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Turbo Chameleon 64
Multipurpose Cartridge for the Commodore 64 -- AND A LOT MORE!
Currently not available.
Turbo Chameleon 64 is an extremely user-friendly multipurpose cartridge
that can be used without opening the computer. It is just plugged to the expansion
port of the C64. Everything a C64 user would expect from a multipurpose cartridge
is there -- plus a lot more, as you can see in the
features overview.
The Turbo Chameleon 64 cartridge can also be operated as a stand-alone unit
(since it's basically an FPGA computer like the
C-One or the
Minimig
in a C64 cartridge case), replacing the computer, the floppy drive and
the heavy power supply (or a Spectrum or even an Amiga like shown in this
 Youtube video, you only need to load the respective Spectrum or Minimig core).
When used as a stand-alone unit, a USB power adapter
(available separately)
or active USB hub can be used as a power source. Even a USB-enabled computer
(or LCD TV, DVD players, ...) can be used to power this nifty little cartridge.
If you are interested in running the TC64 in stand-alone mode, we recommend
to have a look at the
Chameleon Docking Station.
This expansion allows you to add joystick and keyboard connectors to the TC64 base unit.
Technical data in short:
- VGA-output with 60 Hz refresh rate or more.
- Turbo function with full 6510 processor compatibility (incl. illegal opcodes). For the first time, a C64 accelerator does not
use a 16-bit processor, but an accelerated 6510. The "Synthmark" benchmark shows that the TC64 is even faster than
the former champion, the SuperCPU (TC64 scores factor 9.3, the SCPU scores 5.5). Especially applications like Geos or Pagefox
gain a lot of improved usability from this speed increase.
- Cycle-exact REU (memory expansion) with 16 MB RAM.
- MMC/SD card slot with
MMC64
compatibility and 1541-emulation. The TC64 floppy emulation
goes far beyond what other flash-based mass storage solutions
like the uIEC can offer.
- Connector for PS/2 mouse (emulation of 1351 and
Micromys)
and PS/2 keyboard.
- Freezer (compatible with
Retro
Replay).
ROMs can be stored in onboard flash or read from MMC card
(as .crt or binary files).
Emulation of the following utility and game cartridges is available:
8 or 16 KByte (EP)ROM
cartridges, Simons' Basic, Ocean type 1, FunPlay, Super Games,
Epyx Fastload, Westermann Learning, C64 Game System (system 3),
Warpspeed, Dinamic, Zaxxon, Magic Desk, Comal-80, Ross, Mikro Assembler,
StarDos, EasyFlash, Prophet-64, Mach-5, PageFox, Business Basic (S'More).
Emulation of the following freezer cartridges is available:
Action Replay, RetroReplay, Final Cartridge 3, Expert Cartridge,
KCS Power Cartridge, SuperSnapshot 5, Capture.
- Battery-backed real time clock (battery not included).
- IR receiver for
CDTV remote control.
- Connector for
RR-Net (only when connected to a real C64).
- USB link to a PC for debugging and data transfer.
- Special software can use more colours or higher resolutions
(these modes are not compatible to the DTV64, though).
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(image shows prototype version)
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All this goodness is packed in a bright yellow case with blue buttons!
The Turbo Chameleon 64 cartridge is under constant development. Since it is a re-configurable
platform, hardware updates can be installed by updating the flash of the cartridge.
This does not require expert knowledge, and it doesn't even require opening the
cartridge. All you need is an internet-enabled PC (running Linux or Windows) with
a USB port, this lets you perform the update via a USB connection. The special
breakout-cable required for this connection is included with Turbo Chameleon 64.
Please visit the
Syntiac Pages/Turbo Chameleon
for more detailed in-depth documentation on the Turbo Chameleon 64 cartridge.
There's also a
mailing list for betatesters with first-hand information
right from the horse's mouth (i.e. the developers participate in the list).
Lieferumfang:
- upper left corner: mini USB cable (for data transfers, 180cm)
- middle bottom: Turbo Chameleon 64 :-)
- upper right corner: breakout cable with connectors for USB (power supply, 80cm), keyboard and mouse (both PS/2, 20cm), IEC (DIN, 20cm)
- The hardware comes in a nice and stable box (together with a short user manual)
Please note: In stand-alone mode, the power supply should at least have
5V/1000mA. Please do not operate the Chameleon with a weaker power supply!
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