Eight Bit
Hardcore Member
I'm not so much interested in the maxi itself but if the keyboard of the unit can be made to function as a USB keyboard that might be interesting.. I'll just wait for some youtube disassemblers
Fun Fact: In the Days of the C64, i thought the Computer is the Keyboard ^^, but i was pretty young back then, 1988 or when got my Sister this thing??
And i thought the Diskdrive is the Computer..
i think i am too young whit my 35 for the C64...
And i thought the Diskdrive is the Computer..
i think i am too young whit my 35 for the C64...
ClockworkCoder
Chaotic Neutral
I'm not so much interested in the maxi itself but if the keyboard of the unit can be made to function as a USB keyboard that might be interesting.. I'll just wait for some youtube disassemblers
I'm sure it could be modded. I might be tempted to put an FPGA in it (like the innards of the MiST). I suspect that inside it may well be a USB keyboard anyway in some shape or form. Will be fun finding out. When I have the time.
Eight Bit
Hardcore Member
So the best way to get a C64 (sort of, because you still need a new PSU), Cheap would be to Ask on the Fleemarked: How much is the (fish) Keyboard??
Ditnt even found our old C64, but i think lots of C64 where trashed some times, just like many other old PC..
At last, the C64 was in the 90thees just an OLD PC, not the RETRO Tressure whe call it today, just like lots of other stuff,
I think when there are new C64 Maxi on Amazon in Stock, or when EvilDragon put them in his Dragonbox Shop, i will buy one..
Maybe i can put one in the Order from the Pyra, so i have booth at once..
At last, the C64 was in the 90thees just an OLD PC, not the RETRO Tressure whe call it today, just like lots of other stuff,
I think when there are new C64 Maxi on Amazon in Stock, or when EvilDragon put them in his Dragonbox Shop, i will buy one..
Maybe i can put one in the Order from the Pyra, so i have booth at once..
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Even if it could, it's missing a lot of keys you'd probably want for modern usage. I'm interested in how good this new joystick is, because the old one was famously rubbish, so even if this ones better it could still be far below par. I couldn't follow their description of it in the german unboxing posted above.
Edit: Missed the new page marker. This message was reponding to the subject of using this as a USB keyboard.
Edit: Missed the new page marker. This message was reponding to the subject of using this as a USB keyboard.
ClockworkCoder
Chaotic Neutral
@levi The joystick is a thousand times better. The original was unplayable to me which was a shame as I really wanted to use it more - barely used the mini for more than 30 minutes or so. The (new) joystick itself is tight and clicky (subjective if you like it or not). The buttons aren't clicky but are very responsive.
I had fun playing Boulderdash last night. Looking forward to trying a few other games at the weekend...
I had fun playing Boulderdash last night. Looking forward to trying a few other games at the weekend...
rSl
tealifted
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 1,134
inside thec64 it looks like this. maybe the kb could fit an orig. case...
source: sign-set/forum64.de
source: sign-set/forum64.de
Last edited:
rSl
tealifted
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 1,134
My The C64 (Maxi) arrived today, and it has 4 USB ports on it in total. Looks great
awesome, have fun!
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Looks like a very similar board to the one inside the mini, although I can't find a decent picture now to compare it. But all those vias on the left of the board suggests the CPU in a BGA or similar package is there, which is how I remember it on the other side. And I recall seeing something plugged onto those white internal sockets on the mini, although I can't remember what it's fot; the mini still doesn't contain a battery, right? So it must be used for the power LED or something else like that I suppose.
And that proves it's a membrane keyboard, but that's probably okay at this price-point. Although those three usb 2.0 ports on the right being on a hub to a single USB 2.0 port (albeit with decent power capabilities) might catch some people out depending on how they use it. If you connect anything demanding like a HDD I'd recommend using the rear port, and dedicate the side ports to simple stuff like joystcks and more keyboards.
And that proves it's a membrane keyboard, but that's probably okay at this price-point. Although those three usb 2.0 ports on the right being on a hub to a single USB 2.0 port (albeit with decent power capabilities) might catch some people out depending on how they use it. If you connect anything demanding like a HDD I'd recommend using the rear port, and dedicate the side ports to simple stuff like joystcks and more keyboards.
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
So do any of you make music with your C64? Should I get one if that has long been a curiousity for me (not that I NEED one)? Any tips or hints?
Since I never used one as a kid I am thinking of just emulating for games, as I don't have a connection to the hardware like I do with others.
Apple II forever!
Since I never used one as a kid I am thinking of just emulating for games, as I don't have a connection to the hardware like I do with others.
Apple II forever!
ClockworkCoder
Chaotic Neutral
Makes sense. In the instructions they recommend plugging in "controllers, memory sticks and powered hubs"
pmprog
DNF (Did Not Finish)
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2011
- Messages
- 4,150
I have from time to time, a couple are even in the HVSC... Wouldn't bother going to listen to them though even if you could find them, I'm not a good musician ;-)
But I don't actually use the C64 itself, I use GoatTracker (I released a Pandora build on the repo). CheeseCutter is supposed to be good, but I've not actually tried it
ClockworkCoder
Chaotic Neutral
Typing is "okay". I could type reasonably fast if I practiced, but...
Oddly, "s" doesn't register if another key is still pressed. This doesn't appear to affect other keys. So typing "west" resulted in a lot of "wet" until I slowed down.
Clearly there isn't much inside TheC64 so it feels "hollow" when typing, which feels and sounds odd at first. Might feel better if I stuffed the insides with foam or something (would at least reduce the "echo" as keys are pressed)... The keys themselves aren't clicky, but have a reasonably positive action, albeit slightly mushy.
So, while I wouldn't recommend it as a standalone keyboard, it seems to do the job fine for what it is, and aside from the "s" key issue I've found so far, isn't too slow.
As with all older keyboards, I also struggle a little without the little 'nubs' on J and F of the home keys, but that's not a fault of it.
ClockworkCoder
Chaotic Neutral
Just played a Public Domain game called "Dog!". Run around and poo on a guy's lawn as much as possible before he can catch you. Simple, but a lot of fun!
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
I'd personally class memory sticks in the same category as USB HDDs. The speed of transfer is an important consideration, and to be fair provided you've not plugged in two at once and are trying to access them simultaneously, the transfer rate should be usb2 compliant. Other joysticks and keyboards and other usb1.1 devices shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure why you'd especially need to plug in a powered hub on those side ports though, internally it already seems to have the power lines implicit in the 4-wire usb 2.0 protocol plus two extra power lines, unless that pair of lines are actually to support the power button, and the colouring is misleading.
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Is that a four-way scoller? With a border, I'd not class that as being especially simple on such old hardware, even if the gameplay is pretty basic.
Actually I wonder what the state of the art is on the c64. I was more familiar with the BBC micro back in the day, and on that system it's maybe Elite or Exile that I'd consider the best use of the hardware - Elite uses about half of the keyboard when you consider it uses all the keys of a simple flight simulator plus missiles and ecm and things. Exile doesn't use as many keys, just movement, aim up and down, shoot and pick up and drop, which is comparable with something like Turrican on the C64 (although I've never picked up and dropped anything in turrican or hurrican I can think of), but the thing that impressed me was that it used so much memory that in order to actually save your progress you had to soft reset the machine to reload the disc drivers, and then reboot the disc to get to the game system menu. And it made active use of extra RAM, but you still had to reset the machine to save. Actually perhaps Turrican II is the state of the art on C64?
