The Commodore plus/4
plus/4

What is a plus/4
Hardware
Software

What is a plus/4?

The Commodore plus/4, C16, C116 and C232 are homecomputers from 1984, series C264. They are the successors of the great and very popular C64. They haven't not so much success like the C64, because the hardware isn't so good for games. In the following I will write only from plus/4 because the C16 and C116 are compatible but have a little bit different hardware (no userport, normally only 16kb RAM, no integrated software, other keyboard and case). The original plus/4 has 64kB dRAM (60kb free for BASIC), 32kB ROM with powerful BASIC V3.5 and operating system, 32kB ROM with integrated (bad) software, a videochip with 121 colors and maximal resolution from 320*200 dots and two soundgenerators. This system based on a special 8360-chip named TED (TExt Display). This chip is responsible for graphics, sound, keyboard and memory-management. The 8501-CPU is instruction-compatible with the 6502-family and has one i/o-port. (Similar the 6510 in C64.) This system has a very simple construction. So it is good for learn how a computer works. The plus/4 can use the same serial hardware as the C64 like floppy-drives or printers. But there is a special floppy-drive only for the plus/4: The 1551. It will be connected with expansionport and used parallel data-transfer for increased speed.

The most users expanded their plus/4 with 256kB-RAM-expansions, EPROM- or sRAM-expansions, SID-Soundcard, MIDI-Interface, EPROM-burner and more. Read more about the hardware-expansions and cool software for plus/4 on next pages.


Our group Synergy is a group with some dedicated users for this good old computers. We make new hardware, write new software (e.g. demos, tools) and organize plus/4-partys.
We have a diskmagazine named Signals . You can read news about the scene, actual votings, letters from the readers, helps from user to user and from our specialists, jokes and other interesting things in this magazine in english language. You can get the Signals from my server. You can copy it to 5,25"-disk with "Diskcopy 1551 PC" ( OS96/PC-Link ) or with the "Star Commander"(connects a 1541-drive to PC-printerport, look likes Norton Commander). If you have only a PC, but you are interested, then load ViewD64.ZIP , a program for view in this diskimages, select files, view in it and export datas.
In Germany there are other groups (e.g. Unlimited) and two other diskmags: PLUVI and Club-Info. You can load all these diskmags from number one to the actual issue from my server. There are over 500MB best demos, games and tools for the Commodore plus/4. You can get also the actual Club-Info (diskmag in German) here .

Links to ftp-servers with plus/4-software:

ftp://ftp.funet.fi
ftp://c64.rulez.org

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Last update: 01/13/2004