fools
When You’re Away - Martin Klem
Take Me for a Ride - Martin Klem
Hilltop Highway - Martin Klem
In the Fire - Martin Klem
Magnetic Dip - Martin Klem
Cut the Line - Martin Klem

The gory details: how saving to tape from a KIM-1 single board computer works

Commodore History 2022-05-12 | Start out with the basics: if you've never used a KIM-1 single board computer before, this video will show you how to connect a tape recorder to load and save programs. After that, dig in to learn how data is stored on tape including viewing data in a logic analyzer. Then dive in to the kernel source code and get a line-by-line description of what the code does. Finally, watch as I use a Commodore PET computer as a virtual tape player and write a program out to a KIM-1 computer using a modified version of the KIM-1 kernel code running on the PET.

0:00 Introduction
1:34 Entering an example program to the KIM-1
3:55 Saving the example program to tape
6:32 Loading the example program back from tape
7:50 Listening to the recorded audio
8:13 Learning about the recording format from the KIM-1 user manual
10:47 Viewing the audio recording signals in a logic analyzer
14:15 Examining the KIM-1 save to tape ROM code
28:35 Running modified KIM-1 ROM code on a Commodore PET to load (play) a program on a KIM-1

Super OS-9 running on a 1981 Commodore SuperPET

Commodore History 2022-04-17 | In 1985, members of the Toronto PET Users Group (TPUG) ported Microware's OS-9 multi-tasking operating system to the Commodore SuperPET and created a hardware MMU board for the SuperPET to run OS-9. This video describes the history of Super OS-9 and how the MMU board was reverse engineered in 2008, then shows a demo of Super OS-9 running on a Commodore SuperPET using a Commodore VIC-20 as a remote terminal.

0:00 Introduction
0:49 Introduction to OS-9
1:29 OS-9 ported to the Commodore SuperPET and development of the MMU by TPUG
2:56 TPUG MMU reverse engineered
4:32 Installing new go4retro MMU clone in my SuperPET
7:28 Writing OS-9 software to a 5-1/4" floppy disk
9:37 Setting up a Commodore VIC-20 to use as a remote terminal to the SuperPET
10:43 Booting OS-9 on the Commodore SuperPET
11:50 Logging in to the SuperPET from a remote serial terminal on the VIC-20
13:15 Explanation of the OS-9 processes running on the SuperPET
13:40 Closing

Special Thanks to:
Golan Klinger
Jim Brain
Mike Nabarezny
André Fachat

Music used in this video:
Getting Frisky - John Runefelt
Tamarindo - Dexter & The Disciples
Booh Ya - Tigran Viken
Chase Hunter - Harry Edvino
Trampoline Park Avenue - Martin Klem

Running FreeDOS on a Commodore CBM 256-80 (CBM-II) system from 1982

Commodore History 2022-04-10 | This video provides a short history lesson about the CBM-II series of computers from Commodore and the 8088 boards that were made for them. It then showcases Michal Pleban's new replica 8088 board for the CBM-II series, shows it being installed in a Commodore CBM 256-80 computer and booting.

Special thanks to Steve Gray and Santo Nucifora for providing me with photos of their 8088 boards, and it goes without saying that I’m grateful to Michal Pleban for making these boards and all the additional code he’s written available for everyone. You rock, Michal!!!

URLs mentioned in this video:
http://www.6502.org/users/sjgray/computer/cbm2
http://www.cbm-ii.com/project

Music used in this video:
The Sisters of Funk - J.F. Gloss

Hello World in every programming language on the Commodore SuperPET

Commodore History 2022-03-28 | The Commodore SuperPET came with a Waterloo University development environment built in that provided native support for programming in BASIC, Fortran, Pascal, APL, COBOL, and 6809 Assembly Language. In this video, I show a short demo of writing and running a Hello World example in each language.

0:00 Introduction
0:10 Commodore SuperPET history
1:40 Hello World in Waterloo BASIC
2:22 Hello World in Fortran (including a quick intro to the Waterloo text editor)
3:55 Hello World in Pascal
4:32 Hello World in Cobol
5:54 Hello World in APL
6:47 Hello World in Assembly Language
10:40 Hello World in Commodore (Microsoft) BASIC

Music used in this video:
Disco in the Jungle - Daniel Fridell, Sven Lindvall
The Original High Riders - Duke Herrington

How Many Commodore 64 Computers did Commodore Sell?

Commodore History 2022-01-16 | In this video I present the actual numbers from Commodore's own annual reports to shareholders and internal sales reports to provide an answer to the age-old question of "How many Commodore 64 computers did Commodore sell?"

This is an update from my earlier attempt to compile the numbers on my website which you can find here:

https://commodore.international/2021/07/05/how-many-c64-and-c128-were-actually-sold/

A download link for the FY93 annual report in pdf format is available from the above link also.

Many thanks must go out to Andy Finkel, Don Greenbaum and Michael Tomczyk who provided all of the annual reports and internal sales reports I used in this video.

Music featured in this video: Alleyways of Seoul - Josef Bel Habib

Dumping the ROM image from a MOS6530-009 RRIOT chip

Commodore History 2022-01-06 | This provides a short introduction to what the MOS6530 series of chips were then shows how a modern KIM-1 clone can be used to read a 6530 for the purpose of preserving the ROM image from the chip.

The archived ROM image from this video is available here: archive.org/details/mos-6530-009

Thanks to:
Pedro Suarez for his guidance when I initially began working on this.
Bob Applegate from corshamtech.com for making so many amazing KIM-1 products.

Music used in this video:
Friday Night Terrors - OTE
Slick City Cruising - John Runefelt
Studio 75 - Margareta
Old Believers - Sven Lindvall, Daniel Fridell

The gory details: What happens when you save a file from a Commodore 64 to a 1541 disk drive?

Commodore History 2021-12-31 | If you're curious about how a Commodore 64 writes data to a 1541 drive across the IEC serial bus, this video will shed some light on that. I connected a logic analyzer to an IEC cable and captured all the bus traffic when I saved a Hello World program to a 1541 disk drive. In this video I walk through the captured traffic and explain the basics of the IEC bus protocol.

References:
pagetable.com/?p=1018
http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/programming/serial-bus.pdf

Music used in this video:
Electro Animal - Oh the City

Commodore C116 PAL to NTSC conversion

Commodore History 2021-12-27 | Converting a Commodore C116 computer from PAL video output to NTSC.

Steve Gray’s web page describing this mod from 2008: http://www.6502.org/users/sjgray/projects/c116/index.html

Links mentioned in the video:

Rob Clarke's keyboard repair video: youtube.com/watch?v=0iJZgKRIRsQ

Download link for the NTSC kernal ROM: http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/firmware/computers/plus4/kernal.318005-05.bin

Music featured in this video:
Working the Nightshift - Duke Herrington
What Flavor - OTE

Commodore Seasons Greetings 2021

Commodore History 2021-12-22 | 2021 Commodore 8-bit holiday demo compilation, all running on real hardware. No emulation and no line-outs for any of the audio or video. This is just real hardware piping out holiday goodness through real CRTs and real speakers from the 80s.

Featured hardware: SX-64, 64, VIC-20, 128DCR, CBM 256-80, Plus/4.

Demos include:
SX-64 Merry Christmas Demo - 1984 Commodore.
Silent Night - 1984 John Henry Software
PET Candle Demo - 2017 Norbert Landsteiner
TPUG Merry Christmas greeting - 1983 CBUG disk 29
Merry VICMas - Unknown Artist
Merry Christmas 2015 - Legion of Doom (LOD) and Absence (ACE)

1541 power supply replacement

Commodore History 2021-12-17 | Replacing the factory linear power supply with a modern switching power supply. This all started when I stole the power supply from one of my non-working 1541 drives to convert a European 220V 1551 drive to US power. I did the PSU swap in that 1541 to bring it back to life, then wanted to document it in a video so I upgraded the PSU in the 1541 you see in this video.

I didn't come up with this idea. Quite a few others have already done the same. I got technical assistance from:

http://blog.worldofjani.com/?p=6340

The power supply I used: http://www.meanwellusa.com/productPdf.aspx?i=619#1

Music used in this video:

Danger Caravan — V.V. Campos
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — V.V. Campos
Street Life — V.V. Campos
Technological Breakdown — Wanda Shakes
Reach Up — Ceen

Connecting a terminal to a KIM-1 computer

Commodore History 2021-11-27 | Connecting a terminal to a KIM-1 single board computer. In this video you'll see how to use a Commodore VIC-20 or a Commodore 64 as a terminal for a KIM-1.

Commodore CDTV Royal Caribbean Demo

Commodore History 2021-10-09 | This is a demo CDTV application that was created by Jeff Bruette and Jesper Steen Møller as a proof of concept for how a CDTV could be used as a kiosk on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Jeff left a copy of this CD with me during a visit a while back. I had a CDTV set up and decided to grab a quick spot of video of it in action and share with you folks.

If you'd like to experience this for yourself, I preserved the ISO and it should work fine in an emulator or if you burn a copy to a CD: archive.org/details/royal-caribbean_202104

Booting and exploring an Amiga 2500 hard drive image from a 1990 Commodore Business Machines backup.

Commodore History 2021-04-21 | This is a short demo of what's contained on a recovered backup image that was made in 1990 of a Commodore-owned Amiga 2500. The image was found on a CDROM that Jeff Bruette had in his possession from his time working for Commodore. The original backup image has been uploaded to archive.org/details/hdisk for preservation.

I was able to get the original backup image to boot in a physical Amiga 500 by attaching the image and booting in FS-UAE, then upgrading it. This is a short video of the upgraded backup image running on a TF536 expanded Amiga 500.

Interview with Don Greenbaum, the former treasurer of Commodore International

Commodore History 2020-12-08 | Dave McMurtrie of the Commodore International Historical Society interviewing Don Greenbaum, the former Treasurer of Commodore International Limited, about his time with Commodore.