Commodore 64C Computer Housings Pressed From Original Molds! by Dallas Moore
Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL)
Posts: 1,720
Commodore 64C Computer Housings Pressed From Original Molds!
http://hackaday.com/2015/03/11/hackaday-retro-edition-a-new-commodore-64-case/
Some time in the 80s, the plastic injection molds for the Commodore 64C, the Commodore 128, and the Plus/4 were shipped from somewhere in Asia to the great Commodore Mother Brain in West Chester, Pennsylvania. These molds had already produced a million or two cases, but there were some issues with production too much waste, or something like that. A mechanical engineer took a look at the molds, sent out some recommendations, and moved the 2500 pound molds to a corner of the building.
For some time after a gray day in April, 1994 these molds sat in a West Chester, Pennsylvania warehouse until they were sold off. They made their way to a plastics manufacturer around Dallas, Texas where they sat for twenty years. All things must pass, sometimes several times, and this plastics manufacturer closed down, contacted an auctioneer, and began to sell off some of their equipment.
The hero of our story, [Dallas Moore], owns a small business, buying and selling everything from Barbie dolls to antiques. He found an ad for an auction at a plastics manufacturing plant in the newspaper, and figuring he could find something interesting, headed out to the auction preview.
The auctioneer at this liquidation sale asked [Dallas] what he did, and mentioned there was something pretty cool tucked away in a warehouse full of hardened steel molds. Something about molds for old computers. These were the molds for the Commodore 64C, Commodore 128, and the Commodore Plus/4. A literal crucible of computing history, stacked on a pallet and up for sale.
The auctioneer said one of his friends was interested in the molds, and thought they would make a neat coffee table. Something about this struck [Dallas] the wrong way and for the entire drive home he thought about someone taking history and turning it in to a piece of furniture. He decided to buy these molds and lugged the three 2500 pound pieces of hardened steel to his shop. Not wanting to let a good piece of history go to waste, he contacted another plastics manufacturer, planned a run of a thousand or so Commodore 64C cases in red, white, and blue. [Dallas] is funding the whole production run through Kickstarter.
Etc...
Source:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1670214687/original-commodore-64c-computer-housing-in-new-coo
http://hackaday.com/2015/03/11/hackaday-retro-edition-a-new-commodore-64-case/
Some time in the 80s, the plastic injection molds for the Commodore 64C, the Commodore 128, and the Plus/4 were shipped from somewhere in Asia to the great Commodore Mother Brain in West Chester, Pennsylvania. These molds had already produced a million or two cases, but there were some issues with production too much waste, or something like that. A mechanical engineer took a look at the molds, sent out some recommendations, and moved the 2500 pound molds to a corner of the building.
For some time after a gray day in April, 1994 these molds sat in a West Chester, Pennsylvania warehouse until they were sold off. They made their way to a plastics manufacturer around Dallas, Texas where they sat for twenty years. All things must pass, sometimes several times, and this plastics manufacturer closed down, contacted an auctioneer, and began to sell off some of their equipment.
The hero of our story, [Dallas Moore], owns a small business, buying and selling everything from Barbie dolls to antiques. He found an ad for an auction at a plastics manufacturing plant in the newspaper, and figuring he could find something interesting, headed out to the auction preview.
The auctioneer at this liquidation sale asked [Dallas] what he did, and mentioned there was something pretty cool tucked away in a warehouse full of hardened steel molds. Something about molds for old computers. These were the molds for the Commodore 64C, Commodore 128, and the Commodore Plus/4. A literal crucible of computing history, stacked on a pallet and up for sale.
The auctioneer said one of his friends was interested in the molds, and thought they would make a neat coffee table. Something about this struck [Dallas] the wrong way and for the entire drive home he thought about someone taking history and turning it in to a piece of furniture. He decided to buy these molds and lugged the three 2500 pound pieces of hardened steel to his shop. Not wanting to let a good piece of history go to waste, he contacted another plastics manufacturer, planned a run of a thousand or so Commodore 64C cases in red, white, and blue. [Dallas] is funding the whole production run through Kickstarter.
Etc...
Source:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1670214687/original-commodore-64c-computer-housing-in-new-coo
Comments
I can't figure out if there is a keyboard or even key caps with that.
"This is what is included with every reward (3 of each if you are a $99 or more backer)
1 Computer housing top (Color of Your Choice)
1 Computer housing bottom (Color of Your Choice)
1 KS64C Limited Edition Sticker Hand Numbered to 500
3 Screws to attach the top and bottom housings
4 Rubber feet"
Now, where is that keyboard I need?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodore-64-64C-Computer-Fully-Refurbished-/281623772220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item419215bc3c
It seems to be a bit of a shaggy dog story to me. You might try Cherry Keyboards for something that just might work.
Or Hong Kong just might have something...
http://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/retro-games/hardware/Commodore-64/commodore-64c-white-hong-kong-rev-4-ver-2.htm
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/mec64-keyboard-t4522.html
http://www.pimpmykeyboard.com/deals/commodore-64c-sa-set/
There was the C64 Reloaded effort, but I don't see any link indicating that it ever happened (it's certainly not in their shop link). And even then you would have to find a 6510 chip (C64 variant of a 6502) and a SID chip by yourself.
So unless you're already "in" there doesn't seem to be a way for non-owners to actually gain something from the cases (although it's certainly a really nice effort to get these produced again), or even the (apparently vapourware) C64 boards, as they're not complete.
-Tor
C64 Reloaded: New C64 mainboards
https://icomp.de/shop-icomp/en/33/items/c64-reloaded-new-c64-mainboards.html
$149.99 EUR isn't bad right now. ($1 EURO = $1.05US) but the Raspberry Pi 2 does a petty good job running VICE these days for $35.00
-Tor
It seems one may have to buy a crappy old C64, just to get a keyboard. I think I would just find a USB or SPI keyboard I like, and build a box underneath it.
This procurment process is completely backwards.
It does seem some Germans are actually still trying to replicate a Commodore 64c motherboard with some useful enhancements. Their forum has discussion that is active this month, this year. I lost my link.
But LInux does have a Commodore emulator software - VICE
http://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/
It's a dilemma.
If I actually had a crappy old C64 I would have enough respect for it that I could never tear it apart just for it's keyboard. Unless it had a terminally wounded case and circuit board already.
I'm guessing we are not going to easily just find a modern day SPI/USB keyboard that magically fit's the cut out in this C64 case. Such modern keyboards are universally horrible anyway.
I might try and get one of those cases off kick starter anyway, just for giggles. Or three, red, white and blue for old Blighty:)
www.ebay.com/bhp/cherry-keyboard
It seems so silly to produce the cases without an available source for keyboards as well.
Could this just be what you desire?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Commodore-64-C64-KEYBOARD-replacement-part-WHITE-/13060038142
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodore-Vic-20-Keyboard-/181688800786?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&has
Could you let us know which Cherry keyboard will fit that C64 case ?
Yes, it's annoying to be able to get the box with no idea of anything to fit the hole. But given the story behind the accidental finding and recovery of the C64 moulds it's understandable.
I certainly could not, but the first link I provided in #3 above has photos of various Commodore units that are taken apart and catalogued by unit.
I believe that the photos will tell you more than I ever could.
www.the-liberator.net
My Standard Operating Proceedure here is to use Google Images to seek out sites that disassemble whatever the target device may be via the images presented. Trying to do purely a keyword search in Google tangles you up with all the advertising and semantic collisions, while the images often show the more direct way to an obscure resource.
It seems that we now have an Propeller PIV Retromachine image that will nicely clone the Commodore 64c now with VGA video included. So this might be worth considering as a chassis for an FPGA solution to all sorts of interesting projects.