Marko Mäkelä’s old computers (original) (raw)
Tämä asiakirja on saatavilla myössuomeksi. Dieses Dokument ist auch auf Deutsch erhältlich.
I got my first computer, a Commodore 64, after a long time of begging my parents, in the spring of 1986. I did not acquire further computers until the 1990s, and I will not forget my first computer: in 1993, I founded a public file archive for 8-bit Commodore computers onFUNET’s file server, and I maintained the archive until June 2005.
I have a largish collection of Commodore computers and some others, such as a few Atari VCS 2600, a Tangerine Oric-1 and a Digital MicroVAX II.
Software
The program converts files related to 8-bit Commodore computers from one format to another. I developed it in order to unify the Commodore file archive. The program is included in the DebianGNU/Linux distribution.
Data transfer and remote management utility for 8-bit Commodore computers. Originally, I developed the program in 1994 together with Olaf Seibert. The program is included in theDebian GNU/Linux distribution.
c2n: Commodore C2N DatasetteCodec
A decoder and encoder for Commodore tape formats that can easily be adapted to other 8-bit systems. To prove this, I interfaced the C2N to a Tangerine Oric-1 and wrote a codec for the Oric format. The program is included in the Debian GNU/Linux distribution.
A multimedia demonstration for the Commodore Vic-20
Hardware
Internal memory expansions for the Commodore 64 and 128
The instructions for building an internal memory expansion for the Commodore 64 was translated with permission from the Finnish article written by Pekka Pessi and published in 1987 in the Mikrobitti magazine. Later, the expansion was adapted for the Commodore 128.
An RS-232 serial interface adapter for the cassette drive port of old computers that achieves a transfer rate of 38,400 bps. The hardware design documents, firmware and utility programs are freely available and modifiable. I have manufactured and sold over one hundred units, and some people have built the device themselves.
Connecting a Commodore tape drive to the Tangerine Oric-1
It takes some effort to connect a digital cassette recorder to a computer that is equipped with an analog cassette interface, such as the Tangerine Oric-1 or the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
A Vic-20 memory expansion cartridge with enough space for all software that you can think of. The hardware design documents, firmware and utility programs are freely available and modifiable.
An adaptation of the Vic Flash Plugin software for new hardware that is commercially available.