Bits && Bytes ...Because learning is fun!

01 Sep 2025

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10 Facts About the Commodore 64 Ultimate

Last month, I wrote about Commodore coming under new ownership with its new CEO, Christian Simpson (a.k.a. Peri Fractic), in Will We See a Commodore 64-Bit? While I have no idea if we'll see any 64-bit Commodore products any time soon, what we do know is Commodore has started pre-orders of its new Commodore 64 Ultimate computer. This new computer is intended to bring the much beloved Commodore 64 of the 1980's into the hands of those who grew up with the Commodore 64 as well as those that maybe have never even heard of Commodore. The revised C64 Ultimate…

07 Jul 2025

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Will We See a Commodore 64-Bit?

My first computer was a Commodore VIC-20. Having quickly outgrown the 3,583 usable bytes of RAM on the VIC-20, the Commodore 64, with 39,811 bytes free, became my second computer. Many late-night hours of my childhood was consumed pushing the limits of the BASIC language, and some assembly code, on these two marvels of computing technology. I loved to write games on these machines and my younger sister loved testing them out for me. I can easily state that Commodore shaped my career trajectory from a young age and I owe a lot of what I've accomplished over the years…

30 Dec 2024

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Connecting the Commodore 64 to a TV/Monitor

Whether you want to view your Commodore 64 on a vintage TV set or a modern wide-screen TV or monitor via HDMI, you can find out how to connect your computer below. As with any computer, the "video out" options provided by the computer will dictate the options available to you when you connecting to a TV or monitor. Depending on the revision of your C64, it will have either a 5-pin or 8-pin video port, as shown below, that outputs a Composite video signal as well as audio. In the case of the 8-pin port, the luminance (Luma) and…

29 Dec 2024

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Connecting the Commodore VIC-20 to a TV/Monitor

Whether you want to view your Commodore VIC-20 on a vintage TV set or a modern wide-screen TV or monitor via HDMI, you can find out how to connect your friendly computer below. As with any computer, the "video out" options provided by the computer will dictate the options available to you when you connecting to a TV or monitor. The VIC-20 has a single 5-pin video port, as shown below, that outputs a Composite video signal as well as audio. Commodore VIC-20 Video Connector With this setup, we have a few options depending on the type of TV/monitor you…

27 Dec 2024

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Connecting Vintage Computers to TVs & Monitors

FYI: This is a work-in-progress and is considered to be a "living document". I will update this post as I work with new systems and/or other system configurations are made known to me. Please drop a comment below if you'd like me to add a configuration to share with others. My Hobby One of my primary hobbies is collecting, and sometimes fixing, vintage computers. In general, I consider "vintage" to be any computer system over 20 years old. However, for the most part, I like to collect computers from the 1980's and 1990's. One of the (many) challenges that comes…

10 May 2024

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15 Quick Bits About the Timex Sinclair 1000

As we continue the "15 Quick Bits About..." series, we take a look at a vintage computer that I saw advertised a LOT (for $99 USD!) in various electronics magazines when I was a kid. However, it wasn't until many years later that my dad gave me one that he had picked up for $5 at a thrift store - still in the original box. What piece of computing history might I be talking about? I'm talking about the Timex Sinclair 1000. In this post, we'll take a look at 15 facts about the Time Sinclair 1000. Let's take a…

11 Sep 2023

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15 Quick Bits About the Commodore SX-64

It's time for the next installment of "15 Quick Bits About..." In this set of Quick Bits, we'll take a look at 15 facts about the Commodore SX-64. While I've owned several Commodore 64's (and VIC-20's) over the years, I've never owned an SX-64. If I ever come across one for a reasonable price, I'll no doubt pick one up. However, not having what is essentially a portable Commodore 64 doesn't mean that I can't learn more about it (and share it here) in the meantime. So, let's take a look... Quick Bits on the Commodore SX-64 The Commodore SX-64…

05 Sep 2023

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15 Quick Bits About the TRS-80 PC-2

Continuing the series of “15 Quick Bits About…”, let’s take a look at some facts (Quick Bits) about the TRS-80 PC-2. This is a small, handheld computer put out by Radio Shack in the early 1980's. While it's not much bigger than typical handheld calculators of that era, the PC-2 packed some pretty good power into the small form factor. Add in an 8K RAM expansion cartridge and the portable, battery-powered printer/plotter, and you could get some serious work done! Let's take a look... Side Note: It's September, so we are officially celebrating the month of SepTandy! SepTandy is when…

15 Jun 2023

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15 Quick Bits About the Palm IIIe

Continuing the series of “15 Quick Bits About…”, let’s take a look at some facts (Quick Bits) about a personal digital assistant, or, PDA, I would see being proudly used a couple of decades ago — the Palm IIIe. I did not own one of these devices myself at the time having just recently picked one up from a thrift store a few years back. Quick Bits on the Palm IIIe The Palm IIIe was released in 1999 by Palm Computing, shortly after the more expensive and more advanced Palm IIIx. [1] [3] Shipping with Palm OS 3.1, the Palm IIIe…

06 Mar 2023

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15 Quick Bits About the TI-99/4 & TI-99/4A

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Continuing the series of "15 Quick Bits About...", let's take a look at some facts (Quick Bits) about a computer I would see in Wal-Mart as a child, but only recently acquired --- the Texas Instruments TI-99/4 & TI-99/4A. Quick Bits on the Texas Instruments TI-99/4 & TI-99/4A Texas Instruments introduced the TI-99/4 Home Computer at the June 1979 CES show in Chicago. [7] After some delays, due to parts shortages, the TI-99/4 was released by Texas Instruments in November 1979 for $1,150 (USD). [8] The TI-99/4A was released by Texas Instruments in 1981, a few months…