Closed New board: The VIC-II² - PAL/NTSC switch board for Commodore 64

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Starglider

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-= Thank you all for your patience and input - We are excited to announce the official release of the VIC-II² and have notified via PM those who kindly registered their interest - Feel free to post support queries in this thread =-

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PAL/NTSC Switcher Kit for Commodore 64 Assy 250407/250425/250466 only

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Q: Which is better; NTSC or PAL?
A: Both!

This new 'not-for-profit' 25-piece kit for old 1982+ breadbin Commodore 64 computers from Perifractic's Retro Recipes and 1STAGE will allow your C64 to switch between PAL (Europe/Australia) and NTSC (North America) video output modes, to maximise the best-of-both-worlds in software compatibility, picture quality, nostalgia, speed, resolution, and more. It packs LumaFix64 on board, to improve the C64's notorious vertical image banding too.

Click here to order now

Watch the full project video inc. installation guide and factory tour:



PLEASE READ BOTH SECTIONS CAREFULLY:


Before Ordering (important compatibility info)

  • Not compatible with slimline "C64C" cases - this only fits "breadbin" original C64 style cases (due to the lower C64C keyboard)
  • The VIC-II² has only been tested on breadbin motherboards with "ASSY 250407" or "250425" or "250466" printed on the lower edge - please check you have one of these before ordering as we cannot offer returns
  • Your monitor must support both PAL & NTSC or you will see a black & white image, or no image at all, in one of the modes - please check its specs carefully before ordering (if yours doesn't most "upscaler" devices will, such as the XRGB Mini - see PDF below)
  • VIC-II chips not included - you'll need a 6567 (NTSC) & 6569 (PAL) chip; any "R"evision will work
  • This is not a ready-made product but a kit, and requires soldering experience - you can enquire at the forum below if you need the kit built for you
  • You will receive 2 VIC-II² PCBs in your kit, one red one blue (not yellow as pictured) which will cover all 3 ASSY numbers above
  • The kit includes 25 individual tested components, carefully packaged in an anti-static bag and bubble mailer
  • The kit also includes the LumaFix64, and heat sinks (not pictured) to protect your precious VIC chips
  • Parts may differ slightly from those pictured
  • Please allow 28 days for delivery
After Ordering (important instructions/support notes)

  • This fully beta tested hobbyist kit is sold 'not-for-profit' therefore thank you for understanding that - due to the extra cost it would add - it is offered without warranty or support...
  • However you can post technical support requests in this thread below where the community and/or the developers can respond
  • Installation guide (not enclosed with product)
  • Installation guide video (watch from 15 mins 43 secs)
The following video covers one of the troubleshooting steps if you have no colour after the conversion and your monitor definitely supports PAL & NTSC:



Polite Disclaimer:

If you opt to order, build and install the VIC-II² in the notoriously sensitive and unpredictable (yet lovable) vintage Commodore 64s, you do so entirely at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for any damage or faults caused to your C64, components, yourself, or otherwise, by incorrect or even correct use of this 'not-for-profit' hobbyist do-it-yourself kit - which is sold without warranty or support due to the cost that would have added. The installation process is intended only for users highly competent with electronics engineering and soldering. Thank you.

Above all else we hope you enjoy bringing VIC-II the future!....

Your friend in retro, Perifractic
http://perifractic.com
 
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Please put me down for possibly (1) item.

Obviously pending more info and price.

Is there any way to order it in the opposite boot? Because of my location, I would prefer it to default boot in NTSC, and hold button during boot cycle for PAL when desired.

Also, is there a way to connect the button to the C= key. It would be similar to booting into C64 Mode on a C128. That would be cool.

I look forward to the updates. :)
 
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Please put me down for possibly (1) item.

Obviously pending more info and price.

Is there any way to order it in the opposite boot? Because of my location, I would prefer it to default boot in NTSC, and hold button during boot cycle for PAL when desired.

Also, is there a way to connect the button to the C= key. It would be similar to booting into C64 Mode on a C128. That would be cool.

I look forward to the updates. :)

We'll look into that for sure.

Thanks!
 
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Bananas come in many sizes, so perhaps you could put an apple next to the banana. :)
 
Is there any way to order it in the opposite boot? Because of my location, I would prefer it to default boot in NTSC, and hold button during boot cycle for PAL when desired.

The button will now be a switch so you can leave it in whichever variant you desire; NTSC or PAL. Switching it when the power is on will have no effect.
 
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I'm interested in one as a kit if that's going to be an option, or even a bare PCB with a BOM. Part of the reason I enjoy this hobby is getting to make things myself.

Will you open source the design?
 
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I'm interested in one as a kit if that's going to be an option, or even a bare PCB with a BOM. Part of the reason I enjoy this hobby is getting to make things myself.

Will you open source the design?

We might be making two versions, a kit and a ready to go (excluding VICs).

We hadn't thought about open source until you asked but will discuss and evaluate. We want what's best for the community. Likely it will be published on GitHub from v1.0. Currently we're at v0.1.
 
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What would you pay for a kit? We need to make sure we can cover the costs of the boards. They'll be provided at cost price. What feels right?

Price discussions are not allowed here, so you should probably take that discussion in a different forum to figure out what your price point should be. My suggestion is that you approximate your costs of building an amount that you should be able to sell (maybe start with 25 pcs or so) so you don't set the price too low and then check whether that will scare off people or not. It is not uncommon for larger projects to charge the price up front and then ship them out later when they are ready. After the first batch, you are in a much better position to estimate the costs and workload so you can decide if you want to build a 2nd batch.
 
I'm interested in the ready-to-go board, and I have a quick question: when you switch from NTSC to PAL, does the CPU speed go from 1.023MHz to 0.985MHz? Fortunately, I have a PVM that supports NTSC and PAL (60Hz - NTSC, 50Hz - PAL).

Edit (09/20/2018): Withdrawing my interest for now since my car needs repairs. Darn potholes. Good luck with the project, man.
 
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What would you pay for a kit? We need to make sure we can cover the costs of the boards. They'll be provided at cost price. What feels right?

Price discussions are not allowed here, so you should probably take that discussion in a different forum to figure out what your price point should be. My suggestion is that you approximate your costs of building an amount that you should be able to sell (maybe start with 25 pcs or so) so you don't set the price too low and then check whether that will scare off people or not. It is not uncommon for larger projects to charge the price up front and then ship them out later when they are ready. After the first batch, you are in a much better position to estimate the costs and workload so you can decide if you want to build a 2nd batch.
Noted with thanks. [emoji106][emoji973]️
 
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I'm interested in the ready-to-go board, and I have a quick question: when you switch from NTSC to PAL, does the CPU speed go from 1.023MHz to 0.985MHz? Fortunately, I have a PVM that supports NTSC and PAL (60Hz - NTSC, 50Hz - PAL).
The board doesn't change the CPU, but it does contain both timing crystals for NTSC and PAL.
 
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I'll be updating the first post with the current number of units requested by users.
 
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Hi Chris, Iv'e been banging on about the possibility of this for years over on Lemon64 so glad to see someone give it a serious attempt at bringing it to fruition, obviously were all now waiting for the "proof of concept" video on your Retro Recipes Youtube channel, so if it works and the price is nice I'll be in there.

Best of luck fella.
 
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding, but what’s the actual point of this?

Surely taking a VIC chip from a working PAL C64 is condemning that machine to the skip (or vice versa)?

Surely better and cheaper to keep one of each C64 and use as required?

Also this will probably encourage users to drill/cut holes in their C64s sir switches or other frankenmods.

Again, apologies if I’m missing something obvious, but when would this seriously be used?





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding, but what’s the actual point of this?

Surely taking a VIC chip from a working PAL C64 is condemning that machine to the skip (or vice versa)?

Surely better and cheaper to keep one of each C64 and use as required?

Also this will probably encourage users to drill/cut holes in their C64s sir switches or other frankenmods.

Again, apologies if I’m missing something obvious, but when would this seriously be used?





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As stated above, many games & demos were designed for PAL in Europe and sound wrong or don't work on NTSC. And I don't just mean the cartridge version of Sam's Journey!

If someone wants to make a switch hole, I'm not crazy about the idea, but the other option is to leave the daughter card outside the machine. The flat cable is very flat.

I don't see how it would condemn other machines. There are a wealth of existing VIC-IIs on eBay and suppliers like Retroleum. They're usually removed from dead machines.

To summarize, it will give you a 100% internationally compatible C64 using parts from eBay.

If you've never had the need, you're simply not the customer and that's quite ok [emoji4]

Starglider aka Perifractic
 
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Hi Chris, Iv'e been banging on about the possibility of this for years over on Lemon64 so glad to see someone give it a serious attempt at bringing it to fruition, obviously were all now waiting for the "proof of concept" video on your Retro Recipes Youtube channel, so if it works and the price is nice I'll be in there.

Best of luck fella.
Many thanks! Watch this space ..

Starglider aka Perifractic
 
I'm interested in one as a kit if that's going to be an option, or even a bare PCB with a BOM. Part of the reason I enjoy this hobby is getting to make things myself.

Will you open source the design?


I also like the idea of a Kit Version, if available.






Also looking closer at the rough sketch drawing, I see on there a label of "6567/6569 ONLY!"

Does this mean that this will only be available for earlier version Motherboards that use +12v?

From what I understand the C64c (MOS 8562) uses +5v.

So these will not be cross compatible?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

This is new to me and I'm trying to get as much info as I can.

I really like this idea.
 
I'm interested in one as a kit if that's going to be an option, or even a bare PCB with a BOM. Part of the reason I enjoy this hobby is getting to make things myself.

Will you open source the design?


I also like the idea of a Kit Version, if available.






Also looking closer at the rough sketch drawing, I see on there a label of "6567/6569 ONLY!"

Does this mean that this will only be available for earlier version Motherboards that use +12v?

From what I understand the C64c (MOS 8562) uses +5v.

So these will not be cross compatible?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

This is new to me and I'm trying to get as much info as I can.

I really like this idea.

Thanks.

Edit: The VIC-IIe (C128) has more pins so we'll be doing a different board for this, depending on demand. I should've mentioned this in the first post.

The 8562/65 should work in our board.

Starglider aka Perifractic
 
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