Connomore64: Cycle exact emulation of the C64 using parallel microcontrollers
16 comments
·May 3, 2025sandos
Ohh, at first I was excited to see if this mean you could just replace parts of the C64 with some nice modern building blocks: I have a very old C64 that I don't want to cannibalize for parts that has a broken clock module. But this is not quite that. :)
rollcat
You may be interested in this: https://www.hackster.io/news/building-a-brand-new-c64-96e803...
abhisek
So cool! Things we would do to re-live the past. Not really into hardware but I remember trying to build an emulator for z80 just to learn how it work for old Sega games
Towaway69
Can't wait until punchcards make a comeback ;)
Why isn't there an emulation of punch cards using eReaders!
Completely on your side, just wondering how far back do we go?
TonyTrapp
> Completely on your side, just wondering how far back do we go?
The main difference is probably that many people had a C64 in their bedroom, so there's a lot of childhood nostalgia involved. Fewer people probably had a mainframe computer with punch cards in their bedroom. ;) Such emulation would probably be more interesting from a pure preservation perspective, and be less about nostalgia.
xobs
There are usb-c paper tape readers: https://www.e-basteln.de/computing/papertape/overview/
They even work with phones!
Towaway69
Awesome device, it's so small you could attach to a flipper or have a builtin into the flipper.
Also love their motto: "Solving yesterday's problems today" :)
Now for coding doom in ticker tape ... that should fill up the rest of the afternoon!
sunpazed
Love this! The C64 introduced me to the world of computers as a kid. I still have that almost 40 year old machine in my collection, but I’m weary of failure every time I turn it on. This is somewhat better than the MiSTer as I can use physical peripherals with it. Great work!
Gergo
The most common failure points in these old boxes are the capacitors and the power supply. Swap out all the caps and replace the original power supply for a modern remake and the 64 could last you another 40 years. :)
chillingeffect
I love it. Ive been reviving a stack of 4 c64s i got untested for $285. I noticed CIA chip replacements cost 40-45 and was wondering if an Rpi pico could replace it! I'll bet they combined two CIAs into one. I'm curious if they repeat the typical 24+ pin bus (16 addr, 8 data, plus more control lines).
robinsonb5
Not directly - you'd need level shifters to handle the 5V signals in the C64. (The RP2040 isn't "officially" 5V tolerant - there are certain circumstances where you can get away with wiring some its inputs directly to 5V logic, but those circumstances exclude bidirectional IO.)
I love the sound of the SID chip, happy to find out about this project as well: https://github.com/frntc/SIDKick-pico
8 Bit Weapon are making some fantastic use of it:
https://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/disassembly-language-a...
https://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/disassembly-language-a...
https://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/modular-sidsation
LukHash also regularly features C64s in his kit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JQkW6BgUYU
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