FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS) >> What specification PC do I need for Turbo/XE? As the serial data transmission is synchronised at the start of each data burst you will need a PC with sufficient speed to keep up. A 100MHz Pentium has been found to be more than adequate, and anything faster will likewise work. Slower clock speed 386/486 class machines will not normally work. >> Can I test if Turbo/XE will work on my PC? The Turbo/XE routines are a development of those used in the 64HDD- GEOS driver. You can test the 64HDD-GEOS driver to confirm that your PC is compatible. >> Will Turbo/XE work with the SuperCPU in Turbo mode? All the 64HDD cartridges are designed to work with both the 1MHz and 20MHz SuperCPU modes, even with a RAMLINK installed. Turbo/XE will switch down to 1MHz for transfers and so Turbo/XE's 8x Speed- up is still the maximum limit. The slowdown is needed because event the fastest PCs cannot keep up with a 20MHz C64! >> Will Pwr/Cart and Pwr/LINK work with the SuperCPU in Turbo mode? All the 64HDD cartridges are designed to work with both the 1MHz and 20MHz SCPU modes, even with a RAMLINK installed. The PwrLoad routines make full use of the 20MHz mode making transfers even faster with the turbo active than on a regular 1MHz machine. >> Which is better, a PwrLoad Kernal ROM or Cartridge? File LOAD times are the same for Cartridge and KERNAL ROM versions of PwrLoad v1.x. However, upgrading the KERNAL ROM is better than using an external Cartridge when it comes to compatibility as the ROM vectors cannot be overwritten. The PwrLoad KERNAL ROM can also speed-up byte-by-byte transmissions and be ordered with a DOS wedge. However, KERNAL ROM upgrades are not suitable for everyone so that's why there's now a Cartridge available. >> Can the cartridges be upgraded in the future? The EPROM inside the cartridge is socketted and if it needs to be upgraded it can be replaced/re-programmed. The wiring in the cartridge should also be able to be upgraded, though this is better done by returning the device to 64HDD's developer. >> Why is there no 64HDD "click sound" for each block transferred with Turbo/XE? The PC is so busy sending data or watching for the requests from the C64 it doesn't have enough time to generate a "click". >> Why is 64BOS the only cartridge software included? The philosophy has been to provide a single and robust tool that will give users access to all the files and utilities stored on their 64HDD system, rather than provide lots of little tools that may not do what users want. >> What sort of programs can be installed in the optional ROM slots? Any 8k EXROM based cartridge utility, homebrew or commercial, can be programmed into these optional slots. It is also possible to convert small programs written in BASIC (or loadable as BASIC files) provided that they are less than about 7.5k in size. Options include BASIC extensions, machine language monitors, games, etc. Discuss with us what you would like to have pre-installed to see what possible. >> Will the "C64 reset" function work on my C64? Many versions of the C64 circuit board were made, and not all allow resetting from the serial port and/or the userport. The only real way to check is to ground the appropriate reset pin (consult your C64 user guide or schematic). On the C128 the cartridge reset will be non-functional, but the C128 comes with its own reset anyway. >> How are the 64HDD cartridges manufactured? The 64HDD cartridges are made using quality recycled genuine CBM cartridges. This works out most cost effective for low volume production, and allows the hardware specification of each cartridge to be customised to user requests. Alternative casings can be ordered from a number of C64 websites including www.go64.de >> Can 64HDD speed-ups fail? There are two main situations when the speed-up may fail to take effect and the C64 program will revert to the normal serial load speed. The first is if the program overwrites the ILOAD vector. The second is if the program uses its own coding for reading data from the drive and so bypasses the KERNAL's load function. Most programs are careful not to change the load vectors, but if they do there are some techniques to restore these.