Home Computing Commodore C64

Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive

Updated 2 September 2021

Like many users at the time, I bought my first Commodore 64 in a bundle complete with cassette tape drive. Ignorance is a beautiful thing as I never knew what modern floppy drive technology was. Insert the tape, press play, wait ... wait ... wait 20 minutes and then ... wait ... up comes the game. This page is a dedicated place holder for all things C64 floppy drives that I come across.

Commodore 1541 C64 Disk Drive front view

image  Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive (source: Wikicommons)

Introduction

No Commodore 64 experience is complete without the Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive. This is the best known retro-computing disk drive for the wonderful Commodore C64. The Commodore 1541 was a single-sided, 170kB drive for 5¼ inch disks. Under the cover lays the common MOS 6502 microprocessor running CBM DOS 2.6. This beast is archaic as they come. Commodore Computers made exceptional machines. It was their do-it-yourself approach that let them down with permanent storage devices.

All Commodore 64 disk drives are expensive. The original price of a Commodore disk drive was a much as the Commodore 64 itself. Commodore made a variety of devices. Other suppliers could see an opportunity and also chipped in with their own. This raises the question of compatibility. It is easy to assume that all drives meet the basic CBM DOS test. That is, if the data saved to the drive is in a standard format then all drives should be able to read the data. Issues arise when developers used non-standard features or rolled their own code. Even the 1541C is not 100% compatible with some commercial disks failing to load.

Many users will have used a Commodore 64 with at least a single disk drive. This allows the user to load and run basic software and games. Consider a second disk drive to be useful for any modern set up. The first reason is to create modern back ups of old software. Another reason is to increase the enjoyment of large games and disk magazines. Swapping disks can become a chore. Some games span several disks and the constant insertion and removal of disks may lead to damage.

Quirks of the Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive

The sound of your $500 disk drive drumming itself to destruction is a classic example of how vendors actually hate consumers. In order to protect their software, vendors would code error tracks on their disks so the disk drive would error our and bang its head against the stop. The copy protection software would then know that the damaged disk was 100% genuine and continue to load. They save a few dollars. T he consumer ended up with a self destructed boat anchor. Great going guys!

Commodore 1541 alternatives

The Commodore 1541 was not the only floppy drive that can be connected to your Commodore 64. There are a range of Commodore and aftermarket manufacturers that made alternative devices. I have listed only a small selection of alternatives here.

On the bookshelf

Commodore 1541 User's Guide

Commodore 1541
User's Guide
(read online)

Commodore 1541-II User's Guide

Commodore 1541-II
User's Guide
(read online)

Commodore 1541 Service Manual

Commodore 1540/1541
Service Manual
(read online)

Commodore 1541 Maintenance Manual

Commodore 1541
Maintenance Manual
(read online)

Sams Computerfacts Commodore 1541 Service Data

Sams Computerfacts
VIC 1541 Service Data
(read online)

Sams Computerfacts Commodopre 1541-II Service Data

SAMS Computerfacts
1541-II Service Data
(read online)

SAMS Commodore 1541 Troubleshooting and Repair Guide

SAMS Commodore 1541
Repair Guide
(read online)

Notice: Books accessible on this page as (read online) are stored and served by www.archive.org and is not related to this website. Our links are provided for historical preservation purposes.

Article tags: computers C64 next article >

Fan Fiction

Vanessa was already in her 20s when she saw her first Commodore 64. It wasn't the most beautiful object she had ever seen but she knew that she had to learn about computers to keep up. It was the Commodore C64 advertising that drew her in. Are you keep up with the Commodore?, cause the Commodore is keeping up with you.

Luckily, this particular Commodore C64 was connected with one of those new fangled Commodore 1541 floppy drives. Vanessa just didn't see the point of using one of her valuable music cassette tapes for games. This machine had the Commodore 1541 5¼ inch disk drive. Slowly, and with one finger, she typed load "*",8,1.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Then the music stared. Bless the SID chip. The Commodore 1541 continues to make those strange knocking sounds. Wrrrrrrrp. An opening screen started loading. The Commodore 1541 had proven its worth. Up loaded Vortex Crystals. It was the classic platform games that gave her the most happiness.

Popular Commodore C64 Articles

Commodore C64 Notebook

Commodore C64
Notebook

High Voltage SID Collection

High Voltage
SID Collection

Classic Commodore C64 TV Advertisements

8 best C64
TV adverts

Commodore C64 & C128 8 bit fonts

Commodore C64 & C128
Truetype 8-bit Fonts

More articles that you will like

MegaOcio Magazine Issue 24

MegaOcio Magazine
Issue 24

Mailmobile office robot

Mailmobile
Office Robot

Half Life 2 Game Franchise

Half-Life 2
Game Franchise

Jailbreaking the Commodore C64 Jailbreaking the Commodore C64

Can you jailbreak
the Commodore C64?