Ruben's Retro Corner
Commodore 64C (1986)

The Commodore 64C was a redesigned C64, first released in 1986.

Despite rumours of the impending demise of the line in favour of the more expensive C128 and Amiga, demand for the 64 remained strong, and was reportedly a valuable income source for Commodore in later years. It included new motherboards with consolidated ICs, and a sleek new beige case which made typing much easier. It also proved physically incompatible with certain peripherals popular in Europe, hence the introduction of the breadbin 64G with 64C internals.

I'd always wanted a 64C since seeing one in a magazine. I didn't have any nostalgic memories or personal attachment to the breadbins, but the 64C looked gorgeous. Even the keyboard font is amazing, despite it being printed instead of double-shot to save costs. In the end I found a PAL unit for sale in Australia from 1988, though it was mildewy enough that it took a few soapy baths and scrubbing to make usable.

This is probably the closest I have to a "daily driver" Commodore, though that may change when I finish my Aldi 64. It's compatible with all the awesome new homebrew hardware out there today, including my beloved EasyFlash 3. Adrian Black is right, these machines were built to last.

Photos

Components

System

Component	Part	Year	State	Memo
Name	adrian	-		His videos fixed my machines!
Case	Stock	1988		Slight retrobrighting
Keyboard	Stock	1988		Love the font!
Motherboard	Stock	1988		-
Size (cm)	41 wide, 25 deep, 7 high	-	-	-

ICs

Component	Part	Socket	Week	State	Memo
CIA 1	MOS 6526A	U1	35, 88		"216A"
CIA 2	MOS 6526A	U2	35, 88		"216A"
KERNAL ROM	MOS 251913-01	U4	31, 88		With BASIC
Character ROM	MOS 901225-01	U5	34, 88
CPU	MOS 8500	U6	35, 88
VIC-II	MOS 8565R2	U7	33, 88
Super PLA	Sharp 251913-01	U8	33, 88		"LH5062B A"
SID	MOS 8580R5	U9	36, 88
Clock Generator	MOS 8701	U20	35, 88		"F6 22"

Storage

Component	Part	Year	State	Memo
Device 8	Commodore 1571	1985		Double-sided for the C128
Device 9	Pi1541	2024		Cycle-exact 1541 emulator
Primary Cart	EasyFlash 3	2023

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