Commodore 64
Type	Home computer
Released	August 1982
Discontinued	April 1994
Processor	MOS Technology 6510 @ 1. A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s The MOS Technology 6510 is a Microprocessor designed by MOS Technology Inc 02 MHz (NTSC version) / 0. 985MHz (PAL version)
Memory	64 KB
Operating system	Commodore BASIC 2. A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix Kilo -, meaning 1000 is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 1024 Commodore BASIC, also known as PET BASIC, is the dialect of the BASIC programming language used in Commodore International 's 8-bit Home 0

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer released by Commodore International in August, 1982, at a price of US$595. Eight-bit CPUs normally use an 8-bit data bus and a 16-bit address bus which means that their Address space is limited to 64 KBs This is not a "natural A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s Commodore, the commonly used name for Commodore International, was a US-American Electronics company based in West Chester Pennsylvania The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore MAX Machine, the C64 features 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM with sound and graphics performance that were superior to IBM-compatible computers of that time. The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines The Commodore MAX Machine, also known as Ultimax in the United States and VC-10 in Germany, was a Home computer designed and A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix Kilo -, meaning 1000 is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 1024 A byte (pronounced "bite" baɪt is the basic unit of measurement of information storage in Computer science. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT.

The Commodore 64 is commonly referred to as the C64 or C=64 and occasionally known as CBM 64 (Commodore Business Machines Model number 64), or VIC-64. ^[1] It has also been affectionately nicknamed the "breadbox" and "bullnose" due to its shape.

During the Commodore 64's lifetime sales totaled 30 million units, making it the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated ^[2] For a substantial period of time (1983/84/85), the Commodore 64 dominated the market with approximately 40% share,^[3][4] even outselling IBM PCs and Apple computers. Sam Tramiel, a former Commodore president said in a 1989 interview "When I was at Commodore we were building 400,000 C64s a month for a couple of years. "^[5] Part of its success was due to the fact that it was sold in retail stores instead of electronics stores, and that Commodore produced many of its parts in-house to control supplies and cost.

Approximately 10,000 commercial software titles were made for the Commodore 64 including development tools, office applications, and games. The machine is also credited with popularizing the computer demo scene. The demoscene is a Computer art Subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in The Commodore 64 is still used today by some computer hobbyists,^[6] and various C64 emulators allow anyone with a modern computer to run these programs on their desktop. This article lists software and hardware that emulates computing platforms An emulator duplicates (provides an emulation of the functions of one System using a different system so that the second system behaves like (and appears to Since 28 March 2008, Commodore 64 games have been available to buy from the Wii Virtual Console in Europe; the first games available were Uridium and International Karate. Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download Uridium is a Sci-fi side-scrolling Shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 (and other 8-bit machines International Karate is a 1986 Karate Computer game for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ^[7][8]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Winning the market war 1.2 The C64 family 1.3 C64 clones 2 Software 3 Hardware 3.1 Graphics and sound 3.2 Hardware revisions 3.3 Specifications 3.3.1 Internal hardware 3.3.2 I/O ports and power supply 4 Notable historic uses 5 Notes on C64 software 6 Notes and references 7 See also 8 External links

History

In January 1981, MOS Technology, Inc. MOS Technology Inc, also known as CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group, was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Norristown Pennsylvania , Commodore's integrated circuit design subsidiary, initiated a project to design the graphic and audio chips for a next generation video game console. Microchipsjpg|right|thumb|200px|Microchips ( EPROM memory with a transparent window showing the integrated circuit inside Design work for the chips, named MOS Technology VIC-II (graphics) and MOS Technology SID (audio), was completed in November 1981. The VIC-II (Video Interface Chip II, specifically known as the MOS Technology 6567/8562/8564 ( NTSC versions 6569/8565/8566 ( PAL) is the microchip The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device was the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore 's CBM-II,

A game console project was then initiated by Commodore that would use the new chips—called the Ultimax or alternatively the Commodore MAX Machine, engineered by Yash Terakura from Commodore Japan. The Commodore MAX Machine, also known as Ultimax in the United States and VC-10 in Germany, was a Home computer designed and This project was eventually canceled after just a few machines were manufactured for the Japanese market.

At the same time Robert "Bob" Russell (system programmer and architect on the VIC-20) and Robert "Bob" Yannes (engineer of the SID) were critical of the current product line-up at Commodore, which was a continuation of the Commodore PET line aimed at business users. The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines The PET ( P ersonal E lectronic T ransactor) was a home -/ Personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977 With the support of Al Charpentier (engineer of the VIC-II) and Charles Winterble (manager of MOS Technology), they proposed to Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel a true low-cost sequel to the VIC-20. Jack Tramiel (born 13 December 1928) is a Businessman, best known for founding Commodore International - manufacturer of the Commodore Tramiel dictated that the machine should have 64 KB of RAM. Although 64 KB of DRAM cost over USD$100 at the time, he knew that DRAM prices were falling, and would soon drop to an acceptable level before full production was reached. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been In November, Tramiel set a deadline for the first weekend of January, to coincide with the 1982 Consumer Electronics Show. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES is a Trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored

The product was codenamed the VIC-40 as the successor to the popular VIC-20. A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines The team that constructed it consisted of Bob Russell, Bob Yannes and David A. Ziembicki. The design, prototypes and some sample software was finished in time for the show, after the team had worked tirelessly over both Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends. In the United States, Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is an annual one-day legal holiday to express Gratitude for the things one has

When the product was to be presented, the VIC-40 product was renamed C64 in order to fit into the current Commodore business products lineup which contained the P128 and the B256, both named by a letter and their respective memory size.

The C64 made an impressive debut at the 1982 Winter Consumer Electronics Show, as recalled by Production Engineer David A. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES is a Trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored Ziembicki: "All we saw at our booth were Atari people with their mouths dropping open, saying, 'How can you do that for $595?'" The answer, as it turned out, was vertical integration; thanks to Commodore's ownership of MOS Technology's semiconductor fabrication facilities, each C64 had an estimated production cost of only $135. Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. In Microeconomics and Management, the term vertical integration describes a style of Management control. MOS Technology Inc, also known as CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group, was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Norristown Pennsylvania Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to create chips the Integrated circuits that are present in everyday Electrical and electronic

Winning the market war

The C64 faced a wide range of competing home computers at its introduction in August 1982. A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s With an impressive price coupled with the C64's advanced hardware, it quickly out-classed many of its competitors. In the United States the greatest competitors to the C64 were the Atari 8-bit 400 and 800, the IBM PC and the Apple II. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The Atari 400 and 800 were very similar in hardware terms, but were very expensive to build, which forced Atari to redesign their machine to be more cost effective. This resulted in the 600XL/800XL line and the transfer of their production to the Far East. The IBM PC and the latest in the aging Apple II line both had higher resolution graphics modes than the C64,^[9][10] but due to poor color support they were rarely used, so in practice the C64's 16-color (4-bit) graphics and sound abilities outmatched them at the time of its release. Upgrade capability in IBM PC and Apple II was granted by their internal expansion slots, while C64 had only an external cartridge plug. In various types of electronic equipment a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e Though the first solution proved to be more versatile and is still present in modern motherboards, IBM compatible expansion cards were rare at the time and usually required higher cpu performances, while C64s were already provided with built-in plugs for most common peripherals. A motherboard is the central or primary Printed circuit board (PCB making up a complex electronic system such as a modern Computer or Laptop An expansion card (also expansion board, adapter card or accessory card) in Computing is a Printed circuit board that can be inserted For an account of the words periphery and peripheral as they are used in biology sociology politics computer hardware and other fields see the

All four machines had similar standard memory configurations in the years 1982/83: 48K for the Apple II+^[11] (upgraded within months of C64's release to 64K with the Apple IIe);^[10] 64K for the IBM PC;^[9] and 48K for the Atari 800. ^[12] At upwards of US$1,200,^[13][14] the IBM PC and Apple II were more than twice as expensive, while the Atari 800 cost $899. One key to the C64's success was Commodore's aggressive marketing tactics, and they were quick to exploit the relative price/performance divisions between its competitors with a series of television commercials after the C64's launch in late 1982. ^[15]

Commodore sold the C64 not only through its network of authorized dealers, but also placed it on the shelves of department stores, discount stores, and toy stores. Since it had the ability to output composite video, the C64 did not require a specialized monitor, but could be plugged into a television set. Composite video is the format of an Analog television (picture only signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF This allowed it (like its predecessor, the VIC-20) to compete directly against video game consoles such as the Atari 2600.

Aggressive pricing of the C64 is considered to be a major catalyst in the video game crash of 1983. The North American video game crash of 1983 (sometimes known as the video game crash of 1984 because it was in that year that the full effects of the crash became apparent In 1983, Commodore offered a $100 rebate in the United States on the purchase of a C64 upon receipt of any video game console or computer. A rebate is an amount paid by way of reduction return or refund on what has already been paid or contributed To take advantage of the $100 rebate, some mail-order dealers and retailers offered a Timex Sinclair 1000 for as little as $10 with purchase of a C64 so the consumer could send the computer to Commodore, collect the rebate, and pocket the difference. The Timex Sinclair 1000 (TS1000 was the first ^[16] Timex Corporation departed the marketplace within a year. Timex Group BV is the parent of Timex Group USA Inc The latter is located in Middlebury Connecticut, and began in 1854 as Waterbury The success of the VIC-20 and C64 also contributed significantly to the exit of Texas Instruments and other competitors from the field. Texas Instruments ( better known in the electronics industry (and popularly as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA In parts of the US in the late 1980s, new C64's could be purchased in retail chains for a little more than $100.

In 1984, Commodore released the Commodore Plus/4. The Commodore Plus/4 was a Home computer released by Commodore International in 1984 The Plus/4 offered a higher-color display, a better implementation of BASIC (V3. Commodore BASIC, also known as PET BASIC, is the dialect of the BASIC programming language used in Commodore International 's 8-bit Home 5), and built-in software. However, Commodore committed what was perceived by critics and consumers as a major strategic error by making it incompatible with the C64. The Plus/4 lacked hardware sprite capability and had much poorer sound, thus seriously under performing in two of the areas that had made the C64 a star. In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that

In Europe, the primary competitors to the C64 were the British-built Sinclair ZX Spectrum, BBC Microcomputer and the Amstrad CPC 464. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s In the UK, the Spectrum had been released a few months ahead of the C64, and selling for almost half the price. The Spectrum quickly became the market leader and Commodore had an uphill struggle against the Spectrum as it could not rely on undercutting the competition. The C64 debuted at £399 in early 1983, while the Spectrum cost £175. The C64 would later rival the Spectrum in popularity in the latter half of the 1980s, eventually outliving the Spectrum when the latter was discontinued in December 1990.

Despite a few attempts by Commodore to discontinue the C64 in favor of other, higher priced machines, constant demand made its discontinuation a hard task. By 1988, Commodore was selling 1. 5 million C64s worldwide. ^[17] Although demand for the C64 dropped off in the US by 1990, it continued to be popular in the UK and other European countries. In the end, economics, not obsolescence sealed the C64's fate. In March 1994, at CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, Commodore announced that the C64 would be finally discontinued in 1995. CeBIT ( Ce ntrum der B üro- und I nformations' t' echnik; German for "Centre of Office and Information technology" is the Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Commodore claimed that the C64's disk drive was more expensive to manufacture than the C64 itself. Commodore64 fdd1541 backjpg|thumb|325px|Back panel view of the Commodore 1541 disk drive Although Commodore had planned to discontinue the C64 by 1995, the company filed for bankruptcy a month later, in April 1994. ^[18]

The C64 family

1982: Commodore released the Commodore MAX Machine in Japan. The Commodore MAX Machine, also known as Ultimax in the United States and VC-10 in Germany, was a Home computer designed and It is called the Ultimax in the US, and VC-10 in Germany. The MAX was intended to be a game console with limited computing capability. It was discontinued months after its introduction, because of poor sales in Japan.

1983 saw Commodore attempt to compete with the Apple II's hold on the education market with the Educator 64,^[19] essentially a C64 and monochrome monitor in a PET case. The Educator 64 also known as the PET 64 and Model 4064 was a Microcomputer made by Commodore Business Machines in 1983 Schools preferred the all in one, metal construction of the PET over the standard C64's easily damaged, vandalized or stolen separate components.

In 1984 Commodore released the SX-64, a portable version of the C64. The Commodore SX-64 also known as the Executive 64 or VIP-64 in Europe was a Portable, briefcase/suitcase-size "luggable" version of the popular Commodore 64 The SX-64 has the distinction of being the first full-color portable computer. The base unit featured a 5 inch (127 mm) CRT and an integrated 1541 floppy disk drive. The cathode ray tube (CRT is a Vacuum tube containing an Electron gun (a source of electrons and a Fluorescent screen with internal or Commodore64 fdd1541 backjpg|thumb|325px|Back panel view of the Commodore 1541 disk drive The SX-64 did not have a cassette connector.

Commodore was determined to avoid the problems of the Plus/4, making sure that the eventual successors to the C64—the Commodore 128 and 128D computers (1985)—were as good as, and fully compatible with the original, as well as offering a host of improvements (such as a structured BASIC with graphics and sound commands, 80-column display capability, and full CP/M compatibility). The Commodore Plus/4 was a Home computer released by Commodore International in 1984 The Commodore 128 ( C128, CBM 128, C=128) home / Personal computer was the last 8-bit machine which was commercially CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers is an Operating system originally created for Intel 8080 / 85 based Microcomputers by Gary Kildall

In 1986, Commodore released the Commodore 64C (C64C) computer, which was functionally identical to the original, but whose exterior design was remodeled in the sleeker style of the Commodore 128 and other contemporary design trends. The Commodore 128 ( C128, CBM 128, C=128) home / Personal computer was the last 8-bit machine which was commercially The modifications to the C64 line were more than skin deep in the C64C with new versions of the SID, VIC and I/O chips being deployed—with the core voltage reduced from 12v to 5v. In the United States, the C64C was often bundled with the third-party GEOS GUI-based operating system. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the GEOS ( G raphic E nvironment O perating S ystem) was an Operating system from Berkeley Softworks (later GeoWorks The Commodore 1541 disk drive received a matching face-lift resulting in the 1541c. Commodore64 fdd1541 backjpg|thumb|325px|Back panel view of the Commodore 1541 disk drive Later a smaller, sleeker 1541-II model was introduced along with the 800KB 3. 5" capable 1581. The Commodore 1581 is a 3½ inch Double sided Double density Floppy disk drive made by Commodore Business Machines (CBM primarily for its

In 1990, the C64 was re-released in the form of a game console, called the C64 Games System (C64GS). The Commodore 64 Games System (often abbreviated C64GS) was the cartridge -based game console version of the popular Commodore 64 home computer A simple modification to the C64C's motherboard was made to orient the cartridge connector to a vertical position. This allowed cartridges to be inserted from above. A modified ROM replaced the BASIC interpreter with a boot screen to inform the user to insert a cartridge. The C64GS was another commercial failure for Commodore, and it was never released outside of Europe.

In 1990, an advanced successor to the C64, the Commodore 65 (also known as the "C64DX"), was prototyped, but the project was canceled by Commodore's chairman Irving Gould in 1991. The Commodore 65 (also known as the C64DX, not to be confused with the Commodore SX-64 portable unit was a Prototype computer created by Fred Irving Gould (?-2001 was a Canadian Businessperson credited with both saving and sinking Commodore. The C65's specifications were very good for an 8-bit computer. For example, it could display 256 colors on screen, while OCS based Amigas could only display 64. The Original Chip Set ( OCS) was a Chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities Although no specific reason was given for the C65's cancellation, it would have competed in the marketplace with Commodore's lower end Amigas.

C64 clones

In the middle of 2004, after an absence from the marketplace of more than 10 years, PC manufacturer Tulip Computers BV (owners of the Commodore brand since 1997) announced the C64 Direct-to-TV (C64DTV), a joystick-based TV game based on the C64 with 30 games built into ROM. The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short is a single- chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer contained in a Joystick with 30 A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling A TV game is an interactive entertainment device designed for use on a Television set that does not require the use of an actual Video game console for operation Designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught computer designer who had earlier designed the modern C-One C64 implementation, the C64DTV was similar in concept to other mini-consoles based on the Atari 2600 and Intellivision which had gained modest success earlier in the decade. Jeri Ellsworth (born 1974 is an American Entrepreneur and self-taught Computer chip designer The C-One is a Single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. The product was advertised on QVC in the United States for the 2004 holiday season. QVC is a West Chester Pennsylvania, USA, multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Some users have installed 1541 floppy disk drives, hard drives, second joysticks and keyboards to these units, which give the DTV devices nearly all of the capabilities of a full Commodore 64. Commodore64 fdd1541 backjpg|thumb|325px|Back panel view of the Commodore 1541 disk drive The DTV hardware is also used in the mini-console/game Hummer, sold at Radio Shack mid-2005. RadioShack Corporation (formerly Tandy Corporation) (  is a chain of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of North America

As of 2006, C64 enthusiasts still develop new hardware, including Ethernet cards, specially adapted hard disks and Flash Card interfaces. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Ethernet is a family of frame -based Computer networking technologies for Local area networks (LANs A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device Flash memory is non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed

Software

Main article: Commodore 64 software

At the time of its introduction, the C64's graphics and sound capabilities were rivaled only by the Atari 8-bit family. The Commodore 64 amassed a large software library of nearly 10000 commercial titles rivaled in its day only by the Apple II family. The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 This was at a time when most IBM PCs and compatibles had text-only graphics cards, monochrome monitors, and sound consisting of squeaks and beeps from the built-in tiny, low-quality speaker. Monochrome monitors are a type of computer display which were very common in the early days of computing from the 1960s through the 1980s before the color monitors became popular For the Marty Friedman album see Loudspeaker (album A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electroacoustical

Due to its advanced graphics and sound, the C64 is often credited with starting the computer subculture known as the demoscene (see Commodore 64 demos). The demoscene is a Computer art Subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in The Commodore 64 demos for the Commodore 64 (C64 were the first products of the Demoscene produced on any Home computer, which led to a similar culture The C64 lost its top position among demo coders when the 16-bit Atari ST and Commodore Amiga were released in 1985, however it still remained a very popular platform for demo coding up to the early 90s. The Atari ST is a home / Personal computer that was commercially available from 1985 to the early 1990s The Amiga is a family of Personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation.

By the turn of the millennium, it is still being actively used as a demo machine, especially for music (its sound chip even being used in special sound cards for PCs, and the Elektron SidStation synthesizer). The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device was the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore 's CBM-II, The Elektron SidStation is a musical Synthesizer Sound module, built around the MOS Technology SID mixed-mode synthesizer chip originally Unfortunately, the differences between PAL and NTSC C64s caused compatibility problems between U. PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world NTSC ( National Television System Committee) is the Analog television system used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico S. /Canadian C64s and those from most other countries. The vast majority of demos run only on PAL machines.

Even though the Commodore 64 was released in 1982, it was still a strong competitor for the range of the number of games released to the Sega Master System and the Nintendo Entertainment System, even though these consoles were released 3 to 4 years later than the C64. The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by

Hardware

See also: Commodore 64 peripherals

Graphics and sound

The C64 used an 8-bit MOS Technology 6510 microprocessor. This article is about the various external peripherals of the Commodore 64 Home computer. Eight-bit CPUs normally use an 8-bit data bus and a 16-bit address bus which means that their Address space is limited to 64 KBs This is not a "natural The MOS Technology 6510 is a Microprocessor designed by MOS Technology Inc A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a Central processing unit (CPU on a single Integrated This was a close derivative of the 6502, with an added 6-bit internal I/O port that in the C64 is used for two purposes: to bank-switch the machine's ROM in and out of the processor's address space, and to operate the datasette tape recorder. The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit Microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle for MOS Technology in 1975 The Commodore 1530 ( C2N) Datassette (a Portmanteau of Data + cassette) was Commodore 's dedicated computer Tape recorder

The C64 had 64 kilobytes of RAM, of which 38 KB were available to built-in Commodore BASIC 2.0. A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix Kilo -, meaning 1000 is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 1024 Commodore BASIC, also known as PET BASIC, is the dialect of the BASIC programming language used in Commodore International 's 8-bit Home

The graphics chip, VIC-II, featured 16 colors, eight hardware sprites per scanline (enabling up to 112 sprites per PAL screen), scrolling capabilities, and two bitmap graphics modes. A Video Display Controller or VDC is an Integrated circuit which is the main component in a Video signal generator, a device responsible for the production The VIC-II (Video Interface Chip II, specifically known as the MOS Technology 6567/8562/8564 ( NTSC versions 6569/8565/8566 ( PAL) is the microchip In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that In Computer graphics, Movies, Television, and other kinetic displays scrolling is sliding text images or video across a monitor or display The standard text mode featured 40 columns, like most Commodore PET models; the built in font was not standard ASCII but PETSCII, an extended form of ASCII-1963. The PET ( P ersonal E lectronic T ransactor) was a home -/ Personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977 In typography a font (also fount) is traditionally defined as a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular Typeface. American Standard Code for Information Interchange ( ASCII) PETSCII ( PET S tandard C ode of I nformation I nterchange) also known as CBM ASCII, is the variation of the The VIC-II allowed the C64 to be a highly-capable platform for playing arcade-style games at home.

The sound chip, SID, had three channels, each with its own ADSR envelope generator, and with several different waveforms, ring modulation and filter capabilities. The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device was the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore 's CBM-II, ADSR envelope is a component of many Synthesizers samplers and other Electronic musical instruments. waveformogg|right|a sine square and sawtooth wave at 440 hz]] Waveform means the shape and form of a signal such as a Wave moving in a solid liquid or gaseous Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics related to Amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals where one It too, was very advanced for its time. It was designed by Bob Yannes, who would later co-found synthesizer company Ensoniq. Ensoniq Corp was an American Electronics manufacturer best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its Musical instruments principally Yannes criticized other contemporary computer sound chips as "primitive, obviously . . . designed by people who knew nothing about music. " Often the game music became a hit of its own among C64 users. Well-known composers and programmers of game music on the C64 were Rob Hubbard, David Whittaker, Chris Hülsbeck, Ben Daglish, Martin Galway and David Dunn among many others. Rob Hubbard (born 1956 Kingston upon Hull, England) is a music Composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music especially for microcomputers David Whitaker or David Whittaker may refer to David Whitaker (screenwriter, the English Script editor of the Doctor Who series Chris Hülsbeck (born March 2 1968) is a game music composer from Germany. Ben Daglish is a Composer and Musician. Originally from London his parents moved to the steel city of Sheffield when Ben was one Martin Galway (born January 3, 1966, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is one of the best known composers of music for the Commodore 64 Due to the chip's limitation to three channels, chords were played as arpeggios typically, coining the C64's characteristic lively sound. In Music, an arpeggio is a broken chord where the Notes are played or sung in Sequence, one after the other rather than Ringing out simultaneously

There are two versions of the SID chip. The first version was the MOS Technology 6581, which is to be found in all of the original "breadbox" C64s, and early versions of the C64C and the Commodore 128. The Commodore 128 ( C128, CBM 128, C=128) home / Personal computer was the last 8-bit machine which was commercially It was later replaced with the MOS Technology 8580 in 1987. The sound quality was a little more crisp on the 6581 and many Commodore 64 fans still prefer its sound. The main difference between the 6581 and the 8580 was the voltage supply: the 6581 uses a 12 volt supply, while the 8580 required only 9 volts. A voltage modification can be made to use a 6581 in a C64C board (which uses 9V).

The SID chip has a distinctive sound which retained a following of devotees. In 1999, Swedish company Elektron produced a SidStation synth module, built around the 6581 model SID chip (as opposed the superior 8580), using remaining stocks of the chip. Elektron is an electronic musical instrument company based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Elektron SidStation is a musical Synthesizer Sound module, built around the MOS Technology SID mixed-mode synthesizer chip originally Several bands use these devices in their music. And also in 1999, a Hungarian company Hard Software produced the HardSID sound cards which are built on both the 6581 and the 8580 SID chips. The HardSID is a family of Sound cards produced by a Hungarian company Hard Software and originally conceived by Teli Sándor. A sound card (also known as an audio card is a Computer Expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to/from a computer under

Hardware revisions

Cost reduction was the driving force for hardware revisions to the C64's motherboard. Reducing manufacturing costs was vitally important to Commodore's survival during the price war and leaner years of the 16-bit era. The C64's original (NMOS based) motherboard would go through two major redesigns, (and numerous sub-revisions) exchanging positions of the VIC-II, SID and PLA chips. A programmable logic array (PLA is a programmable device used to implement combinational Logic circuits. Initially, a large proportion of the cost was lowered by reducing the number of discrete components used, such as diodes and resistors, which also enabled the use of the now physically smaller board. It is likely that the reduced board size led to further cost savings.

The VIC-II was manufactured with 5 micrometre NMOS technology and was clocked at either 14. A micrometre ( American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a Metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a Millimetre 31818 MHz (NTSC) or 17. 73447 MHz (PAL). Internally, the clock was divided down to generate the pixel clock (about 8 MHz) and the two-phase system clocks (about 1 MHz; the exact pixel and system clock speeds are slightly different between NTSC and PAL machines). At such high clock rates, the chip generated a lot of heat, forcing MOS Technology to use a ceramic DIL package (called a "CERDIP"). In Microelectronics, a dual in-line package (DIP, sometimes called a DIL package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows The ceramic package was more expensive, but it dissipated heat more effectively than plastic.

After a redesign in 1983, the VIC-II was encased in a plastic DIL package, which reduced costs substantially, but it did not eliminate the heat problem. Without a ceramic package, the VIC-II required the use of a heatsink. A heat sink (or heatsink) is an environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat from another object using Thermal contact (either direct or radiant To avoid extra cost, the metal RF shielding doubled as the heatsink for the VIC, although not all units shipped with this type of shielding. Radio frequency ( RF) is a Frequency or rate of Oscillation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz Electromagnetic shielding is the process of limiting the flow of Electromagnetic fields between two locations by separating them with a barrier made of conductive material Most C64s in Europe shipped with a cardboard RF shield, coated with a layer of metal foil. The effectiveness of the cardboard was highly questionable, and worse still it acted as an insulator, blocking airflow which trapped heat generated by the SID, VIC and PLA chips.

The SID was manufactured using NMOS at 7 and in some areas 6 micrometers. The prototype SID and some very early production models featured a ceramic DIL package, but unlike the VIC-II, these are extremely rare as the SID was encased in plastic when production started in early 1982.

In 1986 Commodore released the last revision to the "classic" C64 motherboard. It was otherwise identical to the 1984 design, except that it now used two 64 kilobit ×4 DRAM chips rather than the original eight 64 kilobit ×1. A kilobit is a unit of information abbreviated kbit (or kb) The standard definition is 1 kilobit = 103 bit = 1000 Bit.

After the release of the C64C, MOS Technology began to reconfigure the C64's chipset to use HMOS technology. HMOS, high-performance n-channel MOS, also called depletion-load NMOS, is a Digital circuit style which uses n-type MOSFETs to implement The main benefit of using HMOS was that it required less voltage to drive the IC, which consequently generates less heat. This enhanced the overall reliability of the SID and VIC-II. The new chipset was re-numbered to 85xx in order to reflect the change to HMOS.

In 1987 Commodore released C64Cs with a totally redesigned motherboard commonly known as a "short board". The new board used the new HMOS chipset, featuring new 64-pin PLA chip. The new "SuperPLA" as it was dubbed, integrated many discrete components and TTL chips. Transistor–transistor logic ( TTL) is a class of Digital circuits built from Bipolar junction transistors (BJT and Resistors It is called The 2114 color RAM was integrated into the last revision of the PLA.

The C64 used an external power supply. Power supply is a reference to a source of Electrical power. A device or system that supplies Electrical or other types of Energy to an output load While this saved valuable space within the computer's case, the supply itself was barely adequate for the C64's power requirements. Commodore's plastic power bricks would typically break from overheating. Some users purchased heavier-duty, better-cooled, third-party power supplies. The 1541-II and 1581 disk drives, along with various third-party clones, also came with their own external power supplies.

Later in the Commodore's lifetime, third-party power supplies became increasingly important when used in conjunction with RAM expansions or Creative Micro Designs' peripherals. Creative Micro Designs ( CMD) is a Computer technologies company which today sells PCs and related equipment but which started out in 1987 selling Of particular note, a C64 coupled with a RAM expansion or CMD SuperCPU required more power than the original Commodore power supply could provide. A modern PC power unit can be modified to power a C64 and its disk drives.

Specifications

Internal hardware

• Microprocessor CPU:
  • MOS Technology 6510/8500 (the 6510/8500 being a modified 6502 with an integrated 6-bit I/O port)
  • Clock speed: 1. The MOS Technology 6510 is a Microprocessor designed by MOS Technology Inc The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit Microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle for MOS Technology in 1975 023 MHz (NTSC) or 0. NTSC ( National Television System Committee) is the Analog television system used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico 985 MHz (PAL)
• Video: MOS Technology VIC-II 6567/8567 (NTSC), 6569/8569 (PAL)
  • 16 colors
  • Text mode: 40×25 characters; 256 user-defined chars (8×8 pixels, or 4×8 in multicolor mode); 4-bit color RAM defines foreground color
  • Bitmap modes: 320×200 (2 unique colors in each 8×8 pixel block)^[20], 160×200 (3 unique colors + 1 common color in each 4×8 block)^[21]
  • 8 hardware sprites of 24×21 pixels (12×21 in multicolor mode)
  • Smooth scrolling, raster interrupts
• Sound: MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID
  • 3-channel synthesizer with programmable ADSR envelope
  • 8 octaves
  • 4 waveforms: triangle, sawtooth, variable pulse, noise
  • Oscillator synchronization, ring modulation
  • Programmable filter: high pass, low pass, band pass, notch filter
• Input/Output: Two 6526 Complex Interface Adapters
  • 16 bit parallel I/O
  • 8 bit serial I/O
  • Time of Day clock
  • 16 bit cascadable timers
• RAM:
  • 64 KB (65,536 bytes), of which 38 KB minus 1 byte (38,911 bytes) were available for BASIC programs
  • 512 bytes color RAM
  • Expandable to 320 KB with Commodore 1764 256 KB RAM Expansion Unit (REU); although only 64 KB directly accessible; REU mostly intended for GEOS. PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world The VIC-II (Video Interface Chip II, specifically known as the MOS Technology 6567/8562/8564 ( NTSC versions 6569/8565/8566 ( PAL) is the microchip In Digital imaging, a pixel ( pict ure el ement is the smallest piece of information in an image In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that In Computer graphics, Movies, Television, and other kinetic displays scrolling is sliding text images or video across a monitor or display A raster interrupt is a Computer Interrupt signal that is utilized for display timing purposes The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device was the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore 's CBM-II, In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics related to Amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals where one A high-pass filter is a filter that passes high frequencies well but attenuates (reduces the amplitude of frequencies lower than the Cutoff frequency A low-pass filter is a filter that passes low- Frequency signals but Attenuates (reduces the Amplitude of signals with frequencies A band-pass filter is a device that passes frequencies within a certain range and rejects ( Attenuates frequencies outside that range In Signal processing, a band-stop filter or band-rejection filter is a filter that passes most frequencies unaltered but Attenuates The 6526/8520 Complex Interface Adapter ( CIA) was an Integrated circuit made by MOS Technology. Commodore 's RAM Expansion Unit (REU range of external RAM add-ons for their Commodore 64 / 128 Home computers was announced at the GEOS ( G raphic E nvironment O perating S ystem) was an Operating system from Berkeley Softworks (later GeoWorks REUs of 128 KB and 512 KB, originally designed for the C128, were also available, but required the user to buy a stronger power supply from some third party supplier; with the 1764 this was included. Creative Micro Designs also produced a 2 MB REU for the C64 and C128, called the 1750 XL. A megabyte is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 106 (1000000 Bytes or 220 (1048576 bytes depending on The technology actually supported up to 16 MB, but 2 MB was the biggest one officially made. Expansions of up to 16 MB were also possible via the CMD SuperCPU.
• ROM:
  • 20 KB (9 KB BASIC 2.0; 7 KB KERNAL; 4 KB character generator, providing two 2 KB character sets)

I/O ports and power supply

• I/O ports:
  • 8-pin DIN plug containing composite video output, separate Y/C outputs and sound input/output. Commodore BASIC, also known as PET BASIC, is the dialect of the BASIC programming language used in Commodore International 's 8-bit Home This article is about Commodore's 8-bit OS software Kernal is also a common misspelling of Kernel. A DIN connector is a connector that was originally standardized by the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN the German national standards organization Beware that this is the 270° (horseshoe) version of the plug, not the 360° circular version. Also note that some early C64 units used a 5-pin DIN connector that omitted the C output. [1]
  • Integrated RF modulator antenna output via a RCA connector
  • 2 × screwless DE9M game controller ports (compatible with Atari 2600 controllers), each supporting five digital inputs and two analog inputs. An RF modulator (for Radio frequency Modulator) is a device that takes a Baseband input signal and outputs a Radio frequency -modulated signal An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or CINCH/AV connector, is a type of Electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of Electrical connector used particularly in Computers Calling them "subminiature" was appropriate A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. Available peripherals included digital joysticks, analog paddles, a light pen, the Commodore 1351 mouse, and the unique KoalaPad. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling A paddle is a Game controller with a round wheel and one or more fire buttons, where the wheel is typically used to control movement of the player object A light pen is a Computer Input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a the computer's CRT TV set or monitor In Computing, a mouse (plural mice, mouse devices, or mouses) "PC Design" redirects here For the design of the IBM PC and its clones see IBM PC.
  • Cartridge expansion slot (slot for edge connector with 6510 CPU address/data bus lines and control signals, as well as GND and voltage pins; used for program modules and memory expansions, among others)
  • PET-type Datassette 300 baud tape interface (edge connector with cassette motor/read/write/sense signals and GND and +5 V pins; the motor pin is powered to directly supply the motor)
  • User port (edge connector with TTL-level RS-232 signals, for modems, etc; and byte-parallel signals which can be used to drive third-party parallel printers, among other things; with 17 logic signals, 7 GND and voltage pins, including 9V AC voltage)
  • Serial bus (serial version of IEEE-488, 6-pin DIN plug) for CBM printers and disk drives
• Power supply:
  • 5V DC and 9V AC from an external "power brick", attached to a 7-pin female DIN-connector on the computer. In various types of electronic equipment a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e An edge connector is the portion of a Printed circuit board consisting of traces leading to the edge of the board that are intended to plug into a matching socket The PET ( P ersonal E lectronic T ransactor) was a home -/ Personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977 The Commodore 1530 ( C2N) Datassette (a Portmanteau of Data + cassette) was Commodore 's dedicated computer Tape recorder In Telecommunications and Electronics, baud (ˈbɔːd unit symbol "Bd" is synonymous to symbols/s or pulses/s. Transistor–transistor logic ( TTL) is a class of Digital circuits built from Bipolar junction transistors (BJT and Resistors It is called In Telecommunications, RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232 is a standard for serial binary data signals connecting between a DTE ( Data Terminal Equipment IEEE-488 is a short-range digital communications bus specification that has been in use for over 30 years The C64's original power brick was under-powered, and users would often replace it with a third party solution, particularly if they had power-hungry peripherals attached to their machines.

Notable historic uses

The Commodore 64/128 series of computers found a place in early computer graphic design and television presentation. Below are some examples of notable uses and users.

• Early creation of music using the SID sound chip, some of which has found its way into modern music. For example in 2007 Timbaland's extensive use of the SidStation led to the 2007 Timbaland plagiarism controversy around his tracks Block Party and Do It (written for Nelly Furtado). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Timothy Z Mosley (born March 10, 1971) better known by his Stage name Timbaland, is an American Record producer, The Elektron SidStation is a musical Synthesizer Sound module, built around the MOS Technology SID mixed-mode synthesizer chip originally Timbaland's plagiarism controversy occurred in January 2007 when several news sources reported that Timbaland (Timothy Z " Do It " is a song on Portuguese-Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado 's third album Loose (2006 Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2 1978 is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, record producer actor and instrumentalist, who also holds Portuguese

Notes on C64 software

• On address $FFF6-$FFF9 (65526-9) in the C64 KERNAL, immediately before the hard-coded jump vectors for the processor, is letter sequence "RRBY". This article is about Commodore's 8-bit OS software Kernal is also a common misspelling of Kernel. Hard coding (also hard-coding or hardcoding) refers to the software development practice of embedding input or configuration data directly into the Source These are the initials of Robert Russell and Bob Yannes, the two main engineers that created the C64. Robert or Bob Russell may refer to Robert Hamilton Russell (1860–1933 English-born Australian surgeon Robert Russell (actor
• The Commodore 64's BASIC V2, the programming language which came built-in with the computer, can be crashed by executing PRINT""+-x (where x is any integer), or by attempting to create a BASIC program with an initial line numbers 350720 to 353279. In Computer programming, BASIC (an Acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of High-level programming languages
• Due to a quirk in the C64's BASIC operating system, an unintentional Easter egg or "screensaver" of sorts may be activated by pressing the RUN/STOP and RESTORE keys in unison, then entering POKE781,96:SYS58251 on the subsequently cleared screen. A virtual Easter egg is an intentional Hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, Book A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent " Phosphor burn-in " on CRT and plasma Computer ^[22]
• There are ways to hide lines of code written in the BASIC Language stored in local memory, using control characters outside delimiting quotes, which the BASIC LIST function displayed as cursor control codes. For example, the reverse "heart" symbol would clear the screen, the reverse [ character would delete characters, and the character shift-L (which looks like an L-shaped border corner) in the program code would cause a syntax error and abort the LISTing.
• Even though the VIC chip displays borders around the screen, it is possible to disable these vertical or side borders to allow graphics to be displayed by altering the hardware registers at the correct time. ^[23]
• Using short commands (the first letter, then shift and the second) it was possible to make BASIC lines more than two display rows long. The C64 could not parse more than two display rows when the subsequent code was LISTed.

Notes and references

See also

• Commodore 64 games
• Commodore 64 demos
• IDE64, an ATAPI or ATA interface cartridge for the c64
• C-One

External links

• Commodore 64 at the Open Directory Project
• Project 64 – Manuals for C64/128 games and software. This is a list of games for the Commodore 64 personal computer system sorted alphabetically The Commodore 64 demos for the Commodore 64 (C64 were the first products of the Demoscene produced on any Home computer, which led to a similar culture The IDE64 interface cartridge is an expansion port device for connecting ATA(PI devices to the C64 or C128 computers The C-One is a Single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory
• C64 Preservation Project - Saving the Original Disks!
• Lemon64 - Commodore 64 games, reviews, forums, history and more.
• C64.COM - Games, demos, interviews with old game and scene heroes, pictures, etc.
• The Commodore 64 Scene Database - Forums and software archive relating to the 64 'scene'.
• C64.SK - Commodore news and meeting list.
• C64-Wiki - A Commodore 64 specific Wiki.
• Chronology of the Commodore 64 Computer
• The History of the Commodore 64
• Commodore 64 history, manuals, and photos
• A History of Gaming Platforms: The Commodore 64 from October 2007
• Images of the C64 prototype from 2003
• The High Voltage SID Collection - The HVSC contains all known Commodore 64/SID music.
• The SOASC= Project - The HVSC converted to Mp3 format using real Commodore computers.
• ChipRetro.com - C64 music, streamable mp3s, magazine scans, demos, games, musicians, cheats, reviews and game instructions.
• C64 orchestra - Classical orchestra plays old c64 gamemusic.
• The Commodore Trivia Archive - Comprehensive Commodore technical trivia.
• Games That Weren't 64 - Archive for unreleased/prototype Commodore 64 games.
• Old Computer Mags - Old Commodore 64 mags scans.
• The VICE Emulator - A free Commodore 64 emulator for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and other platforms.
• "Commodore 64 still loved after all these years," CNN
• "The Commodore 64 at 25: thank you for the music," The Guardian

Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group.

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