TCBM2SD Commodore 1551 drive simulator / Paddle Replacement Plus/4 / Commodore16

About this deal

The TCBM2SD is a cartridge that plugs into the expansion port of the Commodore C16, C116, and Plus/4, providing SD card-based mass storage and acting as a 1551 paddle replacement. It simulates the TCBM bus protocol of the original 1551 disk drive using an Arduino Mini Pro and a CPLD, supporting high-speed loading and standard CBM DOS commands. It is ideal for retro computing enthusiasts who want a practical alternative to the rare and expensive original 1551 drive. Standard Kernal transfers run at roughly twice the speed of an original 1551, while the integrated fastloader reaches approximately 6 times the speed of a 1551 and 23 times that of a standard 1541. It offers read-only support for common Commodore disk image formats including D64, D71, D81, D80, and D82. Supported CBM DOS commands include CD, R, S, MD, RD, I, UI, and UJ, along with utility commands for device number changes and block-level access. It has also been confirmed to work as a 1551 paddle cartridge replacement alongside a real 1551 drive.