MechBoard64 Is a Brand New Keyboard for Your Commodore 64

According to Guinness World Records, the Commodore 64 is the highest-selling single computer model of all time. It was first introduced in 1982 at a price of $595, though that quickly dropped thanks to the home computer market war of the early ‘80s. The Commodore 64 wasn’t just affordable and popular; it was very capable with a MOS Technology 6510 processor, 64KB of RAM, and a special VIC-II chip for graphics. In today’s retrocomputing community, the Commodore 64 remains very desirable. If you have a Commodore 64 that is in need of a keyboard, you can now build a brand new one with the MechBoard64 design.

The MechBoard64 was designed by MtnBuffalo of breadbox64.com to complement the reproduction Commodore 64 parts currently on the market. You can go purchase a brand new Commodore 64 case (at least for the C64C) right now, as well as new reproduction mainboards. But nobody is manufacturing new keyboards for the time being, which means you have to source one from an original Commodore 64. The MechBoard64 is an alternative that makes it possible to create a Commodore 64 completely from brand spankin’ new parts. The only caveat is that you’ll need the skill to make the MechBoard64.

There are three kinds of custom parts you’ll need to have fabricated in order to build a MechBoard64: the custom PCB, the aluminum keyboard bracket, and 3D-printed keycap adapters. The keyboard is designed for standard mechanical Cherry MX key switches, so you can tailor the feel to fit your tastes. Locking switches are hard to find, so MtnBuffalo put a special circuit on the PCB that replicates the functionality of the original C64 shift lock. A LED status light is used to indicate when the shift key is locked. The 3D-printed adapters let you attach real C64 keycaps to the Cherry MX key switches. After assembly, the MechBoard64 should be a direct drop-in replacement that fits both the original breadbox C64 and the slim C64C.