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Commodore 128 how to get software

So I did some research and I'm pretty much sold on the uIEC but there is one small fault: the price. the uIEC costs $59.99 plus shipping (to Canada). That could add up to well over $70 when everything is factored in. I only paid $20 for the commodore 128 itself, aside from an X-cable is there a cheaper solution?

Also I tried an x1541 cable and I couldn't get it to work (on a dos pc with a 386 or a pentium one), I'm gonna get some parts and make myself an XA1541 cable and try that on my modern PC.
 
PgrAm said:
That could add up to well over $70 when everything is factored in. I only paid $20 for the commodore 128 itself...
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:) That's the trouble with our hobby. New goodies cost more than the value of the original hardware. It's hard for me to justify getting a 1541 Ultimate or a Turbo Chameleon 64 when they are many times the cost of the Commodore. The last big purchase of new hardware for me was an IDE64 at $150 US, and that was stretching my self-imposed limit of $90-100.
...is there a cheaper solution?
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Well, if you can get a person to give you a 1581 disk drive, then you can use a disk transfer solution. (The only way that can happen is if someone is disposing of their C= collection.)
Also I tried an x1541 cable and I couldn't get it to work (on a dos pc with a 386 or a pentium one), I'm gonna get some parts and make myself an XA1541 cable and try that on my modern PC.
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O.K.. Keep us informed on how it goes.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
 
PgrAm said:
So I did some research and I'm pretty much sold on the uIEC but there is one small fault: the price. the uIEC costs $59.99 plus shipping (to Canada). That could add up to well over $70 when everything is factored in. I only paid $20 for the commodore 128 itself, aside from an X-cable is there a cheaper solution?

Also I tried an x1541 cable and I couldn't get it to work (on a dos pc with a 386 or a pentium one), I'm gonna get some parts and make myself an XA1541 cable and try that on my modern PC.
Click to expand...

I second others' comments.

Definitely get the uIEC, there is no substitute.

If money is a little tight, save up for the uIEC and in the mean time get some software on disk and experience the actual historical context of the Commodore computer as it was - you'll only value the uIEC more when you finally do get one. Or it will motivate you to find the money. You'll get more appreciation of the historical context, if that's important to you by spending some time in the trenches with the original hardware. Downloading hundreds of software packages that originally cost $15-40 each for free and sticking them on an SD card right off will rob you of a valuable experience. It puts a $70 investment into context.

That said, I have a uIEC and a ZoomFloppy (with IEEE extension). In the past I used the RR-NET with MM64 to copy disks and I used the x1541 cable with limited success.

thm_IECDrive.jpg
 
Oh yeah I forgot to mention one thing, I've got a commodore modem 1200. I know people can use the Ethernet cartridge to copy software onto the 64/128 can the same thing be done with the modem?
 
Not sure about the modem, but aside from X-series cables you /may/ have some success with a PC-64 cable and cbmlink which would connect a PC directly to your C128, and even use the C128 as a slave to access a floppy drive. The X-series cables though may be easier to use. I've used the medium advanced XM cables on hardware up to AM2 generation PC's with built-in parallel port and OpenCBM software. The trick lies in the installation, once it is setup it usually keeps working.

Also, there are MMC2IEC and perhaps even sd2iec implementations as DIY in case you have some suitable leftover ATmega chips and know your way with a protoboard. It would involve more work, but perhaps save you some money if you get it to work.
 
PgrAm said:
...I've got a commodore modem 1200. I know people can use the Ethernet cartridge to copy software onto the 64/128 can the same thing be done with the modem?
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Oh, you can use your modem to connect to an ISP that serves those with classic computers. I belong to Iglou.com out of Louisville, Kentucky. They have a dial-up shell account (VT-102). You just dial them up, log in, go the Internet with their Lynx text web browser (other alternatives are Links and W3M), go to the download site you need, and download to disk. Very convenient if it is just a program/sequential file, less convenient if it is a .D64 et al. If it is a .D64 or the like, then in addition to your 1571, you'll need a second large-capacity drive in order to hold it, like a 1571 (in double-sided mode), 1581, FD-2000/4000, CMD RAMLink, or CMD hard drive. Then you can use a transfer program (like D64it or D128it) to convert the .D64 back to a regular C= disk.

With C128DCR, Turbo232 interface, Zoom 56K external modem, Desterm 2.01,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
 
RobertB said:
Oh, you can use your modem to connect to an ISP that serves those with classic computers. I belong to Iglou.com out of Louisville, Kentucky. They have a dial-up shell account (VT-102). You just dial them up, log in, go the Internet with their Lynx text web browser (other alternatives are Links and W3M), go to the download site you need, and download to disk. Very convenient if it is just a program/sequential file, less convenient if it is a .D64 et al. If it is a .D64 or the like, then in addition to your 1571, you'll need a second large-capacity drive in order to hold it, like a 1571 (in double-sided mode), 1581, FD-2000/4000, CMD RAMLink, or CMD hard drive. Then you can use a transfer program (like D64it or D128it) to convert the .D64 back to a regular C= disk.

With C128DCR, Turbo232 interface, Zoom 56K external modem, Desterm 2.01,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
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sounds good, can you recommend a c128 terminal client, preferably a type-in one?
 
Well I bit the bullet and ordered myself a uIEC. Now I just wait.
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The first thing you should do after you get it is change the device to #8. (They ship as 10).
Use the following command.

Code: 
OPEN 15,10,15,"U0>"+CHR$(8):CLOSE15

OPEN 15,8,15,"XW":CLOSE15


Most of the games that live in d64's will not run from other drive numbers.

Here's a copy of a bunch of NTSC games with sd2brwse in the root.

http://www.svfdtn.com/mtx/NTSC-Commodore.zip

Just unzip it to the root of the card, and then load the menu program.

LOAD"SD2BRWSE",8

and then

RUN

Have fun.

Later,
dabone
 
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