Jeri Ellsworth showed a new project at the "Bay Area Maker Fair". This time she developed an Commodore 64 bass guitar. She combined an bass guitar with a C64 and a FPGA system. The FPGA system reads the signals from the guitar strings and the C64 keyboard. The input is processed by the FPGA and send to a real SID chip to produce the sound.

The C64 Bass keytar on YouTube

The FPGA Arcade is a FPGA computer that can emulate many 8 and 16 bit computers. For emulation of the Amiga you can now order your FPGA Arcade from Laurent Zorawski. The system can emulate the following: 68000, 68010, 68020 and 68020EC processors, OCS, ECS and AGA chip sets, 2 MB Chip-RAM / 9,5 MB Fast-RAM, Kickstart 1.3 - 3.1, hard disks and diskette drives. For the future an expansion with a 68060, Ethernet and USB is planned.

The web page of the FPGA Arcade developer (MikeJ).

Thomas Winkler started a new project. He wants to develop a hardware replacement for the 1541 disk drive. He is using a STM32F4 Discovery development board with a 168 MHz CPU, 1 MB Flash RAM and 192 kB RAM. With this system it will be possible to emulate all serial (IEC) communications, but also Speed-DOS und Professional DOS are possible. You can follow the progress of Thomas on his blog (German language).

Reading an old EPROM is not as easy as you think. There are many different EPROMs and they can have different connections. Matthew D'Asar has made an universal adapter for an EPROM programmer. With this adapter you can read every EPROM. The adapter can be used for example on the inexpensive Willem EPROM reader / programmer.

Loriano Pagni designed the X500 Plus. This computer case is a tribute to the computers of the eighties and nineties and is inspired by the Commodore Amiga 500. The case is build from aluminium and plastic and has a in-built keyboard. You can install a mini-itx or flex-ATX motherboard, SSDs or HDDs, slim DVD-RW or Blu-Ray drive and a card reader. You can use the case for many systems like: PC, SAM, Raspberry pi, Natami, FPGAArcade etc.

The X500 Plus on YouTube.

SwissMäc developed his own version of a SD2IEC. He named his version the Commodore 64 SD2IEC Backpack. In the video you can see that the device is installed on the Commodore C64 as a little backpack.

More information about the Commodore 64 SD2IEC Backpack (German language).

Many people know a little bit about the internals of a 8-bit computer. The most important part is the CPU (Central Processing Unit). You can buy many different CPU's to build a computer. But Kyle from 8 Bit Spaghetti decided to make a computer the hard way. He did not buy a CPU, he build one himself from TTL chips. In this very comprehensive blog he explains how a CPU works and how you can build one yourself.

Stefan Noack developed a hardware SID player with the help of a Atmel micro processor. The used components are: 6581 SID, Atmel Atmega162 and a MAX 323. You can use the ACID 64 software to play your SID's on the SIDboard. Because the project is open source you can download the schematics and firmware to build your own SIBboard.

Schematics and firmware for the SIDboard.

A new version of the Amiga flicker fixer is available. The device comes in two versions and can be used with the Amiga 1200, 4000, 4000T and the CD32. Specifications: DVI-I Connector, 135 MHz Pixel clock, 16 MB frame buffer, Hardware updates are possible. The device is placed inside the Amiga on top of the Lisa chip.

Indivision AGA Mk2 - A4000/CD32

Stefan from the computer collection Vienna has now a real replica of the Commodore 1565 disk drive. He made a 3D drawing of the disk drive and used it to "print" the disk drive. With a modern 3D printer it is possible to produce 3D models. In the video you can see the result of the project. The total printing time was 4 hours.

The project page of the Commodore 1565.

HIVE is a small computer system. The specifications are: 24 RISC processors, VGA, Video, Stereo sound, 1 MB RAM, SD card, LAN and PS/2. The whole computer fits on a eurocard and has no SMD components. Drohne235 has used his HIVE to build a TriBorg SID player. The SID's can be stored on the SD card and played with the HIVE system. You can watch an demonstration on a YouTube video.

Stefan is working on a replica of the Commodore 1565 disk drive for the C65. He now has the 3D drawings of the 1565 and want to produce one example with the help of a 3D printer. The 1565 disk drive is a external disk drive for the Commodore C65 , and there is only one in existence. You can watch a video on YouTube about the project.

Project page of the 1565 disk drive.

Mfilos is working on a new project for one of his Amiga's. He installed a ATI Radeon 9200 (256MB RAM) graphics card in his Amiga 4000. The main problem with this type of graphics card is that the card needs a 3.3 VDC power supply. Mfilos added a LM1084 3.3V regulator to the card and now the card is recognised by the Amiga 4000. You can see a series of photo’s with detailed information on his blog how to adapt this graphics card.

Micromys V4 is a PS/2 mouse adapter for the Amiga, Atari ST and the Commodore 64/128. The Micromys V4 is made by Individual Computers and is an improved version of the Micromys V3. The most important improvement is that the adapter now can recognise the computer. This version does not have the dip switches for the configuration.

Commodore USA is working on a new Commodore PC. This time smaller is better. The specification of the VIC mini are: 64-bit Intel D2700 Dual Core Atom processor. 4 GB memory. nVidia Geforce GT 520. HDMI / Dual DVI. 7.1 Sound. USB 2.0 / 3.0. Blu-ray drive. WiFi /Bluetooth. 1 TB Hard Disk. Commodore OS Vision. The system cost 995 USD and will be available in 6 weeks.

There is also a Amiga mini.

Michael started a project in 2010 to enhance the graphics of the Commodore VIC-20. The new graphics mode requires a hardware modification of the VIC-20. The normal RAM is expanded from 5 kB to 8kB and the new colour RAM is 16 times bigger than the original. Recently Michael updated the conversion software and introduced gamma-correction which improves the quality of the converted pictures. You can read all about the VFLI system on the Denial forum.

SID is an 8-Bit desktop synthesizer made by the German company Mode Machines. The SID can be used "stand-alone" or with a PC. The features are: 100+ Patches, 50+ Wave tables drum sounds / effects, Audio in/out, Midi in/out. The SID will be available in April and will cost 599 Euro.

Thomas Lövskog has designed an internal expansion for the Commodore VIC-20. The expansion is especially designed to enhance the graphics capabilities of the VIC-20. The expansion is placed in the character ROM socket and connected to the motherboard with 7 wires. The features are: 8kByte that is usable by the VIC chip (BLK0). 32 pages of 1 kByte color RAM. 4 banks of 4 kByte RAM ($8000). Auto start and optional LED driver.

Syso4 made a successful FPGA implementation in VHDL of the Commodore Sound Interface Device Chip (SID). The FPGA development board he uses is a CyberCortex AV with an Xilinx Spartan 3E 500k gate FPGA and a 1-bit DAC with a passive RC-filter. The program that sends the data to the FPGA is ACID 64 by Wilfred Bos and the music is from Welle:Erdball.

Elbox has introduced a new FastATA controller. With this FastATA you can use SATA, ATA and EIDE devices like hard drives, CF, CD, DVD, ZIP etc. The features are: Transfer rate 16.6 MB/s, Automatic configuration of devices, Supports PIO-0, 3, 4 and 5 modes, Compatible with ATA 33/66/100/133 devices. The controller comes with a Software pack (AllegroCDFS and FastATA), cable and a user Manual.

The ACA-1231/42 is a turbo card for the Amiga 1200, the card has a 68030 CPU and a MMU. The ACA-1231/42 is an improved version of the ACA-1230. The specifications are: 42 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM (1 MB for Kickstart), Real Time Clock, Improved hardware and software compatibility.

Dennis Ferron built a laptop with a 6502 processor. The system is built with a Parallax Propeller micro-controller and a real 6502 CPU. For the case he used a toy laptop and a the screen is from a portable DVD player. The Propeller handles all the I/O for the 6502. The 6502 can access the 64 kB of memory. But the Propeller decides what that memory will be, it can be RAM, ROM, a disk controller, a input buffer etc.

Sauraen and Oikanys are working on a new project, the MIDIbox ASIDITY. This project will be the most powerful SID-based synthesizer in the world. The synthesizer will be built with NXP LPC1769 processors and MIDIbox SID 3.0 software. The system will control 8 Commodore 64 SID sound chips (4 x 6581 and 4 x 8580) and will have the following features: 32 active and 128 passive modulators, 256 SID controls, 44 knobs, 240 buttons and 760 LEDs.

Demonstration video of the MIDIbox ASIDITY.

Mfilos started on a new project for one of his Amiga's. He installed a MAS-Player inside his A600. The MAS-Player is normally connected to the parallel port, needs +5V and provides two extra audio outputs. He first installed a CF2IDE, put the MAS-Player on top of it and installed an internal mixer for the audio outputs. You can see the complete build on his blog.

The project of Thomas Lövskog the GCart is one step further. After a long time the proto-type circuit boards have arrived. The GCart will have the following features: 64k - 1024k SRAM, 8k Kernal, Disk-management and Basic extensions with full screen editor, SD card, Audio decoder for MIDI, MP3, FLAC, WAV, OGG, etc, RTC with battery backup, WiFi, 3 buttons (RESET, NMI, DISK) and a display for text, icons etc.

DIAG264 is a system to search for defects in a Commodore C16, C116 or Plus/4 computer. The system consist of a special cartridge and several loop back connectors. With this system you can test the following parts: RAM, ROM, I/O of the CPU and TED registers. On the DIAG264 web page you can find a very comprehensive manual how to test your computer.

Musicmax gives an demonstration about installing and the use of the Commodore c64 Kernal Multiload. This device comes in two parts: One EPROM that replaces the original Kernal of the Commodore 64. And a control-box that makes it possible to select and start an alternative Kernal. In the video you can see that the SX-64, EXOS V3, JiffyDOS and the Cockroach Turbo ROM are being used.

You can buy a new 6502 processor from the company Mouser Electronics. The original 6502 was the CPU in computers from Commodore, Apple, BBC, Acorn, Atari, Coleco, Dragon etc. The new version is pin compatible with the original, but the clock frequency is now 14 MHz. There are also new instructions added: BBR, BBS, BRA, PLX, PLY, RMB, SMB, STP, STZ, TRB, TSB and WAI.

Bitfixer has started a new project. After his PETdisk he now is developing the PETvet. The PETvet is a RAM / ROM replacement for the Commodore PET. The PETvet also allows you to view the memory of a running PET by halting the CPU and sending the memory contents over a serial port. When the prototype is finished a kit will be available.

We all use a joystick when we use our Commodore computer. We all have our favorite, the SpeedKing, Competition Pro, TAC-2, Boss, Arcade, etc. Artist Craig Le Blanc has made his own version of a popular 8-bit joystick. His creation, One on One, is made of two Wico Command Control joysticks that are a little bit bigger than usual.

The mini xum1541 is a USB / IEC interface that makes it possible to connect a 1541 disk drive to a modern PC. The mini xum1541 is a minimal version of the ZoomFloppy and can be assembled by hobbyist. The firmware is provided by Nate Lawson and you can use the same software as used for the ZoomFloppy. The schematics and board design are available.

TIM is a home-built computer. The special thing about the TIM computer is that it has no chips inside, most of the system is build with relays. TIM is a 8-bit computer with an serial ALU, 5 registers (8-bit), 16 bytes RAM, a punch tape reader and a sound-card. The computer uses 152 relays and the speed of the system is about 8 Hz. It is possible to over-clock the system to 16 Hz.

The Youtube channel of rapidrory.

Frank Buss is working on an universal C64 cartridge. You can upload files from a PC (via USB) to the cartridge and store up to 31 cartridges (each 64 kB) on the cartridge. It can emulate any cartridge type except for cartridges with DMA access. On his web page you can find more pictures, schematics and information.

Demonstration video of the Universal C64 Cartridge.

Andrew Dieffenbach is working on a 128 kB cartridge for the Commodore C64. For his cartridge he uses a 27C010 EPROM with bank-switching for the access of several 8 kB banks of data. In the demonstration video you can see the game M.U.L.E. The loading time of M.U.L.E. is reduced from 7 minutes to 1 second. After loading the first part of the game, the cartridge switches to another bank, and the second part of the game is available.

More information about Andrew's projects.

The new Retroinvaders calendar is now available. This calendar is available in English and Spanish. In the calendar you will find pictures of Mermaid. There is also retro calendars for other computers.

More retro calendars 2012.

For the 1541 Ultimate 1 and 2 is a new version (v2.4) of the firmware available. New in this version: CRT load for loading a cartridge file in to the Ultimate. EasyFlash support (read only). Flashing and running custom FPGAs (Ultimate-II only) without the use of a JTAG cable. And many other small improvements.

The EasyFlash 3 is now available at the retro-donald.de web page. The EasyFlash 3 is a kit, but the work you have to do is not difficult and a manual is available. The new version is bigger and you can now load 7 normal EF images into the system. With the EF 3 you can also replace the built-in Kernal with a alternative Kernal. The USB connection will be implemented in the future.

More information about the Easy Flash 3.

SIDBlaster is a new sound-card for the ZX-Spectrum. The features are: MOS 6510 CPU, 64Kb RAM, Direct playing of PSID and RSID tunes, PAL/NTSC compatible, 4 SID's (2x6581, 2x8580) and full C64-interrupt system. When the SIDBlaster is fully functional, it will be rebuild with the help of a FPGA. The hardware design is from Sergey Bagan (Prusak) and the software is done by Alexander Alexandrow (Byteman).

More information about the SIDBlaster/ZX (Russian > English)

Unseen (Ingo Korb) has released a new version of the sd2iec firmware. Changes in this version: Improved the raw directory generation. An improved emulation when fast loaders are disabled. ULoad M3 automatically exits when ATN becomes active. And a new fast loader - ELoad v1 (EasyProg) - is implemented. The sd2iec is a controller / interface system that makes it possible to use SD memory cards as a storage device on the CBM serial bus.

The Rear Admiral ThunderDrive is now available for sale. It is a modern replica of the CMD HD. It gives you up to 4 GByte of storage with 1541, 1571 and 1581 partition capability. Besides a serial interface it has also a parallel interface and an a external SCSI connection. Visit the ThunderDrive web page for more pictures and information.

The 6502 microprocessor was developed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. The chip was used in many computers like the Commodore PET, CBM and VIC-20, Atari, BBC, Apple etc. If you want to build your own computer with a 6502 you should look at the latest project from Blondihacks.

Demonstration video of the 6502 computer project.

The firmware 7 (beta) is now available for the Chameleon cartridge. Changes in this version: Support for the docking-station. Fixed the problems with CPU speed readout on VGA, NMI in cartridge mode and the REU. Improvements for the SID emulator, I/O and the MMU.

The Flyer Internet Modem is a new hardware device for the Commodore 8 bit computer. The device is a disk drive emulator that is connected to the internet. You can store a disk inside the Flyer or online in the "cloud". The Flyer has a IEC and a IEEE-488 interface and supports a wide range of Commodore computers: PET / CBM, VIC-20, C16, Plus/4, C64 and the C128. The popular disk images D64, D71 and D81 are supported.

The ZoomFloppy device can be used to read or write diskettes with a real Commodore disk drive and a modern PC via USB. A new project makes it possible to use ZoomFloppy to read and write cassettes with a datassette and a PC. Specifications: 16MHz sampling rate, CAP / TAP file format, C64, C16, VIC-20 and experimental Spectrum48K support. The project is in a Beta phase and you can send in your feedback to the developer.

Alessandro Dorigatti has made a ZX Spectrum (48k PAL) core for the Chameleon 64. The core supports the ULA+ 64 color mode, a ZXMMC interface, a Kempston joystick emulation and reading from TAP files. You can switch between PAL and NTSC mode. An English manual and a keyboard layout is included.

More information about the Chameleon 64.

Stefan is working on a replica of the Commodore 1565 disk drive for the C65. If production is not too expensive, a real item will be created. The original prototype can only be used with a C65, and the C65 needs a 8 pin 1565 floppy-port and a late version of the FDC F011 Floppy Disk Controller chip. The project is not finished yet but you can already see the 3D drawings of the 1565.

Egretz is building a modified C64 DTV. He is designing a expansion that can be placed on top of the original C64 DTV without soldering. The features are: Joystick 1 and 2, PS/2 (keyboard), Video, Audio, IEC, SD memory card and a IDE connection (hard disk). For the extra functions he uses a Atmega micro processor.

The Proxa 7000 expansion was made by the German company Ultra Electronic. It adds CBM 8000 series compatibility to the CBM 700 series. For a long time nobody could use this rare expansion because the software was missing. But recently the software was found. You can read more about this very rare expansion on Steve Gray's Commodore web page.

Digital Audio Concepts developed a RAM expansion for the C64 and C128. The cartridge has a maximum of 1 MByte DRAM, controlled by a standard 8726 REC chip. The supply of the REC chips is limited and prices start at $34.95.

Berry de Jager modified his Commodore C64 with an internal µIEC. On Berry's blog you can follow step by step how he integrated the µIEC (made by Jim Brain) into his C64. As you can see on the photos this C64 has more modifications: SID2SID, S-Video and controls for the Prophet64 cartridge.