A friend gave me a C64 DTV to hack.
The C64 DTV is a Commodore 64 emulator in a joystick with a built in collection of 30 C64 games. It runs on a custom chip using an ASIC CPU. The designers included a number of Easter eggs including the ability to go into a full emulation mode where it operates as a stand alone C64. It even has an on screen keyboard and you can even enter and run basic programs.
In itself, this thing would be a fun diversion for a while, but not much more since most of the 30 included games are not ones I would want to play. However, the board was designed in a way that makes it very hackable. There are points on the board that can be tapped into to add a keyboard, external joysticks and even a Commodore IEC disk interface to attach 1541 compatible floppy drives. On top of that, there are SD card interfaces that emulate a 1541 drive allowing you to access your entire collection of C64 programs from a single SD card.
The central repository for C64 DTV hacks is the C64 DTV Hacking Wiki.
The first computer I ever got to work with was a Commodore PET that my dad borrowed from a friend. Later we got a VIC-20. In 1985 I bought myself a C128. Eventually I moved up to an Amiga 2000. I have very fond memories of those early computers.
My goal is to use the C64 DTV to build up a C64 clone around a PS/2 keyboard. I haven't decided yet if it will be built into the keyboard case or if I will build a new case similar to the BBC Micro inspired Raspberry Pi Computer that Ben Heck built.
I have already cracked open the case and determined that the C64 DTV I have is the original DTV1 version which was released in the US. The euro versions (DTV2 & 3) are an even better choice for hacking, but beggars can't be choosers.
I post more as this project progresses.
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