The last pieces of the c64 puzzle

So since the last post I have acquired the last piece that I was looking for to round out my c64 setup - a Commodore 1701 CRT monitor:


It took me quite a while to find one of these in Australia that was in good condition but that wasn't several hundred dollars.  Good things do come to those who wait (sometimes at least).  It's in excellent condition - it did get mishandled during shipping which resulted in a crack in the top of the case which is a shame.  Other than that though it functions perfectly and has the front little cover on the controls in one piece as well!  I needed to order a different video cable to the one I had - so I ordered this guy from Hercules Workshop (my other s-video cable was from them and is awesome quality - thanks guys!).   Once I had the monitor and cable I set about making a more permanent setup for my c64 - that would give me my "electronics workbench" (ie half of my desk) back.  First I made the shelf you see above that the monitor is sitting on, along with the 1541 disk drive, with the c64 underneath.  I then made a new desk specifically for the c64:


Both were just made with cheap pine from a local hardware store, with a decent amount of sanding and some clear varnish for finishing.  This gives me space for my c64 and all associated bits and gives me my desk back now its all working:


The other piece that I have actually had for a while is a wifi modem:



That's right - wifi modem on a c64.  It's based on an ESP8266 - details here.  Plugs straight into the user port and works really well for connecting to BBS's over telnet:



And that's it.  Hardware wise it's all pretty complete now.  I've been working my way through the c64 users guide relearning how to program on the c64 in basic and 6502 assembly.  Once done with that I have a copy of the c64 programmers reference guide to work through too.  I'm playing a bunch of games on it - both old and new.  If you are reading this and have a c64 (or even just an emulator) check out Galencia - its awesome!  I am also really loving the new fan magazine Freeze64 - the author Vinny puts a ridiculous amount of effort into each issue and it shows.  

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