Here's a few teaser pics of a major mod TheCorfiot is undertaking on my Commodore SX-64, and his own machine.
Over on lemon64 and c64.de there's threads about retrofitting a modern LCD screen to an SX-64. The CRT in the SX is lovely and retro but is hard to actually use as it’s tiny, blurry and hard to read. Some clever soul found a 640x res LCD of the exact dimensions and some even cleverer souls designed a superb 3d printed mount, then hacked the screen’s firmware to enable a hidden S-Video mode.. and produced a replacement control panel (replaces the SX-64’s brightness/ volume control PCB).
But the LCD screens are no longer available… I did the easy bit by getting a chinese manufacturer to make some up for me, inc the right model driver board. (none left btw sorry, maybe if you commission TheCorfiot?)
Much as I would love to build this up myself I don’t have TheCorfiot Skillz and Bas was commissioned to do all the hard stuff. Inc cut out, reprogram a flash chip, solder the new back in, build and solder up the control board, and remove the original CRT without me killing myself.
He even found and fixed a design issue with the control board.
We’re putting some big old speakers in the void created by removing the CRT, then I will spray black the white printed 3d mount, and reset the position so its exactly even all round. I may not bother putting a plexi or glass screen in but the option is there.
The speakers require 5v, the SX is really marginal so with another TheCorfiot[TM] design and we have stable 5v from a 12v stepdown circuit and a speaker amp.
The control board also adds a hard reset, a drive 8/9 reset and switch and with even more of TheCorfiot Skillz [TM] he’s built an extra circuit to switch between the 1541 and the 1541IEC that’s also fitted.
In testing, all thanks to Bas, it all works really nicely! See pics.
NB Interim test wiring in pics!!!!!
The key requirement is that it is totally non destructive and reversible. No holes made, and I can get the CRT back in in under an hour if I want.
Massive credit goes to the guys on lemon64 and c64.de, but my implementation is all down to TheCorfiot. Thank you Bas!
Nb Why don’t we have a more obvious Amibay trusted services section? Front of house, unmissable to visitors? TheCorfiot has touched every single computer I own and is a godsend to us as well as a valued friend. I'll ping the other mods to ask.
Over on lemon64 and c64.de there's threads about retrofitting a modern LCD screen to an SX-64. The CRT in the SX is lovely and retro but is hard to actually use as it’s tiny, blurry and hard to read. Some clever soul found a 640x res LCD of the exact dimensions and some even cleverer souls designed a superb 3d printed mount, then hacked the screen’s firmware to enable a hidden S-Video mode.. and produced a replacement control panel (replaces the SX-64’s brightness/ volume control PCB).
But the LCD screens are no longer available… I did the easy bit by getting a chinese manufacturer to make some up for me, inc the right model driver board. (none left btw sorry, maybe if you commission TheCorfiot?)
Much as I would love to build this up myself I don’t have TheCorfiot Skillz and Bas was commissioned to do all the hard stuff. Inc cut out, reprogram a flash chip, solder the new back in, build and solder up the control board, and remove the original CRT without me killing myself.
He even found and fixed a design issue with the control board.
We’re putting some big old speakers in the void created by removing the CRT, then I will spray black the white printed 3d mount, and reset the position so its exactly even all round. I may not bother putting a plexi or glass screen in but the option is there.
The speakers require 5v, the SX is really marginal so with another TheCorfiot[TM] design and we have stable 5v from a 12v stepdown circuit and a speaker amp.
The control board also adds a hard reset, a drive 8/9 reset and switch and with even more of TheCorfiot Skillz [TM] he’s built an extra circuit to switch between the 1541 and the 1541IEC that’s also fitted.
In testing, all thanks to Bas, it all works really nicely! See pics.
NB Interim test wiring in pics!!!!!
The key requirement is that it is totally non destructive and reversible. No holes made, and I can get the CRT back in in under an hour if I want.
Massive credit goes to the guys on lemon64 and c64.de, but my implementation is all down to TheCorfiot. Thank you Bas!
Nb Why don’t we have a more obvious Amibay trusted services section? Front of house, unmissable to visitors? TheCorfiot has touched every single computer I own and is a godsend to us as well as a valued friend. I'll ping the other mods to ask.
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