Commodore Free 16/Commodore_Free_Issue_16_2008_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.b guide 1.1

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 11KB | 339 lines

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The Beginning
Lord Ronin from Q-Link

Chapter 1, Section 1 of 2

 "How do I use this thing?". To quote
The Cat from Red Dwarf "What is it?",
a line he would say often about most
techy things. "Where is the computer?".

 OK that is enough of the things that
I hear about the Commodore 64/128
system from people that know nothing
about it or how it functions. Save for
one thing that I hear a lot, 'cause
other people say it and so do I, "How
do I use it?". Yuppers same pretty
much as the opening line. That in a
small way is what this set of writings
is all about.

 First lets clear a few things up.
There were around 30 million of these
buggers sold. According to some
people. I don't have all of them, at
least not yet <BG>. This was the most
popular PC of the 80s and into the
early 90s. Why is the next question
that I am usually asked. Well despite
my over talkative nature. That reason
can't really be pinned down in a few
words. Perhaps this set of
informational things will help,
perhaps you will find the magic as you
play with the PC. Other computer
companies in that time frame said they
were the best or the #1. Well they did
just like a Mr. Hitler did in the
1930s. They lied about things. But for
the truth on this part. I suggest you
check out "On the Edge" by Mr. Brian
Bagnall. Found through amazon and
other online sources. Web search for
the commodore book and you may find it
that way as well <VBG>

 But back to clearing things up about
this set of writings. Since I digress
with the amount of stuff about this
great PC. I am not an expert on the
subject. I am a fanatical user that
thinks this is the world's greatest PC.
I am not a hardware hacker <guy that
messes with the actual workings and
such>. Nor am I a sofware hacker or
cracker <guy that tears into & changes
programmes>/ In fact I am not yet even
a lamer level of a BASIC programmer. I
am a user, and that is the end to it.
So tech and gear heads are gonna get
sleepy reading this stuff.

 Next to clear up is the who that I am
writing this for, besides my own
egotistical needs. 'cause man with the
way I ramble about, you know that I am
not a writer. Well I am writing these
for those that I call 2nd generation
users. That being anyone that scored
up a Commodore PC, lets shorten that
to C=, after the big heyday of the C=.
Reason is the lack of easy to gain
assistance in any form. A subject that
I have harped on for years, that I
have read about in lists and
publications, and hear in my own users
group.

 Not to say that the information isn't
around. Just hard to get these days.
The books and magazines are not on the
racks at the stores anymore. You have
to find them in yard sales and the
like. Check online and let the word
get out that you are interested. Then
you get what ever is there at the
time. Oh yeah and now you may have to
pay collectors prices for them as
well.

 There is another source of information
on the C=. This is other people that
have or still in some way use the C=.
Here though is the big problem. The
"been there, done that, got the doll
and bumper sticker" attitude. You are
at the page one and they are on volume
27. Many of them don't want to help you
from your level. They want you to be
near their level. Which they gained
from long hours and many years. Add to
that part, the fact that they know the
stuff. Well it doesn't mean that they
can teach it to someone else.

 OK now there is one other problem in
learning about the C=. Not the history
revisionists from other companies, who
just seem to forget the existance of
the C=. No this problem may be in you.
By that I mean what you already know
about computers. That information may
need to be trashed. As the C= is a
completely different breed of computer.
You may find that the colour and
meaning of words are not the same as
you currently understand. Since the
older and to some the original meaning
of the words are used in the C= books.

 Right, now that I have pretty much
offended most of the readers. Lets get
to you the beginner. Who has gone
through the above explanations of this
series and some of reasons for it and
wonder why you read this far. <VBG>

 There are going to be a lot of self
anecdotal bits here to illustrate my
presentation. Which is simply, using
the C= for the rank, abject first
timer. I'll digress as is my habit,
when there are side points to mention.
For that I must give a reason. Like
there is over 25 years of C= computing
stuff out there, including post
manufactured items. Stuff that came
out after the company croaked. Give
you a hint there that this is a loved
PC.

 Now then to the meat. In some way you
have gotten a Commodore PC. Since more
of the 64s where made than the 128
units. Plus the 128 ones also had the
64 in them. <That will be explained
later> I am going with the 64 as the
main line theme.

 You have one! Got it as a 2nd hand
hand me down. Scored it in a yard sale,
rummage sale, jumble sale, thrift
store, out of the closet, attic and all
of that sort of thing. You have it
because it is of interest to you. Or
you are too ashamed to tell the giver
to smeg off. Maybe you got it to do an
electronics project. Rip out the music
chip for an electronic instrument. Or
you are into retro computers and want
to see what they were like 20 some odd
years ago. Yeah we did have electricity
before computers <VBG>.

 In any case. You have odds on that
you didn't get it in the same way as
original. So lets over that now, and
you compare to what you have. There is
a pretty coloured, friendly looking
box. Inside in Styrofoam holders is
your C=64. There is also a couple of
cords <not all the time>. A black or
tannish brick with two cords out of it
and a "C=" symbol on it someplace.
There is also a manual. That manual is
what we will talk about in depth a
little later on in this series.

 One by one, that brick thing, and
yeah it is called a power brick, is
the thing that makes the C= work. For
now, don't do anything with it. As all
things that plug in and out of the C=
should be done with the power OFF.
This has two ends. One for the wall
socket and the other for the hole near
the switch on the right hand side of
the 64. Early word of warning for you.
That power brick is under powered for
add-ons. You can literally fry an egg
on it, if you add many things to the
system. Yeah I did it as a joke. There
will be some heat. But if it is hotter
than you want to put your finger on it
for over a couple of seconds. Well
according to my old college electronics
teacher. Then it is over 140 degrees.
[Note of explanation, I'm in NTSC land
and know very little about PAL things.
All measurements are in standard US
style. Remember also that that power
supply is probably old enough to vote
and in many cases old enough to drink.

 I said that there are two cords, and
this is also not always the truth.
There would be one cord that will plug
into a socket on the rear of the
computer, and the other end through a
matching transformer. Oh that is a
little black thing that may have a
switch and is to be plugged into your
antenna input on the T.V. Right your
newer T.V. doesn't have an aerial
input. Rather it is cable ready. Not
to worry, electronics stores have the
adapter thing needed. Before you ask,
yeah man, this was made to connect to
your T.V. set. Much as in the same
ways as the old game consoles did, in
fact the same converter for the game
console works for the C=. That is
because more people had T.V sets than
monitors at that time. But the C= will
work on a composite monitor as well.
Reverse is true, the monitor works
great for a T.V. set. I know as that
is what I am using at the kibbutz.

 Hey if you are really lucky and have
the box. See if the serial number on
the box matches the one on the bottom
of the C=64. If it does, and you don't
want the system. Matching numbers
makes it more valuable on re-sale.

 So where are we? Oh yeah confused
with my ramblings. Well to be honest,
I don't know the what and how you
gained your C=. Nor what you have in
it. To that end, here is some of what
I have picked up in collections, and
it may fit what you have at hand. You
see, I started in the 2nd generation.
All of my Commodore created stuff is
also used. Well my first system was a
late Channukha present. To long of a
story to bring up here. Suffice to say
that I was computer phobic. I scored
up a 64, monitor, pair of joysticks,
pair of paddles <another form of
joystick>, and a printer. None of
which I knew how to use. Now then I
also gained a couple of disk boxes
<plastic things that hold 50 or 100
disks, depending on the size> of C=
disks. Theses came in two major types.
Factory disks, which are disks of
programmes, commercialy made. Got
pretty lables and at times you can
even get the box for them. The other
type is what we term "arkhive".
Apolite term for copies and pirateware,
of factory disks. OK according to what
I have read, be it true or not. One can
legally make a backup of the software.
If they sell the software, that is the
original factory. All back ups must go
along with the sale. Anyway there was a
lot of different viewpoints of the
copyright laws in those days. Along
with different laws in different
countries. Well I also got the manual.
That is how the gang hooked it up and
we started playing some of the games.
I thought at that time that I would
never have to spend a quarter on games
in the bars again. <VBG>

 Over the following years. I have
bought C= collections from just a few
items to a car with trailer load.
Monitors, printers, a few thousand
disks, cables, drives, tape machines
and several special things. Which can
be discussed later. So you can see
that there are many ways, and amounts
to collecting C= things. Therefore I
can't really say what you have in your
collection. Just have to deal with the
generic stuff.

Having rambled on about all of that
drenn. My general idea is that you have
a few disks and some hardware. Right
now I want to get you set up. Starting
not with the C=. But with the video
display unit. OK that is a fancy word
phrase for the T.V. or Monitor. Since
most systems that I have had the great
pleasure of grabbing, have a monitor. I
will start with that assumption. Those
that will be connecting to the TV, skip
ahead a bit.

 So then, keeping the techy talk down.
Lets plug that puppy into the monitor.
You need a cord/cable for that. Hope
that it came with the system. You can
order them online from auction places.
Even have one custom built for you.
But lets say you have one. There are
different styles. They all have
something in common. One end has a
round <called DIN> plug. This bugger
plugs into the back of the C=. OK I
know that there are two holes there
that look like the same thing. Facing
the back of the C=, it is the one to
your left. Don't worry, the pin
configuration will only allow it to
fit in the proper socket. Now the
other end. Take a breather and look at
that other end. You can have as little
as two and as many as five connectors.
Depending on the year your system was
released. Your socket on the C= may
have more or less pin holes. I know
that without others to compare, this
makes little sense. My point is that
later modles did a thing to the video
output. That for lack of a better
explanation is Split Video. Bit more
on that in a moment, in regards to the
cable.

Continued in Section 2