SixtyClone Bare-Board Project
| |
| Caption | A SixtyClone Commodore 64 replica PCB |
|---|---|
| Type | Replica Commodore 64 main board, bare PCB |
| Designer | Bob's Bits (Rob "Peepo" Taylor) |
| Manufacturer | Bob's Bits (United Kingdom) |
| First released | Unknown |
| Latest revision | — |
| Operating voltage | — |
| Layers / PCB | — |
| Compatibility | Commodore 64 assemblies 250407, 250466 and 250469 (Rev. A and Rev. B) |
| Features | — |
| Model No. | — |
SixtyClone is a set of replica Commodore 64 main-board PCBs sold by Bob's Bits, a UK seller, through Lectronz and Tindie. The boards are the same size as the originals and are a direct replacement, so a machine whose board is damaged can be rebuilt by moving its components onto a new one, or by replacing some of them with new or modern parts.[1] The Lectronz listing gives the designer as Bob's Bits, and a 2020 build log credits Rob "Peepo" Taylor.[2]
Boards available
[edit | edit source]Bob's Bits lists four boards.[1] The fitted parts below are from Commodore's 1992 service manual parts lists.[3]
| Board | Original assembly | Main parts of the original |
|---|---|---|
| SixtyClone 250407 | 250407, 1983 long board | Eight 4164 DRAMs, 6510 CPU at U7, 6581 SID at U18, VIC-II at U19, 82S100 PLA (906114-01) at U17, 2114 colour RAM at U6, BASIC and KERNAL as separate ROMs at U3 and U4 |
| SixtyClone 250466 | 250466 (B-3), 1986 long board | Two 64K × 4 DRAMs (41464) at U9 and U10; otherwise as the 250407, with a 6581 SID, an NMOS VIC-II, a 1K × 4 colour RAM at U6 and the 82S100 PLA at U17 |
| SixtyClone 250469 Rev. A | 250469 (E), short board | 8500 CPU at U6, VIC-II at U7, 8580 SID at U9, BASIC and KERNAL in one 251913 ROM at U4, two 64K × 4 DRAMs at U10 and U11, 2114 colour RAM at U19, 64-pin 251715-01 memory controller at U8 |
| SixtyClone 250469 Rev. B | 250469 Rev. B | As Rev. A, but the 252535 memory controller at U8 has the colour RAM built in, so there is no separate 2114[4] |
The 250466 is a long board. Its main difference from the 250407 is the RAM: two 41464s instead of eight 4164s.[2][3] It keeps the 6581 SID, the NMOS VIC-II and the separate colour RAM, so the 250469's 8500, 8580 and 64-pin memory controller do not fit it.
Building one
[edit | edit source]The board comes bare. Bob's Bits keeps a community-editable bill of materials spreadsheet and sells resistor sets, resistor networks, electrolytic capacitor sets, a SwinSID Nano b, a new power switch and a pre-programmed GAL-PLA for U17.[1] On the 250469 the memory controller is the 64-pin part at U8, so a U17 PLA replacement does not apply; see PLA Replacement Options.
The breadbox64 build of a version 1.2a board fitted the sockets first, then new 7805 and 7812 regulators (reusing the original 7805 heatsink), then the video section and the passives, and used the original board alongside for comparison.[2]
Some SixtyClone boards made before version 1.4 have a misplaced via that connects pin 7 of the cartridge port to ground. Check for continuity between cartridge-port pin 7 and pin 1 (ground) before fitting parts. The build log's fix was to cut the via's connection to the ground area and confirm continuity between pin 7 and pin 10 of the 74LS139 at U15.[2]
Before transplanting chips from an old board, see Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide, and power the finished board from a supply you have checked; see Commodore 64 Power-Supply Protector (C64 Saver).
Open replica designs
[edit | edit source]Bob's Bits publishes a BOM but no design files for the SixtyClone.[1] bwack publishes KiCad sources, gerbers, a BOM, an interactive BOM and a schematic PDF for a 250407 replica and a C64C 250469 replica. The 250407 project was started by Michael K. ("Der Alte Bastler") in 2019 and was prototyped and tested by bwack and Langwell Cowan; its change log runs from V1.0 (prototype, 22 April 2020) to V1.3 (9 June 2025).[5]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- C64 Reloaded MK2
- Ultimate 64 Motherboard
- PLA Replacement Options
- Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Commodore 64
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bob's Bits, Sixtyclone Commodore 64 250407 Replica PCB—link(accessed 2026-10-01) Purpose of the boards; "same dimensions of the originals" and "direct replacement"; the community-editable BOM spreadsheet (the listing's only code and documentation link); optional resistor, resistor-network and electrolytic capacitor sets, SwinSID Nano b, new power switch and pre-programmed GAL-PLA for U17; "This product was designed by Bob's Bits". The store lists 250407, 250466, 250469 Rev. A and 250469 Rev. B boards.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 MtnBuffalo, SixtyClone C64 Replica, 7 September 2020—link(accessed 2026-10-01) Build of a 250466 (B-3) SixtyClone, version 1.2a: two 41464 RAM chips instead of eight; US$35 plus shipping from the UK at the time; blue solder mask, white silkscreen, gold-plated pads; the original 250466 board used for comparison; new 7805 and 7812 regulators; the cartridge-port pin 7 fault on boards before version 1.4 and its fix; credits Rob "Peepo" Taylor.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Commodore Business Machines, Service Manual C64/C64C, March 1992, PN-314001-03, hosted at Commodore 64 / 64C Service Manual: parts list for assembly 250407-04 (pp. 24-25); parts list for 250466-01 (B-3) (p. 34): U7 6510, U17 PLA 82S100 906114-01, U18 SID 6581, U19 VIC 6567, U6 SRAM 1K x 4, U9 and U10 DRAM 64K x 4, U3 BASIC, U4 KERNAL, U5 character ROM; parts list for 250469-01 (E) (p. 40): U6 8500, U7 8567 or 8562, U9 8580 (or 6581), U4 128K BASIC/KERNAL ROM 251913-01, U5 character ROM, U10 and U11 DRAM 64K x 4, U19 2114 colour RAM, U8 memory controller 251715-01.
- ↑ open_cerebrum, 252535 PLA/MMU—link(accessed 2026-10-01) "251715 has separate ... Color-RAM, U19 2114 (ASSY 250469 Rev.A, Rev.3, Rev.4); 252535 has integrated ... Color-RAM (ASSY 250469 Rev.B)". Community reference.
- ↑ bwack, C64-250407-Replica-KiCad—link(accessed 2026-10-01) and C64C-250469-KiCAD-Replica—link(accessed 2026-10-01) README files and change log.