Retro Challenge: announcing Commodore Home

Home automation for the masses, not the classes

We need to build computers for the masses, not the classes – Jack Tramiel, Commodore founder

commodore_home

  • A: Commodore 64 computer running the “Commodore Home” application
  • B: UniJoystiCle WiFi device connected to the joystick ports
  • C: Alarm sensor using a WiFi device
  • D: Smartphone running the UniJoystiCle Controller app with the Commodore Home plugin
  • E: Commodore MPS 803 printer
  • F: Pulleys + gears connected to the printer header + dimmer knot

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RetroChallenge: C64 I.D.IoT.R Update #2

img_5276
UniJoystiCle WiFi receiver v0.4.0. Compatible with SX64 and C128D
  • Ordered a rubber belt + pulley to control the dimmer from the printer header
  • New UniJoystiCle PCB arrived (v0.4.0). I assembled one and works Ok both on the SX64 and the C128D. I just need to create a “user port” power cable for the SX64 since it doesn’t have a datasette port.
  • Started the UniJoystiCle desktop client in order to control the dimmer from the PC/Mac.
screen-shot-2016-10-14-at-5-34-36-pm
New UniJoystiCle Controller client for Windows, Mac and Linux

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Retrochallenge: Building the C64 I.D.IoT.R

I started building the C64 I.D.IoT.R a few months ago, but never finished it. What better than to finish it for the Retro Challenge contest.

C64 I.D.IoT.R is a smart light controlled from a C64. Its name means:

  • C64: Commodore 64
  • I: Intelligent
  • D: Dimmer
  • IoT: Internet Of Things:
  • R: RRRRR

What I have done so far is this: (and is not part of the contest since I built it two months ago):

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UniJoystiCle update #2

TL;DR

  • Station Mode (with or without WPS)
  • Inactivity timeout  & Joystick statistics
  • Auto-firmware upgrade
  • Better ways to power the WiFi device

Station mode and other features

One thing that bothered me was that I needed to switch WiFi networks every time that I wanted to use the UniJoystiCle. Not a major issue, but not ideal specially if you use your phone both for the UniJoystiCle and for “regular” stuff.

To solve that issue, I added WiFi Station mode support (Access Point mode is still supported). Basically the UniJoystiCle WiFi device, when in Station mode, can connect to any WiFi network. It also supports WPS (an auto-auth way to connect to a network). If Station mode fails, it will default to Access Point mode.

In order to switch to Station mode you have to:

  • Install firmware v0.4.3 (see below for more info)
  • Boot the UniJoystiCle WiFi device (it will boot in Access Point mode)
  • Connect to the unijoysticle-xxyyzz WiFi Network
  • Open the web page: http://unijoysticle.local
  • Select “Station” mode, put the credential (SSID and password) and reboot!

From http://unijoysticle.local you can also configure the “Inactivity timeout”: how many seconds without activity should elapse before all the joystick lines are set to Low (simulates no joystick movements).

I also added statistics: It tells you how many seconds you spent on the different joystick positions, and how many movements you did. Useful, right? 🙂

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UniJoystiCle Commando Mode, Game Controllers and other news

Since UniJoystiCle v0.3 was released back in July many things were added.

Android client:  It has all the iOS features, except Gyruss mode which will be added soon.

iOS client: It is available on the App Store.

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UniJoystiCle news #1

I’ve just released a new firmware version for the UniJoystiCle (v0.4.0). It supports the new Commando Mode.

The new Android client with Commando mode can be downloaded from here:

The iOS client will be available as soon as Apple approves it (usually a few days) and will be available here:

In order to upgrade the firmware, please follow these steps:

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CommVEx XII and VCF West XI recap

Two weeks ago I attended the Commodore Vegas Expo XII, and last week I’ve been at the Vintage Computer Festival West XI.

CommVEx XII

As the name describes it, it was a Commodore Expo in Las Vegas. But the format is a mix between conference and expo. It is a real expo, but with the social part of a conference. It is friendly and casual.

People give talks in a very informal way. I gave a talk + live demo about the UniJoystiCle. Everything went well except that in the middle of the demo my phone’s glass broke. But that wasn’t an issue since the accelerometer kept working.

Doing the UniJoystiCle demo

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