NEWS, EDITORIALS, REFERENCE

In the weblog, you'll find posts that cover news, editorial reviews, programming reference documents, technical deep dives into software and hardware, plus thoughts and progress updates on the development of C64 OS.

Over time my posts have gotten longer and more detailed. These in-depth posts take time research, write and edit. I have been keeping to steady pace of at least one such post a month. It is difficult to get regular readers if new content is not showing up more frequently. To help cope with this, the weblog also has an RSS feed. Subscribe to it, and you'll get new posts in your feed reader as soon as they're published. Or follow me on Twitter, where I announce each new post.

Recent Posts

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COMMODORE 8 BIT BUYER'S GUIDE

Commodore hardware is great. The architecture has proven to be very well designed as is still usable and expandable decades later. But in order to take advantage of that architecture design, you need to actually expand it by building or purchasing expansion hardware.

Commodore 8-bit computers have had lots of third-party supporting hardware. And while much of it is no longer commercially available, there are hundreds of modern projects and expansion options that are available and under development today. When I returned from my hiatus, I was amazed by the rich support the C64 still has, from hardware, software and publications. However, I learned about these things in dribs and drabs by haunting IRC channels, message boards and following C64 fans on Twitter.

The Commodore 8 Bit Buyer's Guide is a graphical catalog of all the hardware products, projects and kits I know of that are commercially available today. Product feature pages show high-res photos, link to the homepage, documentation and supporting software, include a mini review and product description and list prices and instructions on how you can buy the product for yourself.

Quick Links

• Storage
• Expansion
• Audio
• Memory
• ROMs
• Network
• Video
• Hacker
• Input
• Hobbyist
• Power
• Component

View the Buyer's Guide now ⇒

C64 LUGGABLE PROJECT

In 2000 I acquired my first SX-64 Executive Computer. A luggable C64 with a built in 5" display, 1541 floppy drive and a unified power supply. All with a handle on the top. I heavily modified mine to include a SuperCPU, IDE64, CD-Rom drive, Ethernet adapter and High Speed RS232, all powered by a lightweight AT Power Supply.

But the SX-64 was built for a different time. Its display is a massive CRT block, 1-foot deep. The rest of the internal layout is modeled around this main feature. C64 Luggable is a project to build an all-in-one C64, oriented vertically rather than horizontally. It has a large 15" LCD display and foregoes old tech like a floppy drive, in favor of SD card and USB-based storage. Ethernet is a standard. And so are its front-mounted 4-player controller inputs, and rear-mounted PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports.

I love my Commodore computers and how expandable they are, but they have a tendency to take up a whole desk with sprawling peripherals and multiple power supplies. This is fun its own way, but it makes them inconvenient to take with you. C64 Luggable is a practical project for me, and a reference design for other people to be creatively inspired. It allows me to bring a C64 with me to my friends' houses, to remove the friction of getting them to be able to enjoy C64 demos and multi-player games with me. C64 Luggable helps me share the love of the C64 more easily and with more people.

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