Logo

Retro computing with a touch of modern and the home for all things, retroCombs (aka Steven Combs).

Disclosure Statement: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to Amazon, the eBay Partner Network, and/or others.

Pi1541 Resource Page

This is my resource page for the Pi1541. This page contains general information about the device as well as tips, tricks, and usage.

Pi1541 with 1541

Key to Keys

Because the Commodore Plus/4 keyboard is so different from modern keyboards, I devised a modern key nomenclature to identify keystroke combinations as shown in the table below:

Key Description Key Description
Caps Lock F1 Function 1
C= Commodore F2 Function 2
Control F3 Function 3
Escape F4 Function 4
Home F5 Function 5
Insert Delete F6 Function 6
Return F7 Function 7
RS Run/Stop F8 Help
Shift Space

Below is a link to each blog post in the series. Each blog post contains the companion YouTube video and most include links to items or sites. This page captures a collection of all links mentioned.

  1. Pi1541 Assembly and First Use’

    In the episode, I solder a pin connector onto the Raspberry Pi Zero, solder and assemble a serial cable with two 6 pin DIN connectors, assemble the whole package, and start up the Pi1541 for a first use. For some extra fun, be on the lookout for a cameo appearance from Nikki and a former vice president!

    1. PiDRIVE ZERO Raspberry Pi HAT pi1541 1581 Commodore 64, 128, and Vic-20 Emulator with OLED display
    2. Commodore4Ever
    3. Pi1541 Project
    4. Raspberry PI Zero
    5. Raspberry Pi Header
    6. 6 PIN DIN Connectors
    7. Serial Cables
    8. Electrical Wire
    9. microSD Card
    10. microUSB Cable
    11. USB Charger
    12. SD2IEC
  2. Create a blank .c64 disk image for the Pi1541 or SD2IEC

    The Pi1541 turned out to be a great device; if you have a bunch of disk images laying around your computer. As I began to prepare for my next using the Commodore Plus/4 episode, it became evident that I needed a blank disk image so I could save and load my own basic program and application files. I wasn’t sure you could do this with the Pi1541 by itself, so I began to look for hints online. Turns out, you cannot. You need to do this on a computer using some software. In this post and the accompanying video, I share that process as well as some other tips.

    1. PiDRIVE ZERO Raspberry Pi HAT pi1541 1581 Commodore 64, 128, and Vic-20 Emulator with OLED display
    2. The Versatile Commodore Emulator (VICE)
    3. Commodore4Ever
    4. Pi1541 Project
    5. Raspberry PI Zero
    6. Serial Cables
    7. microSD Card
    8. microUSB Cable
    9. SD2IEC