Wi-Fi Modem for the Commodore 64

Leif Bloomquist and Alex BurgerWorld of Commodore 2015December 5, 2015Toronto, Canada

Wi-Fi Modem for the Commodore 64

Wi-Fi Modem for the Commodore 64 User Port device Hayes emulation or menu-driven All RS-232 lines (RTS, DCD, DTR, RI, etc) connected to User

Port 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi Onboard TCP/IP stack includes DHCP, UDP, DNS, ARP, ICMP,

HTTP client, and TCP Secure Wi-Fi authentication via WEP, WPA-PSK (TKIP), and

WPA2-PSK (AES) UP9600 hack supported Onboard MicroView (Arduino Uno with OLED) - Programmable 64 x 48 OLED display Reset Buttons for C64/MicroView/Wifly

Block Diagram

C64Acces

sPoint

RN-XV“Wifly”Module

“MicroView”Arduino

Uno+OLED

Serial Serial 802.11

Wi-FiRS-232 Signals

Terminal Program

(Novaterm, Striketerm,

CCGMS, etc)

Arduino Sketch(Hayes

Emulation, Custom)

RN-171 Firmware

(802.11 Wi-Fi, TCP/IP Stack, DHCP, DNS,

etc)

Optional Direct Connection for Debugging/Configuration

GPIO

Wi-Fi Modem Configurations

Default: As per block diagram

Standalone: Power jack provided for +3.7V to +16V to use the MicroView and RN-XV on their own

Interfacing: Remove RN-XV Wifly and use MicroView’s GPIO to interface C64 to outside world (analog input, PWM output, digital I/O and I²C) – all pins broken out along top of board

Firmware - Two Options

“Menu” Firmware: Simple Menu-driven interface

Dial Out (to a BBS or Telnet Host i.e. Linux)

Receive Incoming “calls”

Configuration of SSID and misc. options through interactive prompts

Firmware - Two Options

“Hayes” Firmware: Emulates a Hayes-compatible modem with AT commands,

+++, etc.

Dial Out with ATDT

Receive Incoming “calls” (potentially run a BBS) Sends RING Auto-answers or waits for ATA

Configuration of SSID and misc. options through extended Hayes commands i.e. AT&SSID=

Firmware - Two Options

Features common to both: Autostart option: Will automatically connect to a given

host i.e. CommodoreServer when powered on

Phone book (stored in EEPROM)

Configuration (stored in EEPROM)

Automatic baud detection at startup

ASCII and PETSCII Support

Prototype Boards

Production Boards

Current Status

Small team of beta testers working with prototypes

Firmware in beta state but quite usable

Code and documentation on GitHub (https://github.com/LeifBloomquist/WiFiModem)

Yes, they are for sale! Price $150 USD Recommend MicroView programmer for $20 more

Developer and User Support Forum: http://www.jammingsignal.com (click FORUMS)

Live Demo