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website/content/museum/commodore-c116.md
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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 3eeabe9649 Full content from the completed page crawl (media download still running) 
6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun.
4,336 media files so far; references to files not downloaded yet are left out.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-12 07:55:22 +02:00

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---
title: Commodore C116
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1984'
cpus:
- '7501'
params:
name: C116
image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_c116_3.jpg
company: /companies/commodore
company_name: Commodore
specs:
- label: NAME
value: C116
- 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: Chicklet keyboard, 65 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: VIC-II (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: Unknown
- 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: Unknown
tabs:
- photos
- hardware
- emulators
- links
photos:
- title: C116 AND PERIPHERALS
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The C116, the 1531 cassette player and the Commodore joystick.
[Thomas Conté](http://www.pas.net)
image: /media/museum/photos/c116_accessories.jpg
- title: FIRST KEYBOARD PROTOTYPE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_c116_2.jpg
hardware:
- title: TAPE-RECORDER
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_c16_taperecorder_1.jpg
emulators:
- title: Minus4 - Plus4 Emulator for DOS & Windows
url: http://minus4.plus4.net/
platform: MS DOS
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: 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
comments:
- author: Richard (Australia)
date: Monday 23rd December 2013
text: Hi guys, I have a Commodore 116. I purchased it from the US but bought it without a power adaptor. Seems like a rare machine, as you don''t see many on line at all.
- author: Thomas Cherryhomes (USA)
date: Sunday 5th December 2010
text: |-
Guys,
The comment about the C116 being a cut down C16 is \_VERY\_ wrong.
Bil Herd, the machine''s designer has said, on many occasions, that the original host for the TED \_WAS\_ the C116, a $49 machine intended to compete with the Sinclair line of machines.
The resulting design was then twisted by management, to become the 1xx, 2xx, and 3xx machines... 116, 232, 264, 364 etc respectively (the difference between the 264 and 364 being that the 364 had a numeric keypad AND the Magic Voice cartridge built onto the motherboard) ...
The 264 was then taken by management, had productivity software bolted onto it, and it became the Plus-4, a machine with little Commodore 64 compatibility, costing in the same price range as the Commodore 64. A total fail.
The Commodore 16, came LATE in the TED''s development lifecycle, when management decided that they needed to have a replacement for the VIC-20, so they took the VIC-20 cases and keyboards, repainted them, and refactored the TED design to fit in them.
- author: lizardb0y (New Zealand)
date: Saturday 28th August 2010
text: 'Some years ago I bought one of these in New Zealand. I was told by the seller that it has been imported by the New Zealand distributer (or maybe Commodore NZ) to evaluate, but it was such rubbish they decided not to sell it here. Only the single unit was ever officially imported. I have subsequently lost the email correspondence about it, so if you have any further info about this particular machine, please get in touch with me: http://www.evil.geek.nz/contact'
- author: Chris (Great Britain)
date: Thursday 22nd July 2010
text: Hey guys, great site. Just thought I''d point out that you got the C116''s co-processor wrong, it''s the TED, not the VIC-II.
related:
- /museum/commodore-c16
- /museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364
oc_id: 1125
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230201145309/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1125
date: '2023-02-01'
---
The C116 was revealed at the 1984 Summer CES. It was the cheapest Commodore computer ever made.
Bil Herd, the machine''s designer has said, on many occasions, that the original host for the TED was the C116, a $49 machine intended to compete with the Sinclair line of machines.
The resulting design was then twisted by management, to become the 1xx, 2xx, and 3xx machines... 116, [232, 264, 364](/museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364/) etc respectively (the difference between the 264 and 364 being that the 364 had a numeric keypad AND the Magic Voice cartridge built onto the motherboard) ...
The 264 was then taken by management, had productivity software bolted onto it, and it became the [Plus-4](/museum/commodore-plus-4-c232-264-364/), a machine with little Commodore 64 compatibility, costing in the same price range as the Commodore 64. A total fail.
The [Commodore 16](/museum/commodore-c16/), came LATE in the TED''s development lifecycle, when management decided that they needed to have a replacement for the [VIC-20](/museum/commodore-vic-20/), so they took the VIC-20 cases and keyboards, repainted them, and refactored the TED design to fit in them.
It was sold only in Germany and a few East European countries.
It came comes with 32 KB of ROM, only 16 KB of RAM and without any built-in software. Like the C16, it didn't have a user port.
Commodore's hatred for shift keys finds expression in the very early C116's keyboard layout. This time, they made it even worse and removed the LEFT shift key and placed an Esc key there! Not to mention the Inst/Del key which resided at the SHIFT LOCK key's place. The versions sold later had the Inst/Del key next to the Home/Clear key in the top row next to the function keys, the Esc key where you would want it, and thank God, a left shift key again.
---
**Contributors:** Thomas Cherryhomes
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