Decided that i will get two cases for both the C64 Reloaded MKII and the Ultimate64. Will probably order the SX-64 case from PixelWizard.
And I will order the MKII Reloaded, from Individual Computers. Need some more donor boards to get the board up & running, and need to get me two donor keyboards. Looking forward in building and testing them.
Next on the list will be the Mega65 when (and if) it hits the market. Just fun to have I guess.
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Ok, did some ordering this week, first of the new FPGASID for some testing. First reviews seems promising for a SID replaced.
Second I ordered the Ultimate 64 from Gideon ! I already have Ultimate-II cartridge for day 2 day use. Not quit sure when to receive the board, still have some time to find myself some extra SID chips to use with this board.
I also ordered the Final Cartridge III++ from sharewareplus, still needed one for my final cartridge collection.
Views: 1687
20-11-2018
And the rest of the set (see other postings about the standalone Light Fantastic & boxed Final Cartridge III. Sealed working C64c with original box, and boxed drive with geos, some games, joystick and a box with games on floppies (not on picture). Might be a keeper, not sure. But need some dusting.
Views: 295
20-11-2018
I got it with a complete c64c set, with a boxed Final Cartridge III and some games. The pictures on the ad only showed the lightgun..in some sort of a box. No games etc. Since the box coloring did look like the full Light Fantastic, as was sold around 1990, I tried to find out if the gun itself came in a box or something. Hard to find any information at all, but it seems that the lightgun was offered as standalone as well.
Made an offer on the whole set, got it for 115 euro…and when I got home from picking it up in Mechelen….unpacked everything…yep, standalone, complete and in very good condition.
Me happy. oh..forgot to take the picture of the lightgun itself, with the plastic bag. But it’s there 🙂
Views: 334
20-11-2018
The last 2 years, three were offered boxed on market places in Holland or Belgium. One mint was sold for over 60 euro. I got one in ok condition in a set, and yesterday got an even beter one. Almost mint condition. With Dutch and French manual, as was sold in Belgium back in the days 😉
Views: 153
17-11-2018
The game, commodore 64, eproms, two final cartridges (I/II), diskdrive with speedloader, eprom burner, two eprom carts, eprom eraser: 135 euro. The final cartridge III with manual..20 euro. The KCS cart and the magazins: 35.
A few final cartridges…early FC I with paper label instead of the usual silver stickers. Another FC2 which is not a 2..might be a repair casing or a homebrew illegal copy of the FC. And a FC III, with the green manual. Not quit sure how these were sold, are these just simple early FC III’s before the boxed them? Or were the usual manuals out of stock? If anyone knows how these were sold…let me know!
Some homebrew stuff….. KCS Speedsaver 64…but a home made cartridge..with manual. Pricing back then was 75 guilders. And two home made reset buttons for the diskdrive port.
Custom made eprom eraser (sort of homebrew)…a lot of empty and burned eproms, two eprom carts (Dela 512, Rex 9513 256k), eprom burner (Dela Eprommer II), Commodore64 with Speeddos and Speeddos 1541 drive.
The Dela 512 cartridge has an extra cable, connected to this C64 and the switch to activate the cartridge is built in the casing of the 64.
 
Some Input 64 disk magazines…first picture is with disks…second is magazine only.
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Just ordered some vacuum bags, 6 UV lights (40 watt each) and a ozone generator. I do have 5 litres of 13% peroxide ready, and a Sous-Vide. What I am looking for is a reasonable fast method combining heat, UV light and Peroxide without using cream. I think fully submerging the yellowed casings should mean a better controlled result than the cream method. If the cream dries out, you will see the result or marbling. Since I do have some nice stuff to retrobright, I am looking for a more guaranteed method!
So..what we need to know is the effectiveness of the heathing, duration and use of ozone or peroxide. And in what ratio we can or need to mix the peroxide just with water. If i do my reading on using Ozone it is still nog clear what is additionally needed to start the deyellowing proces.
For now it’s waiting on the orders..and deciding how I can submerge full casings in the sous-vide, ensuring that the plastic is not directly touching the heated bottom! In the end I want a solution where I can at least fully retrobrigh a C64 (upper/lower casing and keys).
Fixed parameters for testing: 4 hrs max (or earlier of the proces goes to fast), a full C64 keyset divided in 5 (one of reference). Temperatuur sous-vide 60 degrees max. Measured by thermometer touching the bottom place (and noting temperature half way the water and on the surface). UV light for 4 hrs, 4x40watt
Testcase 1:
Testcase 2:
Testcase 3:
Testcase 4:
I think I can do all four experiments at once. Just wondering if I should do the testing with and without the periodically redoing the ozone. Or maybe add two other tests.
I do think the sous-vide is too small for submerging a full Commodore 64. I even consider buying an aquarium 🙂 I do wonder…if I user 50% perodide 13% and 50% water…How long kan I used that? Does it weaken the effectiviness and how fast? Or can i leave it in the acquarium for weeks (or will it destroy the aquarium itself 🙂 )
I do hope there is a method with heath, UV and ozone only which is effective. Would be great if we won’t have to use peroxide anymore
Views: 474
14-10-2018
Some minor stuff added to the familly this month.
2. Nice Sony 8″ PVM-9040ME
Was looking for a smaller monitor to work with, or to take with me if I want to test things before buying them.
3. C64c x2
The first one is retrobrighted…it’s the one with a non standard C64c keyboard and it was missing in my collection. Both C’s are without box. The retrobright didn’t went well…and it has some marbling on the keys. On second thought I should have left it at seller. Will find another one I am sure. Breadbox64 did an article on this one.
The second is one of the last C64c’s. No screws, only clips. In good condition.
Views: 419
14-10-2018
Was away for almost four weeks. Holidays! Italy. Pizza and Calamari! (and practice surviving skills on the road while driving). Rome area was a challenge, it seems that the only undamaged car in traffice was mine (and it is still undamaged). Tried eBay there to find out if there were some nice things to buy. But both Italy and Switzerland the pricings are high…If I will ever decide to sell my collection, i will drive up there to sell it!
Noticed btw. that it is getting harder (and more expensive) to get auctions from Marktplaats.
There was a boxed 1581 on Catawiki selling of for I think 130 euros. One offered on Marktplaats went away for 200 (not quit sure it is the same one). Seller had one lot with books (including the manual of the 1581…) and that lot sold of earlier than the 1581. Some unlucky buyer ending up with a boxed 1581..excluding the manual.
Bought myself a second joystick for the Commodore 64 mini and a Lioncast Arcade fighting joystick for the mini as well (next will be a Logitech F71o, this wireless one should work with the mini as well). Seems that the quality of the joystick delivered with the mini is really poor. A lot of people ending with broken joysticks.
Started working on the re-assembly of the Compucase 64d again. Tested the board, with the two 1541 drives (one has the speedloader+ installed). Ordered a lot of small bolts and nuts to use in the re-assembly (the units are disassembled multiple times in the past 30 year…not screw or bolt used is the same at the moment. Looks like installing the two drives and putting back the outer casing is quite a difficult job with fair chances on damaging the casing.
Should have made a video during disassembly. Tried looking for manuals or youtube movies with no luck. Need to do some soldering as well on the selection switch of the kernel, reinstall it and decide where to put it in the casing. Probably drill a hole in the plate for power/joysticks instead of putting it in the outer casing. After this one, there is the second 64d waiting…but that came without board, drive and is missing the keyboard cable.
Got myself an Eprom eraser as well as theXGecu minipro TL866A/TL866II+ USB programmer. Now looking for some new eproms. Will use it to experiment with programming new kernals (diskdrive and c64), and reading out some existing eproms I have to secure the content.
From Aliexpress i got an Ozone generator, 1000W UV ledbox and I got some ziplock bags. Still not quit sure how to start experimenting with Retrobrighting. Got my self a sous vide last year..and I got 5L of 13% peroxide waiting. Not quit fond of the cream method..due to changes of failure and damaging my precious 😉
I am looking for a method in which i can at least do a full Commodore casing at once. Preferred method would be to submerge both casings fully in peroxide/water solution. While heating it up to an 55/60 degrees and use the UV light to accelerate the process?
So now to decide on how to move forward!
Noticed some capacitors leaking from the Amiga CD32…so Richard from Alphen aan de Rijn is currently working on it. Recap the board and clean it.
Views: 4455
14-10-2018 ; Update ; seems that the original final cartridge I manual is using both “the final cartridge” as well as “the final cartridge II” in its manual. So….nop, this one was not a FC II. Still on a quest to find me one!
The speedloader isn’t working as well, the drive keeps spinning, if I remove the speedloader and kernel from the 1541 and put an original kernel, VIA en MOS6502 in, the drive runs fine. Something is wrong with one of the PCB’s or other components. Hard time troubleshooting this one.
11-9-2018
With a non working commodore (black screen) and 1541 with speedloader. Hopefully the drive is working, so i can use it in my Compucase 64. I am restoring that one, and the drive it came with has a speedloader but seems not working.
But more important….and I was looking for this one for quit some time……
I do have three manuals which seems to be the same as the one in this picture…checked them, they all refer to the Final Cartridge…not to the Final Cartridge II
Anyway…not like there is much of a difference in functionality between the I and the II..I just needed to have this one as well.
Pick up this friday, paid 50 euro’s and i couldn’t care less 🙂
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