From this notebook dreamed the eighties.

Had it just been given was from a Commodore C64 has Benjamin Heckendorn built a laptop that looks like fresh from the eighties-years-line. With similar modifications to the crafters already earned impressive sum - but first he wants to break.

 

Had ever a Commodore C64 notebook develops, it probably would have looked: beige housing, housing roughly grooved lid, large company logo, Commodore lettering underneath the keyboard. But then in the eighties,
than the C64's triumph as a home computer replayability, such a device would not have been possible.

Commodores own attempt, a mobile-C64 to build, brought laurels to the company no one. 1984, the company prior to the SX64. He was twelve kilograms in total weight is still bearable, but always needed an outlet, because it was delivered without the battery. Above all, however, prevented its small screen and the high price of nearly a thousand dollar success.

With modern tools, but it should not be a problem to fill this gap and the mobile computers to build, by the time you could only dream of. The thought that perhaps the U.S. hobbyist
Benjamin Heckendorn. He is a specialist in such projects. For nearly a decade, he builds computers and game consoles to mobile computers, has thus not only a good reputation, but also so many dollars.

"I was an Atari-type"

But his C64 laptop makes him visibly to create. "How was it again?" Asks the handyman, when he presents his new work. Almost three years, he pushed the reconstruction of the computer in front of you Seniors out. Not because of the so complicated - it just came to him constantly in between other projects. But now he is finally finished, his C64 laptop, after only two and a half weeks of construction. But like any C64 reacts only to text commands, and expects that to him with well-structured chain of command says what it should do next - and then Benjamin has his problems.

"Sorry, I was an Atari-type", says the maker. He then amused, when the C64 had its great time, with an Atari home computer, and also functioned quite differently than the bread box. For his self-portable Commodore, he had to get the old system until new teach.

And not only that, Heckendorn had to bring some ingenuity. Solely on the basis of the Eighties-year hardware had his portable Commodore hardly able to realize. The brawny floppy drive, for example, the 1541, he had little in a slim chassis can bring. So he replaced the floppy drive by a special SD card reader. The side has the advantage that it is C64 software much faster in the memory of the computer scoops than a floppy could.

It all started with an Atari Console

But replacement of the floppy still belonged to the easier exercises. In the course of the work had Heckendorn not only modify the main board, even the complete keyboard, the cabling and the power he has rebuilt. A battery is also available in its C64 laptop does not. But the device is actually bearable, and so lean that there is at least loosely fit into a backpack.

The design of the hobbyist with a graphics program developed, the housing parts professionally using a CNC milling machine to produce. With less would Heckendorn not satisfied, and finally, he is no amateur, he is Bastel professional. Nine years ago has it packed. His first project was the conversion of an Atari game.

Expensive Custom Made

Meanwhile, however, Heckendorn Bastelwut to a thriving business. "Initially, it was a hobby," he blogs ONLINE, "but then people always want more." Meanwhile, the hobbyists reach more requests for exclusive modification, are as fond of him.

Here are his designs are not exactly cheap. Smaller devices are already on it a few hundred dollars. For larger projects, but will quickly clear digit sums due. The C64 laptop around is likely one of these projects. Anywhere from 40 to 60 hours, he had worked, said Heckendorn blogs ONLINE. At his hourly rate, this alone represents about $ 3000. Then there is the not inconsiderable cost of materials, especially for the custom enclosure.

Kits for PC DIYers

The computers from which he builds up his unique creations appear on Heckendorn invoices only rarely: "Mostly I get from my customers, otherwise I can arrange on eBay," says the creator.

However, you should be one of Heckendorn computer is not necessarily designed by the inventor himself to them. Who wants to save money and knows how to create a hot soldering iron, can themselves have a unique exotic-build calculator. Heckendorn has not only written a book in which he is its most important structures in detail, together with printed designs, it provides for some game consoles, including kits to.

These include different versions of mobile game consoles based on Sony PSOne or the Atari 2600th Between 55 and cost $ 95 these kits, in which almost all the necessary parts are included. Reich has Heckendorn tinkering with his computer and the sale of kits still not. "I already have several thousand of my kits sold, JK Rowling, but I am not yet," says the modest hobbyist.

This is probably on that Heckendorn is obviously not seeking to create, to gild his ideas. On the one hand, it offers many free building
for downloading on its website. Who is not afraid of the effort, spend the whole minutiae even arrange to get because all the necessary info.

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On the other hand, it discourages potential customers from even aware. In the last four months have included a five-Xbox-360-game consoles to laptops transformed the C64 laptop and also developed some minor projects. That pretty geschlaucht. Now he needs a break once said Heckendorn.

And his C64 laptop it will probably sell very little, because that was probably his favorite project so far. In his eyes, is the beige-brown mobile computers as "beautifully ugly as he could from the eighties, an alternate reality, where he actually existed."