The new ZoomFloppy is the successor of XUM-1541 and all X-cables (X-1541, XA-1541, XM-1541, XAP-1541, XU-1541, XS-1541). With ZoomFloppy you can connect all your Commodore drives to your PC using USB connection.


ZoomFloppy can be ordered from Jim Brain in his shop: klick


ZoomFloppy supports of course OpenCBM software. But new is, it also supports nibblecopy (MNIB) to create better disk images (exact images). For this a parallel cable (Speed-DOS) is nessecary, same type used by XAP-1541 cable.

It will also support old CBM drives with IEEE-488 bus in future.

I'm searching for documentation to a special hardware, the fastest floppy speeder ever build for a 1541 drive: TurboTrans+ (successor of  Turbo Access).


Has anyone done something with the hardware of this speeder? Or has anyone made a analysis of the firmware? Or could anybody sell me one or borrow one?


I have build this hardware into one of my 1541 drive using a FE3 (1541 with 512KB RAM), but my hardware doesn't have same banking system cause I don't know how does it work:

• How does the banking work?
  
• How is the memory model exactly?
  
• Is there something special on this hardware?
  
• The parallel cable, how does it work from sight of the firmware (IO address, IO description)?
  

If someone could borrow me such a TurboTrans board, I would need it some weeks and I will pay for it.

If someone would sell me one, please send me an offer.

I have found an article about burst mode for C64. Only two wires are nessecary from CIA to IEC port. Since I have some 1571 and one 1581 I tried this solution and it works perfectly.

Now I have found a burst kernel for C64 (cassette routines are lost). So my C64 works very fast with my burst drives, but 1541 is also working same time (slowly).

Now I got a C128-D with internal 1571 drive. C64 mode of this wonderful device is very slowly, so I tried to update kernel to this burst kernel.

It works very fine and it is very compatible (if 1571 run slowly, it will run also fast in burst mode). So it is a very good solution for me.

You will need a special adapter cause original kernel has a 23128 PIN layout. Replacement eproms like the 27128 have a different PIN layout: see here

Nils from "For8Bits" is developing a new hardware for PET and CBM computers.

It is very similar to Final Expansion for VIC-20 but it is more universal useable. David-65 works on every 6502 board: PET, CBM, VIC-20, any Commodore Floppy ...

Simply do following to install David-65:

   
• remove 6502 CPU (hope it has a socket)
• insert David-65 into CPU socket
• insert CPU into David-65 board

David-65 offers nearly same features than a FE3:

   
• CPLD for programmable memory configuration
• additionally 512 Kb SRAM
• additionally 512 Kb Flash  (programmable)
• a RS-232, very slow only for debugging (software driven like in a C-64)
• a LED for diagnostic purposes

---

What are the benefits for using a David-65:

   
• extension of a PET / CBM
  
  Any PET or CBM with 8KB or 16KB will have 32KB also
  
  If RAM or ROM (or both) is damaged David-65 will replace it without soldering
  
  You can choose between any BASIC, any Kernal and any Software extension (ExBasic, Assembler, ...). You can switch between different editor ROM and different languages. And of course any RAM configuration, also for normally ROM address ranges.
  
  New Software can use whole 1MB of the Davuid-65 memory
  .
  
• Diagnostic
  
  David-65 can start with own Flash and own RAM, so nearly no "external" hardware is nessecary. Only power and clock for the CPU is nessecary to run diagnostic.
  
  A badly hard damaged 6502 system could be analysed from CPU's sight. Even if Kernel or Zeropage is damaged, David-65 will find it out.
  .
• Ultimative Speeder for a 1541 drive
  
  My personal favourite goal is the ultimate speeder for a floppy drive. Davied-65 can hold tw0 D64 Images or one D71 image. Installed in a 1541 floppy David-65 can read whole disk into memory and so access data in RAM disk like speed. Write access goes into RAM and will be written in idle time (lazy write back).
  .
• David-65 can act as a standalone 6502 board if a 5V power and a clock is available ...

Many other things are possible with David-65, cause CPLD design makes it possible to adapt it to any 6502 system.

---

After his µIEC-SD Jim Brain will bring us a new amazing piece of hardware: µIEEE


A dream comes true, µIEEE is a µIEC-SD with a IEEE-488 interface, ready to replace floppy drives for our CBM Computer: µIEEE
2GB for my 8296-D, space enough for all disks available for CBM computers. Transfer of files between 8296 and PC is much easier.


After receiving my µIEEE I will report ...
                     

Here is SJLOAD-20 (for VIC-20) release 06  (thanks to Hydrophilic!)


Release Info:

+ SJLOAD: Improved loading speed by 40%

+ SJLOAD: Now nearly all kernal IO vectors used: CHKIN,CKOUT,BSOUT,BASIN,CLALL,CLRCH (not only LOAD, SAVE)

   This improves data access to jiffy devices (also in BASIC).

+ SJLOAD: Messages only in direct mode. In program mode messages are suppressed.


Binaries for $0400 and $B000 are included.

Source code is included.

You can simply change startaddress and switch on/off modules (SJSAVE, PRINT ADDRESS RANGE, BASIC IO VECTORS).



Have fun!

Is there a terminal program availlable for PET? A VT-100 or ANSI emulation would be nice.


It would be cool to use my 8296 as a terminal for my linux PC. Nearly all things would be possible:

• take control over SuSE


• Filetransfer by X-modem or Z-modem protocoll


• reading and sending emails


• midnight commander!


• surfing the Web (by Lynx)


• chatting (ICQ, IRC ...)