Posted by Commodore Computer Club on January 18, 2012 in Homebrew

For those who attended our January 6, 2012 Commodore Computer Club meeting, you were lucky enough to check out the Commodore Flyer enclosure prototype:

Flyer - Commodore Computer Club

Flyer - Commodore Computer Club

The prototype at the meeting is 1 of 4 that Commodore Computer Club member Tommy created. Be sure to check out his prototyping process blog post.

As mentioned, there are only a complete set of four Flyer enclosures produced. One for Tommy (club member), Sean (Founder of the club), Brandon (Flyer creator and club member) and the fourth one will be auctioned off via the C64 Club with a Flyer installed.

If there is enough demand the Commodore Computer Club will be exclusively producing more Commodore Flyer case enclosures, so if you have any interest, comments or suggestions, be sure to get into contact with the club or comment below.

Something to note though is this case enclosure is not an official Retroswitch product but a hobbyist/homebrew project to help make Flyer just a little more awesome.

To find out more about Flyer or to place an order for one, head over to Brandon’s Retroswitch.com website. Flyer is such an awesome Commodore internet modem and disk drive emulator. If you don’t have one yet for your Commodore 8-bit computers, then you’re missing out.

If you would like to keep up on what’s going on with the Flyer case enclosure project, be sure to bookmark CommodoreFlyer.com which also includes Flyer firmware release notes and other fun and interesting Flyer related homebrew projects.

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on January 8, 2012 in Meetings

Our January 6, 2012 first Friday of the month PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting was awesome with a side of winning!

Here’s a brief bullet list with some of the highlights that took place:

  • Celebrated the 30th birthday of the Commodore 64 with a raffle
  • Played games on multiple Commodore 64′s and 64c’s
  • Commodore Flyer prototype enclosure presentation
  • VIC 20 game time using the Mega-Cart loaded with 100′s games
  • Copied real floppy disks to digital files (D64, D71 and D81)
  • Show and Tell with club member hardware, software and more
  • Tinker Time: Hacking, Coding, Exploring new hardware, Cleaning of equipment

We also enjoyed the following:

  • The “Wives Club” (board games, cards, wine, etc.)
  • EasyFlash game cartridge fun
  • Game time on multiple Vectrex video game consoles
  • A lot of buy, sell, trade and free deals took place
  • All you can eat Pied Piper Pizza dinner buffet

Check out some of our C64 Club meeting pictures below. Enjoy!

We started out the evening with a little game time on the various Commodore 64, 1541 disk drive and VIC-20 computers present at the meeting:

Game time - Commodore Computer Club

The Vectrex is always welcomed at the C64 club meetings. This time we had 3 fully restored and working Vectrex consoles for everyone to use along with a Commodore SX-64:

Vectrex game time, SX-64 - Commodore Computer Club

Here we have a Commodore Computer Club exclusive, a Flyer prototype case enclosure that we plan on producing in volume. Keep an eye on CommodoreFlyer.com for more information:

Flyer Enclosure Prototype - Commodore Computer Club

In this picture you can see a Flyer on top of a 1541 disk drive, 1702 color monitor, C64 computer with an EasyFlash cartridge and the prototype Commodore Flyer case enclosure:

Flyer Enclosure Prototype, EasyFlash Cartridge - Commodore Computer Club

Commodore Computer Club members, guests and friends enjoying some awesome friendly retro computing and gaming related conversations:

Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Kevin Savetz doing some Commodore 1541 floppy disk transfers to digital files (D64, D71 and D81). We ended up using Flyer to get the digital files created:

Kevin Floppy Disk Transfers - Commodore Computer Club

C64 Club Members, guests and Commodore friends socializing at the meeting:

Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

“One, two, three ah ha ha ha ha” (reference The Count from Sesame Street) Vectrex game consoles on hand for gaming time at the Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Vectrex game time - Commodore Computer Club

Chuck Van Pelt (Recycled Gamer) showing John Hancock his custom “recycled” retro controllers for the Vectrex:

Chuck showing John his custom Vectrex controllers - Commodore Computer Club

Seth playing the classic Commodore 64 game BC Quest For Tires. You can also see a VIC-20 with MegaCart and a complete in box C64 in the background:

Seth playing C64 BC Quest For Tires - Commodore Computer Club

“Captain Morgan” was the winner of the complete in box Commodore 64 with sealed software we raffled off in celebration of the 30th birthday of the Commodore 64 computer:

Captain Morgan Raffle Winner - Commodore Computer Club

Here we have the “Wives Club” playing the card game Apples to Apples which is a party game originally published by Out of the Box Publishing, and now published by Mattel:

Wives Club playing cards - Commodore Computer Club

Up close and personal with some of the cards from the game Apples to Apples along with Rebecca doing a peace sign:

Apples to Apples card game - Commodore Computer Club

Long standing club member Tommy all smiles while he plays the game James Bond for the first time which is archived on one of the many EasyFlash cartridges on hand:

Tom playing James Bond C64 - Commodore Computer Club

Playing a C64 club favorite Hard Hat Mack on the Commodore SX-64 computer using a classic WICO joystick:

SX-64 Hard Hat Mack game - Commodore Computer Club

Michael and Dan having a discussion about retro computers and various homebrew projects:

Michael and Dan socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Tommy playing the Activision classic Pitfall on the Commodore 64. Pitfall made it’s first debut on the Atari 2600:

Tom playing C64 Pitfall by David Crane - Commodore Computer Club

Another Activision classic H.E.R.O (HERO) being played during game time at the Commodore Computer Club meeting:

C64 HERO Activision game - Commodore Computer Club

Towards the end of the evening we had a Wizard of Wor game competition. A lot of people really got into it which was a lot of fun:

C64 Wizard of Wor - Commodore Computer Club

John Hancock watching the Wizard of Wor competition being played on his personal Commodore 64 computer he brought to the meeting:

C64 Wizard of Wor - Commodore Computer Club

“Thank you” to everyone from the Pacific Northwest and beyond who continues to support and attend our Commodore Computer Club meetings. It’s greatly appreciated.

Our next scheduled meeting will be Friday February 3, 2012, so be sure to mark it down on your calendar. We hope to see you at the next meeting! Come to learn, come to share.

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on January 7, 2012 in C64, Videos

Here is a 1984 TV advertisement for the Commodore SX-64 portable computer, also known as the Executive 64 computer:

For anyone who wants to sing along with the commercial, here are the lyrics:

In a world of fun and fantasy, and ever changing views
And computer terminology, Commodore is news
Are you keeping up with the Commodore?
‘Cause the Commodore’s keeping up with you.

The Commodore Computer Club is always keeping up with the Commodore :)

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on January 1, 2012 in Meetings

Happy New Year Commodore friends, hackers and enthusiasts! Our next Commodore Computer Club meeting will be Friday, January 6, 2012 from 6:00 pm PST until 12:00 am PST.

Typically club members, friends and guests from the Portland, OR metro area show up between 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm PST.

Our monthly Commodore users group meetings take place at Pied Piper Pizza, a local favorite in Vancouver, WA that’s approximately 30 minutes from downtown PDX – Portland, Oregon:

Pied Piper Pizza - Commodore Computer Club

Pied Piper Pizza – 12300 NE Fourth Plain Rd. – Vancouver, WA 98682 – Get directions

Once inside Pied Piper Pizza, head straight back past the dart boards to the private banquet room #4. Look for Commodore computers. If you can’t find it, ask someone at the counter.

We’ll be celebrating the 30th birthday of the Commodore 64 computer which was released back in January 1982. There will be tasty goodies and other surprises too!

The following hardware, software (cartridge and floppy disk based) will be at the January 6, 2012 Portland metropolitan area Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting:

If you have any Commodore hardware, software, or other retro computing goodness (books, toys, gadgets, etc.) bring it along. There is always plenty of room, tables and electrical outlets.

Do you have any Commodore, other 8-bit computer or gaming console items you want to sell, trade or give away? Feel free to bring it along for our buy, sell, trade and free tables.

As always it’s perfectly fine to bring your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend or kids with you to the upcoming meeting. All are welcome. The more the merrier!

To find out more about our meetings, get directions, etc, please check out the Commodore Computer Club meetings page.

We look forward to seeing you at the next Commodore Computer Club and Users Group meeting on Friday January 6, 2012. Come to learn, come to share.

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on December 16, 2011 in Meetings

Our December 2, 2011 monthly Friday night PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting was a great success!

Here’s a brief list detailing out some of the highlights that took place:

  • Started using the larger meeting banquet room #4
  • Played games on multiple Commodore 64′s and 64c’s
  • VIC 20 game time using the Mega-Cart loaded with 100′s games
  • The “Wives Club” (board games, cards, wine, etc.)
  • Game time on a Vectrex video game console
  • A lot of buy, sell, trade and free deals took place
  • All you can eat Pied Piper Pizza dinner buffet enjoyed by all

We also enjoyed the following:

  • C64 Direct-to-TV aka the C64DTV by Jeri Ellsworth
  • EasyFlash game cartridge fun
  • Presentation of Flyer (formerly Pilot) internet device
  • Commodore Amiga 500 A500 games and utilities fun
  • Show and Tell with club member hardware, software and more
  • Showcasing a GCE Vectrex game console
  • Tinker Time: Hacking, Coding, Exploring new hardware, Cleaning of equipment

Check out some of our C64 Club meeting pictures below. Enjoy!

C64 Direct-to-TV C64DTV (hardware design by Jeri Ellsworth), Commodore VIC-20 and a C64 playing Toy Bizarre by Activision:

C64DTV, VIC-20, C64 - Commodore Computer Club

Gordon “gsteemso” Steemson and Ryan “Pinacolada” Sherwood drove down from the Seattle area to attend the Commodore Computer Club meeting in Vancouver, Washington:

Gordon and Ryan - Commodore Computer Club

Morgan and John Hancock checking out the buy, sell, trade and free tables at the meeting:

Morgan, John Hancock, buy sell trade free tables - Commodore Computer Club

Taking a closer look at some of the items up for grabs at the PDX Commodore Users Group buy, sell, trade and free tables:

Buy, Sell, Trade and Free Tables - Commodore Computer Club

In this picture you can see the nice attendance at our recent Commodore Computer Club meeting. We always have a good time socializing:

Members and Guests Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Doing a little disk copying using the Flyer Internet Modem and the MSD SD-2 floppy disk drive on hand at the meeting:

Flyer Internet Modem, MSD SD-2 Drive - Commodore Computer Club

Morgan playing the classic video game Scramble on the Vectrex game console using the Sean Kelly Vectrex Multi-Cart:

Morgan with Vectrex Sean Kelly Multi-Cart - Commodore Computer Club

Tom and John Hancock playing the game Save New York on the Commodore 64C computer that was on hand at the meeting:

Tom, John Hancock, C64C playing Save New York - Commodore Computer Club

Steve (Agent Friday) having a good time (all smiles) at the PDX Commodore Computer Club meeting while Ryan is enjoying a nice Pied Piper Pizza dinner:

Steve Agent Friday, Ryan - Commodore Computer Club

Up close and personal with the Commodore SX-64 running EasyProg to program the games Jumpman and Space Taxi to an EasyFlash cartridge:

SX-64 EasyFlash 64 Jumpman Space Taxi - Commodore Computer Club

Club members, guests and friends enjoying some awesome friendly Commodore related conversations:

Members, Guests Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Here we have the “Wives Club” playing the card game Quiddler (for the fun of words) at the C64 club meeting:

Wives Club playing cards - Commodore Computer Club

C64 Club Members, guests and Commodore friends socializing at the meeting:

Members, Guests Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Upgrading to the new larger room at Pied Piper Pizza was a wise decision. Look at all the people at our meeting:

Members, Guests Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Ryan using his laptop to do some hacking with the Commodore Flyer Internet Modem and disk drive emulator:

Ryan programming Flyer Internet Modem - Commodore Computer Club

Here’s another picture showing the large attendance at our recent PDX Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Chuck, John Hancock, Morgan - Commodore Computer Club

Jonathan (one of our youngest club members) playing the classic arcade game Q*bert on the Commodore 64 computer:

Playing Q*Bert on the C64 - Commodore Computer Club

The game Tetris all ready to go on the Commodore VIC-20 computer thanks to the VIC 20 Mega-Cart on hand at the meeting:

Tetris VIC-20 Mega-Cart - Commodore Computer Club

Brandon doing some programming using the Flyer Internet Modem and the Commodore SX-64 computer:

Brandon programming Flyer Internet Modem - Commodore Computer Club

Having some tasty dinner at Pied Piper Pizza in the larger banquet room #4 while enjoying awesome friendly Commodore related conversations:

Members, Guests Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Rick Weis all smiles while Tom goes through hundreds of Amiga 500 video game floppy disks provided to the club by member John Hancock:

Tom, Rick Weis Pile of Amiga 500 Game Disks - Commodore Computer Club

John, Gordon and Steve (Agent Friday) having retro computing discussions:

John Hancock, Gordon, Steve Agent Friday - Commodore Computer Club

Seth playing a text adventure game on the VIC-20 using the Commodore VIC 20 Mega-Cartridge:

Seth playing on the VIC-20 with Mega-Cart - Commodore Computer Club

Jeremy, Michael, Dan and Conrad having a good time at the monthly Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Club members Ivan, Tom, Chuck and a bunch of Amiga 500 floppy disks along with other members seen in the background:

Ivan, Tom, Chuck, Amiga 500 Disks - Commodore Computer Club

Tom is so excited that he found his favorite Amiga 500 game disks among the hundreds provided by John to the club for free:

Tom excited with his favorite Amiga 500 game disks - Commodore Computer Club

This was a cool find at the buy, sell, trade and free tables: an Atari 2600 game cartridge with Scratch and Sniff stickers that still had smell:

Atari 2600 cartridge with Scratch and Sniff stickers - Commodore Computer Club

Brandon, Paul and Gregory chatting about the Commodore Flyer internet modem and disk drive emulator that was for sale at the meeting:

Brandon, Paul, Gregory socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Tom’s Commodore Amiga 500 up and running. He had a fun time checking out all the free Amiga software at the meeting:

Tom's Amiga 500 - Commodore Computer Club

Here we can see Greg’s Commodore 64C with EasyFlash cartridge loaded with a bunch of classic video games for everyone to play and enjoy during game time:

Greg's C64C with EasyFlash cartridge - Commodore Computer Club

Greg playing Moon Patrol on his C64C computer while Tom does some Amiga 500 programming:

Greg playing Moon Patrol, Tom Amiga 500 programming - Commodore Computer Club

Steve (Agent Friday), Gregory and Paul chatting about having fun at the Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Steve Agent Friday, Greg and Paul chatting - Commodore Computer Club

Jesse and AEric two long time club members having a conversation about retro computers and classic video games:

Jesse and AEric socializing - Commodore Computer Club

Playing a little Jumpman on the Commodore VIC-20 computer:

VIC-20 Jumpman - Commodore Computer Club

As always a huge “Thank you” goes out to everyone who continues to support and attend our Commodore Computer Club meetings. It’s greatly appreciated.

Our next scheduled meeting will be Friday January 6, 2012, so be sure to mark it down on your calendar. We hope to see you at the next meeting! Come to learn, come to share.

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on December 9, 2011 in C64, Videos

Like last year around this time we wanted to highlight the classic SX-64 Christmas demo and share it with our Commodore friends around the world:

The above Christmas Demo was included on the 1541 SX-64 Test Demo disk which came with the Commodore SX-64 computer also known as the Commodore Executive 64.

Most of us in the Commodore Computer Club agree that the SX-64 Christmas demo is perfect for the holiday season for a few reasons:

  1. It showcases the Commodore 64 sprite and color graphics
  2. Features the C64′s SID 8-bit sound and music capabilities
  3. There’s a dancing Frosty The Snowman at the end :)

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the Commodore Computer Club. We hope you enjoy the video.

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Posted by Commodore Computer Club on November 28, 2011 in Meetings

Our next Commodore Computer Club meeting will be Friday, December 2, 2011 from 6:00 pm PST until 12:00 am PST.

Typically our Commodore friends, C64 club members and guests from the Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas show up between 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm PST.

Our monthly Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meetings take place at Pied Piper Pizza in Vancouver, WA which is about a 30 minute drive from downtown PDX – Portland, OR:

Pied Piper Pizza - Commodore Computer Club

Pied Piper Pizza – 12300 NE Fourth Plain Rd. – Vancouver, WA 98682 – Get directions

Once inside Pied Piper Pizza, head straight back past the dart boards to the private banquet room #4. Look for Commodore and other retro computers. Remember this is the first meeting in the new larger room which is across the hall from previous meetings in room #3.

Please note: As of this meeting (December 2, 2011) we no longer have the back alley door to use, but we do have a side door for easy access from the parking lot for loading and unloading. Come into the new meeting room first to see where this door is to know where to park, etc.

The following hardware and software is confirmed for the December 2, 2011 PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting:

If you have any Commodore hardware, software, or other classic computing goodness kindly bring it along because we’ve got plenty of room, tables and electrical outlets.

You can also expect the following for your enjoyment:

  • You’ll be able to purchase Flyer (Internet Modem + Disk Drive Emulator)
  • Awesome conversations, good friends and a lot social geekery
  • The “Wives Club” (board games, cards, wine, etc.)
  • Buy, sell, trade and free tables (Commodore Marketplace)
  • Multiple club member presentations
  • Tinker time: hacking, coding, exploring new hardware
  • Pied Piper Pizza food, beverages and salad bar

To find out more about our meetings, get directions, etc, please check out the Commodore Computer Club meetings page.

As always it’s perfectly fine to bring your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend or kids with you to the upcoming meeting. All are welcome. The more the merrier!

We look forward to seeing you at the next Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting on Friday December 2, 2011. Come to learn, come to share.

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Posted by Commodore Computer Club on November 27, 2011 in Homebrew, News

Greetings Commodore Friends! The time has come. Bring your Commodore computer into the internet age with Flyer, the combination internet modem and disk drive emulator for Commodore 8-bit computers!

The idea for Flyer was born out of a conversation back in September 2010 during a Commodore Computer Club meeting between a few friends and club members. It’s been a long time coming, but totally worth the wait. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Flyer:

Flyer formerly Pilot - Commodore Computer Club

Flyer provides both IEC and IEEE-488 interfaces and supports a wide range of Commodore computers, from the PET to the Commodore 128:

  • Commodore CBM PET
  • Commodore VIC-20
  • Commodore Plus/4
  • Commodore 16
  • Commodore 64 and SX-64 (Executive 64)
  • Commodore 128, 128D and DCR

Once connected, Flyer provides you with two new peripherals – an internet modem and a disk drive emulator which currently supports D64, D71 and D81 disk images.

While no additional software is required to use Flyer, it includes a useful configuration program built in (loaded from the Flyer itself) which allows you to easily configure network settings, cloud server configurations and more.

Flyer formerly Pilot - Commodore Computer Club

Flyer allows seamless loading and saving of programs and disks to websites which support Retroswitch’s cloud server protocol. It even provides the flexibility to develop your own custom solutions utilizing Flyer’s built-in support for HTTP and TCP protocols.

Flyer includes 3.5 MB of flash memory for storing disk images locally. You can also create new disk images on the fly, and either discard them when finished or upload them to the cloud to save them for future use. You can easily switch between locally stored disks using the button on the Flyer.

Firmware updates are safe and easy for the Flyer. A simple LOAD command will update your Flyer to the latest firmware release over the internet. If anything should ever go wrong, the Flyer includes a recovery procedure which will reset the device to the exact state it was in when you first received it.

You can find out more information, place an order or download the manual with a lot more information by visiting the official Flyer product page.

If you’re in the PDX Portland, OR – Vancouver, WA area, there will be Flyer’s for sale and being demonstrated at the upcoming Commodore Computer Club meeting Friday December 2, 2011.

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Posted by Commodore Computer Club on November 24, 2011 in Meetings

Our November 4, 2011 monthly Friday night PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club meeting was a super success!

Here’s a brief list detailing out some of the highlights that took place:

  • Played games on multiple Commodore 64′s and 64c’s
  • VIC 20 game time using the Mega-Cart loaded with 100′s games
  • Amiga 500 A500 games and utilities fun
  • Game time on an original Xbox video game console
  • Multiplayer Bomberman on the Sega Saturn
  • A lot of buy, sell, trade and free deals took place
  • All you can eat Pied Piper Pizza dinner buffet enjoyed by all

We also enjoyed the following:

  • Presentation of Flyer (formerly Pilot) internet device
  • Show and Tell with club member hardware, software and more
  • DEC PDP-11 computer, connected to a VT100 terminal demo by Earl Evans
  • Showcasing a Mattel Aquarius computer
  • Sony Hitbit HB-F1XV Presentation
  • Tinker Time: Hacking, Coding, Exploring new hardware, Cleaning of equipment

Check out some of our C64 Club meeting pictures below. Enjoy!

Up close and personal with Flyer, the internet modem and disk drive emulator for Commodore 8-bit computers designed and built by C64 Club member Brandon:

Flyer formerly Pilot - Commodore Computer Club

We downloaded Berzerk Redux from the internet using Flyer, then played it on the Commodore 64 computer:

Berzerk Redux - Commodore Computer Club

Another nice turn out for our monthly C64 Club meeting as seen here by all the socializing going on at the Commodore club meeting:

Socializing at the meeting - Commodore Computer Club

Box of Commodore 64 floppy disks sitting on top of the computer power station:

C64 Floppy Disks - Commodore Computer Club

MSD SD-2 Dual Floppy Disk Drive, VIC-20 with Mega-Cart playing the game Black Hole:

MSD SD-2 Disk Drive - Commodore Computer Club

Sony Hitbit HB-F1XV vintage computer on display at the Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Sony F1-XV - Commodore Computer Club

Multiplayer Bomberman on the Sega Saturn. Thanks to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo staff for providing the setup for our meeting:

Bomberman on the Sega Saturn - Commodore Computer Club

PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club members enjoying a little game time on the C64 and VIC-20 on hand at the meeting:

Commodore 64 VIC-20 Game Time - Commodore Computer Club

Amiga 500 (A500) with external floppy drive and a huge box of Amiga software which included games, utilities and various other Amiga software:

Amiga 500 - Commodore Computer Club

Commodore VIC-20 computer using the MSD-SD2 floppy drive to load classic video games:

MSD SD-2 VIC-20 - Commodore Computer Club

You can always find a good deal at the Commodore Computer Club’s Buy, Sell, Trade and Free Tables setup at our C64 Club meetings:

Buy, Sell, Trade, Free Tables - Commodore Computer Club

Vintage DEC PDP-11 computer, connected to a VT100 terminal being showcased by Earl Evans from the Retrobits Podcast:

DEC PDP-11 VT100 terminal Retrobits Podcast - Commodore Computer Club

Playing a little Wizard of Wor on the Commodore 64. Wizard of Wor was a huge hit at the meeting and received a lot of gameplay:

C64 Wizard of Wor - Commodore Computer Club

Frogger ’07 being played via the VIC-20 Mega-Cart that’s always on hand at our C64 Club meetings:

VIC-20 Frogger 07 - Commodore Computer Club

VIC-20 computer, color monitor and CN2 Cassette Unit that belongs to Seth, a C64 Club member. This is the first time in years that his system has been up and running:

VIC-20, CN2 Cassette Unit - Commodore Computer Club

Mattel Aquarius computer complete with the the Aquarius Mini Expander being showcased. Thank you Morgan for bringing some of your retro goodness to the meeting:

Mattel Aquarius computer - Commodore Computer Club

Here you can see a PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club member testing out the Mattel Aquarius computer:

Mattel Aquarius computer - Commodore Computer Club

Commodore Computer Club member Tom kicking back while reading his new Amiga 500 book that he acquired from the buy, sell, trade and free tables:

Amiga 500 book manual - Commodore Computer Club

In this picture you can see the huge attendance at our recent Commodore Computer Club meeting. We always have a good time socializing:

Socializing at the meeting - Commodore Computer Club

Here you can see what we are now calling “The Wives Club” playing a combination card and board game at the C64 club meeting:

Wives Club - Commodore Computer Club

Look out, the Wives Club now has wine to drink while playing games and socializing. It’s so nice that the women of all the geek men can have fun at the meetings too:

Wives Club - Commodore Computer Club

Earl Evans doing a little programming on his recently acquired DEC PDP-11 computer, connected to a VT100 terminal:

DEC PDP-11 VT100 terminal - Commodore Computer Club

Gregory watching Chuck from the PRGE playing a serious game of Berzerk Redux on the Commodore 64. Chicken, fight like a robot:

Berzerk Redux - Commodore Computer Club

There are always multiple Commodore 64′s setup with EasyFlash cartridges at our meetings loaded up with classic video games:

EasyFlash cartridge Easy Flash - Commodore Computer Club

Members and guests enjoying a little game time on the C64 and VIC-20 on hand at the meeting:

Gametime Game Time - Commodore Computer Club

For a little added excitement, we fired up an original Xbox and played some multiplayer Halo at the Commodore Computer Club meeting:

Xbox Halo - Commodore Computer Club

Tom playing a little Arkanoid by Taito on his Amiga 500 computer:

Amiga Arkanoid by Taito - Commodore Computer Club

Toy Bizarre by Activision being played during game time. This is such a fun game. If you haven’t tried it, come down to a Commodore Computer Club meeting. Free games to play!

Toy Bizarre by Activision - Commodore Computer Club

“Thank you” to everyone who continues attending and supporting our Commodore Computer Club meetings from all over PDX. It’s greatly appreciated.

Our next scheduled meeting will be Friday December 2, 2011, so be sure to mark it down on your calendar. We hope to see you at the next meeting! Come to learn, come to share.

Posted by Commodore Computer Club on November 11, 2011 in Meetings, News

Remember the 1970′s TV show The Jeffersons? Well like them, the Commodore Computer Club is “Movin’ On Up” to a larger room at Pied Piper Pizza starting our December 2, 2011 meeting.

This is pretty exciting club news to say the least, so let’s take a moment and recap how we got to this point of needing a larger room which has happened a few times in the clubs history.

The Early Days:

When the Commodore Computer Club was officially founded back in April 2010 with 5 friends, we had our weekly meetings and game days at various member homes.

That was great at first, since we were a small, humble and manageable group of retro computer enthusiasts, but then we started to expand and get more friends interested in the club.

Becoming More Public Friendly:

Sometime in early May 2010 we decided it was time for an official meeting place. After some searching and group discussion, we decided on Pied Piper Pizza in Vancouver, WA.

Once we started officially having meetings at a public place, our attendance really started to pick up basically meaning more hardware, people and good times, not a bad thing to happen to a retro computer hobbyist group.

As of July 2010 we started to only have meetings on the first Friday of every month (no more every Friday). This allowed for more planning and scheduling to get more people coming to the Commodore Computer Club meetings and events.

At this point over the next few months we saw a steady increase in attendance and hardware being brought to our meetings making us a happy bunch of retro computing geeks.

Introducing Our Club To Approximately 1,200 People:

The Commodore Computer Club was part of the 5th Annual Portland Retro Gaming Expo on September 18th and 19th, 2010:

This was awesome for our PDX Commodore Users Group and Computer Club by providing major exposure to 1,200+ like minded people around the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Time For An Upgrade:

After getting more exposure thanks to the 2010 Portland Retro Gaming Expo, things really started to pick up for us.

  • October 1, 2010: Because of the huge amount of hardware, software and people at this meeting, it was decided that we should start using the large banquet room for all future Commodore Computer Club meetings. View recap and photos.

For the rest of 2010 room #3 at Pied Piper has served us well, which brings us to the entire reason for this blog post.

Continuing To Grow In 2011:

The C64 club has continued growing at a nice pace since the beginning of 2011 with member and guest attendance, hardware presentations and demos which are at a record all time high. Room #3 is doing well but is starting to seem small as we reach the third quarter of 2011.

Like in 2010, the Commodore Computer Club was once again a vendor at the 2011 6th Annual Portland Retro Gaming Expo and kicked it up a notch by being one of the official sponsors of the event plus we were instrumental in bringing David Crane and Garry Kitchen to the Expo.

Thanks to being one of the sponsors at the 6th annual PRGE, we were able to show 1,500+ people what the Commodore Computer Club is all about. How rad is that?

Everything done to date so far has helped boost interest in our club which is awesome, however with more interest comes more people, more hardware and less room for all of the above.

Movin’ On Up:

Over the past couple of months a lot of evaluating has been going on for the club, especially since we’re in the home stretch of 2011.

  • As of the October 2011 meeting and almost one year to the day since the last time we did a room upgrade, it’s official, the Commodore Computer Club needs more space.

Lucky for us Pied Piper Pizza has another private banquet room across the hall that can handle an occupancy of 80+ people. We recently checked it out at our November 2011 meeting and it’s going to work out perfectly for us. To quote Charlie Sheen: Winning!

This new room is geektastic: more tables, electrical outlets, better floor plan, windows and so much more! It’s sure nice having the same physical meeting location for over a year and half that can provide us room to expand.

Starting our December 2, 2011 meeting, please join the Commodore Computer Club in banquet room #4 just across the hall from our previous meeting room.

“Thank you” to everyone who has continued to support the PDX Commodore Computer Club and Users Group. It’s greatly appreciated. We’ll see you at an upcoming meeting!

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