shoestring

Like yourself I grew up on the c64. I'd recommend an Atari 800xl or Atari 600XL to start off with unless you can get your hands on an Incognito. The XL series seem somewhat easier to upgrade, more compatible and more flexible than the stock 800. That being said the 800 is much more robust, nicer keyboard..etc. I'd like to get an 800 eventually especially if I can get my hands on an Incognito board. You can use something like Sio2PC-USB from Lotharek to load images via AspeQt which runs on a PC. https://www.lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=108 I don't like emulators but whatever floats your boat. I use Altirra for checking out stuff quickly, prefer the whole experience on the real thing.

Finally gotten around to completing "Mercenary, Escape From Targ" after hearing of Paul Woakes passing. I loved Mercenary, I spent countless hours on it back in the day when I was a youngster and could never complete it. Yes I did use a walkthrough and my 65XE but I still got to re-live those old c64 memories.

How about something more simple like this fantastic Time Pilot port ? http://www.vintageisthenewold.com/time-pilot-after-35-years-the-atari-8-bit-computers-get-an-awesome-port/

Hardball is a great game for kids. I played it as a kid on the c64 but it's just as good on the Atari.

Maybe there was still a small chance. Microsoft wrote Amiga Basic which shipped with the original workbench disks.

This should help you. https://atariage.com/forums/topic/263074-help-fixing-my-65xe-computer-green-screen/

It's quite normal for these to get hot to the touch, especially without a heatsink. This should also work https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Murata-Power-Solutions/OKI-78SR-5-15-W36-C/?qs=uJpRT2lXVNXJP%252bo08dQqJQ== Data sheet here https://www.mouser.com/ds/2/281/oki-78sr-56393.pdf "are a direct plug-in replacement for TO-220 package 78xx series linear regulators."

Does your PCB use 8 DRAMs or the 2 x 4464s ? 4464s can take time to clear in between power cycling. I've definitely noticed this with my 65xe ( which uses 2 x 4464s ) and my Apple 2e platinum after power cycling or hitting reset.

Still not too bad after 35 years. Fujitsu logic chips from that era are even worse. And it's a major PITA to replace them especially when you have a PCB full of those, luckily I have a temp controlled desolder pump which does help somewhat. I have a few broken MOS chips that I can bring myself to throw away in my parts bin

Still not too bad after 35 years when you think about it You could try your chances on eBay. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=c64+basic+rom&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.X901226-01.TRS0&_nkw=901226-01&_sacat=0

I wouldn't replace it with an original pull, those 3 mask roms ( kernal, char rom & basic rom ) are prone to failure. You can replace those chips using a standard 27c64 EPROM if you have the tools or know someone who can do it. I did something similar to replace the character rom. Check this out http://ezcontents.org/c64-basic-rom-27c64-eprom

What happens when you try and boot basic ? See if the below symptoms match yours. U3 901226-01 BASIC ROM Blank screen w/ border. Cartridge works. U4 901227-03 (early -02) KERNAL ROM Blank screen, no border. Cartridge works ftp://www.zimmers.net/pub/cbm/documents/repair/troubleshooting-c64.txt.

Amazing work. I love threads like these..

Was the 74LS257 a MOS part ? ( 7708 ) The MOS parts seem to have a high failure rate nowadays.

It wouldn't be the character rom if it's booting to junk like that. You should still be able to load programs and the machine should still function in this case. Things it could be * Bad ram, try replacing/swapping U12 first. * Bad multiplexer at U14 ( common fault if it's a MOS chip ). * Faulty U2 - CIA, swap them around ( they're identical ) to see if your symptoms change.

Looks like a bad character rom to me too. I've had a very similar issue. There's some troubleshooting you can do by typing in this short basic program. http://www.devili.iki.fi/Computers/Commodore/C64/Programmers_Reference/Chapter_3/page_110.html The above program will copy the character set from the ROM into RAM, then type the following. POKE 53272,(PEEK(53272)AND240)+1 The flickering should stop because you are now mapping the VIC2 chip to use the character set from RAM but you will still have some corrupt characters. Type in the following to change the letter T to a smilie face. 10 FOR I=12448 TO 12455: READ A:POKE I,A:NEXT 20 DATA 60, 66, 165, 129, 165, 153, 66, 60 here's an example..[ note every character has a line through it ] After reprogramming the letter T to a smilie face [ note.. no line through that character ]

You wouldn't hear anything if you have no video signal but you'll should still be able determine if you can boot software via the disk drive or SIO2USB/PC. What happens if you try to get into the diagnostic mode ?

Weird. From your description it appears that the system is actually running properly. Is the system running blind ? ( can you still load software via the SIO port ).

Just replace them if you suspect it as they tend to be difficult to troubleshoot. The problem arises when the metal plate in the socket loses its springiness over time and does not go back to its original position to make contact with the pin of the IC.

It is a quick test you can do for TTLs and some DRAMs/SRAMs. But if the chip is shorted internally then the piggy back test is rather pointless. Other chips such as custom chips, ASICs, CPUs..etc are more complex and this method isn't recommended.

A change from blue to black screen indicates you're still getting video sync. Things it could be. You will need a logic probe for this. Faulty reset circuit [ confirm Sally is receiving RST ( from low then held high as the system comes up ) ]. Confirm CPU address and data lines toggle... if they don't toggle then you may have a bad oscillator [ rare ] or some component in the clock circuit [ Faulty transistor, shorted capacitor ..etc. ]. Also make sure you're getting 5v at the chips, anything lower than 4.7v may indicate a short somewhere.

Very true. I wanted an Apple IIe but I knew we could never afford one. Come Christmas time at K-mart, mom told me "You're having that and that's it!" despite logic and reason. It was a Vic 20. But then the smart thinking salesman stepped in with more logic and reason, we got a c64 instead. So I was happy in the end

The C64C case was a slight improvement over the original design though.. but I agree that the breadbin case feels rather cheap compared to the anything Atari put out before the XE line was introduced.

You can also use a machined pin socket and a bunch of wires. Here you can find the 2364 to 2764 diagram. http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56192&sid=65bbb77a6169f6666e4a6f9f8853ee9e I had to do something similar with a c64 to replace a character generator rom. http://www.jammarcade.net/commodore-64-breadbin-repair-log-7-bad-characters-part-2/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk