1540 Floppy ..??

History and Preservation Issues

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ViperSan
Vic 20 Hobbyist
Posts: 108
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:16 pm

1540 Floppy ..??

Post by ViperSan »

In my collection I have a 1540 Floppy drive..
I'm not sure if it still works ...since the last time it was powered up was over 25 years ago ..
Looks like the 1541 ..but is vic coloured ..
Not sure if it still has original roms ..as these may have been replaced to give full 1541 functionality.
How rare is this beast ...and does anyone else have one ?
rgds
VS
Kakemoms
Vic 20 Nerd
Posts: 740
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 8:45 am

Re: 1540 Floppy ..??

Post by Kakemoms »

I have seen a few 1540, so they are not very rare. The problem with the 1540 is that it gets very hot from its internal psu (like the 1541) and it doesn't work with C64's (if you need it to). Its slightly faster than the 1541.

Now, a Vic-1001, that IS rare. I haven't seen any on ebay for years.
ViperSan
Vic 20 Hobbyist
Posts: 108
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:16 pm

Re: 1540 Floppy ..??

Post by ViperSan »

Thanks for the info ..
here is a picture of my old 1540 ..
Not tested recently ...but does look like I refitted the original rom ..
There is also a picture of my 1541 rom homebrew chip ...
contents split as at the time I didn't have anything suitable ..
Such a long time ago ...my memory (pardon the pun) ..not what it used to be ..
Another thing I want to test again ..if i FEEL BRAVE ENOUGH TO DIG IT OUT OF THE LOFT ..
my PET 4032 and 8050 floppy ..
I remember it had text burn-in on the green screen ..but was working when I put it up there over 25 years ago..
rgds
VS
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pms
Vic 20 Newbie
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 2:54 pm

Re: 1540 Floppy ..??

Post by pms »

My first floppy drive was a 1540 on the VIC 20.
When I bought a C64, I still could use the 1540 without switching ROM using a trick.

You had to use a poke command to turn the screen off.
Then the C64 was fast enough to load/save.

poke: xxxxxx,x: load "$",8
After loading/saving I restored the screen with typing the text to poke the original value back (without seeing my poke command on the screen)

Don't know how long I used this trick. Switching ROM, made live easier...
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