--- title: Commodore SX/DX 64 - Executive computer categories: - Computers types: - Transportable origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1983' cpus: - '6510' params: name: SX/DX 64 - Executive computer company: /companies/commodore company_name: Commodore specs: - label: NAME value: SX/DX 64 - Executive computer - label: MANUFACTURER value: Commodore - label: TYPE value: Transportable - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1983' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: SX-64 Basic v2.0 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke detachable keyboard, 66 keys, 4 function keys - label: CPU value: '6510' - label: SPEED value: 1 Mhz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: VIC II (Video), SID (Sound) - label: RAM value: 64k (38911 bytes free) - label: ROM value: 20k - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 chars. x 25 lines with 16 colors - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 'several, most used : 320 x 200' - label: COLORS value: '16' - label: SOUND value: 3 voices, 9 octaves, 4 waveforms - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 36.8 (W) x 36.8 (D) x 12.7 (H) cm - label: I/O PORTS value: 2 joystick sockets (Atari standard), cartridge slot, expansion port, serial, RGB video output, keyboard - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: |- SX-64 : 1 x 5''1/4 FDD\ DX-64 : 2 x 5''1/4 FDD - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in power supply unit - label: PERIPHERALS value: Z80 card - label: PRICE value: 'SX-64 : US$ 1000 (USA, may 1983) - £895 (U.K., 1984)' tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - emulators - links - docs - videos photos: - title: 'SX-64 #1' subtitle: '' text: Special thanks to **Marc Horchler** who donated us the pictured computer image: null - title: 'SX-64 #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'SX-64 #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: FRONT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: RUNNING SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: Same well known boot-up screen as the Commodore 64. image: null - title: CARTRIDGE SLOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: FRONT BUTTONS subtitle: '' text: These buttons, protected by a cover, allow video and sound adjustments, as well as the floppy drive reset. image: null - title: FRONT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'CLOSED #1' subtitle: '' text: The cable you see below the computer is used to connect the detachable keyboard to the central unit. If you find a SX-64, make sure you get this cable as it is often missing. image: null - title: 'CLOSED #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'CLOSED #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'CLOSED #4' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: REAR PANEL subtitle: '' text: |- From left to right :\ • 2 joystick DB9 sockets,\ • RGB video output DIN socket,\ • Serial DIN socket,\ • Expansion port,\ • Power in,\ • Fuse,\ • ON/OFF switch image: null - title: 'REAR #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: KEYBOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: UNCOVERED subtitle: '' text: The upper plasic housing was replaced with a second floppy drive in the DX-64 version. image: null - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Main CPU card\ **(2)** I/O card. The cartridge slot is connected to this card\ **(3)** Floppy drive controller card\ **(4)** Power supply unit\ **(5)** Video CRT card image: null - title: INSIDE CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: COMMODORE LABEL subtitle: '' text: Where we can see that this model was manufactured in Japan, in December 1983 image: null - title: SX500 subtitle: '' text: |- The SX500 was an Amiga 500 cased into a SX64 chassis. Only a few prototypes were made, although the machines creator has 1 of them, often shown at Computer shows over in the states. It used the same case, as you can see where the top cartridge slot has been blocked off! About the SX-500, **Bob Eller** adds:\ Your SX-500 picture is a one of a kind computer built by Dale Luck, who was with the Amiga Los Gatos engineering team. As I understand it, he wanted a portable Amiga and put the machine in a gutted SX-64 case. Thanks to **Malcolm Ramage** - Picture from **www.retrobits.com** image: null - title: MIDI SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: |- **John Tudder** sent us this amazing pictures along with the following comment:\ I made some great music and played live with this setup. All in a rack mount now. image: null - title: GPIB VERSION subtitle: '' text: This special version held a GPIB interface controller. It was probably modified by a third company. image: null adverts: - title: US ADVERT subtitle: '' text: |- This guy has so much power in his hands that he has attracted two girls (so far) in his swimming-pool ! Notice the classical symbol of the 80s adverts : the glass of orange juice with a straw... image: null - title: UK ADVERT (1984) subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Tony Mattson for this picture image: null - title: NEW ZEALAND ADVERT subtitle: '' text: dated February 1984 from Bits & Bytes magazine image: null 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: SONG PRODUCER subtitle: from Moog text: MIDI interface with sequencer software plugged in an SX-64 computer. image: null - 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! docs: - title: COMMODORE SX-64 USER'S GUIDE url: null cover: null text: |- **COMMODORE SX-64 USER'S GUIDE**\ written by Commodore  compiled/archived by Russ Riebel\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** videos: - title: C64 assembly line pictures! url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vzfJLVS2YI text: 'Length: 6 min 56 s' comments: - author: AB PP (USA) date: Tuesday 28th November 2017 text: I want one. I am willing to pay up to $100 for it. Let me know! - author: Silent-Hunter (USA) date: Friday 10th October 2014 text: I have one of these, it is very nice! The only issue is a timing problem with the cartridge port, preventing me from using the MicroSD card reader I bought for it. - author: Shorrdan date: Saturday 17th December 2011 text: It is in perfect condition. There are no bugs no errors and has all of it''s parts. No scratches no dents perfect condition. - author: Shorrdan (california) date: Saturday 17th December 2011 text: I am willing to sell my commodore 64 for $1000 minimum price max price is $2000 - author: M Phinney date: Sunday 28th August 2011 text: |- I have one of these for Sale, everything seems to work, can supply pictures and info, also have other old computers as well. Sx-64 $1000 plus actual shipping\ Paypal only\ mac@maltam.com - author: Mike (Kingwood, TX) date: Saturday 23rd April 2011 text: I have one of these for sale but I don''t know if I trust shipping it, not to mention the shipping cost but if anyone in the Houston area wants one... http://houston.craigslist.org/sys/2341598316.html - author: Joshq date: Wednesday 20th April 2011 text: I''d buy one of those! - author: commodore 64 date: Thursday 9th September 2010 text: yeah, i wouldn''t mind having one if i can get one at a decent price with everything working. back then, it was the holy grail of everything c64. - author: Mr. Commodore (Atari Land) date: Saturday 14th February 2009 text: |- I''m scared to the Z80 of 2 things:\ Computer Viruses and spiders\ Emulators realy make me chew my fingernails, I had to buy my own copy of windows for my computer and I do NOT want to have to wipe the windows partition of my Mac... That would be $200 and 4 months of mowing lawns, shoveling leaves and blowing snow down the so very unforgiving drain. :(\ Back to the point can any of you fellow computer nerds help me find an emulator that I KNOW I can trust? I need it to be small because I have the "You are running out of disk space, click on this message to have windows $ the presious non-replaceable files you collected over a period of 1 year" message popping up whenever I start Windows. All sugestions are welcome, Thanks! (sorry i ramble sometimes) - author: FATAL EROR! (england county durham) date: Tuesday 3rd October 2006 text: do they have a battery if so what is the battery life like on them? if not can you rig one up for it? - author: Dave (USA) date: Friday 11th August 2006 text: |- (Sigh!) I was lucky enough to own an SX-64 back when the Commodore 64 was still very popular. With a bit of skill, the SX-64 could be nicely modified into a dream machine that caught everyone's attention at computer user group meetings. First, I remember that there was a commercial hardware product called the SX-Flash, which was a truely transparant speed-up mod that worked with all games, plus added some nice fast dos commands (fast load cartridges were good, but they didn't work with some copy protected games). Second, there were some great home-grown modifications that could be done, with nice places to hide the switches. We added a drive number selector switch so that the built in drive could be device 8 or 9, complete with an LED number display mounted flush right next to the drive in the area between the drive and monitor. We also added a write-protect always on/off toggle switch for the drive and mounted a flush red/green LED in the same area. (This was specifically for one guy in the user's group who had a bad habit of not keeping the source & destination drives straight and copying his blanks onto others' software disks.) I was software librarian and finally found an SFD Dual Drive. This was one of the best drives ever made for the C-64 family and it made the SX-64 the perfect portable disk duplicator for club meetings. - author: eror (?) date: Thursday 27th July 2006 text: im after one - author: Jae (US) date: Thursday 7th April 2005 text: I have a sx 64 from a friend that works, but didn't come with a keyboard cable. A straight db25 female cable will work, you just have to get the cable to fit in the recess. The pins are not actually narrower, it just looks that way. - author: Søren Peo Pedersen (Greve, Denmark) date: Wednesday 15th December 2004 text: |- My first computer was an SX-64 as shown on the exhibit page. Rare as they go, mine was even rigged by the danish branch of Commodore to have danish letters (Æ/æ, Ø/ø and Å/å) on both keyboard and on screen. Here are a few tips about it: The floppy drive on the executive will work on pretty much any 5.25" floppies that you can get hold of. For info on using the machine and it's built-in Basic and OS, search the Net for info on the Commodore 64. There's both the user manual and the in-depth "Programmer's Reference Guide" - read these as if you had a "regular" Commodore 64 rigged up with a 1541 floppy disk drive and a monitor. The only things that don't apply to the Executive, is the use of the "Datasette" and casette tape storage. Beware of expansions that go into the "User Port" at the rear of this machine. In at least the SX, one side of the 9 V AC available at the user port is connected to the DC ground, whereas in the Commodore 64, the same 9 V AC supply is electrically "floating" relative to the DC.\ So things like e.g. RS232 interfaces, designed for the user port on a Commodore 64, might fry either itself or the (supposedly compatible) machine if plugged into an Executive 64... About the keyboard cable: Allthough the connectors in the keyboard and on the main unit may look like standard DB25 females, they are not - at least the spacing between the two rows of pins are narrower than standard.\ In case you consider replacing the connectors with standard DB-25's and soldering your own keyboard cable: I'm not perfectly sure about it, but as far as I recall from hunting down a "flaky" connection in my cable, most (if not all) of the wires go straght through, from pin #n on the keyboard, to the same pin #n at the main unit (numbering just as if they were DB-25's). - author: Steve (England) date: Tuesday 2nd November 2004 text: Hi, I have an dm sx64, does anybody know anything about these. I cant find anything about it on the net and it's the only one i have ever come across on ebay, is this an increadibly rare machine?????? - author: titanshea (Tennessee) date: Tuesday 21st September 2004 text: I am looking for a keyboard cable for my sx-64 - author: dale (uk) date: Sunday 8th February 2004 text: i have an sx 64 with the keyboard cable but no keyboard can any one help????? i have had it for years and ut works perfectly on cartridge games. - author: Simon (Milan, Italy) date: Thursday 9th January 2003 text: |- Hi Team,\ i'm looking for the current used price for this wonderful C64/EX ! any idea ?\ Simon 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-vic-1001 - /museum/eds-c64-edc oc_id: 524 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230205011417/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=524 date: '2023-02-05' --- The SX/DX 64 is the "laptop version" (though hardly portable) of the [C64](/museum/commodore-c64/). This computer has a built-in 5" color screen (just about enough for the eyes), a detachable keyboard with new functions, and one or two 5.25" floppy disk drives (the famous 1541), depending on the model. The DX-64 and the SX-100 (SX-64 with black & white monitor) were first announced in January 1983 but the SX-100 never made it to the shelves and was replaced by the SX-64 later that year. One important feature is that the SX/DX-64 lacks a cassette interface ! People who upgraded from the classic C64 couldn't play their games stored on tapes ! Some programs that used the tape buffer for storage (of sprites say) had problems too.\ The cartridge slot is found on top of the case, and there is a sound speaker inside the unit (unlike the C64). The DX-64 has the same characteristics as the SX64 except its two 5.25" floppy disk drives instead of one. A very small quantity was produced. It was probably never sold but only used by Commodore insiders. The SX64 and DX64 computers never had success, probably because of higher selling prices, but were known as the world's first color portables. The SX64 was not the only machine that Commodore made in this chassis, there was also the SX500, which was an Amiga in the SX case (see 'More pictures').