My collection of Commodore VIC-20's and VIC-20 accessories

My VIC-20s

Commodore VIC-20 16K Prototype
Commodore VIC-20 SRAM test unit aka the Brown Board
Commodore VIC-1001
Commodore VIC-20 - Early VIC
Commodore VIC-20 - Gold VIC
Commodore VIC-20 - Rainbow VIC
Commodore VIC-20 - Silver Custom aka the Rally VIC
Commodore VIC-20 - Rainbow PET
Commodore VIC-20 (Board Only, missing chips) x2

16K VIC-20 Prototype

Software for the original CBM dual floppy disk drive
Software on second generation PET models (4000 & 8000 series)
Convincing Commodore management to make the VIC-20 into a 'real computer' not just a games machine
Kernal development on the P & B series machines
C64 & MAX machine software
1541 disk drive software to add C64 compatibility
Z8000 business machine software

OK SMW 1-2-82
LATEST TEST
15S RESET

BAD 1/5/82 RAS

15S
LARGE FUSE
BI BAD 6560

contact me.

Secret Weapons of Commodore

Name:	16K VIC prototype "VIC-16"
Label:	None
Board Revision:	3016006 - Unique to this prototype
Keyboard Type:	None
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	None
Date Code:	5181
Case Style:	Indeterminate - Bottom half only
How It Came To Be Mine:	Given to me by Bob Russell
Repairs & Modifications:	Stock (as stock as a prototype can be)

RAM Test VIC aka the "Brown Board"

This one is also a gift from Bob Russell, and has no special name. I've taken to calling it the "brown board" because it has no solder mask ~~or silk screen~~ ( update: it does have silkscreen), and is just tinned copper on top of vaguely brown fiberglass PCB. Apart from the PCB, this board sports an early production heatsink for the 5V regulator, typically only seen on early Japanese VIC-1001s before they realized it burned users who reached in the cartridge port.

Bob says that Jack Tramiel wanted to test the viability of cheap Russian or Eastern Bloc 2114 SRAM. This machine was an internal engineering test bench to that end. However, the SRAM on board does not corroborate this claim. The 10 socketed 2114s appear to be made by Toshiba, and the remaining one looks like it has an MOS logo. I've taken some better lit photos and boosted the contrast to help identify the manufacturer. It's marked MPS 2114, 30L 2280, which is consistent with MOS 2114's found in contemporary PET computers.

Ostensibly, it's a 324003 motherboard, but it isn't identical to the layout in circulation. Since the production version is sometimes called a Rev E by some, perhaps this is an earlier Rev. So far, I've noticed that CN3 is rotated 90 degrees, there is no toroid near SW1, C58 is absent, and the traces are slightly different to accomodate those part differnces. I have a hunch this board was actually a prototype for the common Rev E motherboard.

It has no top half of the case or keyboard, but it does have a serial number of V1002001. It has a beautiful gold and purple ceramic MOS 6560 VIC chip, and some minor mods to the analog circuitry. The ROMs on board were dumped and matched to standard production VIC-20 ROMs. I've tried dialing in the color phase, but it's finicky -- otherwise the brown board works fine.

Name:	Brown Board
Label:	None
Board Revision:	Early? 324003 with original hand-burning heatsink *Note: no solder mask, slightly different layout*
Keyboard Type:	None
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	V 1002001
Date Code:	1481
Case Style:	Short variant 1 - Bottom half only
How It Came To Be Mine:	Given to me by Bob Russell
Repairs & Modifications:	Stock (as stock as an internal Commodore test unit can be)

VIC-1001

The Japanese variant of the VIC with localized keyboard, PETSCII, and a slightly different KERNAL. Unlike my US VIC using this same motherboard variant, this one does not have the analog video circuit addendum installed, my guess is because it's NTSC-J.

Name:	VIC-1001
Label:	VIC-1001 Gold
Board Revision:	1001006 with revised heatsink
Keyboard Type:	1001 (PET style with Katakana replacing some PETSCII)
Made In:	Japan
Serial No.:	110149
Date Code:	2681
Case Style:	Short variant 1
How It Came To Be Mine:	Japanese Yahoo! Auctions
Repairs & Modifications:	Stock

Early VIC

This is my oldest American-market VIC-20, and it has some unique stickers on it. It has small Japanese quality assurance stickers pasted to the important chips inside, the heatsink has a sticker saying PRODUCED IN 7/81, and the side has an FCC Part 15 Waiver sticker because there is no RF shielding inside.

Name:	Early VIC
Label:	Gold
Board Revision:	1001006 with revised heatsink
Keyboard Type:	PET style
Made In:	Japan
Serial No.:	512718
Date Code:	2581
Case Style:	Short variant 1
How It Came To Be Mine:	eBay
Repairs & Modifications:	Stock

Gold VIC

This is my second VIC-20, picked up from a thrift store in college. It has a Rev E motherboard and a gold label, and is probably the most common VIC-20 variant that I'm aware of. I remember text looked wrong and I had to bend the character ROM pins back into place.

Name:	Gold
Label:	Gold
Board Revision:	324003
Keyboard Type:	Cost reduced with mustard function keys
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	P 1303190
Date Code:	2782
Case Style:	Tall variant 1
How It Came To Be Mine:	Thrift store find
Repairs & Modifications:	KERNAL ROM replacement? Maybe.

Rainbow VIC

This is my first VIC-20, which I picked up mid-way through high school. It features a Rev E motherboard and a rainbow label, and in my head this is the idealized VIC-20. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite VIC-20. Following problems caused by a failing ROM socket, I ended up modifying this VIC to use a modern 5V switchmode regulator, and removed one of the heatsinks in the process.

Name:	Rainbow
Label:	Rainbow stripes
Board Revision:	324003
Keyboard Type:	Cost reduced with mustard function keys
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	P 303190
Date Code:	2982
Case Style:	Tall variant 2
How It Came To Be Mine:	eBay
Repairs & Modifications:	BASIC ROM socket replacement 5V regulator replaced with switchmode from EZSBC Partial heatsink delete 2x 74245 buffer chips replaced, sockets added

Silver Custom aka the Rally VIC

This is a custom VIC-20 I put together from parts bin machines that were written off for dead. It's made out of probably 5 different computers, if you count a 1541 as its own computer (hint: you should). I pieced it together, then modified it to my liking, dubbing it the Rally VIC for its rally-car racing stripes. I've personalized the startup colors and text to match the paint scheme. The only thing wrong with it is that the C16 keyboard labels don't match those of the VIC-20 PETSCII 1:1. Occasionally this can trip you up while using the machine.

Name:	Rally VIC
Label:	Gold
Board Revision:	324003
Keyboard Type:	C16/CR hybrid with gray function keys
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	P 1123119
Date Code:	2982 *Note: date code comes from VIC chip, other major chips are not original*
Case Style:	Tall variant 2
How It Came To Be Mine:	Case was purchased from a fellow VIC fan Motherboard from eBay Keyboard from eBay
Repairs & Modifications:	Parts from approximately 5 different machines! 6502 & 6522s from dead 1541 Replaced 4700uF capacitor 5V regulator replaced with switchmode from EZSBC Heatsink delete Keyboard is a hybrid between C16 surplus unit and VIC-20, with C64 function keys KERNAL ROM replaced with 28C64 adapter, with customized startup colors/text Custom silver paint job with red and yellow racing stripes

Rainbow PET

This is a great example of how Commodore used whatever VIC parts were remaining at the end of its production run to clear out the stockpiles and make room for new products. A late rainbow badge and a Cost Reduced (CR) 250403 motherboard with an early PET-style keyboard seems like a clash of eras, but I think it encompasses the beginning and the end of the product line in one VIC-20. The color/brightness is never quite perfect, no matter how much I tinker with it.

Name:	Rainbow PET
Label:	Rainbow stripes
Board Revision:	250403
Keyboard Type:	PET style
Made In:	United States
Serial No.:	P 1352861
Date Code:	3483
Case Style:	Short variant 4
How It Came To Be Mine:	eBay
Repairs & Modifications:	Stock

VIC-20 Motherboard Identfication Chart

On a regular basis, I find myself talking about VIC-20 variants, and I find it helps to have a chart of the various motherboards in circulation. Each of these three is in service in one of the VICs listed above.

The top one is a 1001006 with the revised heatsink, found in early VIC-20s, and many VIC-1001s.

Takes 9VAC power, 2 pin connector
Runs hot
Has no RF shielding
This one from the NTSC-M market has an added analog video module between the VIC chip and the video port

The middle one is a 324003, which I will sometimes refer to as a Rev E.

Takes 9VAC power, 2 pin connector
Runs hot
Has RF shielding around the VIC chip, and on the underside of the motherboard. Note: top RF shield removed for photo

The bottom one is a 250403, also know as the Cost Reduced or CR motherboard.

Takes 5V 3A & 9VAC power, 4 pin DIN. Note: while the C64 power supply will work on a VIC-20, it is NOT recommended, as the VIC-20 supply provides more amps on the 5V rail than a C64's supply.
Runs cool, does not need heat sinks
Has RF shielding around the VIC chip, and on the underside of the motherboard.
Smaller board size than previous models, lower RF shielding doubles as mounting plate
Weighs noticeably less

Coming Eventually: VIC-20 Accessories

This page was last updated on 7-29-2022
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