Use Excel to Load Your Commodore 64 Software
RaspberryPioneer developed this workflow to load Commodore 64 software from a modern computer running Excel.
It is easy to take modern computing for granted, as even installing and launching software is very easy. Most computers today don't even include a CD drive, because everyone downloads their software over the internet. Retrocomputing enthusiasts know how much things have changed. In the early days, getting any kind of data onto a computer was a chore. If you want to use something like a Commodore 64, you will have to contend with that challenge. But RaspberryPioneer turned to a surprising piece of software to make the process easier: Microsoft Excel.
To most people, Excel is little more than a word processor that puts information in neat, orderly rows. But the software is actually very powerful. That goes beyond the formulas that Excel nerds enjoy, because Excel includes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Visual Basic is a programming language and VBA integrates that into software like Excel. It lets users bridge the gap between Excel spreadsheets and other software or hardware.
In this case, RaspberryPioneer built an entire database of Commodore software in an Excel spreadsheet. That includes box art, special launch commands, information on joystick support, and more. Each entry in the spreadsheet links to that software's ROM. To launch software on the Commodore 64, the user only needs to select the software in the spreadsheet, push the connect button, and then the load button. The VBA script will take care of all the details.
Of course, this will only work if the computer running Excel has a way to connect to the Commodore 64. RaspberryPioneer used an Arduino Uno development board as an adapter between the two. The new Excel computer connects to the Arduino via USB serial, and the Arduino connects to the Commodore 64's serial port. The Arduino accepts data from the Excel spreadsheet's VBA script, then passes that long to the Commodore 64 in the nice, slow way that it accepts.
This will work with other vintage eight-bit computers, but you will need to know what communication settings to use and the computer will need to accept some form of serial data — this won't output cassette audio. It will also work with other development boards and not just the Arduino Uno.
If you're into retrocomputing and you're tried of loading up software manually, then RaspberryPioneer's Excel workflow can make the process far more convenient.