Tips for using sd2iec

It’s been already a while since I got the uIEC – one of the available hardware running the sd2iec firmware. I did some experimenting with it on how to make the best use of it if the nicely accompanying JiffyDOS is not present. I posted my experiences at Lemon64 forums, but I thought it would be nice to share them here as well. Still, you might want to read that instead for shorter, less detailed description.

Note that I’m describing sd2iec-firmware being used on uIEC/SD-hardware with Commodore 64. Many different hardware combinations are possible.

The principle

With sd2iec loading files from the SD card’s root folder is like loading files from a floppy disk. The very basic loading procedure is exactly the same – except that the default device number is not 8 but 10. So LOAD”$”,10 or LOAD”GAME”,10,1 works just like one would expect.

Things get more complicated if you want anything more. Something like to enter a directory on the SD card or to mount a .d64 disk image. A real Commodore disk drive wasn’t designed for such things so you don’t even have the commands for something like that. Since uIEC is connected only to the serial port of C64 it can be interfaced only using the IEC bus. Enter the command channel! Everything like directory navigation, disk image mounting and device configuration is done by sending drive commands over the command channel.

Zagreb street art

I’m back from a refreshing holiday in Croatia! In Zagreb there was a cool, nearly half a kilometer long wall completely covered in street art. Many of the pieces were awesome, but one in particular caught my attention – it featured a C64 and Datassette and the startup screen.

The pictures are crappy, I know, but they were taken from a fast-moving tram. Also the traffic was blocking the works. I think there has been beveled buttons in that painted C64, but they have got stolen or something. Also, I’m not sure if the piece on the left to the C64 one is Spectrum inspired or just a coincidence.