Hello. My name is Ilkka Sjöstedt, commonly using the alias ilesj, living in Finland. This is my blog.
The blog is not about my personal life – it is about sharing my thoughts and discoveries related to my hobbies and intrests of certain subject matters. Those covered here include: Commodore 64 and other retro computers and video game systems, SID & chip music, non-commercial electronic music and digital arts and culture. The combination will not make the most coherent blog content-wise, but I will make use of different categories.
Lately the focus has been heavily on the Commodore 64 :)
Always feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
Cheers,
ilesj
ilesj's blog 
I am following your website with interest. I’m about to start doing some retro stuff with my old Commodore collection myself, so this blog really influences me on what to do (and what not to do).
Thanks!
Ilkka,
Your article on the uiecSD, helped me out alot. It is good feeling to be sitting in front of my commodore after almost 20 years and being able to preserve my collection of almost 400 disks.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you,
Edward Miskho
Ilkka,
Hello and greetings from Athens. Just wanted to say a big thank you, for the help that you offer via your blog. I completed the C64 scart cable using your designs and it works like a charm. Excellent picture quality.
Warm regards,
Alkis Philon
Athens, Greece
Please can you help i have the EF3 and no matter what version of Action Replay bin file i flash V2,3,4,5,6 it doesnt work, where did you get a working bin image from?
Hi,
Not sure where my binaries have originated from, but look here:
http://rr.c64.org/wiki/Category:Action_Replay
Use the .bin files for flashing, and follow these instructions:
http://skoe.de/easyflash/doku.php?id=writespecial
If it still isn’t working, I’ll need more details.
Thanks for your reply, those are the ones i am trying. since i wrote i have tested the AR 6 bin on VICE and it works fine, ive even been able to make a backup to a virtual .d64 file without issue. Whenever try and use one on my EF3 it either works (text comes up when press freeze) or get fast coloured loading lines in the border.
What info might you need ?
It sounds like you are familiar with Action Replay and know how it’s supposed to work. Have you excluded the possibility that your C64 is acting weird? Because those flashing borders is exactly what happens if you press freeze (special on EF3) on AR cartridge, and then F1 (backup). I.e. if your keyboard gives false input for example.
If you can exclude something like that, see if there’s something else that doesn’t work on that EF3 (EF cartridge images, KERNAL images…). If that doesn’t lead anywhere, it’s best to contact the cartridge seller :/
Sadly i think i may have to contact the seller because Kernals work as do flashed .crt files just no AR images work, either screen gables when i press freeze or those lines appear, ive tried slow load/ fast load on flashing all the same. The only thing i havent tried is a USB flash of the image as i dont know how to program 1 slot via usb so i have been using my SD2iEC device.
Hi Ilsej,
I have an issue that I hope you can help me with.
I am currently assembling a Kerberos cart (MIDI interface + flash cart) to convert my c64 breadbin into a real-time performance synth.
I don’t have the space on my “workstation” surface for a CRT, I was hoping to use maybe an Android tablet or some kind if digital display with a smaller footprint. I understand this can be done with a converter and a modded cable…but since the c64 routes A/V both through the s-video port…how can I split A/V so I could route video to the converter and audio to a mixing console?
Regards!
Hi there! It’s quite simple, really. What you need is an AV cable that has separate leads for picture and sound. Basically any non-SCART S-Video or composite C64 AV cable will do. You then insert the S-Video or composite video plug to the video converter (or directly to any display that works with composite or S-Video – doesn’t have to be a CRT) and audio plug(s) to your mixing console.
See this post: https://ilesj.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/c64-s-video-cable-the-easy-way-and-with-no-scart/
It’s made from S-Video lead and a separate audio cable. They are just tied together :)
Hi Ilsej,
Thanks for the response. I think I can follow this walkthriugh and I have most of the supplies. But, I have 5-pin A/V DIN and not the 8-pin so I am a little confused.
Hi – ok, then you have a rather old model.
Check my other post https://ilesj.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/c64-av-cable-theory-and-practice/
The AV port is the same as 8-pin variant, but just missing pins 6-8. Therefore you need to use/meake a composite video cable. Pin assignmets from 1 to 5 are the same.
Some more info: https://www.c64-wiki.com/index.php/A/V_Jack
Note on audio input pin, pin #5: You can connect the input to ground at the DIN plug, pin #2. That will reduce a considerable amount of noise (but not all of it!) from the C64 sound.
Unless you specifically want to use SID to filter external audio, that is. But I guess there are much better and safer ways to do sound filtering than with 30+-year old computer :)
I really enjoy reading your blogs. Since our computer club still puts out a quarterly newsletters, I was wondering if i could subsmit your blogs to the newsletter?
Hello Frank,
Sure, no problem. Which computer club that might be if I may ask? I’m glad to hear you like my articles!
Toronto pet users group.
http://Www.tpug.ca
Hi i haven]t got facebook so i am replying here,my question is:
Will there be a new batch on swinsid ultimate for sale ,or will it be an open project like gnu licence ?
Best Regards
JOSÉ
Hi there. I do not know, as I’m not associated with the project. At the moment they are not available for orders. I sure hope the SSU project continues eventually.
Dear Ilkka,
I read about your creation of a Maniac Mansion cartridge for the C64. I would love to purchase one like this one on your blog. Unfortunately, I know too little about tinkering with computer parts, so I would like to find out if anyone here knows someone who could build me such a cartridge. The other day I learned through YouTube that someone build a cartridge with both Maniac Mansion and Zack McCracken for the C64. Would that be doable? And who could build it? I’m curious to read your replies.
Take care!
Hi there! May I ask what’s your objective? If you simply want to run Maniac Mansion from a cartridge on your C64, you can achieve that by getting any contemporary C64 cartridge that can hold and run EasyFlash cartridge images. Nowadays there are several different designs that come with many additional features.
If you wish to create a similar cartridge as featured here in the blog, you probably are better off with a regular EF cartridge without the additional features. Obtaining a standard EF cartridge might be a challenge nowadays, though. If you need to find someone willing to build such a cartridge for you, I’d recommend joining some local C64 forum or social media group to ask for help. Guessing by your name you are from German speaking country? Finding C64 enthusiasts shouldn’t be an issue :)
Yes, there is also an EF cartridge image that has both MM and Zak. You can find it here: https://csdb.dk/release/?id=98674
And there is also a German version of it: https://csdb.dk/release/?id=209517