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.
- Commodore 1541C
- Commodore 1570
- Commodore 1571 - the double sided version of the Commdore 1570, and the standard drive in the C128D. The disk capacity is effectively doubled because both sides of the floppy disk is used.
- Commodore 1581 - this is the 3.5-inch disk system that became the defacto floppy disk size towards the end of the disk error. Commodore 64 software was rarely released on the 3.5-inch disks. This drive makes for an excellent second, or third, drive for your retro-computer experience. Unlike normal 5.25-inch disks, the Commodore 1581 can store up to 3 160 bblocks of information. This means over 700 kilobytes of storage. This is significantly more than the 160 kilobytes available on a standard Commodore 64 floppy disk. I have more information available on my Commodore 1581 disk drive page.
- Evesham Exelerator/Oceanic OC-1884N is a standard floppy drive that is compatibe with CBM DOS. This is the smallest drive available for the Commodore 64.
- Datel Electronics Blue Chip 5.25-inch floppy drive