Task: Replace a Faulty SID Sound Chip in a Commodore 64 or 128 With a Newly Made Nano SwinSID
Needed: Nano SwinSID
Time: 15-30 minutes
Introduction
I have previously posted about the Raspberry Pi Pico-based SIDKick replacement for the SID sound chip found in Commodore 64s and 128s. I recently purchased two Nano SwinSIDs to try and, honestly, can’t tell the difference. Both seem like reasonable replacements for the SID and are priced right. The Nano edition of the SwinSID is smaller than previous versions and much smaller than the Pico SIDKick which might be appealing to some people.
Instructions
Purchase an assembled Nano SwinSID online. I bought mine for less than $20 each on eBay from a seller in Ireland that had good reviews. There are several other sellers including Ami64 in the UK. My SwinSID came with a jumper to set the device to the 8580 SID used in the c128.
This simply plugs into the SID socket. Note the notch orientation. You may need to desolder the defective SID and install a socket.
Instructions for building your own or setting the jumpers can be found here.
Comments
The SwinSID project on Github has the source code.
Note that SwinSID does not support paddle controllers or mice as the original SID did.
Here is a video of the sound: