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6. Publications 6.1. What paper publications are available? There are a number of publications which are specifically geared to information associated with the C64 and C128. THE DEAD LIST The following magazines have died: AHOY,RUN,COMMODORE,TRANSACTOR. Back issues that can be found are a treasure trove of good information. The Transactor Sure, it's dead, and has been for a few years, but this one was a classic. Calling itself the magazine for Commodore programmers, this magazine was enough to make any C64/C128 programmer drool. Featuring in-depth technical information and programming tutorials, as well as "out-of-the-way" topics (things along the line of Richard Curcio's 256K and 512K articles that appeared in TC128). If you are a programmer, and can get your hands on back issues of this magazine, do so. Micro-Bytes As of 25-May-1992, Parsec, Inc. has taken over the distribution of MB products, and back issues. More information about MB can be found in the /pub/cbm/micro-bytes directory on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca. THE LIVE LIST + Commodore World + Creative Micro Designs, Inc. + P.O. Box 646 + East Longmeadow, MA 01028 + (800) 638-3263 (Credit Card Orders) + This is a new magazine that supersedes the RUN magazine. It is packed + with info about Commodore computers. One year subscription (8 issues) + rates: $29.95 (U.S.), $35.95 (Can/Mex), $45.95 (EC), $57.95 (all others). + Single issue: $4.95 plus shipping of $2.00 (U.S./Can/Mex), $4.00 (other). + geoNews + geoCLUB + 55 High Bank Road + Droylsden + Manchester + M35 6FS + This magazine is published entirely with GEOS, and the contents are: + Meet the Members, Library Review (GEOS disk library which looks pretty + extensive), GeoSnips (Hints and Tips), and feature articles. Twin Cities 128 (TC128) Twin Cities 128 (TC128) Parsec, Inc. PO BOX 111 Salem MA 09170-0111, USA. Twin Cities 128 is (as of issue #29) published by Parsec, Inc. It features Commodore 128 specific information, and attempts to cater to readers at all levels of experience, not just novices. Additionally, starting with Issue #31(February/March 1991), Twin Cities 128 comes with a companion disk. A subscription to TC128 in the US is $20 ($36.50 with disk), outside the US is $26 ($46.50 with disk). Mail the check payable in US funds. geoVISION International geoVISION International 816 Southeast Polk Street Camas, Wa 98607 Geos publication devoted to that subject exclusively. Subscription $21 for six issues. $4 for a sample issue. Disk subscriptions are $30 for 6 disks or $5.50 for a single disk. dieHard dieHard subscriptions P.O. Box 392 | Boise, ID 83701-0392 (208) 383-0300 (Information) Magazine devoted to all 8-bit Commodore computers. $16.97 for 10 issues or $49.97 for 10 issues including SPINNER companion disk. $2.95 for sample magazine. Commodore Network Commodore Network Magazine Warren Naismith 9 Wadeson St Cobram Vic, Australia 3150 This magazine comes out of Australia. Please check the Address and correct this listing if wrong. | Random (64/128 Magazine) Random + c/o Saber Enterprises 7161 North Main | Clovis, CA 93611-8200 + $23.70 for one year (10 issues)/$5 for sample issue 64'er (German) 64'er (German) Markt & Technik Verlag Hans-Pinsel-Str. 2 D-85538 Haar +49 89 4613-0 (Voice) User Group Newsletters Your local user group newsletter is another source of commodore information. Often, newsletters will reprint articles of other user groups, allowing information to spread further. Many user group newsletters can be subscribed to in the mail. (Is anyone interested in compiling a list of user group newsletters to which one can subscribe; send me mail at brain@mail.msen.com.) Try these out first. The Main Commodore Club in the United Kingdom: Independent Commodore Products User Group PO Box 1309 London, N3 2UT It supports all Commodore computers and has a software library for each of them. It also produces 6 Journals a year of approx 100 pages each. + FRIENDZ & CONTAX + c/o Steve Hedges + 11 Dunsford Street, Whyalla Stuart + South Australia, Australia 5608 + They have both disk and hard copy newsletters. + NMCUG: New Mexico Commodore User's Group + P.O. Box 37127 + Albuquerque, NM + DIMensions newsletter. + CHUG: Commodore Houston User's Group + P.O. Box 441252 + Houston, TX 77244-1252 + ?SYNTAX newsletter + BCS Commodore User's Group + c/o The Boston Computer Society + 101-A First Avenua, Suite 2 + Waltham, MA 02154 + Edward Piecewicz, Secretary (Contact) + edward@cs.umb.edu (Information) + A one year Associate membership for those outside Maine, Massachusetts, + Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, ans New Hampshire, is $35.00 US. If + inside, the cost is $39.00 US. The membership includes the monthly + magazine "BCS Magazine", which includes the Commodore newsletter. + Brentwood Commodore Computer Club + c/o Brentwood Public Library + 2nd Avenua and 4th Street + Brentwood, NY 11717 + Capital Region Commodore Computer Club/LOAD CRCCC + P.O. Box 2372 + Vernon, CT 06066 + Cheyenne Association of Computer Enthusiasts + P.O. Box 1733 + Cheyenne, WY 82003 + FUNHUG + 814 valley Run + hercules, CA 94547-1440 + BBS Number: (510) 713-7944 + Louisville Users of Commodore of Kentucky/The LUCKY Report + P.O. Box 19032 + Louisville, KY 40219-0032 + BBS Numberr: (502) 933-5397 + LUCKY LINE Magazine (LUCKY member Dale Sidebottom's own newsletter) + c/o Dale Sidebottom + P.O. Box 972 + New Albany, IN 47151-0972 + Lansing Area Commodore Club + LACC membership + P.O. Box 1065 + East Lansing, MI 48823-1065 + Membership dues are $15.00 US per year per family. membership entitles you + to receive the monthly newsletter and get PD software. + Arizona Commodore Users Group + P.O. Box 27201 + Tempe, AZ 85285 + One of the best newsletters around. + Anchorage Commodore Users Group + P.O. Box 104615 + Anchorage, AK 99510-4615 Colorado Commodore Computer Club 1192 S. Nome Street Aurora, CO 80012 (303) 751-3247 | Ron Snyder (Contact) Basic Bits Commodore Group + P.O. Box 81886 + Cleveland, OH 44181-0886 A great users group with a great newsletter. $10.00 per year associate membership. $20.00 per year family membership. Includes access to a large public domain library. Meeting 64/128 Users Through the Mail 1576B County Road 2350 E. St. Joseph, IL 61873 + Jean Nance, President + jpnan@prairienet.org (Contact) A very good users group. Has been around for 7 years. $15 per year includes monthly newsletter. 6.2. What is a Disk Magazine? Where do I find them? A disk magazine is a publication that comes out as a text file(s) on a diskette. You load the reader program on a computer and view the magazine on the computer screen. CEE-64 Alive! CEE-64 Alive! P.O. Box 232115 Sacramento, CA 95823 | EMAIL grmoranec@delphi.com (CEE-64 Alive! Editor, G. Moranec) Demo disk is $3.00. Subscription info: Before March 15th $25.00 After March 15th $30.00 Back Issue Information: Volume 1-5, ending 12-92 $20 Volume 1-6, ending 12-93 $25 Subscribers will receive 6 disk magazine issues pertaining to the C=64, and 6 disks with "extra" material on it - shareware, P.D., data bases, recipes, etc. for the 64, 128 and PLUS/4 computers. Each issue will also be accompanied by a printed newsletter. LodeStar SOFTDISK PUBLISHING P.O. BOX 30008 SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-00008 (800) 831-2694 (Phone) (318) 221-8870 (Fascimile) A disk magazine that features C64/C128 programs. 3.5 or 5.25 disks. COMPUTE'S Gazette COMPUTE'S Gazette P.O. BOX 3244 HARLAN, IA 51593-2424 (800) 727-6937 (Subscription Number) tomnetsel@aol.com (Gazette Editor, Tom Netsel) In addition to the usual columns by Jim Butterfield, Larry Cotton, and other knowledgeable writers, each issue of the all new double-sided Gazette Disk has original ready-to-run programs--no more typing in long program listings! All documentation is included on disk. As a bonus, you'll also find a couple of outstanding PD programs on each disk. The price for a one year's subscription is only $29.95 for 12 issues ($42.75 in Canada; $39.95 in other countries.) Programmers, Gazette is still interested in buying your best original efforts. Send your programs with documentation to our editorial office: Gazette Program Submissions 324 W. Wendover Ave., Ste. 200, Greensboro, NC 27408. 6.3. What is an Online Magazine? Where do I find them? An online magazine is one which exists in a text file format and can be downloaded like a regular file off the network by the user for browsing and/or printing. Usenet C= Hacking Magazine An on-line magazine written by denizens of comp.sys.cbm, this features in-depth technical programming information on C64 and C128 computers. The editor of C= Hacking is Craig Taylor (duck@pembvax1.pembroke.edu). The issues of C= Hacking can be found on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in the directory /pub/cbm/hacking.mag. Back issues can be gotten from Craig Taylor's mail server. He also posts a summary notice each month with what is currently there. 7. Exchanging Data 7.1. Can I read IBM(tm) disks? Commodore computers use a disk format which is not compatible with the disk formats of other computers. However, some programs exist which allow you to read foreign, specifically MS-DOS, disks. Note that in general to do this, you must have either a 1571 or 1581 disk drive. The 1541 cannot read MS-DOS disks without some hardware modifications. A commercial package, The Big Blue Reader, from SOGWAP software, runs on either a 64 or a 128, will read and write MS-DOS format 3.5" (with a 1581) and 5.25" (with a 1571) disks. Other freely distributable programs exist to read and write 5.25" MS-DOS disks. One such program is Crosslink, (available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca although it is limited to reading files 43K in size or smaller. Finally, there are a few CP/M MS-DOS reading utilities that work in the C128's CP/M mode. RUN magazine (4/89 to 6/89) published a series of programs that would use 1571/1581 drives to transfer MS-DOS files to and from a C= drive. It is also limited in file size handling ~43-44K. Issues 4 and 5 of C= Hacking magazine presented a program called Little Red Reader for the 128 that will copy files to and from MS-DOS floppy disks. The menu-driven program requires two disk drives to work, where the one containing the MS-DOS disk must be a 1571 or 1581 (or compatible). The program does not buffer data internally, so the only size restriction on copying is the capacity of the target disk. The program provides PETSCII/ ASCII conversion but will work only with the root directories of MS-DOS disks. The program is also available via FTP and is FREE. To read and write to MS-DOS disks with 1541 disk drives you have to make a small hardware modification. The 1541-dos package contains instructions on how to modify Commodore 1541 and Oceanic OC-118/OC-118N disk drives, and programs to read disks in MS-DOS format and to write to disks in a format that can be read by MS-DOS computers. The newest version of the package is available via anonymous ftp on ftp.funet.fi in /pub/cbm/documents/1541-dos. 7.2. Can my IBM(tm) computer read Commodore disks? To read CBM disks on an IBM, you can use the program x1541 available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in /pub/cbm/emulation. This program uses the PC parallel port to emulate a C= serial port. You need to have a unique cable built to make the connection. The cable is connected to a 1541 drive. The documentation has a schematic for the cable. + Also, if you own a Commodore 1581, there is a PC program which can read + 1581 formatted disks. It is called 22DSK13. 7.3. Are there other ways to exchange data between computers? NULL Modems If you are transferring data to another computer (e.g. a PC) in the same room, or if you are lucky enough to have a terminal server line near your 64/128(more and more colleges are putting such beasts in dorm rooms), you be able to connect your serial port directly to another computer. If you have a terminal server port, all you need is a C= RS232 to standard RS232 adapter (see 9.8). If you are connecting to another, PC, you will also need a null modem. A null modem is a simple device that you can buy for less than $10. It typically is a small box with a 25-pin (or 9-pin) RS232 connector on either side. Put it somewhere in the line between your C= and the other PC. 8. Operating Systems 8.1. What Operating Systems are available? Well, Commodore computers come with a standard operating system built in ROM. They also contain a built in BASIC interpreter which is normally activated after switching on or resetting the computer. If you want alternative options to replace the existing OS, there are a few that may suit your needs. GEOS is the best known, but a number of people have made UNIX-like operating system replacements for the Commodore 64 and 128. Also, on the 128, CP/M is available out-of-the-box. (see below for details on different OS types.) 8.2. What is GEOS? GEOS stands for Graphical Environment Operating System. It is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) style of OS, and it brings to the Commodore 64 and 128 integrated applications. The graphical nature of GEOS allows applications to use fonts of any size, bitmaps, and menus and mice. The system was Designed by Berkeley Softworks, now GEOWorks, and is supported now by CMD. There are a number of graphical style GEOS applications, like GEOWrite, GEOPaint, GEOPublish, GEOTerm, etc. The system is very easy to use, and | is very fast, even when compared to other GUIs like Windows and OS/2. GEOS can make very effective use of a Ram Expansion Unit, a RAMDrive or RAMLink, or GEORam. GEOS allows you to configure your REU to appear just like another (very fast) disk drive, although it does not keep its contents when you turn your computer off. So, any GEOS software that works off of a disk will work out of your REU. Since GEOS is very disk-intensive, this greatly improves the performance of your system. Indeed, some firm GEOS adherents have said that they would not use GEOS without a RAM device of some sort. GEOS will not work with a stock 1700. To have a RAM drive, in GEOS, you must have at least 256K of expansion. Thanks to patches developed by Jim Collette(configure2.1), GEOS also supports 1 Meg, 1.5 Meg, and 2 Meg REUs. GEOS files are structured differently from standard Commodore files. They cannot be uploaded or downloaded directly. Before you upload a GEOS file, use the freeware GEOS application convert2.5 by W.C. Coleman to convert it to Commodore format. When you download a GEOS file, you must use the same program to convert it to GEOS format. By convention, GEOS format files converted to standard Commodore format have a .cvt on the end; however, many converted GEOS files just have the same name as the original GEOS file. As a rule of thumb, any GEOS file you download, regardless of the extension, must be converted to GEOS format with convert2.5. If you download an archive of GEOS files (e.g. a .arc or .sda file containing GEOS files), you must first dissolve the archive using your C64 or C128 in native mode. The constituents of the archive will be converted GEOS files, whether or not they have the .cvt extension. Each of these constituents (which are GEOS files) must be individually converted to GEOS format with convert2.5. + If you need some help with GEOS or any aspect of it, I refer you to Myles + Skinner at mskinner@julian.uwo.ca. He is one of many people who use GEOS + every day and can be of help. 8.3. What is UNIX? UNIX is an OS that was developed by Bell Laboratories in the 1960's and is now used on many workstations. It is a multi-user, multi-process OS that has extensive support from the educational and commercial communities. Internet and Usenet are primarily a collection of UNIX workstations networked together. The UNIX-like OS replacements for Commodore computers mainly emulate the shell of UNIX, where programs are run by merely typing in their name. Other aspects of UNIX, such as multiple processes are supported by some of the offering, which are: Asterix. - A UNIX-Look-and-feel Shell replacement for 64 UNIX128. - A small implementation of UNIX for the 128. ACE 128/64. - A new offering which borrows the UNIX shell look for 64 and 128. It is available at ftp.funet.fi in /pub/cbm/csbruce. 8.4. What is CP/M CP/M stands for Control Program for Microcomputers and is available on every Commodore 128. There is also a CP/M cartridge available for the | Commodore 64, but it cannot read CP/M disks, just 1541 formatted disks, and there are questions concerning its ability to work with all revisions of the Commodore 64. CP/M was very popular in the early eighties before MS-DOS became popular. It requires a Z-80 microprocessor, which the 128 has, or an 8080 processor, and a disk drive capable of reading CP/M disks, such as the 1571. If you don't need to read existing CP/M formatted disks, then a 1541 could also be used. This operating system is the one that MS-DOS was modeled after, so there are a lot of similarities. If you are interested in using CP/M as your primary OS, then please check out the newsgroup comp.os.cpm, as they have more info on the current events concerning CP/M. The version of CP/M used on the 128 is 3.0, commonly called CP/M Plus. It is compatible with earlier versions of CP/M but adds some new features. The copy of CP/M 3.0 that ships with the 128 was specially modified to allow use of the features of the 128, such as the Ram Expansion Unit as a RAM disk, the SID chip, and the extra RAM of the 128. + In the March,1994 issue of dieHard, Mike Gordillo gave an overview of the + CP/M operating system. It is one of many such articles that should be read + by anyone new to CP/M. 9. Enhancements 9.1. How do I increase my disk drive's transfer speed? Fastloaders The Commodore 1541 drive and any drive attached to a VIC-20, C64, Plus 4, C116, or C16 suffer from very slow read and write times. This is caused by Commodore's haste in "economizing" the IEEE-488 bus used in the PET series of Commodore computers into the serial bus. The IEEE-488 bus transferred 8 bits of data at a time, and performed some synchronization steps, or handshaking, between bytes. Commodore reduced the path to 1 bit but kept most of the original handshaking, most of which is redundant when transferring 1 bit at a time. Early on, some developers noted that, since the 1541 drive was intelligent enough to execute a program loaded into its RAM, and the Commodore operating system calls to do disk I/O could be bypassed, they could write software that sped up the loading process by modifying or completely changing the protocol used on the serial bus. This is the idea behind fastload cartridges like FastLoad, Mach 5, etc... Now, as programs became more complex, some programs would not operate with this approach. Thus, the developers then rewrote parts of the Commodore operating system on both the computer and the disk drive, and replaced the parts of them that did disk I/O with new pieces of code. This is the idea behind JiffyDos and others. The basic idea in speeding up the disk drive is to use more than 1 line to transfer data, effectively doubling the transfer speed. Then, reduce synchronization requirements in the protocol to a bare minimum, as synchronizing time is time not being used to do transfers. The fastload cartridges are handicapped somewhat by the need to transfer the portion of the program that runs in the disk drive to the drive using the slow speed evry time the drive is used. This can be alleviated somewhat, but the replacement operating system replacement products like JiffyDos win the race since they do not need to load code into the drive, as it is already there. The products are not 100% compatible, as they sacrifice reliability for speed somewhat. That means that a program that does not load due to an error while using a fastload product will probably load without the fastloading enabled. Also, some programs can not handle the change in loading or reading speed, so these enhancements yield about 90% compatibility. You can also increase the speed of disk drive operation by organizing consecutive parts of a file on disk to fall a certain number of disk sectors apart. This is called the interleave or interleaving factor. Normally, a 1541 disk drive space consecutive parts of a file 10 sectors apart, but you can change that a little to minimize the time needed to find consecutive parts of a file. | Also, the C128 in 128 mode hooked up to a 1571 or 1581 has a built-in fastloading scheme called burst loading. Therefore, if you are in 128 mode and hooked up to a 1581 or a 1571, you already have this feature. However, the 128 in 64 mode reverts back to the old slow serial routines, and the 128 in any mode using a 1541 cannot use the burst load routines. 9.2. How do I expand my disk drive's capacity? CMD sells hard drives for the Commodore 64 and 128. They range in sizes from 50 Megabytes to 200 Megabytes. + You can also expand your disk drives on board RAM capacity, and use that extra + memory for better archiving performance. + Software Support International sells the 1541 RAMBoard, which will increase + you 1541's memory. SSI used to market a similar board for the 1571, but they + have depleted stock and no longer carry it. + If you have access to an IBM of some kind with a hard drive, you can use a + product called 64NET to hook the drive up to the Commodore. 64NET consists + of a cable which connects the CBM User Port and the IBM Parallel Port + together, and a program that runs on both machines. The program on the IBM + is a standard application, but the CBM part is a wedge, so it should + integrate seamlessly with some programs. There are two versions of the + product: the public domain version and the commercial version. + Both are at version 1.57 BETA, have full OPEN/CLOSE/READ/READST + support, can support 4 gigabyte IBM partitions, and have a built-in + off-board monitor which includes some dos wedge functions. Both the + versions' IBM programs have link-based helpsystems and will run on any IBM + machine. The commercial version allows saving of files, wheras the PD + version does not. + The BETA versions are available (with upgrade to final version free) for + AUST$75.00, while the PD version is free. All prices do not include cable + that is required for operation. The cable, program, and more information + can be received from Paul Gardner-Stephen at gardner@ist.flinders.edu.au. 9.3. How do I expand my computer's RAM capacity? C1700/1764/1750 The original form of RAM expansion available to the C64 and C128 were the Commodore REUs (Ram Expansion Units). These REUs plug into the cartridge port, and provide 128K (the C=1700), 256K (the C=1764), or 512K (the C=1750) of additional RAM. This RAM is not true system RAM however; simply adding a 512K REU to your system does NOT mean that your word processor will suddenly be able to edit 512K larger documents. A REU will only be used by a program that was written to take advantage of an REU. As a caveat on this, you can use your REU as additional RAM for a RAMLink . An REU can be used as a Commodore Disk Drive by running the program RAMDOS. This will allow users to save and load files from the REU. If you are using CP/M, the REU can be configured to act like a disk drive under CP/M. Although the C=1764 was originally advertised for the C64, and the 1700 and 1750 for the C128, any of the three RAM expanders will work with either the C64 or the C128. Note that if you want to use any of them on the C64, you need a heavy duty power supply. The 1764 comes with such a power supply. There are hardware hacks that will expand a 1700 or a 1764 to 512K; additionally, a 512K REU can be expanded to 1 Meg or more. See /pub/cbm/ hardware on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca. If you don't wish to do it yourself, there are people who will do it for you, for a fee. While it appears completely safe to upgrade your REU to 1 Meg, there have been some reports of problems with REU's upgraded to 2 Megs. Sometimes the REU will work fine for a while, then fail. If you are upgrading your REU, it would probably be wise to stop at 1 Meg. If you are still memory hungry, consider a CMD RAMLink or RAMDrive. The following individual will do RAM expansions on the 17xx series. He | Has lots of experience doing these modifications. His current quoted price | for expanding a 1750 from 512k to 1 meg is $60. Call for the latest prices. In addition he can do repairs on the RAM. Raymond Day 9601 Morton Taylor Road Belleville, MI 48111-1328 | GEnie email r.day (313) 699-6727 + On a similar note, Software Support International sells a device called + the 1751 clone, which functions just like a 1750. It is not as expandable + as the real 1750, but can be used where a 1750 is recommended or required. geoRAM When Commodore REUs became hard to find several years back, Berkeley Softworks introduced geoRAM, which is a 512K RAM expander. This RAM expander gives you all of the advantages of a 1750 with GEOS. However, it is not 1750 compatible, so it will not work like a 1750 outside of GEOS; it is transparent to other programs. (As a caveat on this, see the info on RAMLink)). DesTerm128 2.0 will not work with a geoRAM plugged in. A special version of GEOS 2.0 (which is bundled with geoRAM) is necessary to | use geoRAM. No additional power supply is necessary to use geoRAM. The + geoRAM can be upgraded to 2MB also. Contact Jens-Michael Gross at + grossibr@buran.fb10.tu-berlin.de for information on upgrading the geoRAM. RAMDrive, RAMLink RAMDrive (RD) and RAMLink (RL) are RAM devices from CMD. The RAM in these devices can be partitioned into native mode partitions (with dynamically allocated subdirectories), or competely 1541, 1571, or 1581 emulating partitions. Thanks to the 15x1 emulating partitions, software does not have to be specifically written to run with a RD or a RL. These RAM devices should appear as a disk drive to most programs. One notable exception is DesTerm v2.00, which does not work with RD or RL. There are few other exceptions, and no major commercial program has a problem running with RL or RD. The deciding factor seems to be whether or not the program uses a drive's internal ram. RL and RD do not `mimic' having this type of internal drive ram, and if a program relies upon this it will not run. The heavily copy protected Digital Solutions' programs use this drive ram for its burst loading routines. So, even though a Maverick/RamBoard combination will write a copy to it to RL, it will fail to boot. However, these programs, once booted from a 1571, will use and access all of RL's many functions for lightening fast loads and saves. RD and RL both have their own power sources, separate from the computer. When you turn off the computer, the power to the RAM device is left on, leaving its contents intact. This power supply always remains on. (For safety from power outages, battery backups are also available.) RAMLink is a powerful, large device. It can be configured from 0 to up to 16 Megs of RAM, using industry standard 1x8 (100ns) 1 Meg and 4 Meg SIMMs.(1x9, and faster Simms can be used.) The RL is constructed so that the user may easily add additional SIMMs at any time. RAMLink has a port into which you can plug a Commodore REU or a geoRAM. You can configure RAMLink to either leave this RAM device alone, or to use the REU/geoRAM's RAM just as if it were part of the RAMLink's RAM. A RAMLink also has a pass-through port, in which you can plug a normal C64/C128 cartridge, and a parallel port for a CMD hard drive. The latter greatly improves the transfer speed of data between your computer and the hard drive. RAMDrive is no longer sold by CMD, since it wasn't much less expensive than the RAMLink, and it was not expandable. However, there are still RAMDrives in many sizes from 1 to 4 MB available on the used market. They are great for people who know they will need too much expansion, and the price of a RAMLink is more than they can spend. Both RD and RL come with a very well documented, thorough, and easily referenced User Manual. Contact CMD for more details. C128 Video RAM The original, "flat" C128's came with an 80 column display that had it's own display RAM that was separate from the system memory of the computer. This "VDC RAM" was 16K in size. After Commodore introduced the C128D, they changed the design and marketed some versions of the Commodore 128D with 64K of VDC RAM. Since them, some programs (e.g. I-Paint, Dialogue128) have come out that either need or support 64K of VDC RAM. Owners of flat 128's can upgrade their video RAM to 64K either by ordering an upgrade plug-in board(e.g. from Software Support International), or by replacing the RAM chips themselves. All that needs to be done is, the two 4416 RAM chips next to the VDC chip need to be replaced with 4464 RAM chips. Note, however, that since this involves soldering in tight quarters on your 128's motherboard, it is very easy to damage the motherboard or the nearby VDC chip. Whenever you wish to use the extra RAM, be sure to set bit 4 in the VDC register 28 (0 = 16kB, 1 = 64kB). The C-256 and C-512 Twin Cities 128 issues #30 and #31 have a hardware scheme for expanding your 128 to 256K or 512K. To people who understand banking on the 128, the 256K modification adds RAM blocks 2 and 3 to your system. The 512K modification adds four more RAM blocks that can be accessed as alternate RAM blocks 2 and 3, or as a completely separate set of RAM blocks 0-3. As with Commodore REUs, software must specifically support the expanded RAM. Since these modifications are relatively new, there is not much software out yet that supports the additional RAM. However, ACE 128 does support this expansion without any special drivers. The hardware modification, while simple from software's point of view, is rather difficult to perform in hardware. Richard Curcio, the designer of the memory modifications, can modify your 128 for you. See Twin Cities 128 issue #31 for more information. Expanded C64's | THE TRANSACTOR magazine published two articles written by Paul Bosacki on | expanding the Commodore 64. The first article (in Transactor 9.2) described | how to expand the 64 to 256kB by swapping RAM chips and contained switches | to perform some special options. The second (in Transactor 9.6) describes | how to expand the Commodore 64 to 1MB, using a 512kB REU and 512kB on the | motherboard. In additiopn, this expansion needs no switches to enable | options, which is an enhancement to the first article. | The Nordic/Finnish MicroBITTI magazine published a two part article by Pekka | Pessi on expanding the Commodore 64. Pessi's design (in MicroBITTI Issues | 1 and 2 for 1987) split the C64 memory map into 4 16kB pages, which could be | each mapped to any 16kB page in 256kB of memory. It uses the same approach | of swapping the 64kB DRAMs for 256kB ones, but does the addressing somewhat | differently. | In 1993, Marko Makela, with help from Pekka Pessi, translated Pekki's | article into English and made it available via the Internet. It is now | available from nic.funet.fi in the directory /pub/cbm/documents/256kB. + Expanded C128's + Marko Makela has written an article on how to expand the C128 and C128D's + memory up to 1024kB. It is compatible with his earlier article on expanding + the C64 to 256kB, so programs written for the expanded 64 should run on the + expanded 128 in 64 mode. The plan and schematic is available via ftp + from nic.funet.fi in directory /pub/cbm/documents/1028. 9.4. How do I increase my computer's speed? There are a number of products that can increase the operating speed of the Commodore 64. These products work by turning off the on-board 6510 and turning on a compatible microprocessor, usually a 65C02 or a 65C816 in 6502 emulation mode. These products will work with any software that does not mind running up to 4 times faster and does not use any of the undocumented opcodes of the 6502 IC. Commodore 64 Accelerators: | Please note that some of these products are no longer offered for sale | by the original companies, but can be purchased from individuals as used | equipment. Turbo Master Accelerator for C64. + The Turbo Master Accelerator is for a C64 (or C64 mode of C128) only, uses + a Rockwell R65C02P4 microprocessor clocked at 4.09 MHz, has its own 64K of + fast static RAM and a 32K EPROM, has hardware/software switchable speed + between 4.09 and normal, and has an enhanced ROM with faster disk routines + that can also be disabled. A JiffyDOS compatibility option was available. Turbo Process Accelerator for the C64. This accelerator, made by Rossm"oller, uses a 65C816P-4 microprocessor to operate the 64 at three speeds: 1MHz, 4 MHz, or anything between 50kHz and 4 MHz. The 65C816 is a 16 bit version of the 6502/6510, so it is possible to write software for the new IC that takes advantage of the 16 bit opcodes. + Flash 8 + This accelerator, which increases the speed of the 64 to 8MHz, should be + available in April 1994. The module, which plugs into the expansion port + of the Commodore 64, will increase the processing speed from 1MHz to 8MHz. + The unit features a Centronics parallel printer port, a CP/M emulator, a + fastloader (60 times faster than standard), and will be 100% GEOS + compatible. The suggested prices are: + 349 DM (~$180.00 US) for the unit with 256kB RAM. + 398 DM (~$210.00 US) for the unit with 1MB RAM. + It is being manufactured and sold by: + Discount 2000 + Postfach 1107 + 53333 Meckenheim, Germany. + +49/2225/701834 (Information) + +49/2225/13360 (Information) + It uses a 65816 CPU (The 65816 is a descendant of the 65XX series) running + at 8MHz to enable the increased speed. Also, it can be optional expanded + to 4 or 8 MB RAM. This product is the successor to the Rossmoeller + TurboAccess 4MHz accelerator card. It contains an REU on-board. Commodore 128/128D Accelerators: The ZIP card for your C128. This accelerator was not produced. Its development has been stopped due to miscellaneous problems. There are no accelerators for the 128 or 128D. + However, there is no reason why the C64 accelerators mentioned above will + not work with the 128 in 64 mode. 9.5. How do I increase my computer screen's resolution? Commodore 64 + Since the Commodore 64's VIC-II cannot be expanded, the only way to increase + the resolution of the Commodore 64 is to turn off the on-board video and + replace its output with one from another IC. The simplist approach + involves attaching an 80 column video chip (6545, 6845, etc.) to the C64 + via the expansion port. This will provide 80 columns of monochrome text. + However, this is only useful for text applications, as most of these video + devices are not capable of doing high resolution graphics. Also, none of + the following are currently produced, but many are sold as used equipment + by users. + Batteries Included BI-80 + This unit combined an 80 column monochrome text video display (using the + 6545 IC) and BASIC 4.0. Either options could be turned on or off via + software control. + DATA 20 80 column unit + This unit preceded the BI80 unit, and was produced from 1982-1984. + Protecto Enterprizes Protecto-80 + This was basically a repackaged DATA-20 unit. Some circuitry was changed + to permit price reduction, but the same functionality is there. Commodore 128 The Commodore 128 comes equipped with an second video display controller in addition to the 40 column VIC chip. This chip can be used while in | 64 mode through clever programming, and the controller's standard 640*200 | pixel size can be expanded to 640*400. However, there is no way to | completely overcome the color limitation of 16 colors 9.6. How do I increase my computer's serial transfer speed? SwiftLink Normally, the C64/128 can easily support up to 2400 bps without special hardware. (DesTerm will take the C128 up to 9600 bps, however; Dialogue128 will do 4800 bps.) If you wish to use a faster modem, you can do so via the SwiftLink cartridge put out by CMD which allows speeds up to 38.4 Kbps. This device plugs into your cartridge port and supplies you with a standard 9-pin serial port. You then connect the desired modem. Telecommunications software must be specifically written to support a SwiftLink; fortunately, this is not rare. For instance, Dialogue128, Novaterm64, and Kermit(v2.2s) support the SwiftLink. 9.7. How do I increase my computer's sound quality? SID Symphony The C64 and C128 come equipped with 1 Sound Interface Device (SID) IC. This provides 3 channels of output. For more channels, one can purchase the SID Symphony cartridge from CMD to provide 3 extra channels. Most newer sound playing and editing software is able to use the extra channels. There are also a number of units one can purchase or build that will provide MIDI capabilities for Commodore 64 and 128 users. 9.8. How do I hook a Hayes(tm) compatible modem to my Commodore computer? There are a number of homemade interfaces available. The TRANSACTOR published an interface in the Nov 87 issue (V8iss3) and Commodore Hacking Online Magazine published plans for one in issue 4 (See MailServer section for retrieval instructions. These are both supposed to emulate the VIC1011A that C= put out many years ago, and you might find one at a computer "flea market". Another version is designed by Stephen Coan. Send email to fred.mueller@att.com for a copy of the schematic in ASCII format. The differences between the two is the Transactor one has switchable options for some of the leads and the Coan one is hard wired. + 9.9. What other ways can I expand my Commodore computer? + There are many hardware items that you can use. Below is a list of a few of + them. Note that some of these items may no longer be in production, and + thus are only available as used equipment. + 80-Line Simplified Digital I/O Board + This unit has 40 TTL input lines and 40 separate buffered digital output + lines plus an expansion socket that could support a standard ROM or clock/ + calendar cartridge. It works on the C64 and all modes of the C128 + (including CP/M mode). Its model number is the SS100 Plus. + "Original Ultimate Interface" + This is a universally applicable dual 6522 Versatile Interface Adapter board + with four 8-bit fully bidirectional I/O ports, eight handshake lines, and four + 16-bit timer/counters. It has IRQ interrupt capability and is expandable + to four boards. It works on the C64 and all modes of the C128 (including + CP/M mode). Its model number is the 641F22. + A/D Conversion Module + This unit is 16 channel, 8-bit, 100 microsecond conversion time. + Piggy-backs on the 641F22 and thus requires it to operate. Works on the + C64 and all modes of the C128 (including CP/M mode). Its model number is + 641F/ADC0816. + The Spartan Apple ][+ emulator for the C64, by Mimic Systems, Inc. + In addition to allowing the use of Apple ][+ hardware/software, this + device boasted four software selectable C64 cartridge slots, a non- + dedicated 8-bit parallel port, and standard audio cassette deck + capabilities for the C64. + ROM upgrades are available for the C-128 and the 1571. 10. Emulators 10.1. What is an emulator? An emulator is a piece of software that runs on a given platform and emulates, or mimics, the operation of another machine. When the emulator loads up a program, the programs runs as though it were running on the emulated platform. For more information on emulators and their use, please see the emulator faq, located in the same directory as this one, under the name of cbm.emulation.faq. The Commodore emulator FAQ is maintained by Peter Weighill and can also be obtained from him at stuce@csv.warwick.ac.uk. 10.2. What platforms do 64 emulators exist on? Well, C64S exists for the IBM, and X64 is available for anyone running X over UNIX. There is also some development on a C64 emulator for the Macintosh. If you own an Amiga, you can purchase A64 to allow the Amiga to run C64 applications. 10.3. What platforms do 128 emulators exist on? None at this time. The 128 is a lot more complex than the 64. 10.4. Are any other Commodore computers emulated? There is a commodore product called the PET emulator that remaps a Commodore 64 to emulate a PET 40 column unit (i.e. PET 4032). You can run this program on a C64 to emulate a PET, or you can run this program on a 64 emulator to emulate a PET on an IBM, for example. 11. Demonstrations 11.1. Just what is a demonstration, or demo? + A demonstration, or "demo" as they are known, is a piece of software that + is designed to provoke a visually and aurally pleasing effect from the + computer. This usually involves large amounts of multi-colored graphics, + complex synthesized or digitized sounds, and orchestrated movement of + shapes or color schemes on the screen. Demos originated as introductions + to "cracked" games, games in which the copy protection had been rendered + useless. As time wore on, the standard abilities of the computer were all + used in demos, and rival "cracker" teams raced to bring out the best demo. + In the search for the "best demo", demo authors, or "coders", tried to + maximize the use of the computer in a demo program. Also, they exploited + any undocumanted feature the computer could provide. Since most of the + circuits in the Commodore computers were multi-purpose, experienced coders + could use some of their features in non-standard ways. Some examples: Removing the top and bottom border. Removing the side borders. Placing text (text mapped sprites) in the open borders. More than 8 sprites on screen at once. pseudo interlacing to create illusion of up to 640*400 resolution. + Since the commercial game market has shrunk significantly over the past + few years, and since demos are sometimes too involved to be classified + as a game into, many demos are packaged so they can "stand-on-their-own". + Users can download a demo, load it up, and run it like any other program. + As demos got more involved, some coders produced cutting-edge technology + demos intended to "one-up" their rival coders, while others made artistic, + but less technically challenging demos for arts sake. Either way, it is + important to note that demos are not usually interactive. They are meant to | be viewed and listened to. Demos are mostly passive entertainment, and appreciation for the effects generated in a demo increases as one realizes the normal limitations of the Commodore line of computers. | So, sit back, load up a demo, run it, and enjoy. 11.2. What does NTSC and PAL mean? These two acronyms refer to the type of TV broadcasting signals used to create the video picture on your TV or monitor. American, Japanese, and Canadians use NTSC, while a good part of Europe uses PAL. This usually makes no difference to programs, as the C64 and C128 in C64 mode always present 200 lines of pixels to the video display. However, since the PAL standard allows more lines to be displayed on the screen and has a slower screen refresh time, the PAL computer has more time before screen refreshes to perform other ooperations, and also can put more information on the screen in some cases, since there are more lines in a PAL dislpay. Since demos use highly optimized timing and complex routines to perform the effects, some demos can only be written for PAL machines. Sometimes, a demo is written for a PAL machine, but it can be made to run on an NTSC machine. Demos that can run on both machines without any code modification are called regular demos, those that can only run on PAL machines are PAL demos, PAL demos that have been modified to run on NTSC machines are called NTSC-fixed demos, and NTSC demos that have been modified to run on PAL machines (rare) are called PAL-fixed demos. 11.3. Where do I get demos? + There is a whole site full of demos. They are located in the + /pub/cbm/c64/demos directory of nic.funet.fi. See section 5.4 for + directions on how to transfer files from this site. 11.4. What is a demo competition? + This is a "convetion" where people from the demo "scene" get together. + They are usually held in Europe, although other countries do have them. + Coders get together and exhibit previously unreleased demos in a competition + where the best ones are ranked according to a subjective scoring system. + At the end of the competition, the demos are released to the public. To + make things somewhata fair, demos are judged according to computer type, so + Amiga demos do not get judged alongside 64 demos. These competitions are + usually held in conjunction with music or art competitions. + Most demo competitions are held within Europe due to copyright laws and + stuff. + Previous pardies (demos parties, or competitions) held were:- + Event Location Date + ----- -------- ---- + Radwar Pardy Germany January 1994 + Pardy III Denmark Decemeber 1993 + Chormance & Faces Pardy Hungary December 1993 + Elysium Pardy Poland Decemeber 1993 + Entropy Pardy Holland June 1993 + Assembley '93 Pardy Finland May 1993 + The Computer Crossroads Sweden April 1993 + Radwar Pardy Germany January 1993 + Duration 1993-1994 (March 1994) + Most pardies are held when all the schools are on hoildays. + The point of a copy pardy is to go there with your computer, meet other + computer friends from other groups and swap different warez, meet other + members of your group and using the combined skills from the members + (graphics/coding/musix/spreading), write a demo before the closing time for + the pardy so it can get voted on. The winner comes away with about 300 + Kronar or similar. + 11.5 What does FLI, DYCP, etc. mean? + Here is a small incomplete list of acronyms used to describe the different + effects used in demos: + Compiled by: + Chief/Padua + MAD/Padua + Virus/The Acient Temple (UK) Jargon Description ------ ----------- + Different Y/X Routines: + DYCP Different Y Char Position. Can run 4 sinus tables though + it. Each letter can have a sperate sinus tables per character. + DYPP Different Y Pixel Position. + DYSP Different Y Sprite Position. + DYXCP Different Y/X Char Position. Like DYCP with coordinate + X/Y movement. Works with Bobs. (Well is a bob routine really). + DYPPTT Different Y Pixel Position Tech Tech. Same as a DYXPP. + TT means tech tech. + FPP/FPD Flexible Pixel Posistion/Fexible Pixel Distance + FLD Flexible Line Distance. + AFLIFPP Advanced Flexible Line Interpretation Fexible Pixel Position. + Graphics: + Graphics In the upper/lower border (Bitmap/4 Colour) + FLI Fexible Pixel Posistion. Full screen. + AFLI Advanced Flexible Line Interpretation. Hi-RES same as amiga + graphics. Gives all 16 colours in an 4x8 character block unlike + usual 3 found in bitmap. + Morphing Picture Coverting from One image to another. + Ray Tracing Maths graphics. + Scrollers:- + Bob Scroll Using character to display a text based scroller with light + source. + Sprite: + Zoomers Sprite based stretching. + Serious side border routines. + Sprite stretching above the standard Double Y expansion + Sprite Multi-Plexing + Vector: + Standard Lots of vector routines, too many to mention. + Shade + TV Box + Shadow + Vector + Under + Rubber + Morphing + Glenz + Light Source + Pixelized + Solid Filled + Plamsa + Rubber + Fractal + Shade Bobs + Shade Line + Plotting: + Star Balls 3D Star Field. + Dot Potters Just dot plotters. + Plot Scroll Dot Plot scrollers. + Maths: + Plasma Very hard to explain + Fractals You know these. + D011/D018 + D011 Split Charset on one side of the screen - Vectical splits in + which is Vecticaliy impossible - an on the other side of the + split you get a FLI or Bitmap Image). + Flexer Bit like a Sprite stretcher. + Bitmap Hardware Swing/Scroll Swing. + Veritcal Rasters 12. Troubleshooting 12.1. What do I do for my ill disk drive? If your drive won't even accept input from the computer, and the drive light is making some blinking pattern, then the drive may be telling you what is wrong. No Blink Kernal (E000-FFFF) ROM or 6522 VIA Failure One Blink 6116 RAM Failure Two Blinks Possible Zero Page RAM Failure Three Blinks DOS (C000-CFFF) ROM Failure Four Blinks DOS (C000-CFFF) ROM Failure Five Blinks 6116 RAM Failure Six Blinks 6116 RAM Failure Seven Blinks 6116 RAM Failure Eight Blinks 6116 RAM Failure 1541 The most common problem facing the 1541 disk drive is alignment. If your 1541 has trouble reading commercial disks, or reading disks written some time ago, but has less trouble reading recently written disks, chances are that your 1541 is out of alignment. C= service centers will typically align a 1541 for anywhere from $20 to $45. There are also 1541 alignment programs, (e.g. Free Spirit's "1541/71 Alignment System") which allow you to align a 1541 yourself. There are those who claim that this does not produce good results, but there are others who claim to have had satisfactory results with these programs. There were a couple of articles in COMPUTE Gazette and I think RUN on how to do this. The real problem is mechanical in nature and can be over come. Other products are PHYSICAL EXAM 1541 and 1571 versions. 1571 The C=1571 drive is normally a double sided drive. However, it can also emulate a 1541 and read single sided disks. Some of the earlier 1571's had older system chips (ROMs) which caused a couple of problems. One, these older drives were typically very slow when writing to the back side of a disk. Two, it would take these drives ~30 seconds to go into single sided mode. To check your ROM version, read the error channel of the disk drive right after startup. On the 128, just PRINT DS$. On the 64, use: 10 open15,8,15:input#15,a,a$,b,c:close15:printa,a$,b,c Run the program; if the message says v3.0 or v3.1, you have the newer ROM. If it has a version <3.0, you probably have the older ROM. One problem that might occur is not having the head close enough to the disk as required because of the light tension of the spring that pulls the head down. Somewhere I remember that there was supposed to be a replacement part. However, one of the alignment programs suggesting using pennies to weight it down and lo and behold it started working. 1581 The C=1581 drive is a 3.5" drive that uses DSDD 800K disks. It is compatible with both the C64 and C128, although some programs will not work correctly with the 1581. A small number of 1581's were shipped with an early version of a controller chip which has problems with some software. 12.2. What do I do for my ill computer? Commodore 64 | A common problem with the C-64 is it's power supply. The C64 power supplies are not especially powerful, and have this disturbing tendency to fail. If your computer stops working, first check the power supply. Replacement power supplies can be obtained from a number of mail order places (e.g. Tenex, Parsec, Inc.). Additionally, several places advertise "heavy-duty" power supplies that come with warranties, and give the C64 enough power to run a REU. If your power supply goes, it can sometimes take other parts of the computer with it. If your power supply has died, but the C64 continues to fail with a known working power supply, it is likely that a few of your chips got fried. + Also, another common problem with the C64 is the fuse inside the computer. + If the system power on light comes on, but you get a blank screen, suspect + the fuse. It is usually blown by misinsertion of devices into the computer. Commodore 128 and 128D Like the 1571, the C-128 has an older ROM and a newer ROM. The differences between the two are less serious than is the case with a 1571. The easiest way to tell the difference is to click down the CAPS LOCK key and hit Q while in BASIC direct mode. If you see a lower case q, then you have an older ROM. If you see an upper case Q, then you have a newer ROM. New ROMs can be ordered from (e.g. the Grapevine Group) for about $25. The ROM chips in the 128 are all socketed, so replacing the chips is relatively easy. 12.3. What do I do for my ill keyboard? + Clean it: + Materials you will need: + Denatured (rubbing) alcohol, a clean pencil eraser, cotton swabs, a small + Phillips head screwdriver, a jewellers size Phillips screwdriver and a + Commodore 64 computer keyboard. + Procedure: + 1. FIRST AND FOREMOST. Make certain that you have discharged any static + electricity in your body by grounding yourself to something like a cold + water pipe. Otherwise, you could blow chips in your computer if you + were to touch the wrong things. + 2. Turn off your computer and unplug any and all cords and connectors, + fast-loaders, modems, etc. (just have yourself a naked (if you will + excuse the expression) computer). + 3. Thoroughly clean all external connectors and ports with the swabs and + alcohol. Also, clean all plugs that go into those ports. If the problem + you had persists, proceed with the following: + 4. On a clean surface, turn your key-board upside-down. Remove the screws + in the bottom. + 5. CAREFULLY, separate the two halves about an inch. Unplug the connector + to the "power" LED on the top of the C-64. + 6. Place the two halves flat so that the keyboard is facing you. The two + halves will be connected by a wire harness. This harness may be held + down by tape that must be removed in order to place the unit flat. + 7. Remove the 15 or so brass screws that hold the circuit board under + the keyboard. + 8. Turn the circuit board over. You will see the bottom of the keyboard + with a rubber "U" under each key, which makes contact with the board. + You will also see on the circuit board, a pair of gold contacts for + each key on the C-64. + 9. CAREFULLY wash ALL the rubber "U"'s and the gold contacts with the + swabs and rubbing alcohol. Allow the alcohol to DRY. + 10.Gently, clean each gold contact with the eraser. BRUSH AWAY THE ERASER + CRUMBS (I use a small hand-held, battery-powered vacuum cleaner). + 11.Re-clean the gold contacts with the swabs and alcohol to ensure that + you have removed ALL traces of the eraser. + 12.Reassemble the C-64 in the reverse order of disassembly. 13. Miscellaneous 1571 side swapping On a 128, you can force the 1571 to go into single sided mode with the drive command "u0>m0". (Issue such a command with open15,8,15,"u0>m0":close15.) On the 64, a 1571 defaults to single sided mode, but you can convert it to double sided mode (and read full double sided disk in 64 mode) with the drive command "u0>m1". While in single sided mode, you can actually format both sides of the disk as separate file systems. The command "u0>h0" selects the regular side of the disk, and "u0>h1" selects the flip side of the disk. Note that the flip side, when formatted this way, cannot be read by a 1541; neither side will be readable by a 1571 when the disk is inserted upside-down. 1581 initial drive number When the 1581 is initialized, as well as checking the boot sector of the disk, it also looks for a file "copyright cbm 86". This file, if found, can specify a device number for the 1581 disk. Whenever the 1581 is booted or initialized with this disk inserted, its device number will be changed to the specified number. The utility 1581-auto-dev by David W. Tamkin (can be found on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in the utilities directory) will create | this file. + drive device number changing through software + To change the device number on Commodore drives, follow these steps: + In the following examples, 'olddn' is the drive's current device number, + and 'newdn' is the new number you wish to change it to. + 1) Turn off all drives except one you wish to change device number of. + 2) Type the following in, depending on drive type: + 1540/41/Most Compatibles: + open 15,olddn,15 + print#15,"m-w"chr$(119)chr$(0)chr$(2)chr$(32+newdn)chr$(64+newdn) + close 15 + MSD SD-1 (Old ROM): + open 15,olddn,15 + print#15,"m-w"chr$(117)chr$(0)chr$(2)chr$(32+newdn)chr$(64+newdn) + close 15 + 1570/17/81 + open 15,olddn,15 + print#15,"u0>"+chr$(newdn) + close 15 + 3) Turn back on other drives. + The change is only temporary. It will revert back if the drive is turned + off. + Using Internet Relay Chat (IRC) + /join #c-64 Channel for the discussion of Commodore 64/128 topics. + /msg Commbot help will get you info on Commbot which carries C64/128 software to download. + /msg Filebot help another C64 bot with software to download from. + /msg coolhand xdcc list if he is online, this user has many c64 files which can be downloaded via this command. + FidoNet echoed message bases to join: + CBM Commodore 64 and 128 News and Discussions + CBM128 Commodore 128 specific News and Discussions + GEOS GEOS News and Discussions 14. Credits I want to extend my thanks to the following people for their help in providing correct, up-to-date information in this FAQ: Fred Mueller, who maintained this FAQ before I. Compuserve Commodore Forum Sysop Marte Brengle, for the write up on CIS. Gunther Birznieks, for the updated info on the Zip-Card. Jouko Valta, for the info on accessing the extra VDC RAM. Robert Cook, for the correct info on the fastloader internals. Andreas Boose, for the info on the Turbo Process. Craig Bruce, for proofreading, spellchecking, LRR info, and .bco info. Richard Hable, for info on 1541-dos. Peter Weighill, for info on the emulation FAQ. Georg Schwarz, for proofreading the FAQ. Gaelyne Moranec, for info on CEE-64 Alive! Kevin Jensen, for the magazine and repair info, and for proofreading. George Page, for info on Colorado User's Group. Fredrik Ekman, for info on the commodor mail list. Chris Bongarts, for more info on the commodor mail list. Russell Alphey, for info on cbm-hackers mail list. Craig Bruce, for info on the new home of ccosun. Michael Kelley, for updated info on BBCG User Group. Richard Hable, for info on RAMDOS. Philip Zembrod, for info on drive blink patterns. Tom Netsel, for info on Compute's Gazette. Shahriar Ghadishah, for more info on the disk drive blink patterns. George Page, for still more info on the drive blink patterns. + Sven Goldt, for info on the Flash8 accelerator. + Edward Piecewicz, for info on the Boston Computer Society. + Jean Nance for more info on her User Group. + Mark Rejhon, for info on 22DSK137, and Novaterm's Z-modem. + Jim Butterfield, for info on new CIS rates, and proofing. + Patrick Fleming, for info on Novaterm Z-modem. + Charles Grifor, for the truth about Q-Link. + ETIPTON, for info on geoNews. + Chris McBride, for info on LHARC, UNZIP64, and troubleshooting tips. + David Case, for info on Commodore World. + Kevin Jensen, for info on user groups and magazines. + Lonnie McClure, for dispelling the CMD-C65 rumors. + Harold Hoover, for info on the Anchorage User Group. + Tony Clark, for more info on the demo scene. + David Tamkin, for info on changing drive numbers. + Marko Makela, for info on the 128 expansion plans and proofreading. + Jens-Michael Gross, for info on expanded geoRAMs. + Joshua Brandt, for info on Mega-Disk. + Anthony Hawkins, for proofreading and info on the 1750 clone. + Jim Deardon, for info on new GEnie prices and keyboard cleaning. + Andrew K, for info from his C64 Contacts Newsletter. + George Page, for more repair facilities and info on file types. + Jon Mines, for info on Threshold Productions. + Doug Cotton, for CMD and Commodore World corrections. + Gilles Bourdin, for info on the Commodore economic status. + Soeren D. Nielsen, for info on the US and overseas offices of Psygnosis. + Jane Davis, for info on the C-NET BBS program. + Anthony Hawkins, for info on the DATA 20/Protecto 80 column boards. + Eric W. Brown, for info on the 1541 RAMBoard and the miscellaneous add-ons. + Ivan Kohler, for corrections to c64-hackers mailing list. + Eric W. Brown, for info on c=hacking mailing list. + Russell Alphey, for new info on the c65 mailing list. + Jon Mines, for updated info on Novaterm. ---END---