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Commodore Plus/4 Resource Page

This page is an ongoing resource for readers and watchers of my Commodore Plus/4 series. I encourage you to contribute to this project by leaving a comment below any of the blog posts.

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retroCombs Plus/4

Page Contents

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
⌂ Clear/Home F5 Function 5
⌫ Insert Delete F6 Function 6
⏎ Return F7 Function 7
[R/S] Run/Stop F8 Help
⇧ Shift ␣ Space
↑ Cursor Up ↓ Cursor Down
→ Cursor Right ← Cursor Left

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.

The DigiMuz for the Commodore Plus/4 and C16 Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual - Plus/4 Encyclopedia Connect a Commodore Plus/4 to a BBS using a Wi-Fi modem Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual Chapter 8 - Making Sound and Music on the Plus/4 Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual Chapter 7 - Using Graphics and Color Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual Chapter 6 - Beginning BASIC Programming Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 5 - Numbers and Calculations Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 4 - Getting Started Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 3 - Using Software Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 2 - Using the Keyboard and the Screen Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 1 - Unpacking and Setting Up Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual, Chapter 0 - Open the Box

Companion Disk Image

As I progress through the user’s manual, I enter and execute the sample programs. The link below is to a .d81.d64 image that below contains every program from each episode. Currently, the image is not complete since we still have several chapters to go.

retroCombs User’s Manual Disk Image - UPDATED AS OF: 2021-02-13

I use the following file name convention to make it easy to locate specific programs:

Sample Program Name: 02 RCOMBS SCROLLC1P2-5RETROCOMBS.PRG

  • 02C# - where # is the chapter number
  • RCOMBS SCROLL - my self assigned name for the BASIC program which will be immediately identifiable if you follow along.P#` - where # is the page number where the program is first referenced in the user’s manual
  • NAME - my self assigned name for the program

User’s Manual

In the Commodore Plus/4 YouTube series, I work through each chapter of the Plus/4 user’s manual. I’ve scanned each chapter and provide those below. I will post new chapters with each new video.

  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter 1 - Unpacking and Setting Up
  3. Chapter 2 - Using the Keyboard and the Screen
  4. Chapter 3 - Using Software
  5. Chapter 4 - Getting Started
  6. Chapter 5 - Numbers and Calculations
  7. Chapter 6 - Beginning BASIC Programming
  8. Chapter 7 - Using Graphics and Color
  9. Chapter 8 - Making Sound and Music on the Plus/4
  10. Commodore Plus/4 User’s Manual Series, Encyclopedia

Plus/4 Resources

Below are links I’ve found to be most beneficial as I work through this series:

  1. Commodore4Ever - Sadly, the doors are closed on this business.
  2. The Future was 8-bit - Source for parts and used to provide resources for the Tapuino project. U.K. based so allow some time for delivery if in the U.S.
  3. RETRO Innovation - Source for parts used for both the Tapuino and Pi1541 projects.
  4. Plus/4 World - The most incredible source of Plus/4 information and software available. I don’t know how the team does it, but if you have a Commodore C16, Plus/4, or 264, this is the site you must visit.