--- title: Commodore C16 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1984' cpus: - '7501' params: name: C16 image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_system_s2.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/c16_logo.gif company: /companies/commodore company_name: Commodore specs: - label: NAME value: C16 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Commodore - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1984' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Commodore BASIC 3.5 - Built-in machine code monitor (12 commands) - label: KEYBOARD value: 66 keys with 4 function keys and 4 cursor keys - label: CPU value: '7501' - label: SPEED value: 0.89 MHz or 1.76 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: TED (video & sound) - label: RAM value: 16 KB (12 KB free for user) - label: ROM value: 32 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 chars. x 25 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 320 x 200 / 320 x 160 (with 5 lines of text) / 160 x 200 / 160 x 160 (with 5 lines of text) - label: COLORS value: 121 (15 colours x 8 luminances + black) - label: SOUND value: two channels; 4 octaves + white noise - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 40.7 (W) x 20.4 (D) x 7.7 (H) cm - label: I/O PORTS value: Tape, Cardridge, Joystick (2), serial, Composite Video, TV - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: Cassette unit. Provision for 5.25 - label: OS value: ROM Based - label: PRICE value: £129.99 (C16 starter pack) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - emulators - links forum_thread: 112 photos: - title: C16 HIGH RESOLUTION subtitle: '' text: '[Thomas Conté](http://www.pas.net)' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16.jpg - title: C16 subtitle: '' text: C16 case and keyboard are quite the same as the C64, except black and grey colours. image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_system_1.jpg - title: C16 CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_keybcloseup_1.jpg - title: INSIDE THE C16 subtitle: '' text: |- The C16 is very similar to the Vic 20... but, unfortunately, is not compatible with it concerning joysticks, cassette recorder and, most important, software.\ In fact, the Commodore 16 is only compatible with the Plus/4, both systems being supposed to replace the aging Vic 20 and Commodore 64.\ From a technical point of view, many standard circuits are replaced with the single TED chip and the keyboard is better than those of its great brothers. **(1)** The 7501 processor uses a 6502 compatible instruction set but can manage more than 64 Kb of memory.\ **(2)** Along with the CPU, the TED circuit manages the whole system and holds the machine language monitor.\ **(3)** This small component is a quartz which synchronizes the microprocessor and the other circuits.\ **(4)** ROM chip holding version 3.5 of the Commodore Basic language.\ **(5)** ROM chip holding the Commodore 0perating System called Kernel.\ **(6)** Circuit in charge of inputs/outputs management (keyboard, cassette, interfaces...)\ **(7)** 16 Kb. RAM hold in two 4416 memory chips (16000 cells of 4 bits each). image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_mainboard_1.jpg - title: C16 REAR VIEW subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Joystick 1 & 2 miniDIN plugs\ **(2)** Reset switch\ **(3)** Power jack and switch. Power is supplied by an external AC adaptor\ **(4)** Memory expansion and ROM cartridges connector\ **(5)** Video TV/RF output jack\ **(6)** RGB video DIN output\ **(7)** Serial interface DIN plug\ **(8)** Tape recorder MiniDIN plug image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_back_1.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_16_box_1.jpg adverts: - title: NEW-ZEALAND ADVERT (OCT. 1985) subtitle: '' text: from Bits & Bytes magazine... image: null hardware: - title: TAPE-RECORDER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_c16_taperecorder_1.jpg screenshots: - title: C264 BOOT SCREEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_boot-ss.jpg - title: FINANCIAL ADVISOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_financial-advisor_ss.jpg - title: FINDERS KEEPERS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_finderskeepers_ss.jpg - title: AUF WIEDERSEHEN MONTY subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_aufwiedersenhenmonty_ss.jpg - title: JACK ATTACK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_jackattack_ss.jpg - title: KAZIK AND THE GHOSTS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_kazikandtheghosts_ss.jpg - title: KRAKOUT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_krakout_ss.jpg - title: MATRIX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/commodore_c16_matric_ss.jpg emulators: - title: Minus4 - Plus4 Emulator for DOS & Windows url: http://minus4.plus4.net/ platform: MS DOS text: '' - title: Mike Dailly's PC +4 emulator url: http://www.scotch.demon.co.uk/ platform: Windows text: '' - title: Tom Koenig's +4 Emulator url: http://www.ping.at/members/tomking/A4/ platform: Windows text: '' - title: WinEMU url: http://winemu.emuunlim.com/ platform: Windows text: C16 / Plus4 emulator for Windows & DOS, developed by Zsolt Prievara - title: YAPE url: http://YAPE.PLUS4.NET platform: Windows text: PLUS/4 Emulator for Windows - title: Tom Koenig's Amiga +4 Emulator url: http://www.ping.at/members/tomking/A4/ platform: Amiga OS text: '' - title: VICE url: http://www.viceteam.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: VICE emulates a bunch of 8-bit Commodore computers including the Plus 4 links: - title: Commodore Plus/4 World url: http://plus4.emucamp.com/ text: Massive sites with games to download! - title: The C16 - Plus 4 Retro Page url: http://YAPE.PLUS4.NET text: Excellent dedicated site, full of info - title: www.commodore16.com url: http://www.commodore16.com/ text: Excellent dedicated site with software database, forum, and much more - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Discussion about Commodore micros related: - /museum/commodore-c116 - /museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364 oc_id: 97 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230601001911/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=97 date: '2023-06-01' --- The Commodore 16 belongs to the [Commodore 264](/museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364/) series (with the Commodore C116 and [Plus/4](/museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364/)). It was designed to replace the Commodore [VIC 20](/museum/commodore-vic-20/), but it was not compatible with the VIC-20, nor with the [C64](/museum/commodore-c64/). It had the same characteristics as the Commodore Plus/4 : same graphic resolution, same sound system, same CPU and speed, just less memory.\ It featured a version of the original 6502 CPU named 7501, and a new video chip named TED. With 16 colours, and 16 shades of colour, it had an amazing 128 colours available.\ But it had no hardware sprites like the ones on the VIC II chip, so animated games and collision detection were very hard to do. It featured a powerful basic language (contrary to the VIC-20 or the C64) which makes graphics and sounds easy to program. The C16, like the Commodore Plus/4 was a commercial failure and had little success. It seems that the first C16s had the two control ports labelled JOY 0 and JOY 1 instead of JOY 1 and JOY 2, just as a hint for collectors :-) Note that as well as the C116, the C16 lacks a user port.\ Final assembly was done in Mexico by a company named Sigma.