New C64 Peripherals

[3D-vice]

Hello 8-Bit World!

I've collected a variety of new/modern C64 peripherals and I thought it would be nice to present them to you here. Some of those new devices are nothing more than toys, others are a valuable addition to the good old C64 (for those of you who prefer the work with modern disk images instead of using floppy disk).

Let's start with my latest accquisition:

DIGITAL TAPE DECK/RECORDER FOR COMMODORE 64 / 128 / VIC 20

The device uses a standard SD card and works with Commodore 64 Cassette Tape Images (.tap-files).

Buttons
Button 1 - right arrow / change options
Button 2 - left arrow / change options
Button 3 - ESC / Exit
Button 4 - Play / OK / Enter

Options Menu
Play: Select File
Record: Manual / Auto
Options: Machine ( C64, VIC, C16 ) / Video ( PAL, NTSC )

How to start a game
1. Turn on your computer.
2. Press button [ C= ] and button [ RUN STOP ].
3. On a screen on your computer should be "PRESS PLAY ON TAPE".
4. Find the mode: PLAY on the device and press button 4, then you can choose a game by using buttons 1 or 2 ( arrows ) on the device.
5. Press button 4 on the device for choosing folder with a games (for example G) then find the game file (for example Gryzor.tap).
6. Press button 4 to choose the game.
7. You can see a loading progress in % on the LCD screen on the device.

[3D-vice]

COMMODORE 64 POWER MONITOR II FOR C64 / VIC20 / C128 / Plus4

Description
Monitors both 5 Volt DC and 9 Volt AC signals.
Monitors power supply DC current.
7 Pin DIN cable is included.
Can monitor direct from power supply OR from the computers 24pin User Port.
This is ideal for fault finding, to determine if the power supply has failed or the Computer.

Also has RESET button.

[3D-vice]

µCASSETTE COMMODORE 64 DATASETTE ADAPTER

µCassette is an audio player interface for Commodore VIC20/64/128 computers. This device emulates the original datassette player.

Specifications
Very easy to use!
No need to adjust the volume.
Auto Pause control on your Smartphone using a free app.
Supports all kind of loaders and turbo tapes.

[3D-vice]

Wifi MODEM FOR COMMODORE 64 COMPUTERS

Description
Plug it into your C64 and start calling C64 BBS Systems again.
Wireless internet communication.
Supports speeds 300/1200/2400/9600 baud.
Pre-configured for 2400 baud use.
User port connection.
Flow Control support.

[dddaaannn]

Very cool! I like the enclosures. Do you have more build pics or write-ups for these? (Not that you should, just wondering.)

[3D-vice]

Very cool! I like the enclosures. Do you have more build pics or write-ups for these? (Not that you should, just wondering.)

Hey there! I'll try to make some more pics. I also want to do some write-ups, but that needs some time though. Anyway, if you have specific questions about these, please feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer them.

Here's a pic of the µCassette Adapter and the WifiModem, both connected to my "modern" C64:

On the µCassette, you can see the 3,5mm phone jack where you can pug in any kind of audio device, such as a smart phone, computer sound card, etc. I've not jet tested the WiFi Modem yet, that's still on my ToTo-list.

There's more to come! ...

[3D-vice]

COMMODORE 1541 DISK DRIVE EMULATION - SD2IEC LCD

Basically, this device is similar to all the other SD2IEC devices out there. It has some difficulties when it comes to multi-disk games and can not compete with the high emulation quality of e.g. the 1541-Ultimate-II or the Turbo Chameleon 64 cartridge.

Specifications
SD card socket.
Adjustable device number by dip switch (8,9,10,11).
External Power Supply.
2-line LCD Display
Actual firmware (upgradeable via sd card).
SD2IEC reset and Disk change buttons.

[intric8]

I'd be curious at the links to each, so we could see where you got them from. That WiFi modem looks like the one from the Shareware PLUS folks, right?

[3D-vice]

I'd be curious at the links to each, so we could see where you got them from. That WiFi modem looks like the one from the Shareware PLUS folks, right?

Good point! Here are the links to the shops from which I've purchased my goodies:

https://www.ebay.de/usr/despegatop
This is a Spanish eBay vendor where I got the following items:
- COMMODORE 1541 DISK DRIVE EMULATION - SD2IEC LCD
- µCASSETTE COMMODORE 64 DATASETTE ADAPTER
- Wifi MODEM FOR COMMODORE 64 COMPUTERS

https://www.ebay.de/usr/i_love_this_place
This is a UK-based eBay vendor who sold me this:
- DIGITAL TAPE DECK/RECORDER FOR COMMODORE 64 / 128 / VIC 20

https://www.ebay.de/usr/bluebolt12
This as an Australian eBay vendor where I got this one:
- COMMODORE 64 POWER MONITOPR II - C64 / VIC20 / C128 / Plus4

http://store.go4retro.com/
This US-based shop offers those two items:
- ZOOM FLOPPY INTERFACE
- X-PANDER 3 - CARTRIDGE PORT EXPANDER WITH 3 SLOTS

https://www.ebay.de/usr/plexilaser_de
This is a German company which offers a varienty of laser-cut plexi-glas cases, for small components such as the Zoom Floppy or a Rhaspberry PI, as well as for larger components such as a complete C64 or Amiga 500, have a look:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Plexiglas-Gehau ... ctupt=true
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Plexiglas-Gehau ... ctupt=true
The even have an Amiga 1000 transparent replacement back-panel:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Ersatz-Ruckwand ... SwIM9bDAVP

https://www.ebay.de/usr/my427sc
https://www.corei64.com/shop/
This a Canadian vendor who offers 3D-printed cases and much more 3D-printed stuff for Retro Computers. That's the one where I got the yellow case for my X-Pander 3.

[3D-vice]

ZOOM FLOPPY INTERFACE

Archive your Commodore floppies (and CMD HD partitions) to your contemporary PC, without the hassles of external parallel ports, IRQ settings, special adapters, bulky cables, or the alphabet soup of disk drive cable adapters. ZoomFloppy replaces all X*-1541 cables with a simple USB-based hardware device guaranteed to work with today's machines using today's multitasking operating systems. Simply plug into any free USB port, connect your CBM drive via a serial cable, and transfer data to or from your software collection.

By the way: The Zoom Floppy comes WITHOUT the plexiglass case. This one I got from eBay too. The quality of those cases ist quite high. They are laser-cut and fit perfectly.

Product Features
Attach any CBM serial device to your PC, including printers.
Works with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Open Source solution, no vendor lock-in.
Active development community.
Minimal footprint, no external power supply needed.
Parallel access hardware support.

To be honest, this is the most awesome tool in my "modern peripherals collection", because it enabled me to backup all of my floppy disks to my PC, as well as put programs and games back onto a floppy disk from a .D64 disk image.