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OT: Custom Battery Powered C64 Notebook!

C

CanadaPhil

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2014
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Toronto
I came across this page while looking up the actual webpage for a UK Ebay seller of SD2IEC cards and other items.

His first batch of 5 are sold out, and it looks like he is making another batch. I have no idea what these sell for? Perhaps negotiated best offer deals?? It uses a repurposed netbook chassis, with a custom pcb and one of those 64DTV all in one gaming things marketed in the late 2000's.

Personally, I think this is a really interesting project.

You can see a page of detailed prototyping details when clicking on another tab when at the site.

http://sd2iec.co.uk/id30.html

Also...

If you have trouble finding the link to the "prototyping" page when at the site, here is a link to that...

http://sd2iec.co.uk/id29.html

EDIT:

I had made a contact inquiry on the webpage and I received a reply this morning. Here it is...


Phil,

Due to the limited numbers of C64p they might end up on ebay. I'm not sure
as yet, as I was hoping the last batch was going to be 10 C64p's, but that
is looking unlikely now.

I do ship worldwide.

The final batch will be released before the end of November.

Cheers.. Nic
 
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It's interesting, but, I can never get over trying to use a C64 with a non-VIC20-like keyboard.

I've been using a serial terminal with my C64 lately. Finding the double-quote key is a real pain!
 
KC9UDX said:
It's interesting, but, I can never get over trying to use a C64 with a non-VIC20-like keyboard.

!
Click to expand...

Yeah... That is sort of a deal killer for me as well. Although, the full set of other features is great! The idea of a trackpad emulating a 1350 mouse in joystick mode is cool.

While not a "laptop", I myself have been toying with the idea of gutting a Vic-20 or 64 breadbox and using a Keyrah2 interface so that I could use the proper keyboard and make use of the usual joystick port locations. The new guts of the thing would be an old Dell latitude laptop mobo I have that also has S-video output. Of course this would only be running VICE, but it could also possibly double as a MAME arcade setup... In a vintage Commodore case.
 
Holy cow!

Oh OK... That info is not on his main webpage. I did not realize the things were now listed on Ebay. (EDIT: That listing is over so I am assuming that was that the first sold out batch?)

Ouch... Over a grand! Well, it is a lot of work on his part, but I will pass then and stick with my $50 or $75 odd projects. Haha.
;)
 
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Now when they have PPC Amiga notebooks running OS4, then, I don't think any amount would be too much! :)
 
KC9UDX said:
PPC Amiga notebooks
Click to expand...

Heh. Someone should just give up and port the "real" OS 4 so it runs on old PowerBooks, ala MorphOS.

Somewhat ironically, when I bought a NetBook back in 2009-ish (like just about everybody did, it seems like) the one use I vaguely had in mind for it was running 8-bit emulators. It actually made a pretty good C64 via VICE...
 
Eudimorphodon said:
Heh. Someone should just give up and port the "real" OS 4 so it runs on old PowerBooks, ala MorphOS.
Click to expand...

It would be nice. But everyone would gripe all the more about not having an x86 port. Also, we'd never see anything else like the AmigaOne X1000.
 
Geez...

This subject got my mind racing again and I started looking at some online C64DTV info and Jeri Ellsworth videos and I now just bought a DTV on Ebay still sealed in package for $50.

This new found obsession of "Commodore buying" is gonna become a problem for me!
;)
 
CanadaPhil said:
Geez...

This subject got my mind racing again and I started looking at some online C64DTV info and Jeri Ellsworth videos and I now just bought a DTV on Ebay still sealed in package for $50.

This new found obsession of "Commodore buying" is gonna become a problem for me!
;)
Click to expand...
Dang; where were you when I sold mine for only $35 (and no shipping)...

Have FUN!!
 
CanadaPhil wrote:
I now just bought a DTV on Ebay still sealed in package for $50.
Click to expand...

I hope you got the right model of DTV if you are planning to do some DTV Hacking(s). The one common in North America is the DTV1 which can be modded to certain extent but no flashing with custom programs/games. DTV2/3 versions were the most sought models plus the Radio Shacks Hummer (Off Road racing) which has a version 3 DTV inside the toy.


RizThomas
 
Im pretty sure it is just the DTV1 based on the packaging. I got it more as a what the hell kind of buy. I dont know if I will get to the point of hacking it... Maybe I will get another used one later for cheaper and tear that apart.

I think with a 1 version you could still add a keyboard, an IEC for floppy (or SD2IEC) and S-Video mod. But yeah, no flashing or User port as well... But I guess that would be mostly irrelevant if you could access an SD.

Just to clarify though... A DTV2 would be useless for us no? Is that one PAL video output only?

I also saw the reference to the Hummer Off Road thing, but where the heck would you find one of those?
 
Received a contact reply from the C64P maker this morning and added it to the first post in this topic.
 
Just got one C64DTV, arrived yesterday, paid $13 + 6 on shipping.
But I think, I'll leave it in his original "state" , since I have too many C64's around to paly with .

CanadaPhil said:
Geez...

This subject got my mind racing again and I started looking at some online C64DTV info and Jeri Ellsworth videos and I now just bought a DTV on Ebay still sealed in package for $50.

This new found obsession of "Commodore buying" is gonna become a problem for me!
;)
Click to expand...
 
I have mine now as well. Jumpman is still enjoyable 30 years on!

Im going to leave it as is also.

One thing I have found is that plugging into vintage CRTs produces a really lousy picture (as many reviews of this have said), but when I tried it on 2 different modern lcd's the picture was noticeably better. I would not say excellent, but it was very good.
 
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