Tag: computer

So, you got a Commodore 64 or bought a C64 Mini and don’t know what to do with it? This list is not comprehensive, but it should get you started. For simplicity sake, we have linked directly to the site or store itself. Websites are dynamic, however, and the links could change. Let us know if that happens.

We are reasonably certain that the links provided are not only safe, but more or less legitimate sources as well. However, we cannot make any sort of guarantee to that.

*Important! PLEASE NOTE: Downloading copyrighted materials is illegal in most countries. Do so at your own risk. Be sure to know and follow the laws in your area before downloading any such material. 

Hardware
The C64 Mini	Home of The C64 Mini
Individual Computers	Home of the C64 Reloaded
TFW8B	The Future Was 8 Bit
Ultimate 64	Home of the Ultimate 64 board
Retro Innovations	Home of hardware mods for C64
Pixel Wizard	Home of new C64C style cases.
Commodore4ever	Accessories for Commodore machines
CBMStuff.com	A Variety of C64 Hardware
COREi64	3D Printed Commodore parts
Restore Store	More Hardware (in German)
idoregesz.hu	Unique hardware from Hungary
Media
64K	64K YouTube Channel hosted by BastichB
Morgan Just Games	C64 longplays and info hosted by Jamie Morgan
Commodore4Ever	Commodore4Ever Channel
Jan Beta	Detailed retro repairs hosted by Jan Beta
The 8-Bit Guy	Commodore and retro hosted by David Murray
Perifractic C64	C64 videos from Perifractic’s Retro Recipies
MsMadLemon C64	C64 Videos from MsMadLemon
SIDspieler.de	SID Music Site (German)
C64 Radio	C64 SID Tunes Radio
Chicken Head	The Chicken Head Chronicles Commodore 8 bit
Software (ROMs, disk image, and abandonware)
C64.com	Site dedicated to preserving C64 software.
My Abandonware	Massive abandonware site
Games That Weren’t	Games that Weren’t abandonware and recovery.
Gurce.net	Site of C64 Mini Wiki and some game packs
C64 Scene	The C64 Scene Database
GEOS	GEOS Software and docs
Commodore.software	Commodore Utilities and Software
C64 Games	C64 Games site. (German)
Software NEW
Protovision	Developer of current C64 Games
RetroGamerCD	Developer of New C64 Games
Poly.Play	New Hardware and Software
C64OS	C64 OS Project
8bitguy	Home of Planet X2 and other software
Psytronic	Downloadable C64 and other Commodore games
RetroZone	Boxed versions of Psytronic Software
Emulators
VICE	VICE multi-system Commodore emulator
Combian 64	Raspberry Pi Quick boot VICE emulator
Books, Reference, and Documentation
Archive.org	Commodore 64 Book Archive.
SharewarePLUS	C64 Hardware Blog
C64 Mini Zone	C64 Mini reference site with useful tools
GameBase64	C64 Games Database
Lemon64	Large Forum for Everything Commodore
C64 Wiki	The Commodore 64 Wiki
Zzap! 64	Zzap! 64 Magazine and archive
Reset 64	Reset Magazine
Commodore Free	Commodore Free Magazine
C64 Blast	C64 Blast Magazine
Other Sites
C64 Registry	Commodore Serial Number Registration
Breadbox64	C64 Blog
Commodore BBS	Commodore Bulletin Board Service Outpost
The C64 Community	The C64 (Mini) User board
C64 Fan App	Web based C64  aggregator. (Login Required)

Gigabytes Technology LLC is providing this information free of charge or obligation. We were not paid or compensated for providing these links.

 

The C64 Mini can set all kinds of settings through the use of .CJM files, however, what if you just have a single problematic game and don’t really want to configure a whole .CJM file? There is a older method that works with the mini called Flag Configuration.

How it works: At its most basic, it is simply renaming a file and adding an underscore (_) and a two capital letter tag to the end of the file name.

Example: Jupiter-lander.d64 —> Jupiter-lander_J1.d64

The above example tells the mini that this file is a joystick port 1 game.

SIDE NOTE: The ports on the Commodore had to be addressed directly from code so some games used joystick port 1 and most others used joystick port 2.

You can add any number of flags in any order to the end of the file. It should be noted that if your game has underscores in the name, you may have to remove those as well for this to work.

Example: The Jupiter Lander file is a PAL joystick 1 image you want to run on an NTSC system. It doesn’t load properly so you want to turn the cycle accurate disk reader on (use Accurate Disk Drive Mode).

Jupiter-lander.d64 —> Jupiter-lander_TPJ1AD.d64

Flag Key

Flag	Description	Use
J1	This sets the primary joystick port as port 1. With a second Joystick connected, it automatically uses port 2.	Use this flag if you cannot use a joystick with a game you know should work with one.
J2	This sets the primary joystick port as port 2. With a second Joystick connected, it automatically uses port 1.	Port 2 is the default for the Mini so it does not need to be set.
AD	Stands for “Accurate Disk”. Turns on the cycle exact disk reader on the Mini.	Use this if your game is unstable when you try to run it.
RO	This makes the disk image read-only.	This is mainly for protection, however, some games did check this for copy protection.
NI	“No Indicator” turns off the drive access indicator.	Mainly a user preference thing.
TN	Tells a PAL (European) system that the disk image is NTSC (Japan and North America).	Use if you are running a PAL system with an NTSC image or the game play seems too slow.
TP	Tells an NTSC (Japan and North America) system that the disk image is PAL (European).	Use if you are running a NTSC system with an PAL image or the game play seems too fast.

This information is found in more detail here under Appendix A.

Technical Note: “Accurate Disk” does slow the loading of games down, however, it does not turn off the “fast loader” on the C64 Mini. Before loading your ROM or disk image, press the third button on the C64 Mini to turn off Fast Load.