MEGA65 development continues (the C64/C65-compatible computer)

[RobertB]

     Several months ago I heard rumblings about a replica of Commodore 65 being built.  At that time, it was called the C65GS (or something like that).  Well, the project is moving ahead!  A prototype, now called the MEGA65, was shown at the Amiga 30th anniversary celebration in Germany back in October.  Amiga engineer R.J. Mical has given his approval, though engineers Bil Herd and Dave Haynie might have a different opinion.  
    The blog and videos of the MEGA65 are on-line.  The following page of the thread has most of the information you'd need to know --

http://c65gs.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-10-17T14:51:00-07:00&max-results=7

Go to the other pages of the blog to read more about MEGA65 development over the months.

         Merry Christmas,
         Robert Bernardo
         Fresno Commodore User Group
         http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

     The MEGA65 computer is still being developed.  It has a website at

http://mega65.org/

and a Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/MEGA65RetroComputer/?__req=n

and a forum at

http://mega65.net/

          Very interesting,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group
          http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

     (from an e-mail sent to MEGA65 supporters)

Here is an update

Dear MEGA65 community member,

First we would like to sincerely thank you for your ongoing interest in, and support of, the MEGA65 project. Over many months now, the whole team has been enthusiastically driving forward the development of the 8-bit retro machine we call the MEGA65. Things are progressing well and a lot has been achieved already:

● VHDL codebase almost feature complete.
● Dedicated FPGA board designed.
● Case re-engineered and 3D-modeled, and prototype produced.
● Keyboard and case supply chain clarified.
● GEOS support secured.
● Several fully assembled prototype machines exist.

This is just to get you back in the loop. The list could go on and on with much more detail. However, even though we initially planned to launch our fundraising campaign in Q3 2016, things are not quite there yet.


Quality comes first

The first and most important reason for having to keep you waiting longer is that we want to deliver a product that lives up to our extremely high quality standards. It must make your eyes twinkle when you unbox it. We want you to feel as if you have travelled back in time. Hence it has to be turnkey-ready, bundled with an amazing software package, you connect it to your television set and get started right away. To achieve this, more time, more hard work and further community support are required.


New ideas included

The second reason, we have to admit, is that we deliberately allowed for a certain amount of feature creep. This means that, when finished, you will receive a much more sophisticated piece of equipment:

● A more powerful FPGA on custom motherboard.
● Improved C64 compatibility (including 6502 illegal opcodes).
● Legacy device support (1581, 1541, and so on).
● GEOS-based configuration menus.
● SD card support.

Some may criticize us for doing this. However, we are convinced that it will provide a much better MEGA65 experience. We're confident you will have a lot more fun, and that an enhanced platform will increase the longevity of the MEGA65 giving rise to many more innovative and fun projects.


Adjusted target delivery date

We hope this demonstrates our commitment to deliver the best possible MEGA65 project. Rest assured, we will deliver this enhanced product in a reasonable time frame. To provide you with some more insight and clarity, here are the major milestones standing between where we are now and the finish line:

● "Under Construction" demoscene party - between Xmas 2016 and new years eve - Gernsheim, Germany (http://under-construction.tum-party.net)
● "Retro-Boerse" retro trading fair - April 2017 - Mannheim, Germany (http://retro-boerse.de/mannheim)
● "Revision" demoscene Easter party - 14.-17. April 2017 - Saarbr?cken, Germany (https://2016.revision-party.net)
● "Evoke" true color demoscene party - August 2017 - Cologne, Germany (https://www.evoke.eu/2016)
● "Maker Faire Bergstrasse" creativity festival - 16./17. September 2017 - Bensheim, Germany (https://maker-faire.de)
● "Retro-Boerse" retro trading fair - October 2017 - Mannheim, Germany (http://retro-boerse.de/mannheim)
● "Amiga32" Amiga retro celebration - 28. October 2017 - Neuss, Germany (http://amiga32.de)


Bear with us

We fully expect that you will be able to hold your MEGA65 in your hands in less than a year, have great experiences with it, and then order a few more making fantastic 2017 Christmas presents. We are on the verge of completing mankind?s latest and greatest 8-bit challenge. We look forward to receiving your continued support.


You want to contribute?

The project is completely based on voluntary work and an extra pair of hands is always welcome. If you can spare some time to contribute to the exciting work we are doing, please do not hesitate to connect to us. What we offer you is a great 8-bit team spirit and the eagerness to make MEGA65 fly. Of course, you will also receive credit and fame on the go, and especially once we go to market successfully!


Thank you,

The MEGA65 Team

[RobertB]

I wrote:

● "Maker Faire Bergstrasse" creativity festival - 16./17. September 2017 - Bensheim, Germany (https://maker-faire.de)

     Aw, no Mega65 here at Maker Faire Bergstrasse.

          Having spent 5 hours at the Saturday show,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group
          http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

    Whoa!  Paypal donations are now being accepted for the steel molds to create Mega65 computer cases.  They must gather 66,000 Euros ($72,934 US) in order to manufacture the molds.  See

http://mega65.org/moulds.html

         Truly,
         Robert Bernardo
         Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.portcommodore.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

    I just made a Paypal payment for the Mega65 molds!

         Happy New Year!
         Robert Bernardo
         Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

     Development of the Mega65, a clone of the Commodore 65, is progressing slowly but surely.  Prototyping has gone on for a few years, prototype boards have been sent out to beta testers, and now a Kickstarter campaign has started to gather money to build the steel moulds (molds) for the injection-molded cases of the Mega65.

For more information on the Mega65, go to

http://mega65.org/

or go to the page for Kickstarter donations at

http://mega65.org/moulds.html

To see the Mega65 discussion forum, go to

http://mega65.net (which will lead you to Forum64.de)

or on Facebook, see

https://www.facebook.com/pg/MEGA65RetroComputer/posts/

     Happy New Year!
     Robert Bernardo
     Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

     Oh, my gosh, a person or persons named Tayger have just donated 40,000 Euros!

         Truly,
         Robert Bernardo
         Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
         April 25-26 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     Goal reached!  Now at over 69,000 Euros of the 66,000 required.
     Mega65 developer Paul Gardner-Stephen talks about the new, sudden influx of money (in an article printed just before the crowdfunding goal was reached) and the plans for making the moulds at

http://c65gs.blogspot.com/2020/01/almost-65k-in-65-days.html

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          April 25-26 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     From an announcement at the Mega65 Retro Computer group on Facebook --

"The agreement has been in place since we first met (and partied) at AMIGA30 and has been verified several times from both sides, however, we never officially announced it until now: Cloanto and the MEGA65 team are happy to clarify that every MEGA65 computer will be bundled with the original C65 ROMs to ensure full C65 compatibility. The picture shows Cloanto CEO Mike Battilana and chief cat herder Detlef 'deft' Hastik at Frankfurt Airport. All that is left to say is that the pre-order pages for the MEGA65 devkits will go live soon!"

     If you have Facebook, you can see the announcement and the following comments at

https://www.facebook.com/MEGA65RetroComputer/photos/a.793738327376689/2693024064114763/?type=3&theater

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          April 25-26 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     Mega65 orders are currently being taken for the first 400 units, and then after that, pre-orders for the next batch.  See

https://shop.trenz-electronic.de/en/Products/MEGA65/

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
          Nov. 6-7 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2021 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     Well, I ordered a Mega65 last autumn, and after hearing nothing for many months, I sent an inquiry in the spring.  The reply was to have patience; orders were being filled.  So, there was no Mega65 to show at CLASS 2022 nor at the Vintage Computer Festival West 2022.  A few weeks ago, I sent another inquiry, and the reply was to have patience and that all orders would be filled by spring of next year.  (I must have missed out on the first batch of 400.)
     Meanwhile, I have found out that the Sacramento Amiga Computer Club has one member with a Mega65, and the Seattle Commodore Computer Club has two Mega65's!  However, the SACC member tells me that I'm good to be in the second batch of computers, because in the first batch, there was a hardware problem with the clock.


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

[RobertB]

     Today I received the message from Trenz Electronics (distributor of the Mega65) that my order was ready to go and to send in the money via bank transfer.  The 707.31 Euros converted to $779.44 and add the $50 bank transfer fee, and the total was a cool $829.44!  Now the wait begins for its delivery to my address.

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
          April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     Hooray!  The Mega65 was delivered yesterday! 

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
          April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

[RobertB]

     I finally got to playing around with the Mega65 today... just the programs on the "demo disk."  I am encouraged; the programs run briskly enough, and the graphics capabilities of the Mega65 are at a higher level than those from a C64.
     I've been doing lots of reading, too, like from Dan Sanderson's Mega65 Welcome Guide and the Mega65 User's Guide.

          Truly,
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
          Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
          April 15-16 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2023 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

P.S. When I first lifted the machine, I was surprised at how heavy it was (I was expecting something as light as TheC64) and at whiteness of the case.  Perhaps I'm too used to the many years of beige Commodore computers.