Identifying Your Disk Drive
Commodore made several different drive and most are easy to identify as they state the name on the front, like the 1571 and 1541-II. It is the regular 1541 that comes in at least 3 varieties, with the 1541C being the most difficult to identify. Before you continue, and if you are unsure what type of drive you have, read through the following charts to help to identify what you have. You may have to take the top cover off your drive to help positively identify your drive.
| 1541 Drive Long Board Version |
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The front of the long board 1541. These were white colored cases with a push-down tab for the disk locking mechanism and the front says VIC-1541. |
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The model is listed as a VIC-1541. In order to further identify the drive the top cover must be removed. |
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Now we see that it is a long-board (first version) 1541 model. Only the first version used this long board, almost the full length of the chassis. The board in this picture has been modded with a soldered parallel port (underneath the board directly to the 6522) and a dual C=/JiffyDOS ROM (thus the thin switch cable draped over the board coming from the ROM). This drive also has the noisy head-banging mechanical track 1 stop. It is very easy to add a parallel port to this model as the 6522 is socketed and the board and ROM required no modifications. |
| 1541 Drive Shorter Board Version |
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The front of the shorter board 1541. These usually had brown colored cases with a turn handle for the disk locking mechanism and the front says 1541. Some earlier drives could have white cases and have the push-down tab mechanism of the long-board variety. |
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The model is shown as a 1541. In order to further identify the drive the top cover must be removed. |
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Now we see that it is a shorter board 1541 model. This is the most common version of the 1541, brown case with a shorter board that is about 2/3 the length of the chassis. The board in this picture has been modded with a soldered parallel port soldered (directly to the 6522) and a drive 8/9 switch. This drive also has the noisy head-banging mechanical track 1 stop. It is very easy to add a parallel port to this model as the 6522 is socketed and the board and ROM required no modifications. |
| 1541C Drive |
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The front of the 1541C. These were usually cream colored cases with a turn handle for the disk locking mechanism and the front says 1541. These drives came out about the same time as the Commodore 64C and were the same color. |
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The model is shown as a 1541. In order to further identify the drive the top cover must be removed. |
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Now we see that it is a very short board 1541. Only the 1541C has this short logic board, about 1/2 the length of the chassis. The drive board in this picture has been modded with a socketed parallel port and dual switchable 1541-II/JiffyDOS ROM. This drive has the quiet track 1 optical stop. It is more difficult to add a parallel port to this model as the ROM must be downgraded to the 1541-II version and a trace must be cut on the board. Usually the 6522 is still socketed. Once the changes are made to accomodate the parallel port, the optical stop no longer functions and it becomes a noisy head-banging mechanical track 1 stop, just like most other C= drives. |
| 1541-II Drive |
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The front of the 1541-II. These are easy to identify as they say 1541-II on the front. These have cream colored cases with a turn handle for the disk locking mechanism. |
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The model is shown as a 1541-II. |
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There is only one model of the 1541-II drive and it has the noisy head-banging mechanical track 1 stop. The drive shown has been modded with a socketed parallel port and a dual switchable 1541-II/JiffyDOS ROM. It is somewhat difficult to add a parallel port to this model as the entire drive must be dismantled. The 6522 is typically soldered directly to the board so either the parallel port wires must be soldered directly to the 6522 or the 6522 must be desoldered, socketed, and a socketed parallel port installed. There is ample room between the board and the mechanism for the 6522 to be socketed. |
| 1571 Drive |
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The front of the 1571. These are easy to identify as they say 1571 on the front. These have cream colored cases with a turn handle for the disk locking mechanism. |
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The model is shown as a 1571. |
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There is only one model of the 1571 drive and it has the quiet track 1 optical stop. The drive shown has been modded with a socketed parallel port and a dual switchable 1571/JiffyDOS ROM. It is somewhat difficult to add a parallel port to this model as the entire drive must be dismantled. The 6526 is usually socketed so adding a socketed parallel port is easy and no other modifications are required. The parallel port on this drive is wired different from the 1541 as it connects to a 6526 CIA instead. |
Email the author: Peter Schepers | Last updated: Nov 24, 2011