The aim of the A8CAS project is to create software to read, save and archive tapes for Atari 8-bit computers.

Early Atari computers could store their programs on Compact Cassettes. Lots of commercial software was also sold on tapes. Some of the tapes employed different tricks to prevent creating illegal copies. A8CAS aims to correctly read and write all such tapes.

A8CAS is inspired by existing utilities, Ernest R. Schreurs’ WAV2CAS and CAS2WAV. Schreurs’ tools however did not support tapes with non-standard data (copy prevention mechanisms), and reading tapes from audio files was very unreliable. A8CAS addresses both of those issues. A8CAS now provides a superset of WAV2CAS’ features.

A8CAS consists of:

A shared library, liba8cas, that contains all routines needed to read and write cassettes (support for CAS, HEX, FSK and sound files WAV, OGG, FLAC etc. is implemented). The library can be used in emulators and drivers for SIO interfaces such as SIO2PC; a set of command-line tools, a8cas-tools, that contains a8cas-convert, a utility similar to WAV2CAS/CAS2WAV. The tools use the A8CAS library; a patch for the Atari800 emulator, that allows to load and save tape files (CAS, HEX, WAV, OGG, …) using liba8cas.

Changelog:

Liba8cas:

• Added the A8CAS_flush() function to API, which ends any chunk being written and writes data from buffers to disk.
• Fixed the inability to adjust stop bit length tolerance during recognition of data blocks. It was hardcoded at 0.25, now it uses the value of the A8CAS_PARAM_BLOCK_HEADER_DEVIATION parameter.
• Fixed crashes when setting A8CAS_PARAM_BLOCK_HEADER_LENGTH lower than 20.

A8cas-tools:

• Fixed a bug in a8cas-convert. When user provided an invalid value to a command-line parameter, the program silently ignored the parameter instead of warning the user

Download: A8CAS new Tools & Libs (1610)

source: a8cas.sourceforge.net

Commodore Free Magazine Issue #68 and #69

Free to download Commodore magazine dedicated to Commodore Computers.

Download:

• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #68 (D64) (899)
• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #68 (PDF) (1090)
• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #68 (TXT) (1154)
• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #69 (D64) (907)
• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #69 (PDF) (1292)
• Commodore Free Magazine Issue #69 (TXT) (891)

source: commodorefree.com

Steve Gray started a new project. He uses an 80 column (monochrome) CBM/PET to display a 40 column screen with colour.

A normal 80 column CBM/PET uses two RAM banks for the text. Steve now uses one RAM bank for the text (40 columns) and the other RAM bank for the colour information.

source: 6502.org awesome.commodore.me

CBM-Command is a disk manager for the Commodore 64 / Commodore 128 / Commodore VIC20 / PET and Commodore C16 computers. It is written like Norton Commander or Midnight Commander, but is much simpler due to the target platforms. Both the C128/C64/VIC20/C16/PET have their own native version of the application.

Release Notes – Version 2.2 – 2013-04-16 – RC2

New Features:

• Provides Side-By-Side panels or Top-And-Bottom panels on 40-column systems.
• Batch disk image creation.
• User can select drive or partition number.
• The disks have a little BASIC-language program that can update your configuration files.

Updates from RC1:

• The help file explains how to use a new feature of the configuration utility.
• The configuration-file updater adds another configurable key to your personal configurations.
• The D80 image was rebuilt, in order to work around a VICE bug.

Known Issues:

• It can trigger the write-and-replace bug.
• It can’t create or write back D80 and D82 images.
• The REL-file copier doesn’t truncate old target files that have the same record size as the new file.
• It will try to copy DEL files if they are selected.
• Errors don’t stop batch operations; the file is skipped.

Download: CBM-Command v2.2 RC2 (D64/D80) (1556)

source: cbmcommand.codeplex.com

Commodore 64 Gold Edition on Ebay.fr.

from Richard Lagendijk Homepage:

This a special edition of the Commodore C64, celebrating the 1.000.000th sale of the C64 in Germany. This is one of the most desirable Commodore items. There are about 300 golden Commodore C64 produced. The numbers from 1.000.000 until 1.000.100 were for the staff of the Commodore factory Braunschweig.

The rest was given to hard- en software companies, magazine-publishers and distributors. The C64 is a computer system with a keyboard, external power-supply and a motherboard. On the motherboard you will find a MOS 6510 processor, RAM / ROM memory, MOS 6569 VIC-II video chip, MOS 6581 SID sound chip and twice a MOS 6526 CIA. PAL version.

source: ebay.fr richardlagendijk.nl

Javatari is a multiplayer Atari 2600 emulator written in pure Java with no external libs.

Features:

• Unique Client-Server multiplayer mode. Runs great in low-latency networks such as LANs.
• Cheat and turn off Collisions. Finally discover the ending of River Raid!
• Complete Save State/Load State functions.
• Scanlines and TV screen emulation modes.
• Real Atari console user interface.

Changelog;

• Console Panel now shows the inserted Cartridge.
• Customizable, dynamically rendered Cartridge Labels.
• Built-in ROM information, based on Rom Hunter’s collection.
• Better auto-detection of Paddles and CRT modes per ROM.

Download: Javatari JAR v3.20 (Needs Java 6) (851)

source: javatari.org

source: ebay.de wikipedia

CBM-Command is a disk manager for the Commodore 64 / Commodore 128 / Commodore VIC20 and Commodore C16 computers. It is written like Norton Commander or Midnight Commander, but is much simpler due to the target platforms. Both the C128/C64/VIC20/C16 have their own native version of the application.

Release Notes – Version 2.2 – 2013-03-31 – Beta 1

New Features:

• Provides Side-By-Side panels or Top-And-Bottom panels on 40 column systems.
• Batch disk image creation.
• User can select drive or partition number.

Known Issues:

• It can trigger the write-and-replace bug.
• It can’t create or write back D80 and D82 images.
• The REL-file copier doesn’t truncate old target files that have the same record size as the new file.
• It will try to copy DEL files if they are selected.
• Errors don’t stop batch operations; the file is skipped.

Download: CBM-Command v2.2 Beta 1 (D64/D80) (1485)

source: cbmcommand.codeplex.com

I have repaired an Commodore VC-1541 Floppy Drive donated by Alessio. The Floppy Drive doesn’t take any commands via IEC.

The components that have been replaced are:

• 1 x 7406
• 1 x 74LS14

Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups: Al Sim, Nostalgia, Onslaught, FanCA, Mase, Genesis Project, Antarctica, Hokuto Force and Really Proud Lamers.

Download:

• Pirates! 101% +10D [Easyflash] (999)
• Sir Ababol Cartridge +4D (842)
• Amazon Gold (824)
• Riddles of Herne +SD (897)
• River Raid 101% +5DFH (942)
• 1K-Mini-BDash +2D (926)
• Tir Na Nog - Jewel (987)
• Synergy (873)
• Dodo\'s Deep Doo-Doo (80% - Compo version) (886)
• Nanako in Classic Japanese Monster Castle Cartridge +7DP (886)
• All Games in One Archive (2413)

source: csdb.dk

Material donated:

• Commodore VC-1541 (need to fix it)
• Microcomputer Data Recorder Klain for Commodore 64/VIC20/PET.
• Some IC.

Thanks Alessio for the donation.

A package of new games for the Commodore VIC-20.

Download:

• SPACE WARZ Text Adventure Game (1205)
• Olympic Dash (1185)
• Worm-Out + Paratrooper (1103)
• VICtoria Gold Edition for VIC +16K (1216)
• Forest Glider (1168)
• VICroLeague Wrestling (1125)
• Street Battle (1160)
• All Games in One Archive (1596)

source: sleepingelephant.com

This is the official demo party results from Revision 2013 (Top 3 Entries only). See also the official homepage for more informations.

Mixed:

• 4Krawall by Tristar & Red Sector Incorporated (4K Intro).
• Franz Craps by K2 (SuperCPU Release).

Mixed Graphics:

• Escape to Reality by Raven, Nuance.
• Cor Blimey ! by Arsenic, Crest, Oxyron.
• Machine D by Crest.

Mixed Music:

• Abnormal People by Darklite.
• Mini-bus and us by Fairlight.
• Rox0r by fieserWolf.

Mixed Demo:

• Crowd Pleaser by Hitmen.
• Shards of Fancy by Lft.
• Digital Underground by Panda Design.

Download: Revision 2013 Party stuff (967)

source: noname.c64.org 2013.revision-party.net

Some new games (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups: Priest Maxi, Bamse, S.E.U.C.K. Trainers United, aNdy, Anthony, Genesis Project, Antarctica, Avatar and Really Proud Lamers.

Download:

• Aufwaerts (Going Upwards) (920)
• Zombie Brain Eaters (910)
• Zombie Brain Eaters +2D (943)
• Realms of Midgard (947)
• Cred Breaks Out +3H (885)
• The Dark Way +1E (875)
• Oisac +2GD (906)
• Memotest [english] (901)
• Space Pope 2013 Edition +4H [ntsc/pal] (956)
• All Games in One Archive (2350)

source: csdb.dk

ST-Paint is a Drawing program that lets you make Atari St picture on Windows based PC.

ST-Paint is still in a beta phase and it’s made by Peter Jørgensen same author of the program Ym2149 Tracker.

Note from the author:

• NEW: Add surport for drag and drop.
• FIX: Remove Spelling Error.

Download: ST-Paint Beta (26/03/2013) (944)

source: fedepede04.dk