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Info for c64


====== Commodore 64 (1982) ======


===== Features =====

* CPU: 6510 0.985 MHz (PAL) / 1.023 MHz (NTSC)
* Co-Processor: VIC II (Video), SID (Sound)
* RAM: 64 KB
* ROM: 20 KB
* Text Modes: 40 columns x 25 lines
* Graphic Modes: Several, most used : 320 x 200
* Colors: 16 + 16 border colours
* Sound: 3 voices / 9 octaves, 4 waveforms (sound output through TV)
* I/O Ports: RGB (composite, chroma/luma and sound in/out), 2 x Joystick plugs, Cartridge slot, Tape interfarce (300 bps), Serial,
* User Port, TV RF output
* Keyboard: Full-stroke 66 keys with 4 function keys
* Built In Media: Cassette unit. Provision for 170 KB 5.25" floppy disc unit (1541)
* Built In Language: Basic



===== Usage =====

== Cassettes ==

Cassette images with the .wav or .prg extensions as well as multiple .prg files contained within a zip file can be loaded. Zip files must be placed in the current directory, and the contained prg files are played in sequential order.

The format for WAVs are:
8 bit (16 bit may work, but this hasn't been tested), mono, 12500 Hz minimum.

This has the same problems as an original Datasette tape drive: the tone head must be adjusted to get working (no load error...) wav-files. To adjust it, remember that tape volume is "DAC1 volume" within the MESS UI On Screen Display Options (accessed
with the tilde (~) key).

Once you're at the BASIC prompt you can load a tape typing:
LOAD
or
LOAD""
or
LOAD"",1
You can use
LOAD"",1,1
to load programs which requires a special address.

Warning: Currently tape support is broken in MESS.

== Floppy Disks ==

MESS currently emulates only loading from drive 8 and 9 in the C64 emulation. These drives correspond to the devices "floppydisk1" (flop1) and "floppydisk2" (flop2) emulated by MESS. To run a .d64 image you have to launch

mess.exe c64 -flop1 "C:\pathtogame\gamename.d64"

Once you're at the BASIC prompt you have various options:

* to list the content of the floppy

LOAD"$",8
LIST

* to load a BASIC program from the disk

LOAD"filename",8

* to load a machine language program at its address

LOAD"filename",8,1

* to load the first program from the disk (useful if you're not sure of which is the correct one to load)

LOAD"*",8

Once the program is loaded, a "READY" message will be prompted and you can run your program by simply typing

RUN

or the appropriate SYS call. If you launched the game on -flop2, you will need to use drive 9 in place of drive 8 in the commands above.

Note that several programs rely on more features not currently emulated (such as loading other file types, writing...) Some games also rely on starting programs in the floppy drive's processor (and therefore CPU level emulation of the 1541 is needed).

== Cartridges ==

Cartridges may have any of the following extensions: .prg, .crt, .80, .90, .a0, .b0, .e0, .f0. Files with boot-sign in it are recognized as ROMs. Some cartridges may require more than one image.

* .?0 files are loaded to the address specified in the extension.
* .crt ROMs are loaded to the addresses specified in crt file.

To use "cartridge1" (cart1) or "cartridge2" (cart2) slots in MESS, simply launch

mess.exe c64 -cart1 "C:\pathtogame\gamename.crt"

and the game will start. Currently, only few of the available types of .crt files are supported.
Note that .prg files are often cartridge images as well, but in MESS they are assigned to the quickloader (see below).

== Quickloader ==

A quickloader is available via command line or using the F8 key. It supports program image files with extensions .prg, .p00 and .t64 (the latter are tape images, but most of them are loaded to a fixed address). The quickloader loads the program into memory and sets the program end pointer. It shall work with most programs. To use the "quickload" (quik) device in MESS: launch

mess.exe c64 -quik "C:\pathtogame\gamename.prg"

and simply type the command

RUN

to start the program.

== Miscellaneous ==

Gameport A supports paddles 1 & 2, joystick 1, lightpen (implementation not finished). Gameport B supports paddles 3 & 4, joystick 2.

If you run into difficulty, be sure to start the emulation with the -log switch, and look into the error.log file that is created in your mess directory.

If the game runs too fast with the NTSC version, try the PAL version! (c64pal)

== Keyboard ==

CLR INST
<- 1! 2" 3# 4$ 5% 6& 7' 8( 9) 0 + - £ HOME DEL f 1


CTRL Q W E R T Y U I O P @ * UP RESTORE f 3

RUN SHIFT
STOP LOCK A S D F G H J K L :[ ;] = RETURN f 5

CRSR CRSR
C= SHIFT Z X C V B N M ,< .> /? SHIFT U/D L/R f 7


SPACEBAR

Notes: "C=" is a key with the Commodore logo, "UP" is an arrow pointing up, the "CRSR" keys at the bottom-right corner are used to move the cursor on screen (Up/Down and Left/Right resp.). Also notice that in general modern QWERTY keyboards do not have enough keys, so by default the operation keys "+", "-" and "*" are mapped to the correspondent keys on the numeric pad of your keyboard.

===== Known Issues =====

* Tape support is currently broken
* Cartridge support (.crt files) is reduced to few kind of carts
* The rasterline based video system currently has the following issues: no CPU holding, imperfect scrolling support (when 40 columns or 25 lines), lightpen support not finished, rasterline not finished.
* Sound is not currently supported
* The restore key is not currently working.
* NTSC/PAL select not correct.
* The Gameports do not support the mouse (Serial Protocol?).
* No printer or other devices support in the serial bus (apart from simple disk drives).
* Simple tape support not working (cia timing?)
* As far as expansion modules go, non-bankswitching ROM cartridges (exrom) should work, but no other ROM cartridges (those with bankswitching logic in it, switching exrom, game). There is no ieee488 support nor support for other expansion modules.
* No userport support and no rs232/v.24 interface.

== cia6526 issues ==
* port a,b
* handshake support, flag input, not pc output
* no serial in/out, cnt
* timer a,b
* not counting of external clocks
* not switching port b pins



===== History and Trivia =====

Designed similar to the Vic-20, the Commodore 64 featured a better video chip supporting sprites, as well as the famous sid6581 sound chip, two "Atari-compatible" joystick ports, and 64 kilobytes of RAM.

The Commodore 64 is, along with the Apple II and the Atari 8-Bit computers, one of the most famous home computers of its era. During its production from 1982 to 1993 (!) 17 to 22 million (!) of these computer would sell, to put in perspective, that's more than all the Macintoshes in the world. It was one of the first to offer a high quality sound chip and graphic resolution with many colors and sprites. A great range of peripherals was developed for this computer and can use several of the Vic 20 peripherals.

Several versions of the Commodore 64 were launched : The first one (C64-1) uses the VIC 20 case, it will be quickly replaced with the C64-2 which uses the famous brown case and by the C64-3 with small cosmetic changes in the keyboard. A special version called Educator 64 or PET64 or CBM 4064 was proposed for schools and uses the PET case.

Commodore produced the first generation of C64s until May 1986, then it was discontinued and they introduced the C64C. According to the 64'er magazine, this version has been planned since the Hannover Fair in 1985, but as the old version sold so well during Christmas '85, its release date was pushed back.

The new model does not differ much from its predecessor, the only innovation is the flatter case, which makes the keyboard (which has off-white keys now) more ergonomic (it looks like the C128 case), as it is less higher than the old one. But the new case did not only have advantages: due to its low profile and additional metal screening, some of the numerous hardware expansions did not fit anymore. This was changed with the C64G. The 64'er staff noticed that VIC-II as well as the two CIAs have new version numbers; they didn't write which, though (these are probably just bugfixed chips).

The official name for this model was "C=64 C", but nevertheless the German 64'er magazine decided to call it "C64-II" (because the first units didn't have the new name on the label at the bottom), the badges on all the 64 C's just says "Commodore 64". They pointed out
that this name was only valid for the 64'er magazine, but since the 64'er was the magazine for the C64 for a long time, the name was widely accepted and so this model is mostly known as "C64-II" in Germany.

Then appeared the C64 "Aldi" (1987, only in Germany) and the C64G (1989). They were virtually same machines, this time with the new, short motherboard. So, although the case might look the same and the label says "Commodore 64", the boards may be completely different.

Commodore also released a "laptop version" (though hardly portable) of the C64, called SX64. This computer has a built-in 5" color screen, one detachable keyboard, one 5.25" floppy disk drive (the famous 1541) and a second one can be installed as well. A version called DX-64 was launched (in very limited quantities) at the same time, it has same characteristics as the SX64 except its two 5.25" floppy disk drives. The SX64 and DX64 computers never had success, but it is known as the world's first color portable.

Finally, the C64GS was released in 1990. Basically it was a re-boxed C64, without a keyboard or any other interfaces, except for the cartridge slot on top. It didn't have much success as you could buy a C64 for not much extra, and the C64GS games would still work on the C64.It came with one game cartridge containing International Soccer, Klax, Flimbo's Quest and Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O'Fun. The carts had a memory of 4 megabits (512k).

//(info from old-computers.com)//



===== Links =====

* C64.com -- http://www.c64.com/
* C64files.com -- http://www.c64files.com/
* Commodore 64 Nostalgia -- http://www.staggs.pair.com/c64/
* LEMON 64 -- http://www.lemon64.com/
* C64 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/commodore64.shtml
* C64 at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=98



===== Other Emulators =====

* VICE -- http://www.viceteam.org/
* CCS64 -- http://www.ccs64.com/
* Free64 -- http://www.umr.edu/~bmartin/
* Frodo -- http://frodo.cebix.net/
* Win64 -- http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/park/6558/win64.htm




Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009