With my unexpanded Commodore VIC-20, loading games with the datassette is not a very difficult task. The files are small in size, so the loading time is still acceptable. However, I find it useful to be able to transfer games, programs or utilities from my PC to the Commodore.
For this I bought on eBay an SD card emulator for Commodore VIC-20, of the type SD2IEC. The emulator is inclusive of microSD and thousands of programs and video games, both for the Commodore VIC-20, and for the other Commodore I own.
I described the operation of the emulator, of the FastLoad and I did other experiments with the Commodore 64 in this article.
Connecting the SD card emulator to the Commodore VIC-20
I chose the SD card emulator for Commodore VIC-20, of the SD2IEC type, rather than the Tapuino datassette emulator, because it is faster. I also found it easier to find .PRG or .D64 files online. These files are in fact supported by the SD2IEC floppy emulator, while the Tapuino datassette emulator uses .TAP files.
The emulator I purchased connects to the Commodore VIC-20 via two connectors:
- the IEC serial port;
- the connector for the C2N / 1530 datassette.
The data passes only through the IEC serial port, while the datassette connector is used to power the SD2IEC emulator.
In addition to the two connectors described above, the emulator is also equipped with a third connector, an additional IEC serial port to connect a 1541 floppy disc drive. This connector can be useful for copying old files already present on the floppy disc to microSD or vice versa. .
Test of the SD2IEC emulator
The emulator is very simple to use and immediately worked correctly. The only drawback of the version I purchased is in the case, which is printed using a 3D printer. Unfortunately, it is a bit too wide and the data cassette connector fits right to the edge, without the possibility of being inserted completely.
The SD card emulator for Commodore VIC-20, SD2IEC, includes a microSD card, containing over 3GB of files, including games, applications and utilities for:
- Commodore VIC-20;
- Commodore 64;
- Commodore 16, Plus/4;
- Commodore 128.
Using the dip switches, I set the emulator address to 9. To load the file browser, useful for navigating through the microSD folders, you need to type the following commands:
LOAD "FB",9
RUN
The file browser is able to identify the Commodore the emulator is connected to, in my case an unexpanded Commodore VIC-20.
Subsequently, the list of files contained in the various folders of the microSD is shown. As you can see in the next image, the microSD includes files for different Commodore models.
Among the various folders, there are those specific to the Commodore VIC-20 unexpanded. Inside the microSD there are several files, both in .PRG and .D64 format. I also found other VIC-20 games and demos with 8K, 16K, 24K and 32K RAM expansions.
And finally, here is the expert's proof!
