Commodore Clubs?

Welcome back to our Commodore Discussion forum. If you have a question, comment, problem, or just want to chat about Commodore, post it here for free.

Have some fun and talk to others interested in the Old and New Commodore world.

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rbernardo
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, January 15, 2022

Post by rbernardo »

Happy New Year, C= and Ami aficionados! :)

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:00+ p.m., Sunday, Jan. 15, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/meet_loc.htm

For discussion, we will talk about the April 1 LA Maker Faire 2023 and the April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023.

This month we have a slideshow of my October visit to the HomeComputerMuseum in Helmond, the Netherlands (o.k., I can throw in a few pics of Amsterdam, too). :)

In hardware TheC64 Maxi returns with more games on USB stick, and the Amiga 600 returns with a new 16 gig CompactFlash running OS 3.2 and the Arcade Game Selector. In fact, the latest RetroGamer magazine (well, latest for the U.S.) recommended the best C64 games by year (starting in 1982), and we could try out those games.

Last month we didn't get to the new programs for the VIC-20, like Triangular μOS, and so we will get to those, along with Triangular μOS for the C128.

Truly,
________________
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, February 12, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Super Bowl (or Superb Owl), C= and Ami aficionados! ;)

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:00+ p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/meet_loc.htm

Note that the FCUG meeting has been changed from the third Sunday to the second Sunday this month.

For discussion, we will talk about the April 1 LA Maker Faire 2023 and preparations for the April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023. We’ll have a slideshow of my October visit to the Netherlands Commodore Show in Maarssen.

For our hardware presentation, we have the... (drum roll) ...Mega65! The Mega65 is the modern-day replica of the Commodore 65, the computer that was cancelled by Commodore Business Machines in the late 1980’s. The Mega65 is not only a replica but is also an enhanced version of the C65 in that it offers improved and new features, improved like a more stable operating system, new like dual SD card slots, multi-core support, and more! For this meeting, we’ll explore the software that came for computer’s C65 side; at next month’s meeting, we’ll explore the Mega65’s C64 side.

GO 64,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group -
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next SCCAN meeting - Saturday, March 18, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Saint Patty’s Day, C= and Ami comrades!

The next meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network is Saturday, March 18, from 2 to 5+ p.m. at

Panera Bread Restaurant
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
(818) 407-9400

The April 1 Los Angeles Maker Faire and the April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show are almost here! I’m filming a CLASS presentation in Fresno on Thursday, March 16, and then on Friday, March 17, I’ll be filming at Vasquez Rocks for this year’s CLASS commercial! If I seem tired at the meeting, it’s probably because I am! :)

In hardware I will bring the Mega65 (Commodore 65 replica), and we’ll try out some of its C65 and C64 features. Also I will bring the Amiga 1200 with Blizzard ‘060 50 MHz. accelerator, 128 megs of Fast RAM, OS 3.9, and newly-installed Arcade Game Selector II. If there is any leftover time, we can look at some of the latest programs running on the Ultimate 64.

As always, feel free to bring any other Commodore and Amiga hardware/software that you wish to show off!

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network -
http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan

P.S. The weather stopped several of us from attending the January meeting, but this time from the late Matt Brewster, we may have some of his computer hardware on display.
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, March 19, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Springtime, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:00+ p.m., Sunday, March 19, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/meet_loc.htm

The April 1 Los Angeles Maker Faire 2023 is almost here, and I’ll talk about the exhibits for that event. The April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023 is just 4 weeks away, and we’ll talk about filming vice-president Roger’s presentation on Ham Radio and the C64 and filming the CLASS commercial at Vasquez Rocks in the L.A. area.

Returning to our meeting is the Mega65, the modern-day replica of the Commodore 65. We’ll look at the C64 programs on its Demo Disk #1. If we have time, we’ll look at Demo Disk #2. Also if we have extra time, we’ll look at some of the latest C64 programs (with the use of the Ultimate 64) and the latest VIC-20 programs (on a VIC-20). In the wings, we’ll have the Amiga 1200 with its newly-installed Arcade Game Selector II.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group -
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, April 23, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy International Haiku Day, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:00+ p.m., Sunday, April 23, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/meet_loc.htm

In honor of the day, here is my humble haiku--

We'll talk about CLASS,
Our perceptions of the show
This year and next year.

Not only that but we will discuss the Los Angeles Maker Faire that happened on April 1 (no major computer hardware failures this year!). Also we'll discuss various hardware projects, like the rebuild of the Amiga 2000 three-in-one computer (Amiga, PC, and A-Max (Mac)), and an update on the rebuild of the Commodore PC20-III.

On the software side, we'll look at the latest C64 and VIC-20 goodies that have been released. On the Amiga 600, we'll listen to some of the latest in Amiga music.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group -
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next SCCAN meeting - Saturday, May 13, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Coronation Day, C= and Ami comrades!

The next meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network is Saturday, May 13, from 2 to 5+ p.m. at

Panera Bread Restaurant
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
(818) 407-9400

For discussion we’ll review our April Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023 and talk about the sister show, the June 24-25 Pacific Commodore Expo NW 2023 in Seattle. That latter show needs ideas for presentations, so if you have any suggestions, let them be known!

Also I will be visiting Ray Carlsen around the time of the PaCommEx, but I won’t be able to take any of your equipment for repair, because I already have too much hardware that will be packed in the car for him (think eight 1541’s/1571’s and two or three CRT’s)!

The Ultimate 64 returns with some of the latest C64 programs, like Sulphur Eye (a 3D Construction Kit game) and the Last Defender. The trusty Amiga 1200 with Blizzard ‘040 25 MHz. accelerator and 64 megs of Fast RAM returns.

As always, feel free to bring any other Commodore and Amiga hardware/software that you wish to show off!

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network -
http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, May 21, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Day after Mother’s Day, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:30+ p.m., Sunday, May 21, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/meet_loc.htm

We’ll talk about the June 24-25 Pacific Commodore Expo NW in Seattle and get the latest news on next year’s Commodore Los Angeles Super Show in Burbank.

For the C64, we'll look at the latest C64 programs – A Christmas Adventure, Avventura, Boulderdash Jr. 8, Cipher Patrol 2, Cursed Tomb, Enhanced VIOS, For Speed We Need 3, Lester v1.1, Irom2, NewsStand, Missile Defence, Party Songs, Christmas Carols, Rambler, Sulphur Eye, Snake vs Bomb, Space23, Synthia2, The Last Defender, Yauzeras, and Zeta Wing 2.

For the C128, we will run the rediscovered games, B-1 Bomber and Spukschloss (Haunted Castle). We might even try to run the original disks that came with the Gnome Speed 128 BASIC compiler. :)

For the VIC-20 with 16K RAM expander, we will go through the programs that come with the eXimietas VIC-20 Chip-8 emulator.

A lot to look at! I wonder how many we can actually get through! :) For those programs that we can’t get to, we’ll save them for the next meeting.

Truly,
________________
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, June 11, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Kamehameha Day (June 11), FCUG members and guests!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:30+ p.m., Sunday, June 11 at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W. Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/met_loc.htm

Note that the meeting is on June 11 and not our usual third Sunday of the month (which would be June 18, Father’s Day).

For discussion, we will talk about the latest exhibits and presentations for the June 24-25 Pacific Commodore Expo NW 2023. http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex We will also talk about the Kickstarter for David Pleasance’s Amiga Global Alliance. Not only does it benefit Amiga computers but also Commodore 8-bit computers! We will discuss the replacement of legacy chips in the Plus4/C16, including the replacement of the 3-in-1 software that was originally burned into a chip on the computers.

For the VIC-20 with 16K RAM expander, we will go through the programs that come with the eXimietas VIC-20 Chip-8 emulator. Last month we had gotten to the desktop. This month we will run the games that go with it.

For the C128, we will look at the latest version of TRIANGULAR microOS, v1.34.

In Amiga, we bring in Stephen Jones’ A2000 (Amiga OS 3.1) that has a ‘386 Bridgeboard (with DOS 5.0) and an A-Max module (Mac OS 6.0). Three computers in one! This is our last chance to see this machine before it goes back to Stephen.

Who knows? We might even get to my project of putting THEA500 Mini into an Amiga 1200/500 case with the use of the Amiga 500 USB Keyboard Adapter from Retro32!

Truly,
________________
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next SCCAN meeting - Saturday, July 22, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy National Hot Dog Day, C= and Ami comrades!

The next meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network is Saturday, July 22, from 2 to 5+ p.m. at

Panera Bread Restaurant
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
(818) 407-9400

For discussion we’ll review the June 24-25 Seattle Pacific Commodore Expo NW 2023 and the upcoming Vintage Computer Festival West in August, the Amiwest Show in October, and the Bay Area Maker Faire also in October.

In hardware, Bernie may be bringing in his Sam440ep which runs Amiga OS 4.1. I'll be bringing in a C64, Ultimate 64, or C128 in order to test out some floppy disks for Gary. Also I'll bring THEA500 Mini, hopefully running the AMiNIMiga distribution. https://www.aminimiga.com/ If that doesn't work out, the A600 is there as our back-up computer. :)

As always, feel free to bring any other Commodore and Amiga hardware/software that you wish to show off!

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network -
http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, July 23, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Space Exploration Day, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:30+ p.m., Sunday, July 23 at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W. Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/met_loc.htm

For discussion, we will talk about the successful June 24-25 Pacific Commodore Expo NW 2023, the August Vintage Computer Festival West, the October Amiwest Show, and the resurrection of the Bay Area Maker Faire (also in October).

In celebration of the new Barbie movie, we'll look at the classic Epyx game, Barbie! (Yeah, we ran the Barbie game several years ago at a previous FCUG meeting.) In celebration of the new Oppenheimer movie, we check out various C64 games and demos with an atomic theme, like SWIV Atomic Explosion, Atomic Isle, Cool Cat, and the classic WarGames. Even B-1 Nuclear Bomber on the VIC-20 (It's our own Barbieheimer!!!)

Also on the VIC-20 with 16K RAM expander, one more time we try to run the games for the eXimietas VIC-20 Chip-8 emulator.

I bring in THEA500 Mini, this time running the AMiNIMiga distribution. https://www.aminimiga.com/

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group -
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, August 20, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy National Creamsicle Day, FCUG members and guests!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:30+ p.m., Sunday, August 20 at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W. Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/met_loc.htm

Our last meeting ran for 7 hours, a record! Let’s not try for another record this time. ;)

For discussion, we will talk about the October Amiwest Show in Sacramento, the October Bay Area Maker Faire in Mare Island, and C= repairperson Ray Carlsen.

In presentations, I’ll go over the process of converting Paperclip word processing files (screencode files) on floppy disk to text files on SD card and readable on a PC. For that, I’ll be using Craig Bruce’s ZED 0.77 80-column text editor on the Commodore 128, a 1541/1571 disk drive, a SD2IEC card drive, and a PC laptop running DirMaster 3.1.5.

Also we’ll try out a fully functional Commodore PC20-III, newly repaired and upgraded by Duncan M. of The Other Group of Amigoids. Upgrades -- NEC V20 CPU which replaces the 8088 CPU, DOS 6.0, a 3 1/2” floppy disk drive alongside the standard 5 1/2” floppy drive, a Snarker Barker sound card (Sound Blaster clone) with 3D-printed volume control wheel, a RGBI-to-VGA video card, and a Compactflash replacing the mechanical hard drive. On the CF card, we’ll try out some of the many PC games, especially games that use sound through the sound card.

Finally, we try out an Amiga 3000, also repaired and upgraded by Duncan. The Agnus chip socket is replaced (due to battery damage), and the SCSI mechanical hard drive is replaced (too many errors on the old mech) by a CF card. Upgrades – Spectrum 24-bit video card with CybergraphX drivers, an Ariadne-II network card, and a fresh set of WHDLoad games. Still running Amiga OS 3.1, this A3000 also comes with a 256 meg ZorRAM.

Is this another 7-hour meeting?!
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Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next SCCAN meeting - Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Labor Day, C= and Ami comrades!

The next meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network is Saturday, Sept. 9, from 2 to 5+ p.m. at

Panera Bread Restaurant
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
(818) 407-9400

For discussion we’ll talk about the Amigas at the October 12-15 Amiwest Show in Sacramento and the Commodores and Amigas at October Bay Area Maker Faire in Mare Island. Also I’ll be visiting Ray Carlsen in late October (after the aforementioned shows), so if you have any Commodore 8-bit equipment or monitors, bring them and I will give them to Ray for repair.

Brush up on your DOS commands, because we’ll look at a Commodore PC20-III with 640K RAM, DOS 6.0, NEC v20 CPU, XTA-to-CF adapter going to a 2 gig CF card hard drive, CGA-to-VGA card, and Snarker Barker (Sound Blaster clone) 8-bit audio card. There is the re-repaired Amiga 3000, this time with Spectrum 24-bit video card running CyberGraphiX v4.3 software, an Ariadne-II Ethernet board, and a ZuluSCSI with 2 gig card replacing the mechanical hard drive, in addition to its Amiga OS 3.1 and 256 meg ZorRAM.

If we have any extra time, we’ll look at the latest games running on the Ultimate 64, and/or if Bernie brings his SAM440ep, we’ll see his latest updates to Amiga OS 4.1.

As always, feel free to bring any other Commodore and Amiga hardware/software that you wish to show off!

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network -
http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
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Next FCUG meeting - Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy National Video Games Day, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group has its next meeting from 11 a.m. to 2:30+ p.m., Sunday, Sept. 17, at

Panera Bread Restaurant
3590 W. Shaw Ave. (corner of W. Shaw Ave. and Marty Ave.)
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 271-0104
http://www.dickestel.com/met_loc.htm

For discussion, we will talk about the October 12-15 Amiwest Show in Sacramento, the October 14-15 and 21-22 Bay Area Maker Faire in Mare Island, and next April’s Commodore Los Angeles Super Show in Burbank.

It is GEOS time at our meeting! The Mega65 computer returns, and we will run GEOS 65 (which was converted from GEOS 128). The Commodore PC20-III returns, and we will run Geoworks Pro (a.k.a. PC GEOS a.k.a. Geoworks Ensemble).

Not all is GEOS. We will have some fun with the Commodore PC running Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Non-Medical Pain Relief (!), and ABC-Talk (ooo, that digital speech is very rough when going through the PC speaker). On the club C128 (in 64 mode), we’ll run the latest games and previews reported on Indie Retro News. On the Amiga 600, we run some of the latest demos/games courtesy of our sister club, The Other Group of Amigoids.

If we have any time left over (yeah… right…), we’ll have a preliminary look at the C64 educational packages from Hayden Software, Light Lab and Temperature Lab.


Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group -
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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FCUG picnic lunch - Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy Autumn, C= and Ami aficionados!

The Fresno Commodore User Group's annual club lunch will take place at Andiamo Ristorante Italiano, 1275 Shaw Avenue in Clovis, California, 11 a.m. Sunday, October 8.

Travel east on Shaw, go past Clovis Avenue, and turn left at the first traffic light onto Cole Avenue. Turn right at the first driveway and proceed past the first two buildings. Andiamo is on the south end of the building, facing west.

Family members are invited, and the club pays for the meal (not including alcohol).

https://www.andiamoclovis.com/

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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Next SCCAN meeting - Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023

Post by rbernardo »

Happy American Football Day, C= and Ami comrades!

The next meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network is Saturday, Nov. 11, from 2 to 5+ p.m. at

Panera Bread Restaurant
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
(818) 407-9400

For discussion we’ll review the Amiwest Show and Bay Area Maker Faire, both happening in October. In hardware, the Commodore PC20-III returns, this time with even more games installed in it. Bernie will bring his SAM440ep, this time with Enhancer 2.2 enhancingits OS 4.1. THEA500 Mini returns, this time with AMiniMiga running an OS 3.1 desktop. And the Ultimate 64 returns, running the latest core, version 3.10j.

As always, feel free to bring any other Commodore and Amiga hardware/software that you wish to show off!

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
________________
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
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