How it started
Back in 2019 Bart created the first chat cartridge as a proof of concept.Unlike today's cartridge, this first version did not use the ESP32, it used an Arduino Nano with an ESP8266 Serial module for the WiFi communication. The project evolved, and in 2021 it was ready for larger-scale testing. Bart crafted 10 cartridges and distributed them freely to anyone eager to partake in the experiment.
A few successful chat sessions were done, but it was quite a slow process.
Here is a picture of what it looked like back then:
The start screen was in black and white, but the chat screen was nice and colorful.
Version 2.0, a fresh start
In 2023, Theo got in touch with Bart and convinced him to revive the Chat64 project. They teamed up to redesign the hardware and rewrite the software from scratch.
They introduced new functionality such as private chat and even an A.I. Chatbot.
The hardware and all software is now open source and available on Github.
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| Bart and Theo testing software | Theo soldering a proto type |
Tested platforms
The Chat64 cartridge was developed for the original C64 hardware but can be used on modern C64 compatible platforms as well.
We know the cartridge works well on the following systems:
Original Hardware
The Cartridge has been tested on most revisions of the original Commodore 64 and Commodore 64c.
The C128 and C128D
Users have reported full functionality on the C128 and C128D.
The Mega65
Users have reported full functionality on the Mega65.For more info about the Mega65, goto: mega65.org
The C64 Reloaded MK2
Users have reported full functionality on the C64 Reloaded MK2.More info about the Reloaded MK2:
http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/C64_reloaded_mk2
The Ultimate64
Users have reported full functionality on different versions of the Ultimate64 (elite).Note that the cartridge uses its own Wi-Fi connection and does not utilize the Ultimate64's network capabilities.
More info: https://ultimate64.com/
