Pickled Light

PREAMBLE I found myself in need of a bit of mental stimulation over the past few weeks, and wanted to take on a project that would really tax the old grey matter.

Straight-off-the-bat, this is not a review of the HD-64.

At the links below, I have declared blind AB Audio tests comparing an original MOS 6581 SID chip with modern SID replacements: Test 01 - 6581 SID versus ARMSID Test 02 - 6581 SID versus Nano SwinSID b Anticipated Questions What is this?

A few weeks ago I was watching this YouTube video and thought to myself, "I gotsta get me one of them!"

Before I bought into the Ultimate II+L for my Commodore 64, my go-to for 1541 disk emulation was a Pi1541.

This right here is one of those things you hope you never need for your Commodore 64, but the moment you do, you'll be really glad you went to the bother.

Please note: this article was published in June 2024.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, one of my goals with my Commodore 64 projects was to have a machine consisting of 100% new parts.

Ok, it's been several months since the last update and a lot has changed.

Some things really try my patience.

It strikes me now, and I'm pretty far down the line, that this particular project will only be of use to a very small number of (discerning) readers.

Rage Against the Machine The single biggest hurdle in this whole exercise can be summed up in one word: retrofitting.

Well, here's a turn up for the books.

I gotta admit, I never thought this day would come.

Please note, since writing this article in April '23 the Ultimate II+ L has had several firmware updates which radically enhance the functionality of the device.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of years (or have zero interest) you have probably heard of the VIC-II Kawari, the brainchild of Randy Rossi, and, as the name implies, a modern replacement for the venerable VIC-II chip found in…

The Commodore 64, is many things, but a media centre is not one of them.

Not content with managing to design and have manufactured a perfectly respectable RF Modulator replacement for my SixtyClone 250466 Commodore 64, I had another itch to scratch.

If you've read my series on how I built my SixtyClone Commodore 64, you will know my first build was a disaster, due entirely to the appalling quality of the chip sockets I bought.

I am stoked to advise, to those brave souls who manage to read this far, that Revision C of my JaF64 solved all my issues and that this Modulator Replacement now works exactly as planned, with all the correct component values.

If you've been following along then you will know that over the previous instalments I have taken you on the bumpy ride of designing and building a brand new RF Modulator replacement (The JAF64) for my 250466 SixtyClone board with no real clue what I'm do…

Designing the PCB in KiCad In Phase 2, Part 1, after much graft, I got the hang of designing my modulator replacement schematic in KiCad.

Building the Schematic in KiCad If you've been following along with this series of posts about trying to build an RF Modulator replacement from scratch, you'll know how I got to where I am now.

Prototyping with a Breadboard Revision B Lets start, as always, with a recap.

Prototyping with a Breadboard Revision A In Part 3 of this lunacy, I sourced what I thought were suitable components for constructing a new RF Modulator replacement.