Troubleshooting C64 PLA chip replacement
In this blog post I am going to dive a bit deeper into the ezPLA chip, investigate the reason why it does not work in all C64 machines and then try to fix it.
c64
Recreate C64 PLA chip in VHDL
A while back I made a prototype of a Commodore 64 PLA replacement chip in FPGA and covered this extensively in this blog post.
Stereo SID with VICE C64 emulator
To get dual SID working inside C64 VICE emulator first download Cynthcart 2.0 release from the github repository.
Installing SIDKick SID replacement
SIDKick is yet another SID replacement solution for your C64 that is powered by Teensy 4.1 board. It is completely free and open source based that you can build yourself.
Boost Arduino Nano USB 5V to 12V
Using this DC Boost converter (XL6009E1) you can easily convert 5V from the Arduino Nano USB to 12V. This setup should come in handy to power the SID chip.
C64 cartridges on breadboard
What you see here is a Commodore 64 cartridge that I have created by sticking an EPROM and some other components on a breadboard.
Commodore 64 custom PLA chip test
A while back I also made a prototype for C64 PLA chip replacement, but I never did any further tests and completed the project.
I thought that it was time to do some more tests on the chip. But will it pass the tests? Let's find out...
C64 Basic ROM in 27C64 EPROM
A while back I have bought a cheap second hand Commodore 64. Unfortunately it was broken, next to the PLA chip which I have fixed by binding a custom CPLD version of it, the BASIC ROM chip (901226-01) was also broken.
Commodore 64 PLA chip replacement
The most important chip in commodore 64 computer is the PLA chip. When this chip is broken, nothing will work and most certainly you will get a black screen after you try to turn it on.