IDE64

The IDE64 interface cartridge is an expansion port device for connecting ATA(PI) devices to the C64 or C128 computers.

Hardware

There were several somewhat different versions of this cartridge over the years. The interface was designed by Tomas Pribyl and Jan Vorlicek in 1994. Today Josef Soucek is working on the design.

IDE64 v1.1 In 1997 the first public version of the cartridge appeared. The logic was fitted into 2 ispLSIs, the operating system was burned into a 32 kB EPROM, and there was 16 kB of RAM storage for buffers. There was a DS1302 real-time clock included which could keep the settings and hold the time backed by a battery. Beside the parallel ATA connector also an expansion port pass through was included to allow attaching of other cartridges.

IDE64 v2.1 Around 1999 the first "modern" version of the cartridge came out, merging the logic into one big ispLSI PLD. Also the EPROM was upgraded to a 64 kB EEPROM to allow operating system upgrades without special equipment. The RAM was extended to hold 28 kB of buffers and internal variables. There was a new connector on board, called ShortBus. It was meant for hardware expansions like LCD displays,7-segment display, but later also more sophisticated expansions appeared. This was also the first version to include SuperCPU compatibility.