spencer@usc-oberon.UUCP (Randy Spencer) (08/03/86)
I have asked some pretty dumb questions in my time, but this takes the cake.
I just want it to be true so much that I will ask it anyway.
Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? It needs, what a
12v and a 9v power supply (or a 9 and a 5?). Does it really *have* to be
getting it AC?
I want to put this really neat car status display in my car and I could get
the 5" b/w monitor, but can I get the c64 to work? I sure hope so.
I would hate to resort to using a TI or something, after all the time I spent
getting to know the c64.
Thanks again.
--
==============================================================================
....I disclaim everything, I had nothing to do with it, it's not my fault!....
Randal Spencer - DEC, {amiga} Consulting - University of Southern California
phone: (213) 743-5363 Arpa:Spencer@USC-ECL,USC-Oberon Bitnet:Spencer@USCVAXQ
UUCP:...up to you!{{decvax,ucbvax}!sdcrdcf,scgvaxd,smeagol}!usc-oberon!spencer
Home: 937 N. Beverly Glen Bl. Bel Air California 90077 (213) 470-0428
New permenant address (for several years anyway): Box 4542 Berkeley CA 94704
------------------------------------------------------------------------------waynet@tolerant.UUCP (Wayne Thompson) (08/06/86)
> Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? It needs, what a > 12v and a 9v power supply (or a 9 and a 5?). Does it really *have* to be > getting it AC? > ============================================================================== > ....I disclaim everything, I had nothing to do with it, it's not my fault!.... > Randal Spencer - DEC, {amiga} Consulting - University of Southern California A friend of mine is using a vic-20 in his car. He clipped the input cord between the transformer and the computer and added a cigarette lighter plug to it. NO, it doesn't require AC. the drawback is that the machine will run hotter due to having to drop more voltage. ---- Which is worse ignorance or apathy? Who knows, who cares. Wayne Thompson ..{bene,mordor,nsc,oliveb,pyramid,ucbvax}!tolerant!waynet Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to discern who is responsible for these opinions, the poster or the company he works for. Good luck!! -- Which is worse ignorance or apathy? Who knows, who cares. Wayne Thompson ..{bene,mordor,nsc,oliveb,pyramid,ucbvax}!tolerant!waynet Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to discern who is responsible for these opinions, the poster or the company he works for. Good luck!!
janh@hplsla.UUCP (janh) (08/08/86)
As I recall, the 9VAC input is required for generating an interrupt that does the keyboard scan, and other stuff of a periodic housekeeping nature, so some modification would be required for the keyboard to work. This signal is also used for the clocks internal to the Peripheral Interface Adapters (6526's). Jan Hofland * The validity of these comments, and anything else you might read, is suspect*
wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) (08/09/86)
Wayne Thompson writes: > > Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? > > Does it really *have* to be getting it AC? . . > A friend of mine is using a vic-20 in his car. He clipped the input cord > between the transformer and the computer and added a cigarette lighter > plug to it. NO, it doesn't require AC. the drawback is that the machine . . The new c64s mgiht be different, but an older one that I had several years back really did need to have the 9v ac going in. Not having the schematic at my fingertips, I might be a bit off, but, the a.c. goes into a half-wave voltage doubler to make 12v or something similar. Seems to me that it was used to power the video modulator or something like that. Perhaps, it was -5 volts for the DRAM chips. With some careful work, you could circumvent the need for the a.c. input, and substitue an outboard power supply. The change would not be easy, and would cause the "user interface" pins not to meet spec. Note that things such as rs232 interfaces that plug into the user port might be expecting the 9 v ac so that they can manufacture their own +/- 12 volt supplies, or whatever. Also, please note that [at least in the c64 I had] that the 5 volt regulator is in the brick-on-a-cord, and that sticking 12 v into the computer would charbroil lots of items. It's close to essential to have the schematic before attacking the hardware of your computer. Get the Sams manual and check out the diagram in the back. Note that the c64 motherboard has been through upteen revisions, thus the actual circuitry in your computer is probably different. The main differences are that the newer '64s have an 8-pin video jack and the older ones like mine had a 5-pin jack. (The newer video has the separate luma line and chroma lines to work better with the 1702 monitor). I think some of the PALs are different too. I think the power supply remains largely unchanged. Speaking of the brick-on-a-cord, how many have you guys out there been through. I used to blow them up every couple of months. The annoying thing is that it was usually the little fuse potted in the goop in the brick. Only problem was that you couldn't change the fuse without breaking other stuff in the goo. Dumb design. I was quite pleased to see that the c128 has a user-replacable fuse on the bottom of the brick!!! Speaking further of the brick... Another annoying property is, several times the output of the 5 volt in the regulator increased in voltage. The increased voltage would then take out the SID, which seems to be quite sensitive to too much juice. The brick-without-the-fins was a partiularly malevolent design (w/o fins weren't potted on the inside). All this leads me to say that you ought to be very careful about the quality of 5v that you stick into your c64. Operating in a car with dangers of alternator load dumps (although unlikely) could shoot as much as 90 volt spikes into the box powering your computer. Some time, take a look at a decent car radio (a computerized one is even better) and look at all the little tricks that are done to protect it from zapping! I have a computer radio in my car, and it ocassionally gets confused and does weird stuff, although in ~4 years it has not forgotten the station settings. Bill Mayhew Div. Basic Medical Sciences Norhteastern Ohio Universities' College of Medicine Rootstown, OH 44272 USA (216) 325-2511 wtm@neoucom.UUCP (...!allegra!neoucom!wtm)
rayz@csustan.UUCP (R. L. Zarling) (08/09/86)
In article <659@usc-oberon.UUCP> spencer@usc-oberon.UUCP (Randy Spencer) writes: >Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? It needs, what a >12v and a 9v power supply (or a 9 and a 5?). Does it really *have* to be >getting it AC? It normally uses 5 volts dc (1 1/2 amp) and 9 volts ac. I don't know of any reason the 9 volts has to be ac, but (unlike the VIC) the voltages *must* be correct! In the C64, Commodore moved the primary voltage regulator for the 5 volt supply into the power supply box, so the computer expects to see the voltage already regulated. At the least, you would have to add some kind of voltage regulator IC to drop the car's 12-14 volts to 5 volts.
ugbowen@sunybcs.UUCP (Devon Bowen) (08/10/86)
In article <389@tolerant.UUCP>, waynet@tolerant.UUCP (Wayne Thompson) writes: > A friend of mine is using a vic-20 in his car. He clipped the input cord > between the transformer and the computer and added a cigarette lighter > plug to it. NO, it doesn't require AC. the drawback is that the machine > will run hotter due to having to drop more voltage. This is more than just a drawback. My roommate had a few chips blow in his C64 because his regulator was outputing more than 9 volts. You should put another regualor between the car and computer to drop the voltage to the system. Some capacitance in the line wouldn't hurt either, to smooth out the rough DC you'll be getting. Remember, these chips are quite delicate. Devon Bowen University of Buffalo
porter@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (Jeff Porter) (08/10/86)
> > Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? It needs, what a > > 12v and a 9v power supply (or a 9 and a 5?). Does it really *have* to be > > A friend of mine is using a vic-20 in his car. He clipped the input cord > between the transformer and the computer and added a cigarette lighter > plug to it. NO, it doesn't require AC. the drawback is that the machine > will run hotter due to having to drop more voltage. > ---- Let's clear the air here.... The Video Chip and the SID chip in the 64 use the 9vac. So does the cassette. If you are crafty, you could re-do the power supply inside the 64 since 12 volts is greater than or equal to what you need inside. To get a modem to work will also require a hack to the modem to get -5v, but I don't suppose you are going to be needing a modem in your car. Check over your schematic for a 64 and I think you will see what I mean. An out of date, but good enough schematic is in the back of the 64 programmer's reference guide. What ever you decide will require a good 5V @ 2A, and 9VAC @ 1A (or whatever you come up with). Jeff Porter Commodore Engineering
ubsims@ecsvax.UUCP (William K. Sims) (08/16/86)
> I have asked some pretty dumb questions in my time, but this takes the cake. > > I just want it to be true so much that I will ask it anyway. > > Is there *any* way to take the c64 and use it in a car? It needs, what a > 12v and a 9v power supply (or a 9 and a 5?). Does it really *have* to be > getting it AC? > > I want to put this really neat car status display in my car and I could get > the 5" b/w monitor, but can I get the c64 to work? I sure hope so. > > I would hate to resort to using a TI or something, after all the time I spent > getting to know the c64. > > Thanks again. > > > -- > ============================================================================== > ....I disclaim everything, I had nothing to do with it, it's not my fault!.... > Randal Spencer - DEC, {amiga} Consulting - University of Southern California > phone: (213) 743-5363 Arpa:Spencer@USC-ECL,USC-Oberon Bitnet:Spencer@USCVAXQ > UUCP:...up to you!{{decvax,ucbvax}!sdcrdcf,scgvaxd,smeagol}!usc-oberon!spencer > Home: 937 N. Beverly Glen Bl. Bel Air California 90077 (213) 470-0428 > New permenant address (for several years anyway): Box 4542 Berkeley CA 94704 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It would appear to me that you would use a INVERTER - that is a DC to AC inverter --- and simply run your C-64 off 115 volts AC --- Trying to design and build a power supply for the required voltages is a ---- "B" --- Bill Sims, UNC @ ubsims*ecsvax