C64 : Compose your own Cartridge now !

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Commodore 64 directory list of a diskette
In the meantime I have been asked several times whether it is also possible to compose a C64 Cartridge yourself with programs of your choice.

The Cupcake, the TwinCart and also the Obesicart have the option to use regular *.PRG files for the Commodore 64 as eprom files.

It's a laborious job, but I've decided to give it a try as a test:

How does it work :

You as a user are going to collect a number of *.PRG files that you want to have in your cartridge. So no D64, P00, TAP or CRT files, only *.PRG files are compatible with this system.
That is 64 KB, or 1 MB depending on which cart you want to put together a rom.
(Note 64 KB / 1MB net of files, IVM rounding cannot fit in an eprom of that capacity, keep that in mind when you are compiling)
It is wise to test the programs with Winvice 3.x then you know for sure that the files are what they claim to be and if they work at all.
If everything is ok then you can mail the zipped set of *.PRG files to me.

I then start working with the menu generator, generate an eprom file , convert it to a *.CRT file
I send this *.CRT file to you, you can test it again in Winvice, if the file agrees then I will burn it in the eprom and deliver the cartridge to you.

As said a somewhat cumbersome procedure, but I realize that everyone wants to see different things in their cartridge, and installing python, generating eprom files themselves and converting them to CRT files is an even greater challenge for many people.

*** I DO NOT SUPPLY SOFTWARE *** , You supply the files yourself, I only generate a menu for you.

Drawing of a (EP)ROM for the C64 Cartridge
(Soon to be) Frequently Asked Questions about the C64 Cartridge 🙂

 

Can I also get the programs in a different order in the menu?

Yes you can, but that is a lot of work, if you really want that I will give you a manual and you can make the preparations yourself.
Simply XYY_<program name> makes it appear in menu X as sequence number YY (the XYY are not shown) in the list.

Can I create Submenus ?

Yes you can, but that is a lot of work, if you really want that I will give you a manual and you can make the preparations yourself.
Simply XYY_<program name> makes it appear in menu X as sequence number YY (the XYY are not shown) in the list.

Can I get Other Menu/Text colors?

Unfortunately I can't change that easily, the menu generator is not configurable in such a way that other colors can be chosen.

I would like a multi-part game in the Eprom, is that possible?

The routine that loads the PRG files from the Eprom into the standard working memory does not allow this.
Only single-part programs (*.PRG) are supported in this way.

I really can't find that one program anywhere do you have .... ?

No, I do not supply software, there is plenty to be found on the internet, if you can't find it, I can't do anything for you.

I actually want to have another program in my menu.

If a program does not work during testing, you can of course provide an alternative, then I will generate the CRT file again and send it back (of course there are limits to the number of times you send back and forth)

Once the EPROM has been burned, the job is ready. If you still want to make a change, you will have to order a new EPROM, otherwise it cannot be done.
Moral of the story, test, test and test some more in WinVice before you confirm it's right.

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