--- title: Commodore C64 Aldi categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1987' cpus: - MOS 8500 - 6510 compatible params: name: C64 Aldi image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_64aldi_system_s1.jpg company: /companies/commodore company_name: Commodore specs: - label: NAME value: C64 Aldi - label: MANUFACTURER value: Commodore - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1987' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Commodore BASIC V2 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke 66 keys with 4 function keys - label: CPU value: MOS 8500 - 6510 compatible - label: SPEED value: 0.985 MHz (PAL) / 1.023 MHz (NTSC) - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: VIC II (Video), SID (Sound), MMU (memory management) - label: RAM value: 64 KB - label: ROM value: 20 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 columns x 25 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 'several, most used : 320 x 200' - label: COLORS value: 16 + 16 border colours - label: SOUND value: 3 voices / 9 octaves, 4 waveforms (sound output through TV) - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 40.4 (W) x 21.6 (D) x 7.5 (H) cm / 1820 g - label: I/O PORTS value: RGB (composite, chroma/luma and sound in/out), 2 x Joystick, Cardridge slot, Tape interface (300 bps), Serial, User Port, TV RF output - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: External cassette unit or 170 KB 5.25'' floppy disc unit (1541) - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External power adaptor - label: PRICE value: Unknown tabs: - photos - hardware - emulators - links - videos photos: - title: C=64 ALDI subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_64aldi_system_s2.jpg - title: BOTH SIDES subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_64aldi_sides_s1.jpg - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- Same connectors as the standard C64, from left to right:\ • Programmable Expansion port / cartridge slot\ • TV channel adjustment\ • RF/TV aerial video output\ • Audio-Video RGB output\ • Programmable Serial DIN socket\ • Tape recorder connector\ • Programmable IEEE488 user port. image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_64aldi_rearcon_s1.jpg - title: MOTHERBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- Detailed information about this board is available in the [C=64G](/museum/commodore-c64g/) entry. The main difference between this first revision and the final C=64G's is that the RAM chip (blue mark) used for storing screen color data would be integrated into the MMU chipset. image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_64aldi_inside_s1.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' comments: - author: Robert date: Monday 6th May 2013 text: I had one of these in the USA, I bought it at Sears for $100. - author: Eric Wolff date: Sunday 14th April 2013 text: Also its a misinformation that they lack 9V the 64 magazine (again) believed because of a change in the motherboard Without a 12V regulator it wouldnt be generated anymore but it was a blatant mistake. - author: Eric Wolff (Luxembourg) date: Sunday 14th April 2013 text: It s not correct to say only Aldi because they got also sold by Quelle , Wertkauf and others but Aldi being the most prominent in pushing the sales made the 64 magazine nickname it the Aldi C64. See http://www.c64-wiki.de/index.php/C64_Aldi for more info its in german though. related: - /museum/commodore-c128-c128d - /museum/commodore-c64 - /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/commodore-vic-1001 - /museum/eds-c64-edc oc_id: 1138 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230501234917/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1138 date: '2023-05-01' --- Externally, the C=64 Aldi had same case colour as a standard [C=64](/museum/commodore-c64/) but the keyboard was light grey, like the future [C=64G](/museum/commodore-c64g/) and [C=64C](/museum/commodore-c64c/). Internally, the motherboard was redesigned to minimize production costs, most of the TTL chips were removed, replaced with a new MMU chipset. First releases of this board had some compatibility problems with C=64 peripherals - they lacked the 9V user port voltage, but this limitation was repaired in the next revisions. Although made in USA, the Aldi was sold only in Germany as a game machine through only one distribution channel, a supermarket chain called... Aldi, hence his name, given by the German 64'er magazine. In 1989, the C=64 Aldi would be replaced by the grey C=64G which would use the same motherboard. Thanks (again :-) to [Roman von Wartburg](http://retrocomputing.ch/) for the pictures.