Nice work and thanks for the writeup. Ted Fried has a variety of microsequencer based CPU cores based on FPGA (and ARM) and I think they are quite good.
I was curious to see where the author sourced a SID chip, perhaps the most prized component of a C64 these days. It's an ARMSID, an ARM-based emulator.
I keep thinking I'll pull my C64 out of the attic, but the nostalgia is kind of fading for me at this point. That compact flash cartridge looks really cool, though. I would have loved something like that back in the day.
If you can find those for 40-pin still, I would try padding them OR solder a frame + lid on the new motherboard or if you can find one of the RF shields that covered the whole left side of the motherboard (can't find a picture of it now, they are rare)... But yes the situation is tricky so I don't blame your solution really.
I know it's hard but ideally you would try to preserve this incredible chip, that is flawed like some old poststamp!
I totally relate to your love for the flaws. The MOS team was incredible at the time, true hackers at scale, and the flaws are documented history on their release early, release often process.
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 53.1 ms ] threadhttps://microcorelabs.wordpress.com/2021/04/19/mcl64-worlds-...
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I keep thinking I'll pull my C64 out of the attic, but the nostalgia is kind of fading for me at this point. That compact flash cartridge looks really cool, though. I would have loved something like that back in the day.
Another strategy is buying cheap faulty C64 boards and ripping the SID from them, but it's risky. The SID might be dead (or not there at all).
Great project and write-up!
> In order for the original C64 keycaps to fit the stems of the Gateron switches, 3D printed key adapters have to be used.
It still relies on a set of original C64 keycaps.
Here are some new keycaps: http://move.rupy.se/file/blue.jpg http://move.rupy.se/file/brown.jpg
Unfortunately they are a bit fragile: http://move.rupy.se/file/fragile.jpg
There is also Mechboard64 for a new Cherry-switch keyboard, unfortunately it uses 3D printed adapters.
For the CPU you can replace it with this but it has alot of shortcomings: https://monotech.fwscart.com/MOS_CPU_Replacer_(65108501)/p60...
The CIA, SID and VIC2 are unreplacable... the ARM/FPGA versions don't look or sound anything near the originals.
That R1 is too rare to only put sticky heatsinks on it.
Yeah, that R1 deserves better. What would you use?
The problem is the R1 has a bump on it so these don't really work: https://klsele.com/products/418/419/3771.html
If you can find those for 40-pin still, I would try padding them OR solder a frame + lid on the new motherboard or if you can find one of the RF shields that covered the whole left side of the motherboard (can't find a picture of it now, they are rare)... But yes the situation is tricky so I don't blame your solution really.
I know it's hard but ideally you would try to preserve this incredible chip, that is flawed like some old poststamp!