wood_jl

When the new shells are finished and you have complete controllers available, I am DOWN with a couple of these! Bravo!

My original INTV controllers have suddenly gone wonky, after the console sat for about 2 or 3 (???) years without me touching it. I see this thread, get excited, and although I realize I don't know how I'm going to get them connected to my original INTV with hard-wired controllers, I figure there must be a way. So I look on the website and the controllers ain't even listed anymore! Boo!!!! But I didn't know they made the adapters! (I'm clueless.) What a nice surprise! That was really cool (the Intellvision store) to make something like this! Just what I needed. Now it's off to find a leftover INTV Flashback online. Gee, the prices have risen sharply on those things. I should have bought a truckload when Walmart clearanced them out at $15 a couple years ago. Since I already had the real thing with a good composite mod, I never thought I'd need one. Doh! But I'm so glad to see the adapters! The INTV scene truly has some innovative, ambitious people working for it.

Greetings, folks. I apologize for being absent the weekend, but I am sometimes caregiver to the old folks who have no internet (or computer, or anything more modern than a TV) so I'm sometimes in the dark when there is a minor (or major) emergency. This is pending. I have a few requests, and will post again if anything falls through. At the moment, waiting to hear back from one guy. Thank you for interest.

This is FOR INTELLIVISION, in case one doesn't know. Thinking about $75, free shipping in United States, if interest. Don't know what this is worth anymore, but $50 cheaper than the newer alternative ($75 shipped vs. $125 shipped). I never even used this, until today. It boots up, and includes a 64mb micro SD that it shipped with. Also, SD adapter (big deal!), label for actual cart, and a nice clean cart shell that screws together. We'll see. Pics below.

I merely bought some PAL systems from B&C Computervisions a few (several?) years ago, since they had them (both 800XL and 130XE systems) at the time. Prices have risen significantly, since then. But I think it's still worth it, for those not so handy with electronics. The price will only continue to go up. Then, get a JVC TM-A13SU monitor from Ebay. Here.... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/247508-modding-the-jvc-tm-a13su-monitor/ ...is a thread from Atarian Extraordinaire AtariAge user "Bryan" on how to perfect this sucker. It's the best small classic computer monitor I've ever seen. It's all clean digital controls, it takes S-video, and IT DOES PAL!!! They come and go on Ebay. I have several in my closet for backups, etc..... But most importantly, it's a monitor available in the U.S. that does PAL, affordably. It would be too costly to import a PAL monitor from PAL-land, and pay shipping; not to mention that it would likely take 220V - when you can get one here. Since the PAL systems will work with Yankee power supplies, it is finding a PAL display that runs on 110V, is affordable, and available on this continent that makes it easy. Indeed, it does! They sell PAL 130XE with both "bad" GTIA and good ones, for differing price. Of course, you want "good" GTIA. Currently, I see they are selling (with "good" GTIA) 130XE for $150 for "PAL I" and $175 for "PAL B." I don't know if it would matter if you use an AV cable instead of RF??? Anyone??? $175 PAL B 130XE eBay Auction -- Item Number: 130887232222 $150 PAL I 130XE eBay Auction -- Item Number: 140953123151 I have also imported PAL Atari 8-bit computer from England, at a fairly reasonable price, but shipping was murder. I love this stuff, so I don't mind! Of course, regardless of PAL or NTSC, this is the video cable you need - the ultimate A8 video cable - from 8-bit classics.... https://www.8bitclassics.com/Atari-800-XL-XE-5-Pin-DIN-S-Video-Cable.html

Greetings, Bill. I'm pretty sure you know a lot more about HDMI than I (and gaming in general, seeing that collection you have!) But what I was thinking of may or not me relevant, but I was assuming that it is. I have always preferred Sony TVs, and in the CRT days, they may have been superior. In the LCD days, probably not, but I still sort of like 'em. On my Sony (a few years old) LCD, when I connect with HDMI, I don't get an option for 4:3. As a matter of fact, I never do. All you get is (upon hitting the "WIDE" button which should read "ASPECT RATIO" (but doesn't,), is "WIDE ZOOM", "NORMAL", "FULL", and "ZOOM." Using those options and a Sony Blu-ray player I bought at the same time (several years ago) and hooked up through HDMI, the f-ing thing always stretches the picture. No choice. I WANT the "pillarbox" when watching old 4:3 DVDs. I was frustrated, then (long time ago) I decided to hook an old composite cable from the player to the TV....BOOM! "NORMAL" aspect ratio then correctly pillarboxed the old 4:3 DVD, correctly. Great! Except for the fact that I don't want it hooked up that way. I want the highest common denominator, and then I get shit-stretched video when viewing old "fullscreen" (4:3) DVDs. It really pisses me off, to this day. Evidently, the TV "assumes" that if I'm using HDMI, I want widescreen. It's not that big of a deal, because I actually prefer a small CRT for C64/A800 etc, anyway. Would a 4:3 Commodore display stretch, or allow for pillarbox 4:3? Who knows? But S-video hooked to a 13" JVC TM-A13SU.... ....will leave no question, and give an awesome display that looks correct (even better for the time since this is a relatively high-performance monitor relative to the age of the C64) for the time period, and it is that which I prefer. I am not "against" HDMI; it is rather natural for systems that support 720p or greater. Those systems suffer on an old CRT. The C64 and Atari 800 (etc...etc..) shine on this CRT. That is what I was attempting to convey.

I've never had a 1027, but a friend did, and it was pretty cool at the time to have letter-quality. Just to be sure - so I can forget about ever thinking to add one to the collection - THIS PROJECT IS DONE FOREVER AND THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY MORE. That is correct, no? Good job on the project, however! It's great to see 1027 owners back in business again!

I don't see why neither would appeal? OTHER THAN THE COST, THAT IS!! But that is just the nature of niche electronics projects that don't achieve the economies of scale that Chinese toaster ovens do, at Walmart. A modern, reliable, flexible, no-solder C64 is all that I'm after. That sounds like a good thing, no? Next time I go to hit the power switch in the wintertime in wool socks on a dry day and a spark jumps from my finger to the joystick pins, changing a CIA means lifting a lever!

Thanks, OLD CS1, for your information. I ended up buying a PAL 8565 VIC 2 from that guy.... eBay Auction -- Item Number: 291028103676 ....which was (in my opinion) a bit expensive! €33.99 translates to $40 as of this time. But I found that PAL VIC 2 is not as common as one might have thought. However, according to this Youtube review, the newer (8565 for PAL) VIC 2 gives a better picture and colors......(roughly 19:00 in the video)..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_PEG1FpwGQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1145 ....so I like the flexibility of being able to choose your VIC. I want the brightest, clearest picture, of course. I also bought a couple of 8500 CPUs from the same guy (Germany) but I noticed he raised the price right after my sale. They were €24.99 (about $29.50 each) yesterday, and they are now €29.99 each.....(roughly $35 now). Hell, he was selling them for €18.99 (roughly $22.50) as recently as November 27! I guess these Reloaded boards are driving up the demand??? eBay Auction -- Item Number: 222731440591 For the NTSC machine, I bought a Yankee 8562 NTSC VIC 2 - allegedly brand new - for a bargain of $17.50! I bought 2, in case I want to convert the PAL machine back into NTSC in the future, since these were so cheap. This is the same guy OLD CS1 linked to above....thanks for that, OLD CS1. eBay Auction -- Item Number: 322894039162 Finding the CIA chips is a little more sketchy. Since I was going with the 85xx series with everything else, I thought I'd look for the 8521 CIA which I think was used in 8-bit machines, but I can't find any. I see 8520 which I think is an Amiga CIA with different clock (or something beyond my comprehension) and won't work. So I had to settle for the 6526A since that seems to be the easiest to find, on Ebay. Some of the Chinese sellers of allegedly new 6526 CIAs are selling fakes, or partially fakes. Here's one such feedback.... I bought four of these (a little more money, but California it says instead of China) and I'll hope I don't get a fake one "made in 1935." eBay Auction -- Item Number: 401388233494 Jens (the seller of the Reloaded MK2) sold me a couple of new 8520 SIDs (one for each machine; thinking if I wanted dual-SID I would change to the earlier version with better filters (or whatever), but I'm not particularly interested in that, yet. He also combined shipping on my stuff and refunded me roughly $25 this morning, so that was nice. So I have to agree with some of the criticism of this. The boards are not cheap, and it's a bit of mouse-clicking (and obvious additional cost) to get the right chips, and it appears this project is driving up chip prices. But, the S-video is exactly what I wanted. I have zero desire to run a C64 over HDMI. Everything I've ever seen HDMI is 16:9 aspect ratio, and I want 4:3. I like CRTs for classic use, and I have a closet full of JVC monitors with S-video and that do PAL. The idea is that when I get my retro-room (for computing and gaming) I'll have about everything on the same monitor and it will look tidy, unlike the shelf of a thrift store with TVs of all different sizes, shapes, colors, and brands. I also like having the original "User Port" there, so if I run across a printer interface, I can use one of the old Epsons and do some classic Print Shop. I understand there will be a header on the Ultimate-64, but that sounds kind of fragile. Probably no big deal. This Reloaded MK2 also does give you the flexibility of which VIC 2 and which SID (and how many) you want to use, and that is nice. As well, I already have the 1541 Ultimate II and swapping it between the NTSC and PAL machine will be handy, rather than having it built in. On the other hand, if one is going to build 2 systems anyway, one might just get 2 Ultimate-64 boards and load them both up and there'd be no swapping...LOL. I am going to have a good look at the Ultimate-64 when it comes out. I may have to consider that, as well, after recovering from some of this big spending. I don't waste money on a lot of other things (cheap car, cheap clothes, etc), so this retro-vice I have I can contend with! Has anybody gambled with these apparently NEW 64C cases, on Ebay??? eBay Auction -- Item Number: 232590083283 I wonder if they come with screws? I'm sure there's no Commodore label, either. While I prefer the original beige "breadbin," my spare/backup one has an awful case. I thought I might put the PAL in one of these new 64C cases to easily distinguish it. You never see the 64C white keyboard for sale, and when you do, it's all yellowed. I guess I'll have to make a white case/brown keyboard bastard, but as long as it works!!!

Thank you, Remo. Jens is excellent, and replied to my email. I had bought the board under a "guest" account. That is, I had not registered, but just entered my info and went to Paypal, etc. Then I was thinking that I had always wanted a PAL C64 for those games and demos, just as I have multiple NTSC and PAL versions of my Atari 8-bit. Sucks that it's not switchable, so I went back and ordered a second board (again under "guest") to build a PAL C64. Then I emailed him, and (he told me) his website is clever enough that if you order under guest, you can then go back and create an account and then IMPORT your guest orders into your newly-created account. Your account will then let you order SID chips, as it "sees" that you have ordered board(s). So that's what I did. What a class-act, not only for the product, the clever ability to do that with your guest accounts and orders, and the guy was really nice. He even said he'll refund me some duplicate shipping charges when he gets it all together. I am impressed! Now, only if I could find some other chips, but I am just beginning my hunt. I did notice that their new 64C cases are on Ebay most of the time. Mulling it over, although I like the old beige breadbox for nostalgia. I had noticed that Gideon from 1541 Ultimate is also working on a C64 motherboard replacement, using FPGA solutions. It also has the 1541 Ultimate built in. I wasn't sure, but I think it's more HDMI-output oriented, and I'd rather have S-video (etc) for my old 64. I'd also like the Ultimate on a cartridge to be moved between machines, rather than built into one. But we'll see. Anybody have any thoughts on the upcoming "Ultimate-64" board? We'll see, after the Paypal account cools off from all of this. I don't know too much about Commodore, but I have come to enjoy playing with this machine, and I especially like to play the slightly-different versions of my favorite A8 games while looking for the differences. I also like to play the later games that SHOULD have come out in Atari 8-bit versions, but didn't because the companies dropped A8 support. It's like a small part of gaming that I missed out on. I will always be an A8 man at heart (you should see the pile of A8 I have here that aggravates others), but I was wrong to turn my nose up to this (C64) machine, so vehemently. When the 1541 Ultimate (model 1) came out, I finally decided to try it, and it's fun, and that's all that matters. I sold that and have a Ultimate II (what an unbelievable modern retro-peripheral) , but now I see they have an Ultimate II+! I am thinking of ordering one, but I am kind of sad they got rid of the micro SD slot, as having a USB stick hanging off the cart doesn't seem as elegant. When I first joined AtariAge several years ago, I reverted back into the silly ways of the BBS (1980's) days, and revived my anti-Commodore childishness in the infamous "Atari vs Commodore" thread (if you've been around here a while, you'll remember it), trashing Commodore as if I was 15 years old again. Now, I drop hundreds of dollars on Commodore (8-bit) stuff, and I love it. It's a wonderful time to be a C64 enthusiast, with stuff like this Reloaded and of course the 1541 Ultimate. Now, the A8 gets a lot of great attention and devices as well, but not *quite* as much. I suppose the A8 userbase was just so much smaller. I'm looking forward to the 1088XEL if I can get one, but stuff like a new replacement motherboard that drops into the original case (C64 Reloaded), an ACTUAL NEW CASE, and stuff quite as sophisticated as the 1541 Ultimate II (and beyond) seem to be quite unique developments to the C64 scene, and damn, they are good! I do also enjoy the Vic20 Multicart. That's another home-run. EDIT: Not only do I not know where to get C64 chips, but where is a Yankee going to get something as unusual (in America) as a PAL Vic-II 6569 chip? Any of my Euro friends have an extra in their parts bin?

I don't know what the ABSOLUTE biggest was, but I had a friend about 10 years ago who had one of these big 40" Sony Trinitron badass bastards...... https://docs.sony.com/release/specs/KV40XBR800spec.pdf It was absolutely, positively, the HOWITZER of the outgoing CRT era. It did 1080i (I remember playing PS2 Gran Turismo 4 in pseudo 1080i on it) and it had a built-in subwoofer that would shake the wall boards. (1) It cost $3500+, 10 years ago. (2) It weighs in at a svelte 300 lbs (!!!) (3) I'm too old to struggle with stuff like this now (4) The stuff is too old now and the caps are probably all ready to blow, even if you found a working one. I used to think about looking on those Craiglist search engines (they used to be on there!) and hitching up the covered cargo trailer and taking a road trip to get one. NOT ANYMORE! But I really did want to do this, at one time. In my opinion, it was the end-all-be-all large CRT television! Whew, it was nice, right before the other technologies took over. In a day when you can get a 55-inch 4K LED-backlit LCD for $299 on Walmart Black Friday, it is hard to think about the end of the CRT and the semi-shit that came in between. Remember the rear-projection crap with the plastic screens? Remember the "DLP" (digital light processing or something) with the $250 bulb that would go out? And then there's the plasma, and I can't remember what happened to those, but they kind of slowly faded. I can't remember the disadvantage, because I never knew anybody that had one. I But the KV40XBR800 is the biggest of the end of an era. Just make sure you have about 4 NFL Linebacker friends to help you load/unload and move it!

Wow, this has drifted from 7800 SD cartridge. The current subject matter is just a lil' bit depressing. I choose not to think about it. Happy Place....Happy Place....7800SD cartridge.....

Thanks again, Remo! I'm kind of afraid to cannibalize my working C64 (I have no idea if the chips are soldered, but I am assuming they are). I suppose if I have to, I can open my new, (and too-expensive and not-yet tried)..... Hakko FR300 Desoldering Tool https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O27NZUE/ ....but perhaps I will just Ebay some beat-ass-looking C64s and see if I can NOT botch it with the chip removal. I'd rather have nice, clean chips that had never been soldered, to put in those pristine ZIF sockets, however. I think the B&C Computervisions and Best Electronics (both obviously for Atari) are unique; if there was a Commodore equivalent to those vendors, I'd probably heard of it by now, having kept my chubby little finger on the pulse of retrocomputing for a while. But then again, I didn't know about the C64 Reloaded MK2 until this thread!

My sympathies to you! How very sad. On another note.... That Gateway 2000 P5-120 - I remember looking at the ads and wanting one of those very badly at the time, but couldn't afford one! I had previously blown it all on a 486 DX4/100 and in those days, it took a long time to recover from a new PC purchase. Good luck with the sale, and best wishes to you.

Remo, you are an invaluable source of information, as usual. Thank you for that. I did not see that the seller was selling SID (only with the sale of the board) and did not add it to my order (too late now!). I got too click-happy. Is there something like B&C Computervisions or Best Electronics, but for Commodore - instead of Atari - where I can order these chips from? I don't know much about Commodore but I'm really looking forward to this. Thanks again! Edit: The SID they are selling is 8580, as opposed to the 6581. I just want something that works and sounds like the original C64. Therefore, does it matter which one? I'm more inclined to get the 6581 since you are using it and I trust you!

THANK YOU! I just did the same. I appreciate that much!

I'm working on eventually setting up the game/classic computer room with each system on its own TV. That means 13", of course. Fortunately, JVC makes an excellent one that takes NTSC and PAL and is 13" and has S-video! (Thanks, Bryan!!). So I don't mind a small screen; the old pixels look finer on a small screen, anyway. Not to mention, a 13" color TV strictly for Atari use in my childhood bedroom was like a new crown jewel, so I'll always have a sweet spot in my heart for a quality 13" color CRT. The JVC is amongst the best. But up to about 20" is fine for me, unless: (1) You are sitting a long way from the set, OR (2) you are playing light gun games. My 35" Trinitron (must be 200lb) finally died (suspect "flyback" doo-hickie upon Google "research" but don't know), and I am NOT going to get another. I'm getting too old to move this shit. I'd had it in the same spot for years, and I was a stronger man when I put it there. I nearly killed myself in the process of its disposal. I still have a 32" Sony Wega (it does not move often!) that I can use for light gun games, but I don't play those much anymore (who does?). From now on, I'm not even going to TRY to pick up any CRT TV greater than 27" set, as Duck Hunt and Hoagan's Alley (etc) play pretty well on a 27".. As an aside: WHY ARE SONY CRT SETS SO MUCH HEAVIER THAN ANY OTHER BRAND (of the same size)? You'll even notice this on the smaller sets! But to each his own. I do like the smaller sets, for both light weight and the nostalgia.

I have a PS3 (last-gen 500gb) that I bought new and barely used. I haven't played in over a year, due to severely-changing life circumstances (who cares?). But the point is, that these friggin' things do not charge on standard ports, as I remember, and as others have attested, above. How brain-dead is Sony to do this? I just don't get it, although the system is still fun.

Just a general question! I like the SIXERS (either "heavy" or "light") better than the ones that placed the difficulty switches up top (the "light foursers"). Other than being collectible and weighing more for the thicker plastic, is there really anything that more desirable about the Heavy Sixer than the Light Sixer? Is it easier to repair? Are the components socketed, rather than soldered? I was looking for affordably-priced Heavy Sixers for a while, but decided to settle for the Light Sixer, since it was the "SIX" rather than the "heavy" or "light" that mattered to me the most. But not to lie; I'd still love me a good Heavy Sixer for the collection. The question is, is it more reliable, more serviceable, or just more expensive? (I don't know much about the 2600 (although I love it the most), so just asking. Thanks! JW

I know this isn't a "full" version of Galaga, but the first time I saw this, I was wide-eyed! I love this game! It was the first time you could at least come somewhat-close to the arcade, at home.

I just saw this thread, got excited, and ordered one, without knowing very much (other than I remember the 1st version selling out). Will this work with my original power supply? Will this do NTSC, PAL, or both? I feel like a clam for ordering so fast, but I really liked what I'd read about the first one. Thanks. Sorry for the dumb questions.

That's pretty cool. If only it was Galaga instead of Galaxian, I'd be after it!