How To Build A Commodore 64 With Raspberry Pi Zero For Under $50

Name: Raspberry Pi Zero
Brand: Raspberry

by Marco Chiappetta — Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 02:00 PM EDT

Now that your Commodore 64 emulator is setup and files are copied over to its Micro-SD card, you are ready to roll.

Combian 64 and VICE behave very much like a real Commodore 64. You’re able to input basic programs right from the initial prompt and run countless numbers of classic games – there is a collosal amount of software available for the Commodore 64 – it’s primitive by today’s standards, but it’s out there.

We were impressed with how easy Combian 64 was to setup and get running. In addition, we didn’t encounter any software compatibility issues with the handful of games we tried. We, however, did not get any audio from our Pi initially, because it wasn't outputting in a compatible format. If you encounter this issue, first make sure VICE is configured to output in stereo and secondly try the various audio output formats available -- all of the options are listed right under Sound Settings in the VICE main menu (available by hitting F8).

Combian 64 was recently updated with the latest version of VICE and enhanced with a few additional features, which make it easy for anyone with a modicum of computing knowledge to use. We should also point out that while we focused on the Commodore 64 here, Combian 64 and VICE have the ability to emulate a myriad of 8-bit Commodore machines from back in early days, including the PET, Plus 4, and even the Commodore 128, among others. Switching to different machines is as easy as exiting VICE and choosing the machine you want to emulate right from the Combian 64 main menu.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY Commodore 64 emulator project as much as we did. The C64 holds a special place in computing history and introduced millions of people around the globe to the concept of an affordable personal computer. Now go build your own and have some fun!

Another visitor! Stay awhile! STAY FOREVER!

Tags: Gaming, emulator, Raspberry-Pi, commodore-64

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com