1541 Ultimate-II - Is this the ultimate device for a C64/128? [Hardware Review]

[hansel75]

Fantastic review Neil. Seems like it is the ultimate C64 device.

I may look at getting one later on sometime.

[Neil79]

Originally Posted by hansel75

Fantastic review Neil. Seems like it is the ultimate C64 device.

I may look at getting one later on sometime.

Thanks Hansel!

To others with far more experience with the 1541 Ultimate-II, it may seem like we couldn't be bothered or completely missed out on specific parts of the device but this is not the case. It was simply a new bit of kit, we have never used before and I have never had a C64 disk drive. The manual was very vague in what most stuff did, so me = new user just wanting to play games.

Remember the average joe doesn't care about REU emulation or the files in a D64, they just want to run a game and see if it works. Or play homebrew cracktro's, demos and tapes, which for example the SD2IEC can't do (Tapes).

Furthermore, such as the SID emulation there was nothing about how to get it to work or that a different flash firmware was needed and you need to do a flash up date all. When I used it I thought it was just disk drive noise, so didn't mention it pre-update.

You want a laugh? It was only last year I found out how to LOAD"*",8 or loading C64 tapes when I got my first C64 , I think I've come a long way

[lordofchaos]

The SID emulation feature is fantastic but seems to have vanished from recent firmware updates, I hope they bring it back soon because I have another 2 c64's with dead SID chips. I could always revert back to older firmware but I`m a real sucker for using latest revisions.

Originally Posted by Neil79

You want a laugh? It was only last year I found out how to LOAD"*",8 or loading C64 tapes when I got my first C64 , I think I've come a long way

Sounds just like my experience...It's the cart that keeps on giving.

[Neil79]

Originally Posted by lordofchaos

The SID emulation feature is fantastic but seems to have vanished from recent firmware updates, I hope they bring it back soon because I have another 2 c64's with dead SID chips. I could always revert back to older firmware but I`m a real sucker for using latest revisions.



Sounds just like my experience...It's the cart that keeps on giving.

Not vanished, you just need to get the right firmware and flash force update!

There's two versions

2.6k(?) - Single Drive Audio (Get this one)
2.6K(?) - Dual Drive

Hope this helps

[Retroplay]

There's two types of firmware for the 1541U-II, a single drive + ultimate audio and a dual drive version.
http://tinyurl.com/ny8ldzz

[BarryB]

Try these!

[Neil79]

Cheers BarryB will try them tomorrow

[lordofchaos]

Wow, I haven't checked the Ultimate site for awhile now. Thanks for the info Neil! Time to upgrade it seems :-) I think I have 2.6h at present.

[Neil79]

Originally Posted by lordofchaos

Wow, I haven't checked the Ultimate site for awhile now. Thanks for the info Neil! Time to upgrade it seems :-) I think I have 2.6h at present.

Yep that's old, make sure to grab the latest and ONLY the Single Drive Audio if you want to use the sid

[BarryB]

I keep looking at this and thinking 'should I' and never really being sure. The main reason I'd like one is if the G64 support copes with C64 protections so I can run 100% original images.

[Cpt. Hindsight]

Thanks for the detailled review Neil.

Would you have come to a different rating of the SD2IEC or C64SD, if you had tested the Ultimate before them?

[Neil79]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Hindsight

Thanks for the detailled review Neil.

Would you have come to a different rating of the SD2IEC or C64SD, if you had tested the Ultimate before them?

That's a good question and tough to answer.

I'd say I probably would've mentioned the lack of tape playing with the SD2IEC as the only major critique as it's still a damn fine device. But between the C64SD and the 1541-Ultimate II probably not! They both play tapes, both load disks although the 1541 has a **** load more, but that comes at a price.

Must admit I love the style of the C64SD!

Oh and check this out for the next review

[Cpt. Hindsight]

btw: There's one game worth all the extra money for the Ultimate. You won't get Project Firestart running in any sd2iec device, but it's running without problems on the 1541 Ultimate II. The grandfather of Alone In The Dark, Silent Hill and Dead Space will make you forget about any other 8-Bit computer game (and I know which platform you're coming from).

As some people on your site suggested, don't forget to check out the Easyflash feature of the Ultimate. The Last Ninja Trilogy, Cinemaware collection or the Lucasarts adventures without loading times or disk swapping are pure brilliance.
http://csdb.dk/search/?seinsel=relea...asyflash&all=1

[Neil79]

So how do you load the Easyflash games? Is it as easy as unpack and play? ( Manual wasn't clear on EasyFlash )

I'll have to give the Project Firestart a try cheers

[Retro-Nerd]

You can't use the save game feature in EasyFlash patched games with the Ultimate though. Not implemented yet.

[meckert]

Originally Posted by Neil79

That's a good question and tough to answer.

I'd say I probably would've mentioned the lack of tape playing with the SD2IEC as the only major critique as it's still a damn fine device. But between the C64SD and the 1541-Ultimate II probably not! They both play tapes, both load disks although the 1541 has a **** load more, but that comes at a price.

Must admit I love the style of the C64SD!.com

Oh and check this out for the next review

UK1541? Seen that stuff already, impressive work from Kisiel...

[Hewitson]

I'm not sure why you seem to think this device should come with a large detailed manual. Almost every function it provides is self-explanatory.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by Neil79

We already mentioned about mounting in command screen and mounting when a game asks for an extra disk or flipped disk

Ah, but you didn't mention the feature where it can inject the executable into memory and run it.

Try it.. Go into the D64 file by selecting "enter" in its context menu or just pressing the cursor right key when it's highlighted, then select the file you want from inside the D64 and select run in its context menu. Instant action, no need to bother with load"*",8. :-)

[demolition]

Originally Posted by Neil79

So how do you load the Easyflash games? Is it as easy as unpack and play? ( Manual wasn't clear on EasyFlash )

You can simple load a .crt or .bin file.

Originally Posted by Hewitson

I'm not sure why you seem to think this device should come with a large detailed manual. Almost every function it provides is self-explanatory.

It took me a while to figure out how things worked on the 1541U-II, and particularly the tape emulation gave me some trouble. A manual of the entire interface would be very useful.

[Neil79]

Originally Posted by Hewitson

I'm not sure why you seem to think this device should come with a large detailed manual. Almost every function it provides is self-explanatory.

A manual with a product is always useful, just because you understand every function it provides doesn't mean someone else wont. It doesn't say anything about the usage of easyflash, it doesn't say they you need to flash it with a different firmware separate from the dual drive version, it doesn't say how to use each cart and so on.

Originally Posted by demolition

It took me a while to figure out how things worked on the 1541U-II, and particularly the tape emulation gave me some trouble. A manual of the entire interface would be very useful.

x2