Building a Commodore 64 - Part IV - (Ultimate 64)

Short of an original, or a re-manufactured C64 motherboard such a the SixtyClone or C64 reloaded, the Ultimate 64 Elite is the closest you can get to a brand new Commodore 64.

The Ultimate 64 Elite motherboard is a hardware implementation (FPGA) of the entire C64. It is a drop in replacement, in any C64 case. It also includes the Ultimate-II+, which gives you cycle accurate emulation of two real Commodore 1541 disk drives. All software can then be loaded from a connected USB stick. The perfect all in one solution!

Parts List

Just wanna jump in and build, here's the parts list!

Required

Optional

These are listed as optional but you want to get them to complete the build.

Assembly

Assembly is super easy, and just like putting together a simple Lego set.

  • Open your new C64C case
  • Drop in the U64 Elite board and screw it down
  • Attach the keyboard mounts and other brackets for the U64
  • Connect and attach the keyboard
  • Optional: Install SID chip(s)
  • Optional: Install U64 speaker
  • Plug in the LED and insert it into the top case
  • Put the top on the case
  • Done!

Software set up

The Ultimate 64 Elite should be ready to go, no software needed. You should check the Ultimate site for any firmware updates and apply those.

You just need to add any software images to your USB stick, plug it in and away you go. You can always check the official documentation for more details.

SID set up

The Ultimate 64 Elite comes with built in UltiSID to emulate and original SID chip but in some cases it doesn't work so well e.g. Planet Golf. To fix this you can go and grab some original C64 SID chips but they are getting harder to find nowadays.

As an alternative you can grab an ARMSID or two and improve the audio playback on your U64. I chose to get two so I could set them up to run left and right channels for a fuller sound.

Update the firmware on your ARMSID chips first if you're not on the latest.

ARMSID Firmware download

My SID set up is as follows from the U64 menu (firmware 3.10a):

  • Short press power button to bring up the menu
  • F2 for settings

Check the following settings

  • Audio Mixer -> Pan Socket 1 = Left 4

  • Audio Mixer -> Pan Socket 2 = Right 4

  • SID Sockets Configuration -> SID Socket 1 = Enabled

  • SID Sockets Configuration -> SID Socket 2 = Enabled

  • SID Addressing -> SID Socket 1 Address = $D400

  • SID Addressing -> SID Socket 2 Address = $D400
  • SID Addressing -> UltiSID 1 Address = Unmapped

  • SID Addressing -> UltiSID 1 Address = Unmapped

  • U64 Specific Settings -> SID Player Autoconfig = Disabled

I prefer the ARMSID emulating the 6581 SID chip

  • ARMSID in Socket 1 -> Fundamental Mode = 6581
  • ARMSID in Socket 2 -> Fundamental Mode = 6581

Enjoy the fuller sound!

Conclusion

You should now have an Ultimate 64. Just like the original C64 but even cooler!

Other things you might like to play with is running a different kernal such as JiffyDOS, or looking into different kinds of joysticks you might like to use, including wireless!

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