Commodore Plus/4 Resource Page

This page is an ongoing resource for readers and watchers of my Commodore Plus/4 series. I encourage you to contribute to this project by commenting on YouTube videos or on individual blog posts.

User’s Manual

In the Commodore Plus/4 YouTube series, I work through each chapter of the Plus/4 user’s manual. I’ve scanned each chapter and provide those below. I will post new chapters with each new video.

1. Front Matter
2. Chapter 1 - Unpacking and Setting Up
3. Chapter 2 - Using the Keyboard and the Screen
4. Chapter 3 - Using Software
5. Chapter 4 - Getting Started

Key to Keys

Because the Commodore Plus/4 keyboard is so different from modern keyboards, I had to devise and modernize key nomenclature to identify keystroke combinations as shown in the table below:

Key	Description	Key	Description
⇪	Caps Lock	F1	Function 1
C=	Commodore	F2	Function 2
⌃	Control	F3	Function 3
⎋	Escape	F4	Function 4
⌂	Home	F5	Function 5
⌫	Insert/Delete	F6	Function 6
⏎	Return	F7	Function 7
RS	Run/Stop	F8	Help
⇧	Shift

Links to Episodes

Below is a link to each blog post in the series. Each blog post contains the companion YouTube video and most include links to items or sites. This page captures a collection of all links mentioned.

1. Commodore Plus/4 - Open the Box

   I share my first experience with a Commodore computer (it is not the Plus/4) and then open the box on my Commodore Plus/4 eBay purchase.

   • Commodore Plus/4 Computer Wikipedia Entry
   • Commodore Plus/4 Wiki
   • My blog (This site)
   • My Twitter feed
   • My YouTube channel

2. Commodore Plus/4 - Chapter 1, Unpacking and Setting Up

   I open the Commodore Plus/4 manual for the first time and look at Chapter 1: Unpacking and Setting Up. Since the previous episode was an open the box, unpacking is already complete and this episode focuses on setting up the computer. Along the way I share a very cool tip.

   • Kenable 5 Pin Male Din Plug to 4 x RCA Phono Male Plugs Audio Cable 2m (~6 feet)
   • Portable USB 2.0 AV/RCA Composite and S-Video Audio Video Capture Card Adapter VHS DVD
   • PiDRIVE ZERO Raspberry Pi HAT pi1541 1581 Commodore 64 128 Vic-20 Emulator OLED
   • RUN magazine

3. Commodore Plus/4 - Chapter 2, Using the Keyboard and the Screen

   I talk about the keyboard layout, using the keyboard, and then how keyboard combinations affect screen elements. This is really a “hands on” episode!

   • PiDRIVE ZERO Raspberry Pi HAT pi1541 1581 Commodore 64 128 Vic-20 Emulator OLED
   • uxcell 6 pin connectors 4 pack

4. Commodore Plus/4 - Chapter 3, Using Software

   I cover each auxiliary storage device in detail; however, I add a modern spin and instead of the original devices; I use a new 264 diagnostic cartridge, a Tapuino, and a Pi1541.

   • PiDRIVE ZERO Raspberry Pi HAT pi1541 1581 Commodore 64 128 Vic-20 Emulator OLED
   • Pi1541 Setup
   • Create a Blank .d64 Disk Image
   • Tapuino Project
   • DIAG 264 Cartridge

5. Commodore Plus/4 - Chapter 4, Getting Started

   It seems like we’ve been getting started over and over, but I guess now we really are since the manual told us so! In this chapter I look at keyboard colors, reverse printing, correcting mistakes, the screen, and even windows. Yes, that’s right, I typed windows. See the blog post and video for more on that topic.

   • Pi1541 Setup
   • Create a Blank .d64 Disk Image
   • Tapuino Project
   • Call out to Bil Herd for Information

Supplemental Disk Image (Coming Soon)

As I progress through the user’s manual, I enter and execute the sample programs. The .d64 image below contains every program from each episode.

retroCombs User’s Manual Disk Image - Coming Soon

I use the following file name convention to make it easy to locate specific programs:

Sample Program Name: C1P2-5RETROCOMBS.PRG

• C# - where # is the chapter number
• P# - where # is the page number where the program is first referenced in the user’s manual
• NAME - my self assigned name for the program

Supplemental Posts

The posts below are helpful for any Commodore 8-bit computer enthusiasts but are also closely associated to this series and supplement the posts found above:

1. retroCombs: Pi1541 Assembly and First Use

   In this supplemental episode to my Commodore Plus/4 series, I share my experiences assembling the Pi1541 Hat for a Raspberry Pi Zero. In the episode, I solder a pin connector onto the Raspberry Pi Zero, solder and assemble a serial cable with two 6 pin DIN connectors, assemble the whole package, and start up the Pi1541 for a first use.

2. retroCombs: The Tapuino Project - Build an Arduino powered Commodore Datasette clone

   As part of my Commodore Plus/4 series, chapter three, of the user’s manual, includes a sections on using a Datasette and a disk drive. In a previous post, I built the modern replacement for the disk drive (a Pi1541), now it’s time to create a Datasette replacement called, the Tapuino.

Plus/4 Resources

Below are links I’ve found to be most beneficial as I work through this series:

1. Commodore4Ever - Source for Pi1451. Great customer service and feedback.
2. The Future was 8-bit - Source for parts and used to provide resources for the Tapuino project. U.K. based so allow some time for delivery if in the U.S.
3. RETRO Innovation - Source for parts used for both the Tapuino and Pi1541 projects.
4. Plus/4 World - The most incredible source of Plus/4 information and software available. I don’t know how the team does it, but if you have a Commodore C16, Plus/4, or 264, this is the site you must visit.