VChar64 v1.0.0 released
I’m releasing VChar64 v1.0.0, exactly 11 years after the first public release , and about 9 years after the latest release . You can download it from here: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/vchar64/releases/tag/v1.0.0
RETRO.MOE
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Announcing Regenerator 2000
I am excited to announce the release of Regenerator 2000 , a modern take on the classic Regenerator tool for the Commodore 64 and other 6502-based computers. Regenerator 2000 is an interactive disassembler for the CPU 6502, focused mostly on Commodore 8-bit computers. It features a modern Terminal User Interface (TUI) with features like x-ref, undo/redo, arrows, keyboard-driven navigation, and…
Knitting Hello World
I’m learning knitting, not sure for how long I’ll keep it up, but this is my “Hello World” project, a kind-of scarf. I wanted to do a scarf, but I run out of wool, so I created a “small” scarf, which in spanish is called “cuello”, but I don’t know the english word. It uses mostly Jersey stitches, but every some rows I did a…
Machine-Embroidering The Great Grossini
Haven’t you heard of Grossini? The one and only? The best ever magitian? Shame on you! :-) In 2006, with a group of friends (nubis, leito, lucio, tenuki, alecu, chaghi, pabloz, riq, facundobatista, yaco) we created a video game called Typus Pocus . And the main character of the video game was Grossini, a sort-of failed magitian. We had a lot of fun creating it, and created a few sequels were…
In-the-Hoop Voodoo Doll - Guali
This is my first in-the-hoop doll project: His name is “Guali” and it is a voodoo doll. “Guali” has special powers and protects my friend and I from “bad vibes”. Like “bad vibe coding”, and other types of " bad vibes". Tools used: Inkscape for the design Ink/Stich (Inkscape plugin) to generate the PES file Materials used: a used sock I used Ballyhoo…
Embroidering International Tennis
Who remembers the Commodore 64 video game “International Tennis” ? Although it was not one of my favorites games, I enjoyed playing it. In any case, a friend of mine and a very good tennis player is moving abroad so I decided to give him a little present: Even though this looks like an “easy” embroider, the tricky part was the different pixel sizes: I used the…
Halloween 2025 costume - Pibe Cabeza
For Halloween 2025, I made myself a costume. He is “El Pibe Cabeza”, a local superhero that saves kids from bullies. Techniques used: Paper mache Acrylic painting Machine sewing Hand sewing Cardboard, wool yarn, hot glue, felt and more I spent between 10 and 20 hours working on it with the help of the rest of the family.
Embroidering Outrun
The challenge with the Outrun sprite is that it has multiple colors, but many islands of only a few pixels, so it requires multiple jump-stitches, or so I thought so. To prevent the jump-stitches I decided to connect the different “islands” with a run-stitch. I modified my Pixem editor to do that, and I embroidered the t-shirt. The run-stitch path is “smart”, in the sense…
Embroidering Le Chuck, from Monkey Island, for VCF West
This past weekend, I had two events: Vintage Computer Festival West , at the Computer History Museum. And we hosted a party at home. So I decided that nothing better than to embroider Le Chuck, from Monkey Island 2. These are the steps that I followed to embroider it: 1. Grab the Sprite and simplify it I took the sprite from The Legend of Monkey Island site. Original sprite has 13 different…
Your first embroidery machine
I’ve been asked a few times which embroidery machine. Here are the things to take into account: Budget and Hoop size The bigger the hoop size, the more expensive it gets. As en example, here are 3 Brother models: Hoop Size (in) Price Machines 4x4 ~$500 Brother Skitch , Brother SE700 5x7 ~$1000 Brother PE900 6x10 ~$2000 Brother NQ1700E It is worth noting that once you purchase a machine of a…
Improving Angler Fish for Open Sauce
This past Saturday (2025-07-19) I went to Open Sauce . And since this is a maker event, I went with my best t-shirt so far: the Angler Fish. But it had some issues that I wanted to fix before using it again. The two improvements that I made are: Added a pocket to place the battery and the microcontroller Improved how to attach the cables to the LED The pocket
Embroidering Ransome the Clown, from Thimbleweed Park
First of all, if you are not familiar with Ransome the Clown , you should stop right now, and play the great video game Thimbleweed Park . Here are the steps to embroider the t-shirt: 1. Analyze and edit the sprite to embroider The first thing to do is to analyze the sprite to embroider. The original sprite has 41 colors, and using GIMP, I reduced them to 10 colors. The reasons to reduce the…
Machine-Embroidering Gun Fight Arcade in two T-shirts
This time the idea was to embroider the scene of the video game in two t-shirts. Each player is represented in each t-shirt. For those not familiar with Gun Fight (Arcade, 1975) this is how it looks like: So, when two people wear the two t-shirts at the same time, it looks like this: Cute, isn’t it? How it was done It was done doing something similar to what I did before with the Angler Fish…
Creating a machine-embroidery angler fish with a blinking LED
Long story short, about 6 months ago I started a new hobby: machine-embroidery. Since then, I’ve been experimenting with machine-embroidery pixel-art. The Angler Fish is my 18th machine-embroidery pixel-art work. In a future post, I’ll describe in more detail how it’s been done. In the meantime, here is the summary: The design consists of: 3188 pixels 64,804 stitches Size: 223.1…
Goodbye WordPress, Hello Hugo
I’ve been using WordPress for many years. I started using it ~2008 to host the Cocos2d blog. And then I used it for my personal blogs. But I’ve been wanting to switch to a static site generator for a while. And I finally did it. I’m now using Hugo hosted in GitHub Pages . And this is how I did it: Export your files Log in to your WordPress site as “admin” Tools ->…
Bluepad32 v4.0
Bluepad32 v4.0-beta.0 is released and contains many new features: Raspberry Pi Pico W support. BLE Service that allows a BLE client (mobile application) to configure Bluepad32. (BLE Client is still WIP). More polished documentation , hosted in readthedocs. Better directory structure (easier to find files). Easier way to create your own platform. Examples for raw ESP-IDF, Pico W and Linux, which…
Introducing Unijoysticle 2 C64
Unijoysticle 2 C64 adds Bluetooth gamepad functionality to the Commodore 64/128. For those familiar with the Unijoysticle 2+ , this is the evolution of it. Features: One gamepad controls one Joystick or two gamepads control two Joystick or one gamepad controls two Joysticks (for Dual Stick games) or use Wii Steering Wheel or use Wii Balance Board Supports gamepad rumble for certain games Supports…
Bluepad32 v3.7.0 released with Arduino IDE support
I’ve just released Bluepad32 v3.7.0 with two important features: Arduino IDE support In addition to ESP32, it also supports ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 (only BLE gamepads supported.) Details and more here: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/bluepad32
Gamepad rumble support for the Commodore 64
I discovered a way to send 1-bit of data from the Commodore 64 to the Joysticks. And I use this one-bit of data to turn on/off the rumble in the gamepads through the Unijoysticle. Note: Spanish version of the video is here How does it work
Introducing Unijoysticle 2 A500
Unijoysticle 2 A500 is a device that enables Bluetooth gamepads and mice on the Commodore Amiga.
Bluepad32 v3.5 released!
TL;DR: Support for Amiga and Atari ST mice, USB console, and re-connect improvements. I ’m happy to announce that Bluepad32 v3.5 has been released. It contains two new big features: Mouse support Console and many fixes & improvements here and there. Mouse support Some of the supported mice. Mouse support has been added both at the “core” level, and at a “platform”…
Introducing Unijoysticle 2+
Unijoysticle 2+ For those not familiar with Unijoysticle 2, it is a device that allows you to use modern Bluetooth gamepads like Sony DualSense or Nintendo Switch controllers (to name just a few) on old computers like the Commodore 64 or Amiga. What’s new in version 2+: Case friendly: lower profile, LEDs & buttons are close the border and has mounting holes. Looks nicer: Uses SMD components…
A multi-platform 256-byte intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCzAlfXOOXo “Amor para Dos” is a multi-platform 256-byte intro. The binary, without any kind of modification, can run both on: a 80386 (or better) + DOS and on a Commodore 64. We ( L.I.A ) released it at Flashparty 2021 . I did the coding.
Bluepad32 support for Arduino and CircuitPython
It is now possible to use Bluetooth gamepads both in Arduino and CircuitPython projects. This means that you can use your PlayStation (PS3, PS4, PS5), Nintendo (Wii, Wii U, Switch) and Xbox One S gamepads in your electronics project: control a robot, home-automation, video games, etc… everything controlled from your favorite gamepad. The catch is that not every Arduino or CircuitPython…
Contact
IMPORANT: For Bluepad32 / Unijoysticle questions use our Discord server instead: Get in Touch Let’s talk 👋. Don’t hesitate to reach out with the contact information below: Email: unijoysticle@gmail.com Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@ricardoquesada BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ricardoquesada.bsky.social
Building Quico: improved sound, gamepad, and more (part III)
This is the third blog-post regarding “building a video-game console for (my) kids”. See Part II: chiptune, and Part I: gamepad . Quico We have name: Quico. From now on, I’ll refer to this project as “Quico”: Quico ( /ˈkiko/ ), short for Kids Console (or Kids Computer ) Also, one of the main characters of El Chavo del Ocho Sound Shield I converted the breadboard into…
Designing a modern retro console for (my) kids: Adding chiptune music
The ideal modern-retro video game console My goal is to build a video game console for (my) kids. I want to teach them programming in a fun way: fun for them… and also fun for me. The video-game console features are: Modern components, with a retro “spirit”. Easy to program, a must. Chosen: Python, in particular CircuitPython Gamepad support: Multiple gamepads at the same time…
Bluepad32: Gamepad support for ESP32
I’m happy to announce the release of Bluepad32: gamepad support for the ESP32. Bluepad32 is a firmware that runs in the ESP32 microcontroller. It supports all the modern Bluetooth gamepads like Sony (PS5, PS4, PS3), Microsoft (Xbox One S) and Nintendo (Switch, Wii) gamepads. Who is this for? This is for:
Unijoysticle 2: Nintendo controllers and more!
Unijoysticle 2 Christmas 2019 update, with support for: Nintendo Wii Remote Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Wii Remote + Nunchuk extension Nintendo Wii Remote + Classic Controller extension Nintendo Switch Pro controller 8BitDo family: all modes supported (Switch, Windows, Mac, Android). iCade 8-bitty It also supports:
Commando disassembled - fully commented code
In order to create Commando 2084 , I had to disassemble Commando. My original intention was to patch what was only needed and stop there. But I got carried away and I ended up analyzing and commenting the entire Commando code. The commented code (that can be recompiled to generate the exact original binary) is here: https://gitlab.com/ricardoquesada/c64-commando-2084/tree/orig Findings - Level 2…
Commando 2084 - a game for the Commodore 64
Commando 2084 is the mix between Commando and Robotron 2084: it is like the original Commando game, but using the Robotron 2084 controls.
Unijoysticle 2: modern bluetooth gamepads for retro computers
Announcing Unijoysticle 2: Use modern Bluetooth controllers (gamepads, mice, smart TV remote controllers) in retro computers like the Commodore 64/128, Atari ST, Amiga and more. For further info go here: /unijoysticle2
Unijoysticle™ 2
Like the original Unijoysticle , but remove WiFi and add Bluetooth. Unijoysticle 2 allows you to use modern Bluetooth controllers, like Sony DualSense or Nintendo Switch controllers (among many others) in old computers like the Commodore 64, Amiga or Atari.
Atari ST: First impressions
A few months ago I got an Atari 1040 STF. I knew nothing about it when I got it, except that it was a similar to the Amiga. The Atari ST, the Amiga and the Macintosh were computers released in the mid 80’s, all of them based on the Motorola 68k, and all of them came with a windows-based GUI. This was a revolutionary step compared to the 8-bit machines which were CLI text-driven.
64K RAM Ought to be Enough: a demo for the PCjr
Updated 2018–10–08 A demo for the IBM PCjr by Pungas de Villa Martelli . It was presented at Flashparty 2018 and won the Demo category. Requirements An IBM PCjr with at least 64k RAM. Download Source code: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/64k-ought-to-be-enough Binary: pvm-64ko.zip (does not run on emulators) Technical description The demo is divided in the boot loader and demo 3 parts
Cromemco System 3 computer
The Cromemco System Three is a Z-80 based computer. Which is nice, because I always wanted to learn Z-80 (this is my second Z-80 computer, the other one is a MSX2). But what I like about the Cromemco is how well-built it is. I love it. The computer is that not big, but it is a very heavy computer.
Performance of the 8088 on PC, PCjr and Tandy 1000
It’s well-known that you should measure the performance of your code , and not rely only on the opcode’s “cycle counts”. But how fast is an IBM PC 5150 compared to a PCjr ? or to a Tandy 1000? or how fast is the Tandy 1000 HX in fast mode (7.16Mhz) compared to the slow mode ( 4.77Mhz) ? Or how fast is a nop compared to a cwd ? I created a test ( perf.asm ) that measures the…
IBM PCjr: Zero-day Data-destroy vulnerability
IBM PCjr zero-day data-destroy vulnerability (AKA: Joykill).
IBM PCjr BIOS dump
The IBM PCjr BIOS is very well documented in the IBM PCjr Technical Reference manual (a must read for every PCjr developer). The only problem is that navigating that code is not easy. It has all the problems from scanned books: the fonts don’t look good no hyper-links and difficult to search So I dumped the BIOS and started analyzing it with IDA Pro 5.0 - Free version . I added some of the…
Tandy 64 Jr. - an intro for the IBM PCjr
Happy new year! We ( PVM ) ported our Tandy 64 intro (originally designed for the Tandy 1000HX) to the IBM PCjr. Requirements: IBM PCjr. with 256k RAM Download: Binary: tandy64jr.zip Source code: https://github.com/c64scene-ar/tandy64/tree/ibm_pcjr Worth mentioning: Runs flicker-free Stable raster-bar, without garbage (world-first?)
Tandy 64, and intro for the Tandy 1000 and more
With PVM with released an intro for the Tandy 1000 HX. The Tandy 1000 HX uses the Intel 8088-2 CPU. Which is a suuuuper slow CPU ( slower than the 8086). With all its wait states and its limitations on the video card (no hardware sprites, no charset redefinition) it makes it comparable with a Commodore 64. In fact, for certain things a Commodore 64 if way faster. Without further ado, this is the…
Commodore 64 Assembly Tutorial - Part II
A few months ago we ( Pungas de Villa Martelli ) released the 4Kindness, a 4K intro for Silesia Party 8 . And recently we released its source and a tutorial detailing how we built it. Without further ado, here it is: C64 Assembly Tutorial - Part II (english) C64 cursito de asembler - Parte II (castellano) Full source code Binaries: 4kindness.d64 If you have doubts/questions about it, let us know !
Actualizo: Ya no se que es lo que quiere Dios
Me encuentro confundido, perdido espiritualmente. Pensé que Dios me estaba dando mensajes claros y simples, para que una persona como yo los entienda sin ambigüedad alguna, mensajes claros como: “Hacé el UniJoystiCle para la PET. No pierdas tiempo en la Plus/4”. Pero hoy el vecino me entregó un paquete… ¿qué paquete? El paquete con la Commodore Plus/4 que yo pensé que algún…
Dios las prefiere PETs
Volví de viaje. Llego a casa con ansias de encontrarme con la Commodore Plus/4 que había pedido por Ebay. El email decía que la habían dejado en la puerta de casa el viernes a las 3:54pm. Yo llegué a casa el sábado a las 11:58am. La busqué pero no la encontré. Ni en la puerta de casa. Ni en ningún lado. (Vaya sorpresa se habrá llevado el ladronzuelo al abrir la caja).
Long time no see: UniJoystiCle for all platforms
I’ve been busy. I still have no spare time to work on my retro projects, but I have a plan. And it can’t fail. I plan to port the UniJoystiCle + The Uni Games to the following platforms: Commodore VIC 20: UniJoystiCle (single joystick) + The Uni Games Commodore PET: UniJoystiCle in expansion port (single joystick) + The Uni Games Commodore 128: UniJoystiCle (same as the C64) + The Uni…
The history of Cocos2d in a glimpse
Cocos2d (Python) In February 2008, at Los Cocos, Córdoba, Argentina, we started the “Los Cocos” Python game engine. We later renamed it Cocos2d. The idea was to create a game engine for the games we were creating for PyWeek . PyCamp 2008. Centro Allen Gardiner, Los Cocos, Córdoba, Argentina. We started the game engine with Lucio Torre, Daniel Moisset, Rayentray Tappa, and I, with the…
Commodore 64 Assembly Tutorial
A few months ago we released the Argentine Songbook Vol. 1 chipdisk. And recently we released its source code including: Full source code (the assembly files + makefiles + everything…) Full audio sources (the SidWizard files) And we also wrote a tutorial about how to write a chipdisk, including all the tricks that we used. C64 Assembly Tutorial (english) C64 Assembly Tutorial (spanish) Full…
VChar64 v0.2.2 released and other news
VChar64 v0.2.2 released Download: Mac: vchar64-0.2.2.mac.dmg Win32: vchar64-0.2.2.win32.zip Source code: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/vchar64/ Release notes here: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/vchar64/releases/tag/0.2.2 UniJoystiCle news I started working on the paddle/mouse support. I’m using an ESP32 instead of the ESP8266. Progress is documented here (spanish): UniJoystiCle +…
The UniJoystiCle v0.4 released
Christmas is coming. Treat yourself with The UniJoystiCle v0.4, and be the cool kid in the block by playing The Uni Games like a pro (that’s it with real unicycles!): Highlights of v0.4 WiFi Device Smaller real estate: Fits in all C64/128 models, including the C128D / SX-64 machines Using Wemos D1 Mini instead of NodeMCU Blue instead of red Firmware New WiFi modes: Station and WPS modes…
UniJoystiCle v0.4.0-RC released!
UniJoystiCle v0.4.0-RC (Release Candidate) released. Mega update! Download: iOS client v0.4.6: App Store Android client v0.4.10: Google Play macOS client v0.4.0: UniJoystiCle Controller.dmg win32 client v0.4.0: unijoysticle_controller.win32.zip Firmware v0.4.5: unijoysticle_firmware.bin Source code + schematic + layout: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/unijoysticle Latest versions can be…