Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join Shane R. Monroe for a detailed look at the Better Working Turbo Load and Save cartridge by Spinnaker Software for the Commodore 64 and 128. You have likely seen an Epyx FastLoad or Action Replay, but this rare find from the Vintage Computer Festival boasts the unique claim of being the first utility cartridge to offer a fast save routine in hardware prior to 1986. We plug this unusual piece of tech into the Commodore 64 Ultimate to see if it lives up to the marketing.
We rigorously test the five-times speed up claims for both loading and saving. Furthermore, we dive deep into the cartridge's unique wedge commands, including cataloging directories, initiating quick formats, scratching files, and attempting to utilize the notoriously finicky built-in disk backup feature.
Links to the manual and ROM files are included below so you can experiment with these interesting features yourself.
The Cartridge CRT files for C64 Ultimate
mwcontent.com/c64u/BetterWorkingTurbo.zip
The Cartridge Manual
rr.c64.org/rrwiki/images/8/8f/BetterWorking_Turbo_Load_and_Save.pdf
Blackview Monitor
amzn.to/3REc6mi
Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:45 - Opening the cartridge
04:15 - Two Modes!
06:40 - Turbo Testing
12:40 - Getting Started With Wedge
15:50 - CATALOG and Disk
16:53 - COLLECT and BAM
18:55 - DLOADing, DSAVEing and HEADER Formatting Options
22:14 - Finishing up with RENAME and SCRATCH
24:20 - The Disk Backup Feature
29:21 - Using CRT images of the cart on the C64 Ultimate / Conclusion
Join Our Discord
discord.monroeworld.com
Join Shane R. Monroe for a detailed look at the Better Working Turbo Load and Save cartridge by Spinnaker Software for the Commodore 64 and 128. You have likely seen an Epyx FastLoad or Action Replay, but this rare find from the Vintage Computer Festival boasts the unique claim of being the first utility cartridge to offer a fast save routine in hardware prior to 1986. We plug this unusual piece of tech into the Commodore 64 Ultimate to see if it lives up to the marketing.
We rigorously test the five-times speed up claims for both loading and saving. Furthermore, we dive deep into the cartridge's unique wedge commands, including cataloging directories, initiating quick formats, scratching files, and attempting to utilize the notoriously finicky built-in disk backup feature.
Links to the manual and ROM files are included below so you can experiment with these interesting features yourself.
The Cartridge CRT files for C64 Ultimate
mwcontent.com/c64u/BetterWorkingTurbo.zip
The Cartridge Manual
rr.c64.org/rrwiki/images/8/8f/BetterWorking_Turbo_Load_and_Save.pdf
Blackview Monitor
amzn.to/3REc6mi
Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:45 - Opening the cartridge
04:15 - Two Modes!
06:40 - Turbo Testing
12:40 - Getting Started With Wedge
15:50 - CATALOG and Disk
16:53 - COLLECT and BAM
18:55 - DLOADing, DSAVEing and HEADER Formatting Options
22:14 - Finishing up with RENAME and SCRATCH
24:20 - The Disk Backup Feature
29:21 - Using CRT images of the cart on the C64 Ultimate / Conclusion
Join Our Discord
discord.monroeworld.com
