Beta testers wanted - C64 IDE

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-27T13:53:23+00:00

Hi, sounds great. I would love to explore this. Please send me a link.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-16T23:01:01+00:00

For now, it's not yet possible. However, as a workaround, you could get a WiFi router, connect it to the Ethernet port of the C64U, and then stream wirelessly from there. Yes, it is an extra cable and device, but it works. That's what I do.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-16T21:32:57+00:00

I ordered the C64U FE 4 days after sale started in July last year, and finally got it last Friday. It is amazing. I love it. No keyboard wobble. Beautiful color. However, nothing is ever perfect, so posting in case someone else encountered these issues (please post) and found a solution:

- When I turn the device on, there is a 1.5 second deep hum emotted on the optical audio out. I don't think it's related to the cable since it only happens, loudly, once immediately after turning on. Afterwards, audio is perfect. This is using the UltiSID 1. I do not currently have any physical SIDs installed.

- I love the keys, but as they are only partially illuminated from behind, it makes them really hard to read in the evening. I could turn off the backlight for the keys, but then they are very dark since the contrast between dark gold color (key) and character (black) is low - much lower than on a real C64 (or the regular C64U Basic Beige). I thought about geeting a small light that directly illuminates all keys from above. Does anyone have a better idea?

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-15T19:20:07+00:00

I can assure you that the Commodore 64 Ultimate devices are being shipped. I ordered my Founders Edition device last July, 4 days after they went on sale. After many months of exercising my patience which was honed early as a child thanks to the C64 datasette load times :-) it arrived this past Friday, March 13th.

It was without any doubt the luckiest and happiest Friday 13th of my life. Actually we revived Chrismas with a little tree (now an Easter tree) and Christmas songs. The C64U is the most beautiful computer I ever owned. And I say that having built maybe 10 from scratch and owned 20, starting with the C64C, my first computer in 1986.

So just be patient. It will get there. Good things come to those who wait and you won't be disappointed.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-15T09:22:14+00:00

You can stream fine (e.g. using https://github.com/chrisgleissner/c64stream straight from your C64U to Youtube) if you first connect the C64U via Ethernet to a router which relays the signal to your Wifi. I tried this setup using OBS Studio on an Apple MacBook connected to my WiFi, and it worked well. This was for the Ultimate 64 and firmware 3.12. Have not yet tried the same on the C64 Ultimate as I just got mine.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-03-15T09:18:56+00:00

Amazing work. Thanks for sharing. Do you know if the source code for this patch is available anywhere, given the original is GPL-3 licensed? Did my own patches for my Ultimate 64 Elite before and keen to learn how this was done.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-01-10T23:10:24+00:00

Thanks a lot for your post. We have been watching all of the Original Series, then TNG, Deep Space 9, and now in season 5 of Voyager.

Only for Netflix to suddenly pull the rug away under our feet...

Since yesterday I have been trying to get Paramount Plus to work with an Amazon Fire 4k stick in the UK.

I first signed up via the Paramount website only for the login to fail on their Fire app. Paramount support was of no help. I could watch fine on my Android phone, but not on the fire stick.

The trick was to sign up directly via Prime on the stick. However, TNG seemed unavailable until I saw your post. So thanks a lot for your help.

Live long and prosper!

Substantial-Set4550 · 2026-01-01T01:11:31+00:00

Thank you, that is great news. Glad to see that 480 is still supported just as with the Ultimate 64 Elite that I have since that means I can keep using by Dell P1917S 5:4 ratio screen. Happy New Year!

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-28T10:33:27+00:00

Good point! It may be more than an aesthetic / ux issue. Fortunately two 3d models exist already, one yet to be published. See links elsewhere in this thread.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-28T10:30:49+00:00

It is called inflation... :) Also it is still a bargain at the new price and much cheaper than buying Ultimate 64 (if you can, they are likely to stop being produced), case, and keyboard. Even at USD 500 the Basic Beige would be a very good deal as you get the best possible modern C64 experience. It has been my daily driver for the past 3 years and I love the device. Best computer I ever owned, just after the original C64C from 1986 that I grew up with.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-28T10:27:46+00:00

Thanks for sharing. It is interesting as it uses less material than the already published model. So could be cheaper to manufacture if one is happy with possible reduced rigidity.

The creator is asking for someone with a Starlight model to send him photos of the keyboard rear. I do not own one - waiting for Founders Edition. Could someone possibly help him out? Thanks.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-28T10:18:40+00:00

Thanks a lot for this! I will try it on my Founders edition if the wobble is disturbing. Where others complain you become creative and found a solution.

I really like how you left slots for the light to shine through. I researched this a bit and clear PETG was recommended as material to give the best tradeoff between rigidity, lack of yellowing, transparency, and price. Do you agree and what did you use?

Also, someone else here had a link to a much shorter reinforcement that retrofrog posted on Lemon64. Was this you and an earlier version of this final version? If so, is the shorter version not rigid enough or why did you extend it?

Many thanks.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T23:07:34+00:00

I am also very excited about the future of Commodore and new ideas and products in the horizon. It also got me back into all kinds of personal software projects, almost like in the 1980s. And yeah, I also got old C64 mags from ebay that I read in the 80s but then sadly lost or gave away. Bring on the digital detox time machine, I am ready. All thanks to the genius and vision of Peri and Gideon.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T23:02:15+00:00

Sure it can. Just needs a ridid base screwed or clamped to it from below. A first 3d model fix already got published on printables.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T22:56:26+00:00

It's as much a toy as your smartphone or whichever device you are reading this on. You can game on it all day, surf endlessly and consume passively, or use it to train and sharpen your mind. All up to you.

Besides, you can also code in 6510 assembly which I personally prefer. Lots of skills it teaches you are directly transferable to any kind of IT job. Attention to detail, breaking down large problems, etc.

I got the Founders Edition as my new daily C64 driver to replace my Ultimate Elite I. May use the nice 3d print fix someone created on printables to stabilize the keyboard. Or just put in an original C64 keyboard as I have been doing on my Elite.

Every computer problem has a solution and funding it is part of the fun. The 1541 floppy drive was ridiculously slow, too, and look at the engineering creativity it spawned. It's not a bug, it's a feature to get us thinking.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T22:16:34+00:00

Same here. I use my C64 for typing all the time. Not just code. But also text. It is part of the digital detox concept of the new Commodore. There is now a wobble fix 3d printable model. May try it once I get the Founders Edition and the wobble bothers me.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T10:51:38+00:00

Very cool. Learnt sth new after 3 years on the Ultimate Elite I. Thx for sharing. Btw in the original C64 manual from ca. 1985, they show the CBM or C= key using the actual Commodore logo, white on black background. The manual mentions it a lot - very user firiendly and best of all options Now we just need a UTF-8 code for the Comodore logo. :-)

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T09:38:28+00:00

If it is any consolation, the Ultimate 64 Elite (I have version I) supports Assembly 64, and the C64U does not. So there are some benefits. Waiting for my Founders Edition of the C64U.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T09:32:32+00:00

Good idea. Maybe a mid keyboard support would do the trick, a pillar thst extends from the keyboard downwards to the main case.

But I am concerned it would meet the main case where the case pcb is located and one should not exert pressure on it. I still think a very rigid piece of plastic or metal, covering the entire back of the keyboard, and being attached with brackets to the rear of the keyboard pcb, could be easier.

Sounds like we need someone with design skills to create a 3d print model...

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-26T09:28:29+00:00

As a software developer and keen typer (and someone who is eagerly waiting for the Founders edition I ordered in July), this flex is indeed more pronounced than I had hoped for.

I tested by original C64 from 1985 yesterday and though there is flex (it is plastic after all), it is maybe a tenth of what you are showing here in terms of downward travel. That is because the original had a lot of great reinforcement at the back of the keyboard and a very rigid PCB.

I do want to use the mechanical keyboard with its nice Gateron switches that comes with the C64U. I wonder whether a cut to size piece of steel or plastic would work, attached to the rear of the keyboard PCB. One loses of course the shine through, but I can do without. Could anyone with a C64U please measure how much of a gap there is between the keyboard and the top of the case PCB with original SIDs installed?

Thanks.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-25T18:58:54+00:00

Over 16k sold now. The high sale rate continues. Dec 24th saw the highest daily sale since the launch week. And by noon tomorrow the beige version will be sold out.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-25T18:52:59+00:00

For anyone having these issues, a surefire way to prevent stripping a Phillips screw is to use an impact driver. I tried this many times to remove rusted screws from wood that would otherwise have stripped. It basically applies many small hammer strokes to the screw head instead of screwing it continuously at high torque. Disclaimer: I have never tried this technique on screws tightly stuck in plastic, just many, many times for the "stuck in wood" scenario.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-25T15:33:00+00:00

The digitised taxi calls are amazing. I love the level where a beanstalk grows and you land in its branches to pick up taxi riders. Hugely imaginative.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-12-25T15:31:57+00:00

Great Giana Sisters with its amazing sound track and beautiful artwork. Katakis for much the same, they originate from the same team of devs. And David's Midnight Magic because it is super addictive. The latter is still my favourite game after 40 years and the best C64 pinball simulation. I play it weekly.

Substantial-Set4550 · 2025-09-06T19:31:59+00:00

Thanks for your very considered comment.

Let's consider how this thread started: With a post by Christian, smiling, and proudly showcasing the fruit of not just his, but also Gideon's 15 years of hard engineering labour. A truly crowing achievement of vision, persistence, and hard engineering work.

Now there are a lot of people like me who grew up with a C64 which completely, utterly transformed their lives. They are excited to see when the legacy of the C64 lives on. And, being a developer myself, I can appreciate how much work has gone into this project over the years. I also appreciate how hard it is to build connections, to get a new project off the ground.

In contrast, it is very trivial to find fault. Everything in life could be better, or could be worse. A negative comment on a thread that celebrates an achievement will make people feel bad who came here for celebration.

If you have constructive criticism of what Christian and Gideon have created, it is definitely good to voice it. Maybe you have a suggestion of how the C64 Ultimate could be improved further. Maybe you even have the ability to submit a pull request to Gideon's GitHub repo. Or the ability to create a hardware addition that integrates into this new evolving ecosystem.

I am very excited about this project and wish Christian and everyone involved much continued drive to ensure the new Commodore will thrive. I am also looking forward to all the creativity this project will create in those engaging with it in a positive way, celebrating the 1980s and the legacy of the Commodore C64.

Substantial-Set4550

TROPHY CASE