Landover BBS - Commodore 128 & PET - since 1987

I'm salvaging parts from a dead 128 I have here and it happens to have JiffyDOS installed.  Thought I'd move it to one of my working 128s.

The switch also appears to be broken and needs to be replaced.  I notice the switch has 3 pins on it.  Excuse the newb question, but I believe that means it's a SPDT switch - am I correct?

However, one of the pins appears to be unused.  Does that mean I can use a SPST switch instead?  Any reason to use one over the other?

Thanks!

Hi -

Just getting back into the C= scene, and I have a variety of systems here I'm getting running (C64C, C128, C128DCR).  I'm hoping the main system I use will be the C128DCR, but there's a chance I might have to fall back to a C128 if I can't get the 128DCR running 100%.

I'm looking at buying some stuff from go4retro.com.  I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can answer:

 - Regarding the ZoomFloppy, I see there is an option to add an IEE connector.  What is the IEE connector, and what would I use it for?

 - Regarding the UIEC, I'm a bit confused regarding the Basic vs Deluxe daughterboards.  I may be wrong, but my understanding is that the Basic version attaches via an IEC cable and also takes power from the cassett port.  I also believe that the Deluxe version attaches to the cartridge port instead and does not need the cassette port for power - but does still need the IEC cable.  Is this correct?  I see that the Basic version is recommended for the C128DCR because it's attached with cables and can be moved to the front of the machine, but is there any reason I'd want easy access to it?  Because of the "button for swap list navigation"?  Is this used to swap disks, or for something else?

 - Does anyone make a nice enclosure for the UIEC?  I was hoping to see something on Shapeways.com but did not.  I guess I could hack it into some kind of project box, but I'd prefer to pay someone to do a better job than I could.    I'd rather not modify the computer's casing in any way.

 - If I wanted JiffyDOS but did not care about speeding up the floppy drive, could I simply order the C128 version for my C128DCR?  I assume with that version I would get the JiffyDOS speed benefits when using the UIEC, but not with the internal 1571 - am I correct?  What is the included switch for, in case I want to disable JiffyDOS?

 - I'm a bit confused on the separate "RoM Overlay" images available for JiffyDOS.  So, I buy the chip itself but need to load the image onto it?  How is that done?

Sorry for the newb questions, but wanted to make sure I understand everything before ordering.

Thanks in advance!!

Hey guys -

Just getting into the retro computer world.  I had and loved my C64 back in the day, then went straight to the Amiga - never owned a C128.  Picked up a bunch of stuff and now trying to put it all together. 

I have a Commodore/Amiga 1080 montitor with a 9-pin RGB connector, and a cable that works 100% with my C128.  80 column mode works fine.

Question #1:  Am I correct that 80 column mode is the only mode that works over the RGB output?  If I switch the C128 to 40 column mode or go to C64 mode only the composite output works.

Anyway, that's it for the back story.  Now on to my 128D where my problems arise:

Before I got the RGB monitor and cable I was messing with the 128D and tried putting it in 80 column mode with only a composite output.  Once I did that I could not get it to boot into 128 mode even using 40 columns - just hang on boot.  I found I could boot direct into C64 mode by holding the C= key.  I thought something fried, but I found that after "resting" the computer for a while 128 mode started working again.  I repeated this one more time with the same results which seems very strange, but nonetheless true.

So, fast forward to today.  I have the 1080 and an RGB cable that both work on my C128 so thought I'd try them on my 128D.  It does boot into 80 column mode, but the picture scrolls vertically and I cannot get the scrolling to stop no matter how I adjust the 1080 VHOLD knob.

I did a bit of googling (dangerous) and thought the problem might be with the 8563 chip, so I thought I'd open my C128 and C128D and swap the chip between the two to see what happened but found that my C128D had an 8568 chip in its place.

So, back to square one.  Any suggestions on what could be causing this issue on my C128D?  How should I go about trying to solve?

Thanks!!!!