Kerberos, a Commodore 64 MIDI interface

[FrankBuss]

If you still have a real C64 or C128, and want to connect some MIDI devices to it or transfer some programs from your PC or Mac, then this is the solution:

http://www.startnext.de/kerberos
(it should select English or German automatically, depending on your browser setting)

This is my first crowd funding project. Compared to Kickstarter, I like it that you can select more than one reward, like the cartridge and a MIDI cable. And it is a good idea to split the campaign in a fan-phase and the funding-phase, because if you don't get enough fans (the number of required fans depends on the funding goal), there is no point for your fans to start funding the project.

[minibutmany]

This looks really cool. Now I wish I didn't pass up that C64 at a hamfest last year.

[WVL_KsZeN]

Hi Frank,

I'm no musician so it's not for me, but I was just wondering what group you were/are in (csdb link?) :-) I just can't link your name to any scener or group somehow.

regards,
WVL/Xenon

[FrankBuss]

I was in Crazy 25 years ago: http://csdb.dk/scener/?id=10689 My handle was Sebio (incidentally the name of the other team member of Shine was Frank, too, so we decided to name me Sebio ) and I coded e.g. the initial version of the diskmag Mamba. But I was never very much involved in the scene.

[FrankBuss]

Now the project is in the funding phase, you can back it if you want one. Hackaday wrote about it, too:

http://hackaday.com/2014/04/30/c64-midi-and-flash-cart/

[FrankBuss]

It is successfully funded! But you can still support it, if you want a C64 MIDI interface, 5 days left.

[FrankBuss]

Awesome, nearly twice as much funded as needed! If you missed the funding phase, you can pre-order it here:

http://www.frank-buss.de/c64/midi/buy.html

[FrankBuss]

The final look of my cartridge, and a new webpage for it. There is a huge shared 1,300 m^2 retro computing booth at the Gamescom faire this week, where I have one table with a C128 with my cartridge, a MIDI keyboard and a Roland synthesizer, if you want to try it.

[FrankBuss]

My table at Gamescom:



It's a crappy smartphone cam, the program running on the C128:



More impressions of the rest of Gamescom: http://www.frank-buss.de/gamescom2014/index.html
The Virtualizer Kickstarter project looks interesting.

[FrankBuss]

Better quality image:



And more images from the retro gaming area:

http://www.schreibfabrik.de/img/gamescom2014/

The faire was fun, I had some interesting talks with old-timers, the youth had fun playing the games I installed on the cartridge, and some people were even interesting in the MIDI capabilities of it and how to use the C64 to make music.

[FrankBuss]

Finally the first version of the software for my Kerberos MIDI cartridge is done, and I created a Quick Start Guide and a User's Guide, see the updated webpage. Last monday I shipped the first 20 cartridges:



I'll build, test and ship the rest in the next 2-3 weeks. But there are still boards and parts in stock. If you order today , I can build and send you a cartridge in 2-3 weeks.?

It was more work than expected, all the details like organizing the shipping, and there is still some work to do to catch up the order backlog. But it was fun and a good experience besides my usual freelance programming jobs.

[FrankBuss]

First production run is sold-out, and I don't plan to build more, because currently I spend all my free retro computing time on my next project, Crazy Cartridge, which will include MIDI as an optional feature.

But I've added a page how to build your own Kerberos cartridge, see http://www.frank-buss.de/kerberos/build.html , so feel free to build your own, or start a Kickstarter project to build some more. I still have some dozen MC68B50 parts, DIN connectors, push buttons and LEDs as well, if you want to buy some, because was cheaper to buy some more than needed for the first run.