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---
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 &lt;$252$>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 &lt;$223$>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').