Jump to content

Using the 64: Difference between revisions

From RetroTechCollection
← Older editNewer edit →

Josh (talk | contribs)

8 user groups
20,001 edits
undo
VisualWikitext
P4 documentation drive: rewrite doc-holder as a real documentation page - printed title, author, publisher, year, ISBN and page count, what the book covers, and a plain statement that it is not a repair source, pointing at Commodore's own service documentation instead
Cite title and copyright pages; extent 328 numbered pages, not 341 (PDF length); contents; chapters 8-10 cover the four main chips and Appendix E gives connector pinouts (page called it a general guide only); cut boilerplate
Line 1: Line 1:
'''''Using the 64''''' by '''Peter Gerrard''' is a programming book for the [[Commodore 64]], 341 pages, published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, London; first published September 1983, second impression November 1983; ISBN 0 7156 1777 X.
'''''Using the 64''''' is a book by Peter Gerrard in the Duckworth Home Computing series, published in London by Gerald Duckworth & Co. It was first published in September 1983; the hosted scan is the second impression of November 1983. ISBN 0-7156-1777-X.<ref name="tp">Peter Gerrard, ''Using the 64'' (Duckworth, 1983), title page and copyright page (PDF pp. 5-6).</ref> The numbered pages run to 328.<ref name="idx">Gerrard, ''Using the 64'', Index, pp. 327-328 (PDF pp. 337-338).</ref>


A general guide to using and programming the machine.
The book runs through BASIC and machine code on the [[Commodore 64]], then covers colour, high-resolution and sprite graphics, sound and the common peripherals. The last three chapters describe the four main chips: the 6566 VIC-II, the 6581 SID, the 6510 processor and the 6526 CIA. The appendixes include memory maps, BASIC and 6510 instruction references, screen codes and a listing of an assembler/disassembler.<ref name="pref">Gerrard, ''Using the 64'', Preface (PDF p. 9).</ref><ref name="toc">Gerrard, ''Using the 64'', Contents (PDF p. 7).</ref> Appendix E gives the pin assignments of the control ports, cartridge expansion slot, audio/video socket, serial port, cassette port and user port, with the 100 mA limit on the +5 V and 9 V AC pins.<ref name="appe">Gerrard, ''Using the 64'', Appendix E: Pinouts for Input/Output, pp. 323-325 (PDF pp. 333-335).</ref>


== What this book is not ==
== Contents ==
Page numbers are from the book's contents list.<ref name="toc" />
* 1: An Introduction to Basic Programming, p. 1
* 2: More Basic Programming, p. 41
* 3: An Introduction to Machine Code Programming, p. 69
* 4: Colour on the Commodore 64, p. 103
* 5: High Resolution and Sprite Graphics, p. 108
* 6: Sound on the Commodore 64, p. 148
* 7: Peripheral Support, p. 175
* 8: 6500 Chips in General and the 6566 in Particular, p. 201
* 9: The 6581 Sound Interface Device, p. 229
* 10: The 6510 and 6526 Input/Output Chips, p. 250
* Appendixes, p. 273 (A: Commodore 64 Memory Maps; B: The Basic Language; C: Machine Code Instruction Set; D: Miscellaneous, including screen display codes; E: Pinouts for Input/Output)
* Index, p. 327


'''It is a programming book, not a service document.''' It carries '''no schematics, no parts list, no component values and no board layouts''', and it is not a source for a repair figure. Citing it for a capacitor value, a voltage rating or a chip location would be citing the wrong kind of document.
== What this book does not contain ==
Apart from the connector pinouts in Appendix E it is a programming book. It has no schematic, parts list or component values; for those use the [[Commodore 64 / 64C Service Manual]]. The same author's ''[[Sprites and Sound on the C64|Sprites & Sound on the 64]]'' is in the same series.


For component-level data on the machine use Commodore's own documentation instead:
<pdf> File:Duckworth_Using_the_C64.pdf </pdf>


* [[Commodore 64 / 64C Service Manual]] &mdash; parts lists, board identification and schematics for every mainboard revision
Download: [[:File:Duckworth Using the C64.pdf|Duckworth Using the C64.pdf]]
* [[Commodore 64 Technical Manual and Parts List]] &mdash; the drawing package, P/N 990439
* [[Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide]] &mdash; the wiki's component list, built from those two
 
== Other books hosted here ==
 
This is one of 60 Commodore books on this wiki. See [[:Category:Commodore Books]] for the annotated index, which groups them by what they are for and marks the handful that do carry hardware data.
 
<pdf> File:Duckworth_Using_the_C64.pdf </pdf>


Download '''Using the C64''' here: [[:File:Duckworth Using the C64.pdf|Duckworth Using the C64.pdf]]
== References ==
<references />


[[Category:Commodore Documentation]]
[[Category:Commodore Documentation]]
[[Category:Commodore Books]]
[[Category:Commodore Books]]

Revision as of 09:44, 1 October 2026

Using the 64 is a book by Peter Gerrard in the Duckworth Home Computing series, published in London by Gerald Duckworth & Co. It was first published in September 1983; the hosted scan is the second impression of November 1983. ISBN 0-7156-1777-X.[1] The numbered pages run to 328.[2]

The book runs through BASIC and machine code on the Commodore 64, then covers colour, high-resolution and sprite graphics, sound and the common peripherals. The last three chapters describe the four main chips: the 6566 VIC-II, the 6581 SID, the 6510 processor and the 6526 CIA. The appendixes include memory maps, BASIC and 6510 instruction references, screen codes and a listing of an assembler/disassembler.[3][4] Appendix E gives the pin assignments of the control ports, cartridge expansion slot, audio/video socket, serial port, cassette port and user port, with the 100 mA limit on the +5 V and 9 V AC pins.[5]

Contents

Page numbers are from the book's contents list.[4]

  • 1: An Introduction to Basic Programming, p. 1
  • 2: More Basic Programming, p. 41
  • 3: An Introduction to Machine Code Programming, p. 69
  • 4: Colour on the Commodore 64, p. 103
  • 5: High Resolution and Sprite Graphics, p. 108
  • 6: Sound on the Commodore 64, p. 148
  • 7: Peripheral Support, p. 175
  • 8: 6500 Chips in General and the 6566 in Particular, p. 201
  • 9: The 6581 Sound Interface Device, p. 229
  • 10: The 6510 and 6526 Input/Output Chips, p. 250
  • Appendixes, p. 273 (A: Commodore 64 Memory Maps; B: The Basic Language; C: Machine Code Instruction Set; D: Miscellaneous, including screen display codes; E: Pinouts for Input/Output)
  • Index, p. 327

What this book does not contain

Apart from the connector pinouts in Appendix E it is a programming book. It has no schematic, parts list or component values; for those use the Commodore 64 / 64C Service Manual. The same author's Sprites & Sound on the 64 is in the same series.

Download: Duckworth Using the C64.pdf

References

  1. ↑ Peter Gerrard, Using the 64 (Duckworth, 1983), title page and copyright page (PDF pp. 5-6).
  2. ↑ Gerrard, Using the 64, Index, pp. 327-328 (PDF pp. 337-338).
  3. ↑ Gerrard, Using the 64, Preface (PDF p. 9).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gerrard, Using the 64, Contents (PDF p. 7).
  5. ↑ Gerrard, Using the 64, Appendix E: Pinouts for Input/Output, pp. 323-325 (PDF pp. 333-335).
Retrieved from "https://wiki.retrotechcollection.com/index.php?title=Using_the_64&oldid=17387"