Stacks of Computer Publications...

www.bombjack.org/commodore

DLH's Commodore Archive - I can not overstate what a wonderful resource this is for documentation on everything that is Commodore.  If you have not seen this huge site, it's worth mentioning again here now.  The DVD archives for sale are exceptional, too, and the best way to get everything in one go!  Please support this resource for the community of users and contributors by scanning/mailing in any missing documents you may have.  

My contributions thus far include:

• Software - Data20 Plan Manager Instruction Manual (10 pages)
• Software - Data20 Word Manager [Dated: 04/19/1982] (11 pages)
• Hardware - MPI 020 Super Action Memory Expander Board for VIC-20 (12 pages)
• Software - Smoothtalker for Speakeasy by Personal Peripheral Products (6 pages)
• Hardware - Micrographix MW-350 Printer Buffer Upgrade Kit (3 pages)
• Hardware - Cardco Cardkey 1 Keypad VIC20 C64 (17 pages)
• Advertisements - Nufekop 1982 Catalog for VIC-20 (14 pages)
• Hardware - Computer Place Numeric Keypad Documentation (2 pages)
• Hardware - Pet Beeper by HUH Electronics (1 page)
• Hardware - Cardco Cardriter Light Pen Instructions (50 pages) and D64 image.
• Hardware - SerialBox 64K Serial Port Buffer User Manual (16 pages)
• Hardware - Speakeasy Installation and Instruction Manual V1.2 (8 pages)
• Hardware - Speakeasy Phoneme Editor Operating Instructions V1.0 (16 pages)
• Hardware - Cardco Cardboard/6 Instruction Manual for the VIC-20 (36 pages)
• Hardware - Promenade Model C1 Operating Instructions (22 pages)
• Hardware - Data-20 Display Manager (5 pages)
• Hardware - Protecto 80 Video Cartridge Instruction Manual (10 pages)

archive.org

Ebook and Texts Archive > The Computer Magazine Archives

This rapidly growing collection consists of dozens of magazine runs, digitized from fading piles of older magazines by an army of anonymous contributors. In some cases, quality is variant, due to the rareness of the issues. With the re-branding of computing power and machines as something welcome in the home and not just the workshop, a number of factors moved forth to sell these machines and their software to a growing and large group of customers. Besides the introduction of more elegant cases and an increased presence by larger and larger firms, a strong argument can be made that one of the forces was the proliferation of computer-related magazines and newsletters that gave a central, printed home for writing about computers. Rising from user support groups, computer companies themselves, and publishing houses willing to risk cash and time to fund them, these magazines set the stage for the home computer revolution.  This collection is primarily of computer magazines written in the English language, but there are some additional collections in other languages.

atarimagazines.com

The Classic Computer Magazine Archive is a small crusade to make information from old computer magazines available on the Web.  The site was launched July 27, 1996 with the name "Digital Antic Project" and the goal of putting the full text of Antic magazine online. They met that goal on September 17, 2000, then turned their attention to Antic's sister magazine, STart. In July 2001, they finished putting the full text of STart magazine online, and began work on Creative Computing. They have also received permission to include articles from Compute!, Hi-Res, Antic Amiga Plus, Whiz Kids, II Computing, and other classic computer magazines. It was clear that the name "Digital Antic Project" was becoming increasingly inaccurate, so in July 2001, the name of the project was changed to Classic Computer Magazine Archive.  The head of the project, Kevin Savetz, has received permission from the magazines' publishers to make the material available on the Internet for free.

by Steve Ditlea

atariarchives.org is The Classic Computer Magazine Archive's sister site.  It makes books, information, and software for Atari and other classic computers available on the Web. Everything there is available with permission of the copyright holders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There you can read, Digital Deli, The Comprehensive, User-Lovable Menu of Computer Lore, Culture, Lifestyles and Fancy by The Lunch Group & Guests Edited by Steve Ditlea and published 1984.  Highly recommended! 

I have additional reading materials over on my web site: http://www.geocities.ws/cbm

   

Are you interested in computer history?  Join the irregular regulars Earl Evans, David Greelish, and Carrington Vanston, plus surprise guests, in the show where everything old is news again.  Gather 'round a virtual table where today's talk is about yesterday's computers. Get the skinny from the world of vintage computer hobbyists, collectors, enthusiasts, and old school geeks. They cover modern day vintage tech events, new developments for old hardware, the revival of retro tech, the best of 8 bit culture, and take many strolls down memory lane.  Head on over to http://rcrpodcast.com and explore podcasts, review show notes and be informed of upcoming episodes.  You'll be glad you did!

Benutzefreundlichkeit: Nüfekop

VIC-20's massive marketing campaign.

As any businessman in his forties can tell you, looking back, the VIC-20 had more to do with marketing than technology.  It wasn't so much that it be a user-friendly computer as it be, "The Friendly Computer(tm)."  In fact, one could argue it was the antithesis of user-friendly.  With its antiquated BASIC 2.0, and the way the memory map moved all around, it was actually exceedingly challenging for users. 

Most of our gadgets today don't come with manuals.  For example, it is just assumed that when you see a USB plug you'll figure out in which port it goes.  When iOS first arrived in 2007 that really raised the bar and re-defined the term, "user friendly!" 

The VIC Czar

However, the VIC-20 was the friendly computer.  Commodore defined our reality.  From the computer's name to its price, it spared no expense to essentially make a PET more approachable to Mom and home.  She could pick one up at Target on her next visit, where they had them stacked to the ceiling!  It had a lot of friendly features, too, and to hear its story is to believe that no stone was left unturned.  A lot of effort went in to educating users as well as making it seem as fun as possible.

Jack Tramiel wasn't the Steve Jobs of Commodore; no, that man was Michael Tomczyk.  He gave the VIC-20 a soul, and that made it a revolutionary product.  When the C64 finally arrived on the scene, which was truly a quantum leap forward in technology, the soul re-incarnated and its momentum propelled it off the charts!

The software industry was in its infancy then, too.  One brand that always intrigued me was Nüfekop, and I didn't know why.  My friends and I certainly owned a lot of their games, but they somehow also managed to create an identity akin to what Commodore was doing with the VIC-20.  The two went hand-in-hand in many ways, which helped define the whole VIC experience at the time. 

Antimatter Splatter (review) - 100% Machine Language!

Compute! rated 5/10.

The umlaut gave their name an aura of mystery.  Were they German?  No, the name was of Druid origin and means, "putting an extraordinarily large amount into a small pocket or enclosure, possibly through the use of magic."  That sounds rather intriguing, but could it also have been subliminal?  Nüfekop is a combination of "fun" and POKE (an archaic BASIC expression) spelled backwards.  One of the company founders was shocked when the decoding was revealed, but said it was basically true; adding, "We're amazed, as always, at the visionary powers of the Druids." - Gary Elder, President of Nüfekop (Compute!, May'83)

Compute! rated 9/10.

Wherever the magic came from, Nüfekop certainly had it.  Co-founder and author, Scott Elder, has a tell-all book entitled, "Nüfekop: Images of a classic game company."  Sadly, I just found out about it while researching this blog entry, but I can say that this book is definitely on my reading list for 2013.  By gathering all his photos and scanning everything, Scott feels he has preserved their little corner of classic gaming -- if only for his kids.  "Actually, if you're into VIC-20, I think you'll find it interesting," he said.

Compute! rated 10/10.

Just like Atari discovered with their VCS, any time you are pushing millions of units it can attract a lot of dirt-bags.  The same was certainly true of the VIC-20, however Nüfekop was different.  They developed all their own titles in-house (as opposed to ripping them off), or entered into licensing agreements with exceptional 3rd-party programmers.  It was reflected in the quality of their catalog, which steadily improved year over year.  Many programs were written in 100% machine language.  Thoughtful features, like self-adjusting to however much memory was installed, really made them user-friendly.  Would it be enough to survive?

Nüfekop cassette tape

Scott had this story to share over on the Denial forum... 

"Right about at the time of the big crash in 1984, a company (I can't remember the name...) out of Canada, with great credit references, offered to buy most everything we had in the warehouse, on 90 day terms. They seemed very legit, they haggled to get the price per piece way down, but it was a huge sale, maybe $150,000. We shipped, they never paid. Over the years I've heard the same story from several other small companies. I think it was a fairly organized attempt to either simply rip off starving companies or intentionally drive them out of business." - Scott Elder (June 30, 2010)

=====  Nüfekop Titles  =====

3-D Man (3K+) ... $16.95 (review)
Alien Panic [CG008] ... $9.95
Antimatter Splatter ... $19.95 (review) 

Bomber [CG014] ... $9.95
Collide [CG026] ... $9.95
Defender on Tri (3K+) ... $16.95 (review) 

Dodge Cars ... $?.??

Edit'It [CG201] ... $12.95 - Multi-color char editor.
Escape [CG066] ... $9.95
Exterminator by Ken Grant ... $19.95 (review)

Gallows [CE102] ... $9.95
Invasion [CG036] ... $9.95
Journey [CE106] ... $9.95
King's Ransom ... $?.??
Krazy Kong [CG054] ... $9.95 (review)
Rescue from Nufon [CG058] ... $9.95
Search [CG056] ... $9.95
Spellit [CE106] ... $9.95
Target [CG016] ... $9.95
Times+ ... $9.95 - Educational game.
Vikman [CG002] ... $9.95

For more information on the Commodore VIC-20 home computer system, please check out my other blog entry: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 - Turning Japanese...   

Are you interested in computer history? Join the irregular regulars Earl Evans, David Greelish, and Carrington Vanston, plus surprise guests, in the show where everything old is news again. Gather 'round a virtual table where today's talk is about yesterday's computers. Get the skinny from the world of vintage computer hobbyists, collectors, enthusiasts, and old school geeks. They cover modern day vintage tech events, new developments for old hardware, the revival of retro tech, the best of 8 bit culture, and take many strolls down memory lane. Head on over to http://rcrpodcast.com and explore podcasts, review show notes and be informed of upcoming episodes. You'll be glad you did!  

The VIC gets JiffyDOS'd...

New, licensed release for 2013 on VIC-20.

Thirty-three years after the VIC-20's debut, a licensed version of JiffyDOS has just been released for sale.  First announced at the World of Commodore 2012, RETRO Innovations said it had acquired the rights to offer Click Here Software’s port of JiffyDOS for the Commodore VIC-20, thus completing the set of JiffyDOS kernal replacement offerings.  I wanted to take a moment and talk about it the kernal.  

Kernal?

All modern day operating systems have a kernel, but the early Commodore PETs did not.  The kernel is the interface between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level.  New hardware can be supported and hardware bugs can often be corrected (compensated for) by modifying code in the kernel.

Like most of the older 8-bit computers, BASIC was not only the out-of-box language you could learn to program, but it was also the operating system.  In the case of the early PET series computers, the ROM code to talk to the hardware was mixed in with the ROM code for the BASIC interpreter.  This was done by Microsoft.

John Feagans introduced the idea of separating the BASIC interpreter routines from the rest of the operating system.  Commodore called their kernel the kernal.  I had an opportunity to talk to John on March 18, 1997. 

John said Bob Russell took his code from the Advanced R&D Facility, and did things like modify the cassette tape routines (with consulting from Chuck Peddle on how the PET cassette worked) as well as the serial interface to the disk drive and printers.  Bob was part of the production engineering team in Santa Clara which later ended up in West Chester.  Bob also ported the Vic-20 code to the Vic-40 (aka Commodore-64).

The disk drive interface was based off the IEEE-488 bus.  That is what Bill Seiler and John implemented on the original PET.  When the Vic-20 peripherals were designed, they had the Atari 400 as a model of a serial system, and hence they altered the parallel IEEE-488 to a serial version with the same handshake lines, because it was cheaper.  However, Commodore's implementation had a shift delay which negatively impacted performance.  (The C-64 serial bus had to be slowed down even more because of hits by the video that cause missed data.)

Technically, the idea was sound:  the 6522 VIA chip has a "shift register" circuit that, if tickled with the right signals (data and clock) will cheerfully collect 8 bits of data without any help from the CPU. At that time, it would signal that it had a byte to be collected, and the processor would do so, using an automatic handshake built into the 6522 to trigger the next incoming byte.  Things worked in a similar way outgoing from the computer, too.

We early PET/CBM freaks knew, from playing music, that there was something wrong with the 6522's shift register:  it interfered with other functions.  The rule was:  turn off the music before you start the tape!  (The shift register was a popular sound generator).  But the Commodore engineers, who only made the chip, didn't know this.  Until they got into final checkout of the VIC-20.

By this time, the VIC-20 board was in manufacture.  A new chip could be designed in a few months (yes, the silicon guys had application notes about the problem, long since), but it was TOO LATE!

A major software rewrite had to take place that changed the VIC-20 into a "bit-catcher" rather than a "character-catcher".  It called for eight times as much work on the part of the CPU; and unlike the shift register plan, there was no timing/handshake slack time.  The whole thing slowed down by a factor of approximately 5 to 6.

- Jiim Butterfield (1997)

So, what is JiffyDOS?

drop-in KERNAL replacement

JiffyDOS is a drop-in replacement ROM chip for the kernal which fixes the poor performance of the serial interface to the disk drive.  Just remove ROM 901486-06 in socket UE12 (located near bottom/right of motherboard), and insert the JiffyDOS ROM.

A DOS ROM upgrade is also required for one or more of your disk drives, but is included natively in µIEC and all other sd2iec-based solid state drive solutions.  The performance improvement is HUGE (approximately 600%).  The only disadvantage of using JiffyDOS is that when it is enabled, the tape routines are not available. The space taken by these routines is used for the JiffyDOS code. However, a switch is provided which allows JiffyDOS to be disabled, should the need arise.

JiffyDOS was created by Creative Micro Designs, Inc.  The VIC-20 version was never completely finished and therefore never released (until now), although bootleg copies were available.  There are only two authorized sales channels for JiffyDOS; no other distributors are currently licensed to offer JiffyDOS at this time:

• BasicWayne - Replacement ROM overlays
• RETRO Innovations - Replacement ROM overlays and images

I have additional VIC-20 material over on my web site: http://www.geocities.ws/cbm
   
Are you interested in computer history?  Join the irregular regulars Earl Evans, David Greelish, and Carrington Vanston, plus surprise guests, in the show where everything old is news again.  Gather 'round a virtual table where today's talk is about yesterday's computers. Get the skinny from the world of vintage computer hobbyists, collectors, enthusiasts, and old school geeks. They cover modern day vintage tech events, new developments for old hardware, the revival of retro tech, the best of 8 bit culture, and take many strolls down memory lane.  Head on over to http://rcrpodcast.com and explore podcasts, review show notes and be informed of upcoming episodes.  You'll be glad you did!

My personal electronic transactor...

1977 Commodore PET 2001-8

This 2001-8 (review|manual) was acquired from the Albany Microcomputer Services liquidation in the Spring of 2011.  It was parked (non-functional) out in front of the warehouse in Berkeley, so people could find the address.  It didn't cost me anything.   I picked this one up just because it was easy to get to - along with several other PETs.  There must have been about 100, or so, PETs there of all different flavors.  Also there were tons of accessories, software and books.  I grabbed all that I could fit in my car.  People really didn't fight over stuff, but it was hard to move around.  All the nice stuff was gobbled up fairly quickly.  I'm not a good shopper, but I did okay. 

The rumor on the street is that most (all?) of those PETs were beyond repair.  Fortunately this one didn't need a whole lot.  It needed a new fuse and fuse assembly.  I borrowed one from the non-functional units.  It also needed a new monitor, so I swapped monitors with another unit as well.   It needed a new belt for the cassette recorder, and just a lot of TLC in general.  For example, its overall condition was really dirty and nasty -- like everything in that warehouse.  It must have been there for over 30 years.  It needed to be completely taken apart and cleaned.  It also really needed a fresh paint job.  It got all of that and more.

1978 HUH PET Beeper

Some of the accessories I picked up were new-in-box Pet Beeper and Petunia cards (never opened).  I turned around and sold most of them on eBay to help finance some other purchases.

The Pet Beeper was a cool idea.  Since it took so long to load programs from cassette, it would beep and inform you that your program was finished loading.  That way you were free to focus your attention on other activities while waiting. 

It wedged itself between the motherboard and the cable running to the cassette recorder.  It had a little clip for a speaker and a tone control as shown (in blue).  No software was required since it would just monitor the signals directly from the tape.  It would beep once on the header when finding your program, and once again at the end of program load.

The units sold with a one page instruction leaflet.  It explained how you could make the unit beep under program control.  One thing I found was interesting is that once the unit was told to beep, control was immediately returned to the CPU for the duration of the beep.  One could not control the length of the beep or tone in software.  These changes could only be made by adjusting the hardware.

The Pet Beeper can be used with any Commodore computer up through the 128 as long as it has the same kind of connector (or adapter).  Since the Commodore cassette firmware only communicated at a mere 300 baud (0.000003 megabits per second), the Pet Beeper was a very neat idea for its time.

1978 HUH Petunia

The Petunia, on the other hand, was a different animal entirely.  The Petunia is an 8-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC or D-to-A).  It simply plugs into the parallel user port and the 2nd cassette interface.  Petunia produces polyphonic high quality sound based on Hal Chamberlin's sound projects.  The white clip you see there is just to force the machine into its machine language monitor.

I am struck by how rich the Petunia sounds.  Much more like an organ than the Commodore 64's SID chip or the Nintendo NES -- both of which would follow several years later.

It came with a much more complete manual that explained all about this fascinating device.  Clever programmers could even play software tricks to make it sound like a human voice.  Once such game was PET Tetris v1.3 by Tim Howe in 2010. (Archive includes 3 variations, including DAC.)  It says the Homer Simpson, "Doa!," phrase when you lose.  There are some additional effects, too, like a friendly, "bubble pop," sound when you clear a row.

InfoWorld - May 25, 1981

Another great program that really exercises the DAC was Visible Music Monitor by Dr. Frank Levinson in 1980. This is an excellent music program with 4 voice polyphony and voice generation by harmonic mixing. Scrolling display of music was possible, but playback quality is better with screen off.

Like many other microcomputers of the time, the PET was not originally designed to produce sound.  As shown already, a few methods of sound generation were possible.  The most popular one employed the use of the CB2 line on the PET's Versatile Interface Adapter (MOS 6522) chip.  It is exposed on the parallel user port on pin K, as shown below.  Users discovered that it could be used to generate a 'square wave' output by setting a 'handshake register' into a free-running mode.  By adjusting the pattern of output and the frequency, one could produce a wide variety of sounds and music.  Approximately three octaves of notes and various noises could be achieved with its one voice output.  Several games took advantage of this hack, like Space Invaders.

Use of CB2 and GROUND for sound output.

Just like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi of today, the PET had a user port available for hackers to do all kinds of things in addition to sound generation.  For example, another popular project was to add a joystick.  There were keyboard hacks, video-out hacks, and many more!

2716 to 6540 ROM adapter

The BASIC that was contained in my PET when I found it was BASIC v1.  I quickly leaned that the IEEE-488 bus didn't work with this version, so using a disk drive was completely out of the question.  Luckily I found adapters and parts online from Matthew D'Asaro to remedy this problem.  He was able to burn eight new ROMs for me that contained the upgraded BASIC v2 and fixed the disk access issues permanently.

composite video adapter

Another thing that concerned me was the 30+ year old monitor.  Even though the screen seemed strong, I knew it would not last forever.  Fortunately, Matt also makes a tiny adapter which allows the PET to output composite video.  This allowed me to use a standard TV set or video monitor for day-to-day use.  I installed a toggle switch to shut down the 11 volt AC power lines from the transformer to the monitor, and only use it occasionally.  For when I do use the built-in display, I also installed a small fan to help keep its electronics cool.

bitfixer's PETvet

I noticed this about these old PETs... they run hot!  The RAM was hot.  The ROMs were hot.  In the back of my mind I kept thinking that nothing destroys old electronics as much as heat.  I knew the three best ways to remove heat are: install a fan, add heat sinks and/or start removing components.  That was why I was excited to discover that bitfixer (Mike) had created something called the PETvet.  It allowed me to eliminate all of the ROM chips - except the character ROM - and all of the RAM chips - except the video RAM.  Twenty-three chips in all were eliminated.  As an added bonus, it offers BASIC v4 as a switchable option to BASIC v2, and it expanded the RAM from 8K to 32K.  Perfect!  This not only solved the heat dispensation issues, but also reduced the overall load on the power supply circuitry.  They were known to provide little more than the bare minimum for stock systems.

I soon discovered that bitfixer also made available another one of his brilliant creations, the PETdisk.  The PETdisk is a simple storage device that uses a microSD card for mass storage and the PET’s IEEE-488 port.  I could finally say goodbye to my disk drive and cables thanks to eBay.  No more need for floppy disks with the Internet and PETdisk.  Since my unit also has a Petunia, I power the PETdisk using an external iPod power supply vs. the cassette interface.

PETdisk on the IEEE-488 bus

some files on the SD card

On the outside of the case, as was common in the day, I placed a toggle switch and two momentary switches.  The toggle switch on the bottom of the small, black, project box flips between BASIC v2 and BASIC v4.  The momentary switch on the side resets the computer to its power-on state, and the momentary switch on top can be held down while resetting to force the computer into the machine language monitor.  A special key sequence, discovered by Jim Butterfield, could be entered into the MLM to recover RAM after a crash.

homemade switch box for PET

My first exposure to personal computers was a TRS-80 Model 1 at a friend's house during the summer of 1976 or 1977.  There were a lot of players in the industry at this time, but only three real frontrunners.  Radio Shack - with their massive US distribution network.  Apple - with Steve Jobs at the helm.  Commodore - with their strong presence in Europe as well as North America.  In High School I would be introduce to the 3rd generation PETs (Model 8032), some four to five years after my TRS-80 Model 1 experience.  Then I was ready and my interest was sparked.

For more information you can research the following resources:

WWW Pages:

cbmpet

commodorepet

Documentation Archives:

DLH

commodore.ca

Software Repositories:

awesome.commodore

zimmers

cbmhardware.de

Search Engines:

cbm8bit

pokefinder

I have additional PET/CBM material over on my web site: http://www.geocities.ws/cbm

Are you interested in computer history?  Join the irregular regulars Earl Evans, David Greelish, and Carrington Vanston, plus surprise guests, in the show where everything old is news again.  Gather 'round a virtual table where today's talk is about yesterday's computers. Get the skinny from the world of vintage computer hobbyists, collectors, enthusiasts, and old school geeks. They cover modern day vintage tech events, new developments for old hardware, the revival of retro tech, the best of 8 bit culture, and take many strolls down memory lane.  Head on over to http://rcrpodcast.com and explore podcasts, review show notes and be informed of upcoming episodes.  You'll be glad you did!