To reduce any radio frequency (RF) interference with surroudning hardware (e.g. old tube TV’s), Commodore added shielding to their machines. In the early machines the RF shield came in the form of an aluminum covered cardboard that was wrapped around the motherboard. As carboard is … Read more
Part of the QA procedure for the MechBoard64’s (link) includes testing the keyboards in a real Commodore 64. Doing it this way calls for a lot of power cycles, cartridge swaps for testing keys, plugging and unplugging of the keyboards etc. I therefore use a motherboard … Read more
Introduction I own a near mint Commodore 1541 diskette drive that I only use for special occasions. At those times I drape my sweaty hands with white cotton gloves, gently release my original Montezuma’s Revenge diskette from its paper pocket and with my breath held … Read more
Replacing the original Commodore 64 power supply may be the single most valuable step to prolong the life of the old hardware! The main issue with the original C64 power supplies is the 5V line. When it eventually fails (and it will!), from e.g. a shorted internal … Read more
Getting a brand spanking new Commodore 64 is no longer just a wet dream for a retro geek like me. With the new Pixelwizard cases (link), new motherboards (link, link) and new keyboards (link) the dream is certainly within reach. However, I still need new … Read more
I recently purchased a C64 Reloaded MK2 motherboard (link) to accompany my other two C64 Reloaded boards (link, link) that I have in my collection. I guess I couldn’t ignore the thrill of getting new hardware… Anyways, instead of mounting it in an old case (C64C slim case … Read more
It’s finally time to show what has been clutting up my workbench for way too long! Back in 2015 I got my hands on two C64 Reloaded boards (link) and installed them inside cases from the Kickstarter campaign (link). I also entered the Phase5 Indiegogo … Read more
This may come as a shock to some, but the sad news is that the old chips inside a Commodore 64 will eventually fail!! Most often the chips will simply die due to old age or other external factors like a faulty power supply. When … Read more