Commodore 64

Commodore 64 "Breadbin".

Commodore 64 (C64, CBM 64/CBM64, C=64,C-64, VIC-64) is an 8-bit home computer developed by Commodore International in August 1982 at a starting price of $595. It succeeds the Commodore VIC-20 and the Commodore MAX Machine, featuring 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM, with graphics and sound far superior to other contemporary computers.

It used a cassette drive (Datasette) in addition to a 5 1/4-inch type floppy drive (the Commodore 1541). It had a very robust professional keyboard, different connection sockets and had an infinite number of video games, applications, graphics and multimedia. It had a palette of 16 colors and a BASIC interpreter (the Commodore BASIC v2.0). It accepted the direct connection of peripherals without the need for a connection interface, (like some of its most direct competitors) incorporating two connection ports for game controllers (joysticks), IEC, RS232 and C2N serial ports, television output, composite video and audio via hi-fi DIN connector and a cartridge expansion port. Some cartridges incorporated programming languages such as COBOL, or a more advanced BASIC, or RAM expansion, plus some utilities to freeze the games and be able to copy them. Its clock ran at less than 1 Megahertz, but its excellent graphics and sound capabilities made it the favorite personal computer for millions of home users. Today there are programs that fully emulate its operation, for GNU/Linux, Windows and other operating systems.

The Commodore 64 remains the best-selling home computer model in the world. Its sales are estimated between 22.5 and 17 million units

Origins

In January 1981, MOS Technology, Inc., an integrated circuit designer subsidiary of Commodore, began a project to design the graphics and audio circuitry for the next generation of video game consoles. The design of the circuits, named VIC-II (graphics) and SID (audio) was completed in November 1981.

Then a project was started for a Commodore game console using both circuits, called the Ultimax or Commodore MAX Machine, created by Yashi Terakura of Commodore Japan. This project was canceled after some units were manufactured for the Japanese market.

At the same time, Robert "Bob" Russell, systems programmer and architect of the VIC-20, and Robert "Bob" Yannes, an engineer at SID, were critical of Commodore's product line, which was a continuation of the PET line, aimed at business users. With the support of Al Charpentier, engineer of the VIC-II, and Charles Winterble, manager of MOS Technology, they proposed to Jack Tramiel, chief executive officer of Commodore, a true low-cost sequel to the VIC-20. Tramiel ruled that the machine had to have 64KB of RAM. Although 64KB of DRAM cost over $100 at the time, Tramiel knew that prices were falling and would soon be priced acceptably before production began. In November, Tramiel set the delivery date for the first weekend of January, to coincide with the 1982 Consumer Electronics Show.

The product was codenamed VIC-40, being the successor to the popular VIC-20. The team that built it consisted of Robert Russell, Robert Yannes and David A. Ziembicki. The design, prototypes and some test software was finished in time for the show, after the team had been working non-stop even on Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends.

At the time the product was to be introduced, the VIC-40 was renamed the C64 to fit Commodore's current lines of business, which included the P128 and the B256, both named with a letter and their respective memory size.

The C64 had an impressive presentation, as production engineer David A. Ziembicki recalls: "All we would see in our booth was Atari people with their mouths hanging open, saying 'How come? They can do this for $595?'". The answer, it turned out, was vertical integration: Thanks to Commodore owning MOS Technology's semiconductor manufacturing plants, each C64 had an estimated production cost of just $135.

The different models of Commodore 64

In addition to the C64 with its characteristic design inherited from the VIC-20, Commodore and other manufacturers released models derived from the base C64.

In 1982, Commodore developed the Commodore MAX Machine in Japan, called the Ultimax in the US, and the VC-10 in Germany. The MAX was intended to be a game console and was based on a heavily scaled down version of the C64 hardware. The MAX was discontinued months after its introduction, due to poor sales in Japan.

In 1983, to compete with the Apple II in the US education sector, Commodore released the Educator 64, which essentially consisted of a C64 and a green monochrome monitor, inside a Commodore PET serial case. 4000. Schools preferred the all-in-one metal versions of this model to the standard C64 with its separate components, as they could be easily damaged, vandalized and/or stolen.

In 1984, Commodore proposed the first portable computer with a color screen, the Commodore SX-64, a portable version of the C64. It had a 5" (127 mm) and included only a 1541 floppy drive, it did not include the cassette drive (Datasette).

In 1985 the Commodore 128 (and later the 128D) appeared which was backward compatible with the C64. It is an improved version of the C64 with double the memory (RAM), with the possibility of displaying 80 columns in text mode on the screen, as well as a new design of the box and keyboard. Also included a Zilog Z80 processor for use in CP/M mode alternately with Commodore BASIC 7.0.

In 1986, Commodore released the Commodore 64C (C64C) which was functionally identical to the original, but more closely resembling the Commodore 128 in design. The modifications went beyond simply changing the look, as the C64C incorporated new versions of the SID sound chip, Vic video chip and input/output (I/O) chip, adapted to a new voltage on the core (Vcore) of 9V (instead of 12V). Often the C64C was sold with the GEOS operating system. In parallel, the new Commodore 1541C drive changed its look to match the new C64C, as well as being quieter and more reliable.

In 1990, the C64 was reissued as a game console, called the Commodore 64 Games System (C64GS). A simple modification was made to the C64C motherboard to orient the cartridge connector in a vertical position. It only had the bare minimum connections to connect the audio, video, game controllers and cartridge. Its ROM was modified to simplify system boot with an 'Insert Game Cartridge' style boot screen. It was designed to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System, but its poor sales compared to its rivals was a commercial failure for Commodore and was never released outside of Europe.

In 2000, the manufacturer Tulip Computers proposes a product based on the C64, the C64 Direct-to-TV. This peculiar model of the C64 is contained within a Joystick-type game controller. At the base, it is a closed system since it only offers 30 classic C64 games, 2 RCA connectors (audio/video) and inside, an ASIC running at 32MHz emulating the 6510 processor, the VIC-II, the SID, the CIA and the PLA. There are modifications to extend its capabilities and improve its connectivity with external readers, for example.

Other models of the C64, very specific to the German market, appeared during those years, such as the Commodore 64 "Aldi", the Commodore 64 Golden Edition and the Commodore 64G

Various features

Commodore BASIC V2.0.

The Commodore 64 was the computer that inspired many musicians and programmers and is possibly the most important cult 8-bit computer. Today there is a very active community of users who continue to program for the C64, making real filigrees. There is also a musical subculture within the Commodore 64.

It also inspired other entrepreneurs such as the Commodore key, this was a special key that gave many functions when pressed in combination with other keys, just like Windows compatible keyboards have the Microsoft operating system logo, and keyboards for Apple Macintosh, Apple Inc. logo.

The GEOS graphical interface could be made to boot from an EPROM memory in the expansion cartridges, so when turning on the Commodore 64, it started the graphical interface via hardware giving it unbeatable speed against the dateset and the floppy drive. With this there was an optimal computer for direct work, it was even possible to keep a clock in the GEOS interface, which greatly improved its capabilities.

It's worth noting that the Commodore 64 had an excellent hardware architecture given its cartridge expandability and great versatility.

It also had peripherals such as mouse, printer, floppy drive, hard drives, telephone modem, joysticks, stylus, music keyboard, monitors, cassettes, etc.

In 2005, the Creative Micro Designs company launched the CMD SuperCPU on the market, which connected a 16-bit WDC 65C816 CPU at 20 MHz to the expansion port provided, which also supports expansion of 16 MB of RAM memory and connecting a hard drive.

You can currently download Commodore 64 games on the Wii Virtual Console

Technical specifications

Base plate of a Commodore 64.

• Microprocessor:
  • MOS Technology 6510/8500 (an MOS 6502 with an integrated 6-bit input/output port)
  • Watch speed: 0,985 MHz (PAL) / 1,023 MHz (NTSC)
• Video: MOS Technology VIC-II 6567/8567 (NTSC), 6569/8569 (PAL)
  • 16 colors
  • Text mode: 40×25 characters; 256 definable characters (8×8 pixels, or 4×8 in multicolor mode); 4-bit defined background
  • Bit Map Mode: 320×200 (2 unique colors in each 8×8 pixel block), 160×200 (3 single colors plus a common color in each 4x8 block)
  • 8 sprites for 24×21 pixels hardware, (12×21 in multicolor mode)
• Sound: MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID
  • 3 voice synthesizer with controlable ADSR
  • 8 Octaves
  • 4 waveforms: triangle, saw, variable pulse, noise
  • Synchronization of oscillators, Ring Modulation
  • Programmable filters: high step, low step, step band, removes band

• RAM:
  • 64 Kilobytes (65,536 bytes), of which 38 KB less 1 byte (38911 bytes) is available for programs in BASIC
  • 512 bytes of RAM for color

• ROM:
  • 20 Kilobytes (9 KB BASIC 2.0, 7 KB KERNEL, 4 KB characters: two games of 2 KB each)

• Entry/Departure:
  • RS232C serial port (for modem, console, etc.)
  • IEC serial port (for disk drives, printers, etc.)
  • C2N serial port (for datasette)
  • Composite video output and audio
  • Modulated output for TV
  • Expansion connector for cartridges (internal C64 BUS)
  • 2 connectors for game command (joystick or other devices like mouse, paddle, optical pencil, graphic tablet).

Commodore 64 Clones

Many countries made clones of this model, not always under a Commodore license.

In Argentina, the firm Drean, an Argentine home appliance manufacturer, bought the license to manufacture the C64 locally in 1982, beginning production at its plant in the province of San Luis in 1983. Later, due to the success of sales, it would manufacture models 16 in 1985 (with little sales success), 64C in late 1986 (with most of its parts made locally), and 128 in early 1986 (with a few hundred units produced).

The model 64 resembled its American counterpart, differing externally in the ignition abbreviation and in the addition of the word Drean preceding the Commodore 64 in the casing of the machine. They differed in color in their years of manufacture, some respected those of the United States and others did not, since the plastics were manufactured locally. Internally, the Argentine version had PAL-N video output instead of NTSC; In addition, for this reason, it had a higher clock frequency, which could be noticed in some games since these were designed mostly for the US version. Another notable difference was the power supply adapted for 220V instead of the original 110V. These legitimate clones were of excellent quality, although some users complained about the harshness of the keyboard, and 8 out of 10 "Commodores" sold became Drean's. The Drean Commodore 64C was internally the same as the 64 model. The difference lay in the format of the casing, which was more ergonomic, similar to the keyboard of the 128 model. Unlike the other models, it included the GEOS diskette. Drean also imported software, which was distributed in the form of cartridges, cassettes, and floppy disks, under his brand name or under the brand name Peek.

Production ended in mid-1988, when Commodore International withdrew the license from Drean, after producing some 300,000 units.