



( Extra configurations for the more hardy C64 users )

Ghost Hunters also worked great!

Arknoid disk, almost instant loading!

Uses .D64 and .G64 files stored on MicroSD card or USB stick

Supports .G64 files as well (Read/Write)

Configurable IDs

Configurable ROM (1541/1541C/1541II or custom)

RAMBOard memory expansion (up to 40K)

MicroSD or USB storage device (stick, card reader, and even HD)

FAT/FAT32 support, with sub-directories and long filenames

ISO9660 support with Joliet, for reading .ISO files and access external CD/DVD drives through USB

Supports SD V1.1 cards as well as SD V2.0 in High Capacity mode (SDHC)

Battery backed up Real Time Clock

Command Interface module with UltimateDOS

Accessible module through I/O space that allows direct commands to Ultimate-II

Ultimate-DOS, I/O space driven direct file access to SD/USB

Dual SID implementation, optionally 8 voices each

Ultimate Audio module

Up to 7 voices of sampled audio simultaneously

Accessible through I/O space

8- or 16-bit samples

up to 48 kHz sample rate

Built-in SID player; plays SID files on either 'real' SID or emulated SID.

C64 cartridge emulation:

Final Cartridge III

Action Replay

Retro Replay

Super Snapshot

Turbo Assembler w/ Codenet

Epyx Fastloader

Custom 8K/16K carts

Custom Ocean / System3 carts (up to 512K)

Commodore 1750/1764 REU

REU Compatible

Size selectable from 128K up to 16 MB

Can be combined with Retro Replay and SuperSnapshot compatible roms

Flexible freezer menu

select, mount, create D64 images, browse disk images

create new directories, delete files

Ultra fast DMA load of single file programs (.PRG files on SD/USB, inside .D64 or .T64)

Configuration screen, with resident settings

Tape emulation, through 6-pin header on the bottom of the board*

Load .TAP files to C64

Capture tape data from C64 to .TAP file

Capture tape data from a datasette and store it as .TAP file

Write .TAP files back to tape, using a Commodore tape deck

Totally rewritten firmware, for easier expansion and maintenance

With every review that we had done last year, from the C64SD to the SD2IEC nearly every bit of feedback we've had from our readers so far is, "you should get a 1541 Ultimate!". So thanks to Gideon of Gideon's Logic Architectures we now have that device and tape adapter in our hands for a very special review. For those of you who don't know, the '1541 Ultimate' is a storage solution for your Commodore C64 and C128 home computer. This piece of hardware implements a 'real' 1541 disk drive for Commodore computers and features some impressive goodies that we are now going to feature!The first port of call is the contents and as you can see from above, we were provided the full package to get the best out of the 1541 Ultimate-II. A serial port connector, a set of instructions, 8GB Micro SD and the all important 1541 Ultimate-II with tape adapter attached. With all the goods provided and very helpful instructions manual I can assure you, you wont get lost.Next we take a look at the device and the many features and attachments of which people have spoken so highly of these last few months. On the right hand side you may notice my usb stick on the side of the Ultimate, that's because the Ultimate not only supports MicroSD cards but also USB sticks such as my Cruzer 4GB. On either storage thousands of games can be stored with CRT, D64, G64, PRG and even .TAP files (useful if you have the tape adapter). FAT/FAT32, with sub-directories and long filenames are supported.On the top of the 1541 Ultimate-II are three buttons which play a major role in usage throughout the review. On the top left a freeze button menu, middle button for SD access and top right for resetting your C64. As for the lights beneath the buttons, Green : Drive Power, Red : 1541 drive status, Yellow : Cartridge activity and Green : Storage activity. On the far left a serial port connection and stereo output port. Finally underneath (Optional) a tape module and connector.Although we didn't actually open the device, the features inside are also impressive going by the specifications. 2 MB Flash ROM, 32 MB SDRAM, Configurable IDs Configurable ROM (1541/1541C/1541II or custom), RAMBOard memory expansion (up to 40K), Ultimate Audio module, Built-in SID player; plays SID files on either 'real' SID or emulated SID, C64 cartridge emulation such as Epyx Fastloader and much more!Now usually we move straight onto attaching, loading up, and then fiddling with games. But this time we went directly onto the internet after attaching our MicroSD adapter, made a number of clean directories and dumped as many .D64,.TAP etc files as we could find, from the latest homebrew to some rather special demos which didn't work on the SD2IEC. We didn't bother with any fancy browsers, file loaders just the files, as according to the instructions that's all we needed.After making sure the device was attached correctly and with tape connection, we booted her up and was greeted to a menu. F1 - Configure memory, F3 - Normal Reset, F5 - Utilities (Such as changing device ID) and F7 for installing FASTLOAD. Usually in all the previous devices we've tried, we've always had to either press run/stop or type some command in, then go through another menu before loading a game we want. But with this device no, with a simple press of the middle button on the 1541 Ultimate-II, we had access to our MicroSD and every file contained within!Every file was neatly listed as we had set through our PC, all the .D64 games and .TAP files easily accessible. Through a handy pop up menu on selection, you can even rename files, delete them or run. As is the case with my love of retro gaming I just had to test out my favourite games, and unlike previous reviews I wanted to see how tapes were loaded and not just disk filesYou'll be pleased to know that I was gob smacked! With the use of the joystick and scrolling through to Arkanoid.tap and selecting it, a menu popped up of which I selected Run Tape, and that's all I had to do. This added tape adapter was a brilliant addition for the 1541 Ultimate-II. I did not have to do any fiddling with pressing buttons on the device to pause or start, or any commands, just "Run Tape". Seriously, how cool is that for tape players?After having a good hour playing Arkanoid and then Ghost Hunters, I hit the third button for reset and was back to the main boot menu. Again pressing the middle button for the SD-card I decided to load up disk based games. Same as before, a good scroll and click through the listing and up pops a menu. But unlike "Run Tape" I was greeted by a number of options, but as I don't have years of experience with a C64 (I'm an Amstrad man), it had to be just "Run Disk".But this is when I came across an issue, game loading was painfully slow, pretty much everything I loaded was slow. Now as I was used to the Epyx Fastload Cart, this device implements a 'real' 1541 disk drive, so it was going to be as slow as a 'real' disk drive. But for me that wasn't good enough, I wanted more speed! Yet according to the instructions an "Epyx Fastloader" was integrated into the Ultimate. But I couldn't find anything in the instructions to load games via the fast loader, although it did have a press F7 - Install Fastload option in the boot menu.Thankfully Gideon was at hand to help me through the process! All I had to do was press the F7 button from the main menu to install fast load, mounting the disk instead of running it through the SD Card and then finally under Retro Replay I could type Load"*",8 and run to have the game use fast load. It worked perfectly! It was that simple to do. Yet I think I would've struggled as a newer C64 user for faster speeds if Gideon wasn't on hand.Moving on from from game based disk loading, there was something nagging at the back of my mind. Could this device play every single demo, could it easily load multiple disks. So without further ado the first demo to test was "Uncensored" ; a multi disk demo that features some pretty impressive music and effects for a C64.After doing the fast load install and mounting the file, it ran perfectly! What's more, when the demo asked to flip the disk or swap the disk. Simply pressing the middle button on the 1541 Ultimate-II and selecting the second disk and mount, the demo continues as usual.You can even see the activity light flashing away as information is being loaded. Another brilliance of the 1541 Ultimate-II which I must mention is it plays everything! It worked with every single demo I tried how ever many disks they needed. It doesn't have the limitations of the C64D or the SD2IEC.Furthermore as it is a cart, you can also load .CRT cart files. Again another impressive feat for the 1541 Ultimate-II. Is there anything this beastly device can't do?So it comes down to this, my final thoughtsLet me just say I am blown away! Even though I haven't yet delved into every option this device has, I am more than satisfied with the 1541 Ultimate-II. It has loaded everything I wanted it to load, every demo, every game disk or tape. It is so simple to use, it is so simple to mount another requested file. As someone who barely has a month if not less in experience with a C64, this has given me a good excuse to spend even more of my time with it.The 1541U-II is available for € 129.95 (incl. 21% sales-tax), thus € 107.40 excluding VAT. Plus you may need to factor in the tape adapter and micro SD, which I recommend to make it feature complete.* Tape emulator cable is an accessory, which is needed to work with tap files.Available to buy HERE Gideon is also available for contact if you wish to know more about any other features we didn't mention, which probably requires a deeper understanding of the C64 and the 1541