Commodore 65
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The Commodore 65 (also known as the C64DX, not to be confused with the Commodore DX-64 portable unit) was a prototype computer created by Fred Bowen and others at Commodore Business Machines (CBM) (part of Commodore International) in 1990–91. The project was cancelled by CEO Irving Gould.
The C65 was an improved version of the Commodore 64, and it was meant to be backwards-compatible with the older computer, while still providing a number of advanced features close to that of the Amiga. When Commodore International was liquidated in 1994, a number of prototypes were sold on the open market, and thus a few people actually own a Commodore 65. Guesstimates as to the actual number of machines found on the open market range from 50 to 2000 pieces.
As the C65 project were cancelled, the final 8-bit offering from CBM remained the triple-mode, 1–2 MHz, 128 KB (expandable), C64-compatible Commodore 128 of 1985.
Main C65 features
- A custom CSG* 65CE02 CPU (a MOS 6502 derivative), combined with two MOS 6526 complex interface adapters (CIAs) named CSG 4510 R3 (the latters codenamed Victor)
- A new VIC-III graphics chip named CSG* 4567 R5 (codenamed Bill), capable of producing 256 colors from a palette of 4096 colors; available modes include 320×200×256, 640×200×256, 640×400×16, 1280×200×16, and 1280×400×4 (X×Y×colordepth i.e. number of colors/bit planes)
- Two SID sound chips producing stereo sound (the C64 had one SID)
- 3.54 MHz clock frequency (the C64 ran at 1 MHz)
- 128 KB RAM, expandable to 8 MB
- Heavily improved BASIC: Commodore BASIC 10.0 (the C64 had the relatively feature-weak BASIC 2.0)
- Proposed feature, not implemented in the final prototype: one internal 3½" floppy disk drive
- (* CSG = Commodore Semiconductor Group, previously known as MOS Technology, Inc.)
External links
- C65 page at 'The Secret Weapons of Commodore' website (http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/secret/65.html) – By Cameron Kaiser and The Commodore Knowledge Base
- FTP directory for the C65 at FTP.FUNET.FI (ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/c65)
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