--- title: Commodore VIC-1001 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Japan years: - '1980' params: name: VIC-1001 image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_1s.jpg company: /companies/commodore company_name: Commodore specs: - label: NAME value: VIC-1001 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Commodore - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Japan - label: YEAR value: October 1980 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: January 1985 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: CBM Basic V2 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke keyboard, 4 function keys, 66 keys - label: CPU value: Commodore Semiconductor Group 6502A 1 MHz - label: SPEED value: 1.0227 Mhz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: VIC-I (6560) for sound and graphics. - label: RAM value: 5 KB (3583 bytes free), expandable up to 21 KB - label: VRAM value: Screen memory shared with regular RAM - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 23 rows x 22 columns - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 184 x 176 - label: COLORS value: 8 character colors, 16 background/border colors - label: SOUND value: 3 voices / 3 octaves - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 40.3 x 20.4 x 7.2 cm / 1,8 Kg - label: I/O PORTS value: 1 joystick port, 1 user port, 1 serial port, 1 cartrige port, CBM DIN video output, tape interface - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External power supply unit, 18 Watts - label: PRICE value: 49,800 Yens tabs: - photos - hardware - emulators - links - videos forum_thread: 1256 photos: - title: COMMODORE VIC-1001 subtitle: '' text: Overview of the system image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_1.jpg - title: COMMODORE VIC-1001 subtitle: '' text: Close-up image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_2.jpg - title: COMMODORE VIC-1001 subtitle: '' text: Serial number label image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_3.jpg hardware: - title: 1530 C2N subtitle: Tape-recorder text: The classic Commodore tape-recorder ! image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_c64_tape-recorder-1530-c2n_1.jpg - title: CMD SUPERCPU subtitle: '' text: |- The SuperCPU by Creative Micro Devices is an accelerator cartridge for the Commodore 64. It contains an W65C816S processor running at 20 MHz, providing 20 times the performance of the stock 6510 processor! CMD later added a SuperRAM Card option that could include up to 16 MB of additional memory. There is also a v2 version that offers native 128 mode support (also called SuperCPU/128). It is one of the most sought-after Commodore peripherals. Thomas Conté image: /media/museum/hardware/c64_supercpu.jpg - title: CMD RAMLINK subtitle: '' text: |- This RAM expansion unit by Creative Micro Devices was intended to be used as a RAM drive to accelerate disk access. It is externally powered, and thus will preserve the data even when the computer is turned off. Thomas Conté image: /media/museum/hardware/c64_cmd_ramlink.jpg - title: FLOPPY DISK UNIT 1540-1541 subtitle: '' text: |- It is connected to the C64 via a serial link.\ It is very very slow and can store 170 kb per disk. image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore-diskdrive_1540_1.jpg - title: QUICK DATA DRIVE subtitle: '' text: |- **Cheaper and faster than diskettes.** This Quick Data Drive from Dean Electronics is dedicated to Commodore 64 and <$252$>Vic 20 systems. It uses a special tape called 'Wafer', of 16, 64 or 128 Kb capacity. This wafer was also used by a product marketed for the <$223$>Sinclair Spectrum, called Wafadrive. Various tests proved that the Q.D.D. was approximately 20 times faster than a normal cassette recorder and 2 or 3 times faster than the Commodore 1541 disk drive. The reason : data transfer routines (called QOS) much more efficient than those of Commodore, and a file management operating system (FMU) much more modern and powerful. The Q.D.D. is however not more than an advanced tape recorder using a magnetic tape, and the delay to access a specific file still remains higher than with a normal disk drive. Despite its qualities, the Q.D.D. did not meet success because most C64 software was sold on disks or tapes and users had to acquire both Commodore peripherals before investing in a third powerful storage system. image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_64_quick_data_1.jpg - title: CMD HD-20 subtitle: 20Mb hard-drive text: This is a hard drive for the C64 or 128. SWAP-Devicenumber-Buttons let the HD become drive 8 or 9. It can create sub-directories and partitions, including 1541 emulation. image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_c64_cmd-hd20_1.jpg - title: VICMODEM subtitle: Advert text: You could already send emails !! image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vicmodem_pub_1.jpg - title: WERSIBOARD MUSIC 64 subtitle: '' text: Thomas Conté image: /media/museum/hardware/c64_wersiboard.jpg - title: MODEL 1525 subtitle: '' text: It can print all the semi graphic characters of the C64. (30 characters per second) image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_printer_1525_1.jpg emulators: - title: CCS64 url: http://www.ccs64.com/ platform: Windows text: The best C64 emulator for the PC - title: Free64 url: http://www.umr.edu/~bmartin/ platform: Windows text: A Freeware emulator for MS DOS - title: MESS url: http://www.mess.org platform: Windows text: This fantastic emulator can emulate the mlost of the 8-bit Commodore systems - title: Win 64 url: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/6558/win64.htm platform: Windows text: The Best C64 Emulator for Win95 / WinNT - title: Win64 url: http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/park/6558/win64.htm platform: Windows text: Good Commodore 64 for Windows - title: Mac Frodo url: http://internetter.com/titan/macfrodo/ platform: Apple text: The MAC OS version of Frodo, one of the best C64 Emulator - title: Power 64 url: http://www.infinite-loop.at/Power64/index.html platform: Apple text: Emulator for PPC Macintoshes - title: SID PLay url: http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426444/sidplay/ platform: Apple text: A player for C64 Musics - title: ccs url: http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/crossplatform/emulators/unix/ platform: Unix / Linux text: C64 emulator for Unix - title: Frodo for Amiga OS url: http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/FRMain.html platform: Amiga OS text: The best C64 Emulator for Amiga - title: VICE for Amiga OS4 url: http://amidog.se/amiga/vice/ platform: Amiga OS text: This AmigaOS4 version is ported by Mathias "AmiDog" Roslund - title: c64.gr url: http://www.c64.gr/ platform: Other platform text: C64 online emulator. Play favorite games in your browser! - title: C-ONE url: http://c64upgra.de/c-one/ platform: Other platform text: Hardware emulator (re-configurable computer) - title: Frodo for PalmOS url: http://frodopalm.sourceforge.net/ platform: Other platform text: Frodo for PalmOS - title: VICE url: http://viceteam.bei.t-online.de/ platform: Other platform text: Emulates the C64, C128, VIC20, all the PET models and the CBM-II under Unix, MS-DOS, Win95/NT, OS/2, Acorn RISC OS or BeOS !! - title: Web C64 url: http://www.dreamfabric.com/c64/ platform: Other platform text: The 64 as a Java applet in your Browser. Excellent ! - title: C=64 Emulator for OS/2 Full Screen url: http://home.hccnet.nl/w.m.brul/emulator/index.html platform: OS2 text: Freeware emulator for OS/2 links: - title: C64.COM url: http://www.c64.com/ text: Excellent and beautifully designed site, full of games to download. A must - title: c64.gr url: http://www.c64.gr/ text: C64 online emulator. Play favorite games in your browser! - title: 'c64files.com :: the ultimate C64 portal!' url: http://www.c64files.com/ text: News, Gaming, Music, Museum, Links etc. - title: Commodore 64 - url: http://folkvagn.commodore64.org text: Info about the C64 and successors, C64 emulators and the SID chip. Also contains C64 programs and a forum. In Swedish only. - title: Commodore 64 Game Endings url: http://www.c64endings.co.uk/ text: All your fave C64 game endings under one roof. - title: Commodore 64 Nostalgia url: http://www.staggs.pair.com/c64/ text: '' - title: Commodore Scene Magazine and Importing Service url: http://www.commodorescene.org.uk/ text: New publications, hardware and software for the Commodore 128/128d and C64 - title: Commodore Service Manuals url: http://www.devili.iki.fi/Computers/Commodore/ text: Commodore Service Manuals & other stuff - title: Commodore-64 Programmer's Library url: http://home.comcast.net/~c64proglib text: many of Robert Baker's early original magazine articles, programs and programming tips (not free) - title: Commodore-related Net Resources url: http://www.hut.fi/~msmakela/cbm/netresources.html text: '' - title: Good Old Games url: http://speccy.altervista.org/ text: Many games with screenshot comparisons, download and magazines - title: Greg and David's C64 Web page url: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gvincent/ text: '' - title: HV C64 CD's - The ultimate CD set full of software for the C64 url: http://www.talent.demon.co.uk/64/ text: '' - title: LEMON 64 url: http://www.lemon64.com/ text: The source for all Your Commodore 64 Gaming and News needs ! Quite impressive !!! - title: Mayhem64 url: http://www.mayhem64.co.uk/main.htm text: For all your C64 cartridge needs... and more! - title: Remixes of music from C-64 games url: http://remix.kwed.org text: Hear the tunes from your fav C64 games like you've never heard them before! - title: Stadium 64 url: http://s64.emuunlim.com/ text: Are you a sportgaming fan? Then this site is definitely for you! Over 1000 sportgames available for download. Lots of manuals, reviews, covers, adverts, screenshots, hints&tips, world records + a lot more! - title: The Commodore 8-bit WWW server url: http://www.hut.fi/~msmakela/cbm/ text: '' - title: The Secrets Weapons of Commodore url: http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/secret/ text: Awesome website ! Presents all the weird systems imagined by Commodore. - title: The Star Commander homepage url: http://sta.c64.org/sc.html text: '' - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: This is a bulletin board run on a Commodore 64! videos: - title: C64 assembly line pictures! url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vzfJLVS2YI text: 'Length: 6 min 56 s' related: - /museum/commodore-c128-c128d - /museum/commodore-c64 - /museum/commodore-c64-aldi - /museum/commodore-c64-golden-jubilee - /museum/commodore-c64c - /museum/commodore-c64g - /museum/commodore-educator-64 - /museum/commodore-lcd - /museum/commodore-sx-dx-64-executive-computer - /museum/eds-c64-edc oc_id: 1291 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230328163717/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1291 date: '2023-03-28' --- The VIC-1001 is the first of the VIC series of computers, which includes the tremendously successful [VIC-20](/museum/commodore-vic-20/). The VIC-1001 was only sold in Japan. As such, it includes a special character ROM and keyboard that allow the user to enter Katakana characters. As often with Commodore, the origin of the "-1001" moniker is unclear. It might be a reference to another popular Commodore system, the [PET-2001](/museum/commodore-pet-2001/). When he introduced the VIC-1001 to the world, Jack Tramiel uttered this unforgettable sentence: "The Japanese are coming, so we must become the Japanese!" (referring to the threats of low-cost systems from Japan) He then proceeded to create one of the most popular line of micro-computers of all time. --- Contributors: [Thomas Conté](http://www.pas.net/)