Found: a Commodore C65 Classroom Prototype #VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Commodore

c65 commodore vintage computing

Via Steve Gray on 6502.org, last month surfaced pictures of a C65 variant called the C65 Classroom Computer. Revealed in December 2018 by Fred Bowen on the Commodore International Historical Society Facebook group.

Little is known of it at this point, but externally it is a C65 with the drive section chopped off. On the back there is a DB25 female which could be a serial port and a DB-15 that could be an RGB output, or perhaps an ethernet port. On the side are the same ports as the C65. There is the power, two joysticks, and a reset button. Moving to the motherboard there are two big sockets for custom chips. We don’t know yet if they would hold the same chips as the regular C65, probably CPU and VIC-III. There is no smaller square socket for the floppy disk controller chip. Since there is no drive this makes sense.

There is an expansion port that looks the same as the C65’s, but no cutout for it. There is no internal trap-door expansion but there is an unpopulated header there that could be for the same or similar purpose. The PCB has an unpopulated port, also without a cutout that looks like it could be a standard C64 video port. Also on the inside is the keyboard connector like the C65 and another connector beside it that looks like it could be for a C64-type keyboard, or possibly is for accessing the joystick ports. There are two regular rectangular sockets. One looks like a SID socket (given the placement of two capacitors directly beside it), and the other most likely is a ROM socket for the firmware.

Comparison of an issued board vs. the prototype (right)

In the new Commodore The Inside Story by David Pleasance, C65 chapter, it is mentioned about plans to sell a C65 with no Internal drive:

In fact, there was the “1565” External drive, which was prototyped as well (seen in the picture at the top of the page). This “Classroom” C65 is obviously an entirely different product designed for a different market. The “Diskless” C65 would most likely be a simple case modification and would likely use the same motherboard as the “regular” C65. The “Classroom” C65 has no floppy drive controller on board, no user port (probably), no sound connectors. It was designed to be very minimalist and inexpensive. It would make sense for this to use the “Diskless” case since it’s pretty much the size of the keyboard itself.

Read more on 6502.org


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.