My awesome new modded VIC-20

[Schema]

How is the uIEC attached?

It's screwed onto a 1/8" aluminum plate (with standoffs and rubber feet), which is in turn attached to the VIC cart port cover with 5-minute epoxy.

[nbla000]

Very good work man, normally i don't like to "MOD" hardware but this is a interesting exception.

Many compliments !!!

[Jeff-20]

i just had a vision for a VIC mod! A top loading cart slot and rear power supply. Think that could happen?

[eslapion]

i just had a vision for a VIC mod! A top loading cart slot and rear power supply. Think that could happen?

Was it last year that I saw a pic posted here of a VIC with 3 catridge slots, one of which was top loading?

That mod is still stimulating my imagination...

[Jeff-20]

The label would have to face forward.

[hawk]

Great job Schema.

Thanks for posting the photos. I really love seeing how others are modding their hardware.

[PaulQ]

I'd call it the "Ice Vic."

[Jeff-20]

I would love to have a uIEC as a free standing device I could attach to the serial port. I've had too many VIC 20s go out on me. It needs to be portable. Like this but with a case (and perhaps and alternative to the battery)

[Legacy]

very nice modifications, excuse me for sounding like a noob, but I take it that memory card is acting as drive #10 which is a 1 gigabyte floppy drive!?! , also what is that grey cord for the video I thought an RF modulator was needed before It can be connected. and did you need any resistance before connecting that blue led or is the voltage low enough to begin with, im assuming it is, but led's from the 80's may have had diffrent specifications. and last but not least, where can i get a 1gb card mod and the gray cord ?

[brain]

I would love to have a uIEC as a free standing device I could attach to the serial port. I've had too many VIC 20s go out on me. It needs to be portable. Like this but with a case (and perhaps and alternative to the battery)

Well, all uIECs are free standing device, and they normally connect to the cassette port like printer interfaces (for power). They are small enough surely you should be able to source any old case for the unit.

Jim

[brain]

very nice modifications, excuse me for sounding like a noob, but I take it that memory card is acting as drive #10 which is a 1 gigabyte floppy drive!?! ,

Yeah, pretty much. Although it also supports disk images, so you could also think of it as a "collection" of floppies.... ~5 per MB, or ~5000 per gig

and did you need any resistance before connecting that blue led or is the voltage low enough to begin with, im assuming it is, but led's from the 80's may have had diffrent specifications.

The uIEC has 330ohm, which is pretty standard for LEDs. SInce the AVR can only source 20mA max, pretty much any LED with any voltage drop will work.

and last but not least, where can i get a 1gb card mod and the gray cord ?

From me I am out right at present, but an email to brain@jbrain.com will reserve one of the 100 coming mid-to-late January.

Jim

[PaulQ]

I've been using the SD card version, which is awesome since I have an SD card slot in my laptop; I can download .D64's and mount them as disks on my Commodore. Or I can copy the .prg files into directories and mount those. I usually use a wedge to use it to its fullest potential. I haven't quite entirely eliminated the need for floppy disks, but I have eliminated the need for an X1541/PC connection.

I've been so tempted to mount it permanently in my Commodore 128, but it's such a useful device, it'd be a shame to take that usefulness away from my Vic 20 or Commodore 16. The 9VDC battery is a neat idea.

[Jeff-20]

Schema,
You may have explained this before, but how did you get the keyboard to look so "VIC" and not C16 or 64C?

[ral-clan]

Schema,
You may have explained this before, but how did you get the keyboard to look so "VIC" and not C16 or 64C?

Looks like he painted the VIC case to match the C16 keyboard, not vice-versa.

[Schema]

very nice modifications, excuse me for sounding like a noob, but I take it that memory card is acting as drive #10 which is a 1 gigabyte floppy drive!?!

Yes, that's correct. As brain already explained (and he is the uIEC designer), it can do individual .PRGs or .D64 disk images. It also supports subdirectories, so I have my VIC games sorted into Unexpanded, 3K, 8k+ directories.

also what is that grey cord for the video I thought an RF modulator was needed before It can be connected.

No, you don't need an RF modulator. One of the pins (two, actually) on the VIC video port out are Composite video, so you can go directly into a monitor (or VCR, etc). You get a *much* better picture that way. There's also a mod to get S-Video out of a VIC (like on the 64), but I've always been happy with the VIC video as-is. I found the grey cord at a junk shop here in Toronto. You could also use a video cable from the old (5-pin video) Commodore 64.

and did you need any resistance before connecting that blue led or is the voltage low enough to begin with, im assuming it is, but led's from the 80's may have had diffrent specifications.

The blue LED is independent of the uIEC and flash card. I just found a convenient source of 5V near the power switch. The normal LED connector wasn't making the LED bright enough, it already had a current limiting resistor somewhere.

Schema,
You may have explained this before, but how did you get the keyboard to look so "VIC" and not C16 or 64C?

I'm not sure what you mean? I just moved the keyboard from a 64C into the VIC, no painting or anything.