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Rewrite from the seller's listings and a build log: designer is Rob 'Peepo' Taylor, Bob's Bits is the shop; the cited GitHub repo and retrohax link do not exist and the project is not open-hardware; correct the 250466 row (it is a long board with two 41464s, a 6581 SID and a separate 2114 colour RAM); point to bwack's genuinely open replicas
 
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{{Infobox hardware
{{Infobox hardware
| name          = SixtyClone “Bare-Board” Project
| name          = SixtyClone
| image          = [[File:SixtyClone_250407_PCB.jpg|260px]]
| image          = [[File:SixtyClone_250407_PCB.jpg|260px]]
| caption        = Green-solder-mask SixtyClone 250407 replica PCB (rev b)
| caption        = A SixtyClone Commodore 64 replica PCB
| developer      = “Bob’s Bits” community project (lead: Rob Taylor)<br />contributors incl. Jim Drew, Leif Bloomquist & C64 enthusiasts world-wide
| developer      = Rob "Peepo" Taylor
| type          = Drop-in replica Commodore 64 mainboard (bare PCB only)
| type          = Replica Commodore 64 logic board, bare PCB
| first_released = late 2016 (initial 250407 gerbers uploaded)
| manufacturer  = Sold by Bob's Bits (United Kingdom)
| latest_release = rev E gerber set (2022) – 250407, 250466 & 250469 variants
| application    = Commodore 64 assemblies 250407, 250466 and 250469
| layers        = 4-layer FR-4, ENIG finish, gold fingers
| compatibility  = 100 % electrical* with original C64 ICs & shields<br />(*one bodge wire on early rev A to route VIC /Φ0)
| features      = • modern 4-layer impedance control<br />• enlarged silkscreen legends & test-pads<br />• optional dual-kernal footprints + JiffyDOS jumper<br />• consolidated decoupling network & “silk-BOM” printing
| model          = SixtyClone-250407 / -250466 / -250469
}}
}}
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />


The '''SixtyClone bare-board project''' is an open-hardware effort to recreate every major revision of the Commodore 64 logic board as brand-new, professionally-fabricated PCBs.
'''SixtyClone''' is a set of replica Commodore 64 main-board PCBs. They exist so that a machine whose board has been destroyed — by battery damage, by corrosion, by a botched repair — can be rebuilt by moving its chips onto a new board.<ref name="lectronz">Bob's Bits, SixtyClone product listings on Lectronz, e.g. https://www.lectronz.com/products/sixtyclone-250407 . Source for the purpose of the boards, the statement that they are the same dimensions as the originals and are a direct replacement, the community-editable BOM spreadsheet, and the list of optional extras: resistor packs, electrolytic capacitor packs, resistor networks, SwinSID Nano b, a newly manufactured power switch and a pre-programmed GAL-PLA for U17.</ref><ref name="breadbox">MtnBuffalo, ''SixtyClone C64 Replica'', breadbox64.com, 7 September 2020, https://breadbox64.com/sixtyclone-c64-replica/ . Build log. Source for the designer's name — Rob "Peepo" Taylor — for the three board assemblies replicated, for the price and UK origin at the time of writing, and for the observation that the 250466 uses two 41464 RAM chips in place of the eight on the earlier long boards.</ref>
Designed so that hobbyists can '''transplant the original MOS/CSG chips''' from a corroded or broken donor machine into a fresh board, SixtyClone provides a legal, royalty-free alternative to scavenging vintage hardware. The gerbers (and KiCad sources for recent revisions) are released under a permissive licence; commercial runs are sold via Bob’s Bits on Tindie and by several regional group-buys.  


== Project goals ==
== Who makes it ==
* '''One-to-one electrical compatibility''' – keep every trace, pad and via placement true to Commodore’s own artwork so that RF shields, heatsinks and cartridges still fit.
* '''Manufacturability upgrades''' – convert the 1980s 2-layer stack-up into a modern 4-layer with internal ground/power planes which greatly reduce crosstalk and audible VIC “jail-bars”. 
* '''Usability improvements''' – large white silkscreen labels (including capacitor values) double as a printed Bill-of-Materials; mounting hole diameters match today’s metric M3 hardware. 
* '''Educational licence''' – gerbers are free for personal use, encouraging new builders to learn through-hole soldering while preserving classic computers. 


== Supported C64 revisions ==
The PCBs are designed by '''Rob "Peepo" Taylor''' and sold by '''Bob's Bits''', a UK seller, on Tindie and Lectronz. Bob's Bits is the shop, not the designer.<ref name="breadbox" /><ref name="lectronz" />
{| class="wikitable"
 
! SixtyClone variant !! Original Commodore PCB !! Key differences / notes
'''SixtyClone is not an open-hardware project.''' This wiki has looked for published gerbers, KiCad sources or a project repository and found none — the GitHub repository sometimes cited for it does not exist. Buy the board; you cannot fabricate it yourself.
 
If what you want is an '''open''' C64 replica with published design files, that exists separately: '''bwack''' publishes full KiCad sources, schematics, gerbers, a BOM and an interactive BOM for the '''250407''' and the '''C64C 250469''', with a change log going back to the 2020 prototype. That project began as Michael K. ("Der Alte Bastler")'s SprintLayout reverse-engineering exercise in 2019 and was finished and shared by bwack and Langwell Cowan.<ref name="bwack">bwack, ''The C64 250407 replica'', https://github.com/bwack/C64-250407-Replica-KiCad , and ''C64C 250469 KiCAD Replica'', https://github.com/bwack/C64C-250469-KiCAD-Replica . README and change log. Source for the project's origin with Michael K. (Der Alte Bastler) in 2019, the prototyping and testing credit to bwack and Langwell Cowan, the statement that they are the first to share the design files online, the published BOM, interactive BOM and schematic PDF, and the version history from V1.0 (2020-04-22) to V1.3 (2025-06-09).</ref>
 
== Which boards are replicated ==
 
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:95%; text-align:left;"
|+'''SixtyClone variants and what the original board actually contains'''
! Variant !! Original assembly !! What goes on it
|-
|-
| SC-250407 || “long-board” breadbin (1983-85) || Most common donor; retains separate 6581 SID & 12 V rail
| SixtyClone 250407 || 250407, 1983 long board || '''Eight 4164''' DRAMs, 6510 CPU at U7, 6581 SID at U18, 6567/6569 VIC-II at U19, '''82S100 / 906114-01 PLA at U17''', separate 2114 colour RAM at U6, BASIC and KERNAL as separate ROMs at U3 and U4
|-
|-
| SC-250466 || late breadbin (1986) || Two 4464 DRAMs, 8562/8565 VIC, color RAM integrated in PLA
| SixtyClone 250466 || 250466, 1986 long board || '''Two 41464''' DRAMs at U9 and U10 in place of the earlier eight; otherwise as the 250407 — still a 6581 SID, still a 6567/6569 VIC-II, still a '''separate 2114 colour RAM at U6''' and a plain PLA at U17
|-
|-
| SC-250469 || short-board / 64C (1987-92) || HMOS chips, 9 V SID supply; optional pads for dual-kernal switch
| SixtyClone 250469 (Rev. A and Rev. B) || 250469, 1987 short board || HMOS set: 8500 CPU at U6, 8562/8565 VIC-II at U7, 8580 SID at U9, '''BASIC and KERNAL combined in one 23128 at U4''', two 41464 DRAMs, and the 64-pin '''251715-01''' (Rev.A/3/4) or '''252535-01''' (Rev.B) PLA/MMU at '''U8'''. The 2114 colour RAM at U19 is absent on Rev.B because the 252535 absorbs it
|}
|}
<ref name="cerebrum">''C64 Hardware Reference and Repair Guide'' (open_cerebrum), https://opencbm.org/doc/c64/hardware_reference_and_repair_guide/ . Community reference. Component placement tables for assemblies 250407, 250466 and 250469, and the function of the 251715 and 252535 PLA/MMU devices.</ref>


Early SixtyClone rev A boards required a bodge wire between VIC pin 38 and the CPU ϕ0 trace; this was fixed in rev B and later.  
'''The 250466 is a long board, not a proto-short-board.''' Its only significant departure from the 250407 is the RAM: two 41464s instead of eight 4164s. It keeps the 6581 SID, the NMOS VIC-II and a separate colour RAM. Descriptions that give it an 8562/8565 VIC or colour RAM inside the PLA are describing the '''250469''', and following them will have you ordering the wrong chips.<ref name="cerebrum" /><ref name="breadbox" />


== Bill-of-materials overview ==
== Building one ==
Because SixtyClone is '''just the PCB''', builders must source every through-hole component:


* 21× logic ICs (74LSxx), 16× passives, crystal & can oscillator 
The board is bare; you supply everything. Bob's Bits maintains a '''community-editable BOM spreadsheet''' and sells the fiddly parts as packs:<ref name="lectronz" />
* PLA, CPU 6510/8500, VIC-II, SID, two CIAs – taken from a donor or aftermarket replacements 
* three linear regulators & heat-sinks (250407 only) 
* 4700 µF + 1000 µF axial electrolytics (footprints accept radial if leads are bent) 
* DIN keyboard, cassette & power connectors – modern CUI / Cliff equivalents fit the footprint 
A colour-coded silk-screen value is printed beside every capacitor and resistor to speed hand assembly. Detailed spreadsheets, Digikey/Mouser links and pick-lists are maintained in the project GitHub wiki.


== Assembly tips ==
* Resistor packs, metal film, matched to the board you chose
# '''Wash & dry the PCB''' to remove fabrication flux; ENIG finish is already tinned. 
* Electrolytic capacitor packs
# '''Install low-profile parts first''' (res-networks, jumpers, resistors) followed by sockets and electrolytics. 
* Resistor networks
# '''Tin the stitched-via grounds''' under each TO-220 regulator (250407) before mounting the heatsink to guarantee low-impedance bonding. 
* SwinSID Nano b, a SID substitute
# '''Perform continuity checks''' on the 5 V and ground planes *before* inserting irreplaceable MOS chips. 
* Newly manufactured power switches
# Recommended to pair the build with a modern “C64 Saver” PSU protector when first power-up.
* '''GAL-PLA''' — a pre-programmed, tested drop-in for '''U17'''


== Known issues ==
For the 250469, note that the PLA is the 64-pin part at U8 and a U17 replacement will not help you. See [[PLA Replacement Options]].
* '''SID audio hum''' – greatly reduced versus original boards but still audible on high-gain amplifiers; adding a ground-lift plane under the audio path (rev E experimental) lowers the noise a further 3 dB.
* '''Keyboard bracket height''' – certain aftermarket metal keyboard braces foul the cassette port shield; trimming 1 mm from the bracket front edge resolves the clash. 
* '''Case LEDs''' – early silkscreen marked +/- backwards; always verify polarity before soldering.  


== Licensing ==
=== Order of work ===
Gerber and schematic files are released under '''Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0'''. Commercial resale of finished boards is permitted provided attribution remains on the silk-screen and in accompanying documentation.


== Availability ==
# Check the bare board for shorts between the 5 V and ground planes '''before''' you fit anything irreplaceable.
* '''Tindie storefront “Bob’s Bits – Commodore 64 replica PCBs”''' – sells 250407 & 250469 boards in green, blue and black solder-mask, typically US $29 – $35 each.  
# Fit low-profile parts first — resistors, networks, links — then sockets, then the electrolytics and connectors.
* '''Group-buys''' on r/c64 and Amibay several times per year, often bundled with complete BOM kits.
# '''Socket the custom chips.''' They are the parts you are salvaging and the parts you will want to swap while fault-finding.
# Keep the donor board beside you. Comparing against the real thing catches a misread silkscreen far faster than a schematic does.
# Power up for the first time on a supply you trust. See [[Commodore 64 Power-Supply Protector (C64 Saver)]].
# Recap and test the chips you are transplanting before they go in: see [[Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide]].


== External links ==
== What this page does not claim ==
* [https://retrohax.net/sixtyclone-commodore-64-replica-pcb-build-log/ Retrohax build-log & high-resolution photos] 
 
* [https://github.com/bobsbits/SixtyClone Official GitHub repository – gerbers, KiCad source & BOM] 
This wiki has found no maker's statement of the SixtyClone's layer count, surface finish, solder-mask colours, licence terms or revision history, and no published errata. Build notes describing bodge wires, silkscreen polarity errors or ground-plane experiments could not be traced to the designer or the seller and are not repeated here. Prices move: the figure in the 2020 build log cited above was '''US$35 plus shipping from the United Kingdom''', and the Lectronz listings are the current source.<ref name="breadbox" /><ref name="lectronz" />
* [https://www.tindie.com/products/bobsbits/commodore-64-replica-pcbs/ Tindie product page] 


== Related pages ==
== Related pages ==
* [[C64 Reloaded MK2]] – a professionally-re-engineered C64 logic board with CPLD PLA 
* [[C64 Reloaded MK2]]
* [[Ultimate 64 Motherboard]] – FPGA-based SoC replacement 
* [[Ultimate 64 Motherboard]]
* [[Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide]] – recommended before transferring ICs to SixtyClone 
* [[PLA Replacement Options]]
* [[PLA Replacement Options]] – modern substitutes for the 906114-01 in long-board builds 
* [[Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide]]
* [[Commodore 64]]
 
== References ==
<references />


[[Category:Commodore 64 Modifications and Enhancements]]
[[Category:Commodore 64 Modifications and Enhancements]]
[[Category:Commodore Systems]]
[[Category:Commodore Systems]]

Latest revision as of 22:25, 23 September 2026

SixtyClone
Caption A SixtyClone Commodore 64 replica PCB
Type Replica Commodore 64 logic board, bare PCB
Designer Rob "Peepo" Taylor
Manufacturer Sold by Bob's Bits (United Kingdom)
First released Unknown
Latest revision —
Operating voltage —
Layers / PCB —
Compatibility Commodore 64 assemblies 250407, 250466 and 250469
Features —
Model No. —

SixtyClone is a set of replica Commodore 64 main-board PCBs. They exist so that a machine whose board has been destroyed — by battery damage, by corrosion, by a botched repair — can be rebuilt by moving its chips onto a new board.[1][2]

Who makes it

[edit | edit source]

The PCBs are designed by Rob "Peepo" Taylor and sold by Bob's Bits, a UK seller, on Tindie and Lectronz. Bob's Bits is the shop, not the designer.[2][1]

SixtyClone is not an open-hardware project. This wiki has looked for published gerbers, KiCad sources or a project repository and found none — the GitHub repository sometimes cited for it does not exist. Buy the board; you cannot fabricate it yourself.

If what you want is an open C64 replica with published design files, that exists separately: bwack publishes full KiCad sources, schematics, gerbers, a BOM and an interactive BOM for the 250407 and the C64C 250469, with a change log going back to the 2020 prototype. That project began as Michael K. ("Der Alte Bastler")'s SprintLayout reverse-engineering exercise in 2019 and was finished and shared by bwack and Langwell Cowan.[3]

Which boards are replicated

[edit | edit source]
SixtyClone variants and what the original board actually contains
Variant Original assembly What goes on it
SixtyClone 250407 250407, 1983 long board Eight 4164 DRAMs, 6510 CPU at U7, 6581 SID at U18, 6567/6569 VIC-II at U19, 82S100 / 906114-01 PLA at U17, separate 2114 colour RAM at U6, BASIC and KERNAL as separate ROMs at U3 and U4
SixtyClone 250466 250466, 1986 long board Two 41464 DRAMs at U9 and U10 in place of the earlier eight; otherwise as the 250407 — still a 6581 SID, still a 6567/6569 VIC-II, still a separate 2114 colour RAM at U6 and a plain PLA at U17
SixtyClone 250469 (Rev. A and Rev. B) 250469, 1987 short board HMOS set: 8500 CPU at U6, 8562/8565 VIC-II at U7, 8580 SID at U9, BASIC and KERNAL combined in one 23128 at U4, two 41464 DRAMs, and the 64-pin 251715-01 (Rev.A/3/4) or 252535-01 (Rev.B) PLA/MMU at U8. The 2114 colour RAM at U19 is absent on Rev.B because the 252535 absorbs it

[4]

The 250466 is a long board, not a proto-short-board. Its only significant departure from the 250407 is the RAM: two 41464s instead of eight 4164s. It keeps the 6581 SID, the NMOS VIC-II and a separate colour RAM. Descriptions that give it an 8562/8565 VIC or colour RAM inside the PLA are describing the 250469, and following them will have you ordering the wrong chips.[4][2]

Building one

[edit | edit source]

The board is bare; you supply everything. Bob's Bits maintains a community-editable BOM spreadsheet and sells the fiddly parts as packs:[1]

  • Resistor packs, metal film, matched to the board you chose
  • Electrolytic capacitor packs
  • Resistor networks
  • SwinSID Nano b, a SID substitute
  • Newly manufactured power switches
  • GAL-PLA — a pre-programmed, tested drop-in for U17

For the 250469, note that the PLA is the 64-pin part at U8 and a U17 replacement will not help you. See PLA Replacement Options.

Order of work

[edit | edit source]
  1. Check the bare board for shorts between the 5 V and ground planes before you fit anything irreplaceable.
  2. Fit low-profile parts first — resistors, networks, links — then sockets, then the electrolytics and connectors.
  3. Socket the custom chips. They are the parts you are salvaging and the parts you will want to swap while fault-finding.
  4. Keep the donor board beside you. Comparing against the real thing catches a misread silkscreen far faster than a schematic does.
  5. Power up for the first time on a supply you trust. See Commodore 64 Power-Supply Protector (C64 Saver).
  6. Recap and test the chips you are transplanting before they go in: see Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide.

What this page does not claim

[edit | edit source]

This wiki has found no maker's statement of the SixtyClone's layer count, surface finish, solder-mask colours, licence terms or revision history, and no published errata. Build notes describing bodge wires, silkscreen polarity errors or ground-plane experiments could not be traced to the designer or the seller and are not repeated here. Prices move: the figure in the 2020 build log cited above was US$35 plus shipping from the United Kingdom, and the Lectronz listings are the current source.[2][1]

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bob's Bits, SixtyClone product listings on Lectronz, e.g. https://www.lectronz.com/products/sixtyclone-250407 . Source for the purpose of the boards, the statement that they are the same dimensions as the originals and are a direct replacement, the community-editable BOM spreadsheet, and the list of optional extras: resistor packs, electrolytic capacitor packs, resistor networks, SwinSID Nano b, a newly manufactured power switch and a pre-programmed GAL-PLA for U17.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 MtnBuffalo, SixtyClone C64 Replica, breadbox64.com, 7 September 2020, https://breadbox64.com/sixtyclone-c64-replica/ . Build log. Source for the designer's name — Rob "Peepo" Taylor — for the three board assemblies replicated, for the price and UK origin at the time of writing, and for the observation that the 250466 uses two 41464 RAM chips in place of the eight on the earlier long boards.
  3. ↑ bwack, The C64 250407 replica, https://github.com/bwack/C64-250407-Replica-KiCad , and C64C 250469 KiCAD Replica, https://github.com/bwack/C64C-250469-KiCAD-Replica . README and change log. Source for the project's origin with Michael K. (Der Alte Bastler) in 2019, the prototyping and testing credit to bwack and Langwell Cowan, the statement that they are the first to share the design files online, the published BOM, interactive BOM and schematic PDF, and the version history from V1.0 (2020-04-22) to V1.3 (2025-06-09).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 C64 Hardware Reference and Repair Guide (open_cerebrum), https://opencbm.org/doc/c64/hardware_reference_and_repair_guide/ . Community reference. Component placement tables for assemblies 250407, 250466 and 250469, and the function of the 251715 and 252535 PLA/MMU devices.
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