User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Mar 16, 2022 1:34 pm

Over on a private Facebook group some interesting details have emerged around a revamped Ultimate ii+ cartridge (U2+) - quite possibly the greatest single device ever created for the Commodore 64 other than the original 1541.

If you don't have one of these cartridges and have been wanting to get one, you'll have likely noticed that they have been "Out of Stock" for quite a while on Gideon's site. On top of that there is now this big image currently at the top of the front page:
Screen Shot 2022-03-16 at 12.54.45 PM.png

From a user's perspective, very little should be noticeably different. But due to the worldwide parts shortage, Gideon Zweijtzer decided to redesign the guts of the device with what he could source today.

This redesign includes:
  • New FPGA
  • New Flash
  • New USB chips
  • Different package of audio codec
  • Different voltage regulators
  • Additional IEC buffering
  • Smaller caps
  • WiFi add-on (this sounds new)
ultimatecart.jpg
I believe this sketch actually shows how four U2+ carts would be produced at a time. Image by Gideon Zweijtzer.


The only other difference is the price may go up slightly to account for inflation.

Gideon explained further:
"This design is based on components that I have already been able to purchase. Not everything has *arrived* just yet, but I have been scavenging the net for whatever I could find, clicked "BUY NOW", and adapted the design on the fly."
He also mentioned that manufacturing was being moved to Europe

I think it is fair to assume that when this new pre-order opens the new carts will go fast. Back when I was waiting for the pre-order to open for the 64 Ultimate I was nearly visiting the site every day for months. Eventually it did open and thankfully a friend told me before I ran out of time.

User avatar
JoeUser
Dallas, TX

Posted Thu Mar 17, 2022 10:01 am

It wasn't exactly clear on the site as to just how this card would work as a standard 1541 drive, at least to me. I get the idea behind reading .D64 files (and it appears that there's a USB connector to accommodate a flash drive to store the D64 files).

But, does it function as a true physical drive by a 64/128, in that you can read and write files to it natively (without running through the "file selector" interface)?

Almost seems like it's a Gotek-like device, or am I completely missing something?

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Mar 17, 2022 1:05 pm

@JoeUser,

It plugs into the cartridge slot. But then you attach a serial cable from the side of it to your C64's serial port (or to another drive).

Yes, it can be used as a cycle-exact 1541 drive. In recent years it has been updated to also accept d81 images, which is super cool. But the list of features honestly goes on and on.

The user interface takes a little training and getting used to at first, but eventually becomes second nature for most tasks.

User avatar
BloodyCactus
Lexington VA

Posted Thu Mar 17, 2022 8:20 pm

I still have the old-old-old version 1, there is too many features now for me. I dont need network on my c64, real time clock, audio playing of mods, printer, etc. all these things drive up the price and I only want a cycle exact drive... ohwell...





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