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| Images in the |
| Computer Museum |
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| Commodore
64 serial number UKB 2387629 made in England. |
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| The Commodore
64 with its exceptional (in 1982) 64 KB memory
was a great leap forward in home computers.
In fact only about 38KB was available in Basic
but, because the memory used by the computer
itself was duplicated, it was possible to
use over 80KB with machine code programming.
The breadbin nickname came from its bulky
shape, copied from its predecessor the Vic
20. |
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| The earliest
versions, including my first, had orange function
keys like the VIC. Later models had grey function
keys. Commodore had an unlimited licence for
Microsoft Basic 2.0 and so this, rather than
the more expensive but more useful 4.0 already
used in some other Commodore machines, was
installed. The PET graphics were included
but sprites and exceptional sound capabilities
made the 64 a great games console. |
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| At the
rear is a cartridge slot for games and programming
aids, a screw to adjust the tv signal, rf
output to a tv, rgb output to tv or monitor,
the serial port for disk drives and printers,
the datassette connection and an RS-232 connector
for other peripherals. |
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| Startup Screen |
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| On the side
are two ports for joysticks, paddles,
light pens and light guns. To
the right are the on/off switch
and the power connection. |
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| My
64s |
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| Serial
UKB 182449 (England) |
Serial
UKB 238985 (England) |
Serial
UKB 381574 (England) |
| New
luminances |
Orange
function keys |
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| Serial
UKB 1684408 (England) |
Serial
UKB 2387629 (England) |
Serial
WGB 7518 |
| New
luminances |
New
luminances |
Orange
function keys |
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My
first 64 |
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Needs
a good clean and service |
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Serial
WGB 40407 (West Germany) |
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| The Commodore
64 was a major advance in memory, graphics
and sound. Despite its suitability for gaming,
Commodore also tried to advertise the 64 as
a business machine. Some good software was
available, but anyone who used a computer
in the office was used to an 80 column display.
The 64 had only 40 columns. |
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| Released
in 1982, estimates for the total number sold
vary from 15,000,000 to 30,000,000! The Commodore
64 was one of the more expensive micros on
the market but was also one of the most popular.
The 64 was supported by a wide range of peripherals
and an enormous quantity of software. |
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| Early 64s
suffered from problems with colours. This
was addressed in later models. UKB 1684408,
UKB 182449 and UKB 2387629 have these 'new
luminances'. Unfortunately, I had already
dealt with the problem by selecting colour
combinations which were easy to read on the
'faulty' machines but not so good on the corrected
ones. I still use the older 64s for my own
software. |
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| Commodore
64C serial number DA5 657797 B1 made in Germany. |
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| The 64C
was the 64 given a makeover including a more
modern case and a lighter colour but was otherwise
almost identical to the breadbin versions.
There is an additional switch at the back,
marked L-H. This appears to be connected to
the RF output but is blanked off on one of
my 64Cs and seems to have no effect on the
others. By the time of its launch in 1987
sales of the 64 were already in decline. Newer,
bigger computers were coming onto the market
and so the 64C was not a great success. |
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| At the
rear is a cartridge slot for games and programming
aids, a switch to adjust the tv signal, rf
output to a tv, rgb output to tv or monitor,
the serial port for disk drives and printers,
the datassette connection and an RS-232 connector
for other peripherals. |
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| On the side
are two ports for joysticks, paddles,
light pens and light guns. To
the right are the on/off switch
and the power connection. |
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| My
64Cs |
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| Serial
DA 5 657797 B1 (Germany) |
Serial
HB 5 440261 E (Hong Kong) |
Serial
HB 5 454107 E (Hong Kong) |
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Keys
have yellowed |
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Unreliable
power connector |
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