3 min readDDI MasterCart III (EN)

 

Overview

The Commodore 64 scene is very much alive today with impressive new designs by current developers who contribute their talent and effort to create exquisite jewels for our beloved 8-bit machines. We’re opening this new blog section where you will find tested projects purchased directly from the designers. These projects are seldom promoted for wide distribution and sales, but rather are highly creative projects created with passion, considerable engineering and attention to detail. Such projects share some common characteristics, such as an artistic and intricate design, a highly engineered layout, high quality component selection and custom coding, resulting in the refinement and realization of often stunning designs.

MasterCart III

The project we’re showcasing is realized by Dungeon Dwellers Inc, the creator of several precious fine jewels for the Commodoe 64, where special care in routing, components, details and special features, makes this project a genuine work of art.

The custom designed PCB implements six 1MB EPROMs which can contain up to 256 programs (.prg). This is indeed a genuine 6 MegaByte cartridge, with amazing routing that allows all six EPROMs to be addressable in a single standard sized C64 form factor cartridge.

The MasterCart III comes complete with a full image of 242 games, where you can find a lot of the famous titles you’ve always enjoyed playing. Everything is managed by a single menu, where each game is selected by scrolling up and down the menu using either joystick and then pressing the fire button to load the program. The menu offers a nice SID tune with flashing bars of color that respond to the music.

 

 

A very unique feature of this true jewel is an infrared sensor located at the upper left, which enables the system to be reset back to the main menu, using a normal remote control, like the one for your TV. This feature comes in handy if you want to play from your chair or sofa with a joystick extender, allowing the player to remain very comfortable without having to get up to push the reset button on the back of the MasterCart to launch another game.

 

Here you can see a picture of the back of the PCB … What an amazing design!

 

 

The eyes of the alien will illuminate with a red color when powering on the Commodore 64, then will slowly change, cycling through a rainbow of colors.

 

 

Here we have more detail, very impressive!

 

 

And then the MasterCart III in the Commodore 64, really very well done. Thank you DDI!!

 

 

Let’s see the components used in this PCB: let’s start with finishing touches, always in ENIG, always in every DDI project. Round pin machine sockets with gold inserts, ultraminiature NKK switches with incorporated LEDs are used. Vishay resistors and TDK capacitors are used, with the discreet components often being top shelf and military grade in all DDI projects. The PCB masking is of a premium purple dye, the finest and most expensive, and typical for all DDI designs.

This product is not delivered with an acrylic case like the MicroMagic Cart for example. The PCB is full of components, with just enough room to fit within the expansion port of the C64. You know it’s a high quality cartridge by the heavy weight feel in the palm of your hand. It’s a full 6 MegaBytes of favorites you can bring with you anywhere! Your complete preferred collection! With joystick in hand, and an old remote for comfort, you’re ready to go!!

 

 

Contact the Author

 

DDI (Dungeon Dwellers Inc) can be contacted using this referrals:

 

DDI Project Pages .. sys64738.net

Email Address .. sysop@sys64738.net

 

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.