Archive-name: cbm-main-faq.3.1.p8
Comp-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part8 News-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part8 Comp-sys-cbm-archive-name: main-faq/part8 Version: 3.1 Last-modified: 1996/01/25 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents (for this file) --------------------------------- 13. Enhancements 13.1. How do I increase my disk drive's transfer speed? 13.1.1. What is a Fastloader? 13.1.2. What is a ROM replacement? 13.1.3. What are the disadvantages to using a drive enhancement? 13.1.4. What other things can I do to speed up the drive? 13.2. How do I expand my disk drive's capacity? 13.2.1. What is a Hard Drive? Who sells them? 13.2.2. What is 64NET? + 13.2.3. What is SERVER64? 13.3. How do I expand my computer's RAM capacity? 13.3.1. What is a Ram Expansion Unit? 13.3.2. What is a geoRAM Unit? 13.3.3. What is battery backed GeoRAM (BBGRam)? 13.3.4. What is a RAMLink? 13.3.5. What is a RAMDrive? 13.3.6. How do I expand my C128 Video RAM? 13.3.7. How do I expand my C64 internally? 13.3.8. How do I expand my C128 internally? 13.4. How do I increase my computer's speed? 13.4.1. How do I increase my Commodore 64's speed? 13.4.2. How do I increase my Commodore 128's speed? 13.4.3. Can I speed up other Commodore computers? 13.5. How do I increase my computer screen's resolution? 13.5.1. How do I increase my Commodore 64's screen resolution? 13.5.2. How do I increase my Commodore 128's screen resolution? 13.5.3. How do I increase other CBM computers' resolutions? 13.6. How do I increase my computer's serial transfer speed? 13.7. How do I increase my computer's sound quality? 13.8. What other ways can I expand my Commodore computer? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Enhancements If you like to tinker with your Commodore to get the best possible performance out of it, these suggestions and products may help you in your quest. 13.1. How do I increase my disk drive's transfer speed? Since the introduction of the Commodore VIC-20 and the slow serial bus, Commodore owners have been plagued by slow disk access. There are two ways to allevaiet this problem, fastloaders and ROM replacements. 13.1.1. What is a Fastloader? The Commodore 1541 drive and any drive attached to a VIC-20, C64, Plus 4, C116, or C16 suffer from very slow read and write times. This is caused by Commodore's haste in "economizing" the IEEE-488 bus used in the PET series of Commodore computers into the serial bus. The IEEE-488 bus transferred 8 bits of data at a time, and performed some synchronization steps, or handshaking, between bytes. Commodore reduced the path to 1 bit but kept most of the original handshaking, most of which is redundant when transferring 1 bit at a time. Early on, some developers noted that, since the 1541 drive was intelligent enough to execute a program loaded into its RAM, and the Commodore operating system calls to do disk I/O could be bypassed, they could write software that sped up the loading process by modifying or completely changing the protocol used on the serial bus. This is the idea behind fastload cartridges like FastLoad, Mach 5, etc... 13.1.2. What is a ROM replacement? As programs became more complex, some programs would not operate with this approach. Thus, the developers then rewrote parts of the Commodore operating system on both the computer and the disk drive, and replaced the parts of them that did disk I/O with new pieces of code. This is the idea behind JiffyDos and others. The basic idea in speeding up the disk drive is to use more than 1 line to transfer data, effectively doubling the transfer speed. Then, reduce synchronization requirements in the protocol to a bare minimum, as synchronizing time is time not being used to do transfers. The fastload cartridges are handicapped somewhat by the need to transfer the portion of the program that runs in the disk drive to the drive using the slow speed evry time the drive is used. This can be alleviated somewhat, but the replacement operating system replacement products like JiffyDos win the race since they do not need to load code into the drive, as it is already there. 13.1.3. What are the disadvantages to using a drive enhancement? The products are not 100% compatible, as they sacrifice reliability for speed somewhat. That means that a program that does not load due to an error while using a fastload product will probably load without the fastloading enabled. Also, some programs can not handle the change in loading or reading speed, so these enhancements yield about 90% compatibility. 13.1.4. What other things can I do to speed up the drive? You can also increase the speed of disk drive operation by organizing consecutive parts of a file on disk to fall a certain number of disk sectors apart. This is called the interleave or interleaving factor. Normally, a 1541 disk drive space consecutive parts of a file 10 sectors apart, but you can change that a little to minimize the time needed to find consecutive parts of a file. Also, the C128 in 128 mode hooked up to a 1571 or 1581 has a built-in fastloading scheme called burst loading. Therefore, if you are in 128 mode and hooked up to a 1581 or a 1571, you already have this feature. However, the 128 in 64 mode reverts back to the old slow serial routines, and the 128 in any mode using a 1541 cannot use the burst load routines. 13.2. How do I expand my disk drive's capacity? Software Support International sells the 1541 RAMBoard, which will increase you 1541's memory. SSI used to market a similar board for the 1571, but they have depleted stock and no longer carry it. You can also expand your disk drives on board RAM capacity, and use that extra memory for better archiving performance. + 13.2.1. What is a Hard Drive? Who sells them? + A hard disk drive is a non-removable ramdom access medium similar that + allows one to store very large quantities of data. Hard disk drives + are mandatory on most newer computer systems, but are usually optional + for Commodore 8-bit computers. However, the faster load time, the + greater capacity, and the ease of use make them desirable. CMD sells hard drives for the Commodore 64 and 128. They range in sizes from 50 Megabytes on up. In comparison, a Commodore 1581 drive holds .8 Megabytes. + 13.2.2. What is 64NET? If you have access to an IBM of some kind (preferrably with a hard drive), you can use a product called 64NET to hook the drive up to the Commodore. 64NET consists of a cable which connects the CBM User Port and the IBM Parallel Port together, and a program that runs on both machines. The program on the IBM is a standard application, but the CBM part is a wedge, so it should integrate seamlessly with some programs. There is now just one copy of the product. Registered users simply receive a 64NET.KEY file that enables SAVING. There is a student discount of AUS$40.00. The product is at version 1.82.62 and has full OPEN/CLOSE/READ/READST support, can support 4 gigabyte IBM partitions, and have a built-in off-board monitor which includes some dos wedge functions. The IBM programs have link-based helpsystems and will run on any IBM machine. The registered version allows saving of files, wheras the PD version does not. The registered version also contains support for GEOS. The registered BETA version is available (with upgrade to final version free) for AUS$50.00, while the unregistered version is free. These prices do not include the cable that is required for operation. The cable, program, and more information can be received from Paul Gardner-Stephen at gardners@ist.flinders.edu.au. Also, the system can be ordered from: In Europe: Performance Peripherals Europe Germany +49 2227 3221 Michael Renz +49 2227 3221 And in Australia from: Russell Alphey +61 3 4278558 (A/H r.alphey@dce.vic.gov.au Paul Gardner-Stephen +61 8 277 7479 (A/H) Versions are available for the C64 and C128, and a C65 version is close to completion. + Also available is an Software Development Kit (SDK) with a CBM + cross assembler. + 13.2.3. What is SERVER64? SERVER64 is a product like 64NET, in that it allows you to use an IBM PC as a large hard drive. However, unlike 64NET, SERVER64 does not require a connection to the user port and a special boot program be run. Instead, the system uses an X1541 cable to attach the Commodore 64 serial port to an IBM parallel port. The product is available at: ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/incoming/ Documentation is available at: ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/incoming/ Both are expected to move to the /pub/cbm/emulation directory soon. 13.3. How do I expand my computer's RAM capacity? 13.3.1. What is a Ram Expansion Unit? The original form of RAM expansion available to the C64 and C128 were the Commodore REUs (Ram Expansion Units). These REUs plug into the cartridge port, and provide 128K (the C=1700), 256K (the C=1764), or 512K (the C=1750) of additional RAM. This RAM is not true system RAM however; simply adding a 512K REU to your system does NOT mean that your word processor will suddenly be able to edit 512K larger documents. A REU will only be used by a program that was written to take advantage of an REU. As a caveat on this, you can use your REU as additional RAM for a RAMLink . An REU can be used as a Commodore Disk Drive by running the program RAMDOS. This will allow users to save and load files from the REU. If you are using CP/M, the REU can be configured to act like a disk drive under CP/M. Although the C=1764 was originally advertised for the C64, and the 1700 and 1750 for the C128, any of the three RAM expanders will work with either the C64 or the C128. Note that if you want to use any of them on the C64, you need a heavy duty power supply. The 1764 comes with such a power supply. There are hardware hacks that will expand a 1700 or a 1764 to 512K; additionally, a 512K REU can be expanded to 1 Meg or more. The plans are at ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/. While it appears completely safe to upgrade your REU to 1 Meg, there have been some reports of problems with REU's upgraded to 2 Megs. Sometimes the REU will work fine for a while, then fail. If you are upgrading your REU, it would probably be wise to stop at 1 Meg. If you are still memory hungry, consider a CMD RAMLink. If you don't wish to do it yourself, there are people who will do it for you, for a fee. The following individual will do RAM expansions on the 17xx series. He Has lots of experience doing these modifications. His current quoted price for expanding a 1750 from 512k to 1 meg is $60. Call for the latest prices. In addition he can do repairs on the RAM. Raymond Day 9601 Morton Taylor Road Belleville, MI 48111-1328 r.day@genie.geis.com (Contact) (313) 699-6727 On a similar note, Software Support International sells a device called the 1750 clone, which functions just like a 1750. It is not as expandable as the real 1750, but can be used where a 1750 is recommended or required. 13.3.2. What is a geoRAM Unit? When Commodore REUs became hard to find several years back, Berkeley Softworks introduced geoRAM, which is a 512K RAM expander. This RAM expander gives you all of the advantages of a 1750 with GEOS. However, it is not 1750 compatible, so it will not work like a 1750 outside of GEOS; it is transparent to other programs. (As a caveat on this, see the info on RAMLink)). DesTerm128 2.0 will not work with a geoRAM plugged in. A special version of GEOS 2.0 (which is bundled with geoRAM) is necessary to use geoRAM. No additional power supply is necessary to use geoRAM. The geoRAM can be upgraded to 2MB also. Contact Jens-Michael Gross at grossibr@buran.fb10.tu-berlin.de for information on upgrading the geoRAM. The geoRAM can be used without GEOS if it is installed in a RAMDrive or RAMLink. See Section 13.3.4 for information. 13.3.3. What is battery backed GeoRAM (BBGRam)? Battery Backed GeoRam is a products marketed by Performance Peripherals Incorporated. The unit is actually a geoRAM clone, but has battery backup included within the unit. The unit can be ordered in the following configurations: 512kBytes $92.97US 1MBytes $123.97US 2MBytes $165.97US 13.3.4. What is a RAMLink? RAMLink (RL) is a RAM expansion devices from CMD. The RAM in these devices can be partitioned into native mode partitions (with dynamically allocated subdirectories), or 1541, 1571, or 1581 emulating partitions. Thanks to the 15x1 emulating partitions, software does not have to be specifically written to run with a RL. The RL devices should appear as a disk drive to most programs. One notable exception is DesTerm v2.00, which does not work with the RL. There are few other exceptions, and no major commercial program has a problem running with an RL . The deciding factor seems to be whether or not the program uses a drive's internal ram. The RL does not 'mimic' having this type of internal drive ram, and if a program relies upon this it will not run. The heavily copy protected Digital Solutions' programs use this drive ram for its burst loading routines. So, even though a Maverick/RamBoard combination will write a copy of it to the RL, it will fail to boot. However, these programs, once booted from a 1571, will use and access all of RL's many functions for lightening fast loads and saves. RL has ts own power sources, separate from the computer. When you turn off the computer, the power to the RL is left on, leaving its contents intact. This power supply always remains on. (For safety from power outages, battery backups are also available.) RAMLink is a powerful, large device. It can be configured from 0 to up to 16 Megs of RAM, using industry standard 1x8 (100ns) 1 Meg and 4 Meg SIMMs.(1x9, and faster Simms can be used.) The RL is constructed so that the user may easily add additional SIMMs at any time. RAMLink has a port into which you can plug a Commodore REU or a geoRAM. You can configure RAMLink to either leave this RAM device alone, or to use the REU/geoRAM's RAM just as if it were part of the RAMLink's RAM. A RAMLink also has a pass-through port, in which you can plug a normal C64/C128 cartridge, and a parallel port for a CMD hard drive. The latter greatly improves the transfer speed of data between your computer and the hard drive. If you have a geoRAM, the geoRAM can be plugged into the RL . the geoRAM then acts as an extra piece of ram-based disk storage. The RL comes with a very well documented, thorough, and easily referenced User Manual. Contact CMD for more details. 13.3.5. What is a RAMDrive? The RAMDrive is similar in function to the RAMLink sold by CMD (see Section 13.3.4). The main differences are the smaller amount of memory (1-4 MB) and the smaller size. At one time, the RAMDrive was sold by CMD, but is no longer available through them. However, Performance Peripherals, Inc. still sells the RAMDrive unit. 13.3.6. How do I expand my C128 Video RAM? The original, "flat" C128's came with an 80 column display that had it's own display RAM that was separate from the system memory of the computer. This "VDC RAM" was 16K in size. After Commodore introduced the C128D, they changed the design and marketed some versions of the Commodore 128D with 64K of VDC RAM. Since them, some programs (e.g. I-Paint, Dialogue128) have come out that either need or support 64K of VDC RAM. Owners of flat 128's can upgrade their video RAM to 64K either by ordering an upgrade plug-in board(e.g. from Software Support International), or by replacing the RAM chips themselves. All that needs to be done is, the two 4416 RAM chips next to the VDC chip need to be replaced with 4464 RAM chips. Note, however, that since this involves soldering in tight quarters on your 128's motherboard, it is very easy to damage the motherboard or the nearby VDC chip. Whenever you wish to use the extra RAM, be sure to set bit 4 in the VDC register 28 (0 = 16kB, 1 = 64kB). 13.3.7. How do I expand my C64 internally? THE TRANSACTOR magazine published two articles written by Paul Bosacki on expanding the Commodore 64. The first article (in Transactor 9.2) described how to expand the 64 to 256kB by swapping RAM chips and contained switches to perform some special options. The second (in Transactor 9.6) describes how to expand the Commodore 64 to 1MB, using a 512kB REU and 512kB on the | motherboard. In addition, this expansion needs no switches to enable options, which is an enhancement to the first article. The Nordic/Finnish MicroBITTI magazine published a two part article by Pekka Pessi on expanding the Commodore 64. Pessi's design (in MicroBITTI Issues 1 and 2 for 1987) split the C64 memory map into 4 16kB pages, which could be each mapped to any 16kB page in 256kB of memory. It uses the same approach of swapping the 64kB DRAMs for 256kB ones, but does the addressing somewhat differently. In 1993, Marko Makela, with help from Pekka Pessi, translated Pessi's article into English and made it available via the Internet. It is now available at ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/documents/ or ftp://x2ftp.oulo.fi:/pub/cbm/docs/ 13.3.8. How do I expand my C128 internally? Marko Makela has written an article on how to expand the C128 and C128D's memory up to 1024kB. It is compatible with his earlier article on expanding the C64 to 256kB, so programs written for the expanded 64 should run on the expanded 128 in 64 mode. The plan and schematic is available via ftp from nic.funet.fi in directory /pub/cbm/documents/1028. The C-256 and C-512 Twin Cities 128 issues #30 and #31 have a hardware scheme for expanding your 128 to 256K or 512K. To people who understand banking on the 128, the 256K modification adds RAM blocks 2 and 3 to your system. The 512K modification adds four more RAM blocks that can be accessed as alternate RAM blocks 2 and 3, or as a completely separate set of RAM blocks 0-3. As with Commodore REUs, software must specifically support the expanded RAM. Since these modifications are relatively new, there is not much software out yet that supports the additional RAM. However, ACE 128 does support this expansion without any special drivers. The hardware modification, while simple from software's point of view, is rather difficult to perform in hardware. Richard Curcio, the designer of the memory modifications, can modify your 128 for you. See Twin Cities 128 issue #31 for more information. 13.4. How do I increase my computer's speed? There are a number of products that can increase the operating speed of the Commodore 64. These products work by turning off the on-board 6510 and turning on a compatible microprocessor, usually a 65C02 or a 65C816 in 6502 emulation mode. These products will work with any software that does not mind running up to 4 times faster and does not use any of the undocumented opcodes of the 6502 IC. Also, for a quick way to gain a small speed increase, please see Section 17.2. 13.4.1. How do I increase my Commodore 64's speed? Please note that some of these products are no longer offered for sale by the original companies, but can be purchased from individuals as used equipment. Turbo Master Accelerator for C64. The Turbo Master Accelerator is for a C64 (or C64 mode of C128) only, uses a Rockwell R65C02P4 microprocessor clocked at 4.09 MHz, has its own 64K of fast static RAM and a 32K EPROM, has hardware/software switchable speed between 4.09 and normal, and has an enhanced ROM with faster disk routines that can also be disabled. A JiffyDOS compatibility option was available. Turbo Process Accelerator for the C64. This accelerator, made by Rossm"oller, uses a 65C816P-4 microprocessor to operate the 64 at three speeds: 1MHz, 4 MHz, or anything between 50kHz and 4 MHz. The 65C816 is a 16 bit version of the 6502/6510, so it is possible to write software for the new IC that takes advantage of the 16 bit opcodes. Flash 8 This accelerator, the only one being currently produced, is also the fastest such accelerator for the Commodore 64 to date. The module, which plugs into the expansion port of the Commodore 64, increases the CPU processing speed from 1MHz to 8MHz. It uses a 65816 CPU (The 65816 is a descendant of the 65XX series) running at 8MHz to enable the increased speed. Also, it can be optional expanded to 4 or 8 MB RAM onboad. This product is the successor to the Rossmoeller TurboAccess 4MHz accelerator card. The unit has the capability to provide 10x speed disk access via a parallel cable and has a CP/M option. GEOS compatible requires the special patches that are available from the manufacturer, and games or demos which do very intensive timing or raster effects might not fucntion correctly. At present, the accelerator only works on PAL 64s of certain revisions and will not function on a C128 in 64 mode. Currenlty, the REU is not supported. From the advertisement: "FLASH 8 is a GEOS-compatible module for the expansion port with a 65816 CPU that speeds the C64 to 8Mhz by highest compatibility with existing software. Additionally to the original Commodore Kernal a JiffyDos kernal is available. You can choose between two different kernals via DIP-switch. Flash 8 comes either with 256 Kbyte or 1 Mbyte RAM onboard. A CP/M-emulator for running Z80-CP/M-Software, a macro-library and assembler for the 65816 in native-mode are included." The prices are: 349 DM (~$245.00 US) for the unit with 256kB RAM. 449 DM (~$315.00 US) for the unit with 1MB RAM. It is being manufactured and sold by Discount 2000 and Performance Peripherals, Inc. The Turbo Master Accelerator is for a C64 (or C64 mode of C128) only, uses a Rockwell R65C02P4 microprocessor clocked at 4.09 MHz, has its own 64K of fast static RAM and a 32K EPROM, has hardware/software switchable speed between 4.09 and normal, and has an enhanced ROM with faster disk routines that can also be disabled. A JiffyDOS compatibility option was available. | CMD SuperCPU 64 | The CMD Super 64 CPU accelerator cartridge, currently shipping from Creative Micro Designs, will allow a Commodore 64 or Commodore 128 (in 64 | mode) to reach CPU speeds of 20 MHz. | A Western Design Center 65C816S 16bit CPU core (with 6502 emulation) | forms the heart of the unit. The accelerator is compatible will all | standard peripherals for the Commodore 64, including the 1500 series | disk drives and the 1700 series Ram Expansion Units. In addition, the | unit is compatible with GEORam and the various peripherals offered by | CMD, such as the HD and FD series disk drives and the RAMLink. | Internally, the unit contains a WDC 65C816S CPU and 64kB of fast static | RAM for no-wait program processing. Both a stock and JiffyDOS enhanced | kernel are available, and the user can completely disable the unit if | desired without unplugging. Also, the speed of the unit (1MHz or maximum | speed) can be selected via switch or software. A pass through port | allows the user to use existing cartridges, and an expansion port | dubbbed the "Rocket Socket" allows RAM or functionality enhancements to be added to the accelerator. Production units began on July 25, 1996, and a developer's package will be made available to software authors shortly. The price is as follows: Super 64/20 US$199.00 Creative Micro Designs, Incorporated. (CMD) 15 Benton Drive P.O. Box 646 East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646 (800) 638-3263 (Orders only) (413) 525-0023 (Information) (413) 525-0147 (Fascimile) cmd.sales@the-spa.com (Information and Pricing) cmd.support@the-spa.com (Technical Support) cmd.cac@the-spa.com (Charles Chistianson - Marketing) doug.cotton@the-spa.com (Doug Cotton - Technical Writer) 13.4.2. How do I increase my Commodore 128's speed? The ZIP card for your C128. This accelerator was not produced. Its development has been stopped due to miscellaneous problems. + The SuperCPU 128 + In addition to the SuperCPU 64 (see Section 13.4.1), Creative Micro + Designs is planning to introduce a 128 version of this 20 MHz accelerator. + Production dates are sceduled for around Christmas, 1996. The price for + the 128 version has not yet been finalized., Contact CMD for more + information. 13.4.3. Can I speed up other Commodore computers? Although it is possoble to accelerate just about any Commodore machine, no commercial products exist to speed up other Commodore computers. 13.5. How do I increase my computer screen's resolution? Although the Commodore computers once reigned in terms or screen rsolution and number of colors available, newer machines have surpassed it in both areas. Depending on whether you want more characters on the screen or more colors at one time, these products might help. 13.5.1. How do I increase my Commodore 64's screen resolution? Since the Commodore 64's VIC-II cannot be expanded, the only way to increase the resolution of the Commodore 64 is to turn off the on-board video and replace its output with one from another IC. The simplist approach involves attaching an 80 column video chip (6545, 6845, etc.) to the C64 via the expansion port. This will provide 80 columns of monochrome text. However, this is only useful for text applications, as most of these video devices are not capable of doing high resolution graphics. Also, none of the following are currently produced, but many are sold as used equipment by users. Batteries Included BI-80 This unit combined an 80 column monochrome text video display (using the 6545 IC) and BASIC 4.0. Either options could be turned on or off via software control. DATA 20 80 column unit This unit preceded the BI80 unit, and was produced from 1982-1984. Protecto Enterprizes Protecto-80 This was basically a repackaged DATA-20 unit. Some circuitry was changed to permit price reduction, but the same functionality is there. 13.5.2. How do I increase my Commodore 128's screen resolution? The Commodore 128 comes equipped with an second video display controller in addition to the 40 column VIC chip. This chip can be used while in 64 mode through clever programming, and the controller's standard 640*200 pixel size can be expanded to 640*400. However, there is no way to completely overcome the color limitation of 16 colors + In Germany at one time, there was a small hardware device which + plugged right into the C128 and expanded the resolution to 720*700 + in C128 Mode. Other modes made available were: 640*720, and 640*650. + Basic 7.0 had full access to screen modes of 640*720/360, 720*700/350 + and for monochrome displays: 640*400 and 720*400. Any vertical + resolution above 400 was interlaced, but flickered far below anything + the Amiga offered. There was reportedly no interference with other + hardware and full compatibility was maintained. The device was the + 'Graphic-Booster 128' and was marketed by: + Combo AG + Tugginerweg 3 + 4500 Solothurn + Schweiz (Switzerland) 13.6. How do I increase my computer's serial transfer speed? If you wish to operate serial devices at speeds faster than what the internal software emulated UART can handle, you will need to purchase a UART interface. There are a couple of different kinds, and each has its advantages. To use these hardware UARTs, the application must be written to take advantage of the device. SwiftLink the SwiftLink cartridge is manufactured by CMD and allows speeds up to 38.4 Kbps. This device contains a 6551 UART and plugs into your cartridge port and supplies you with a standard 9-pin serial port. You then connect the desired modem. Dialogue128, Novaterm64, and Kermit(v2.2s) support the SwiftLink. Creative Micro Designs, Incorporated. (CMD) 15 Benton Drive P.O. Box 646 East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646 (800) 638-3263 (Orders only) (413) 525-0023 (Information) (413) 525-0147 (Fascimile) cmd.sales@the-spa.com (Information and Pricing) cmd.support@the-spa.com (Technical Support) cmd.cac@the-spa.com (Charles Chistianson - Marketing) doug.cotton@the-spa.com (Doug Cotton - Technical Writer) HART Cartridge The HART cartridge is a device similar to the Swiftlink in size. However, the HART unit conatins an 8255 UART IC and can handle speeds up to 57.6Kbps. The unit is manufactured by Hatronics. Hatronics 145 Lincoln Street | Montclair, NJ 07042 (201) 783-7264 Mark Hatten (Contact) DataPump DataPump is a set of plans used to build a device that functions just like a Swiftlink. The plans are available at many FTP sites. ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/CBM/documents/ (GEOS format) ftp://hamsterix.funet.fi/pub/CBM/documents/datapump.sfx (GEOS format) ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/INCOMING/hardware/ 13.7. How do I increase my computer's sound quality? SID Symphony The C64 and C128 come equipped with 1 Sound Interface Device (SID) IC. This provides 3 channels of output. For more channels, one can purchase the SID Symphony cartridge from CMD to provide 3 extra channels. Most newer sound playing and editing software is able to use the extra channels. There are also a number of units one can purchase or build that will provide MIDI capabilities for Commodore 64 and 128 users. 13.8. What other ways can I expand my Commodore computer? There are many hardware items that you can use. Below is a list of a few of them. Note that some of these items may no longer be in production, and thus are only available as used equipment. 80-Line Simplified Digital I/O Board This unit has 40 TTL input lines and 40 separate buffered digital output lines plus an expansion socket that could support a standard ROM or clock/ calendar cartridge. It works on the C64 and all modes of the C128 (including CP/M mode). Its model number is the SS100 Plus. "Original Ultimate Interface" This is a universally applicable dual 6522 Versatile Interface Adapter board with four 8-bit fully bidirectional I/O ports, eight handshake lines, and four 16-bit timer/counters. It has IRQ interrupt capability and is expandable to four boards. It works on the C64 and all modes of the C128 (including CP/M mode). Its model number is the 641F22. A/D Conversion Module This unit is 16 channel, 8-bit, 100 microsecond conversion time. Piggy-backs on the 641F22 and thus requires it to operate. Works on the C64 and all modes of the C128 (including CP/M mode). Its model number is 641F/ADC0816. The Spartan Apple ][+ emulator for the C64, by Mimic Systems, Inc. In addition to allowing the use of Apple ][+ hardware/software, this device boasted four software selectable C64 cartridge slots, a non- dedicated 8-bit parallel port, and standard audio cassette deck capabilities for the C64. ROM upgrades are available for the C-128 and the 1571. C64 Games Port Expander (Model #8401) 40/80 column converter. Switchable, it has 4 independent cartridge sockets plus a 5th switch position accessing an 80 col. character set ROM - (limited usability because it *apparently* accesses a C64 Ram location which interferes with a lot of stuff, I forget where or how) - and a 6th switch position independent of the cartridge port for general use stuff. It was built into a neat steel housing designed to sit flat on the desktop and slide into the cartridge port at exactly the right height. -- Jim Brain, Embedded System Designer, Brain Innovations, Inc. (BII) (online sig) bii@mail.jbrain.com "Above views DO reflect my employer, since I'm my employer" Dabbling in WWW, Embedded Systems, Old CBM computers, and Good Times! -Me- BII Home: http://www.jbrain.com CBM Info: http://www.jbrain.com/vicug/ User Contributions: |
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