Single Drive Floppy Disk Model 1541

A single-sided 170-kilobyte drive for 5¼” disks made for the Commodore 64 and the direct successor to the VIC-1540.
Visually, the first models of the VIC-1541 denomination, have an off-white color like the VIC-20 and VIC-1540. Then, to match the look of the C64, CBM changed the drive’s color to brown-beige and the name to Commodore 1541. This model still features the Alps drive mechanism which was later replaced with Mitsumi/Newtronics ones.

This is the very rare version with the plastic foil label instead of the common metal one.

Serial: DA4 379739

• Type: Floppy disk drive
• Release date: 1982
• Introductory price: US$399 [equivalent to $1,120 in 2021]
• Discontinued: 1993
• Media: 5¼” floppy disk SS SD
• Total capatity unformatted: 174.848 bytes per side (683 blocks)
• Total capacity formatted: 168.656 bytes per side (664 blocks)
• Coding: GCR
• Format:
  • 35 tracks (tracks 36–42 are non-standard)
  • 17-21 sectors per track
  • 256 bytes per sector
• ROM: 16 KByte with Commodore DOS 2.6
  • 325302-01 (DOS V2.6 LoROM $C000-$DFFF)
  • 901229-XX (DOS V2.6 HiROM $E000-$FFFF)
• RAM: 2KByte SRAM
• CPU: MOS 6502 @ 1 MHz
• VIA: 2x MOS 6522 for I/O and Timer
• Connectivity: Commodore proprietary serial IEEE-488 0.4 KB/s
• Power: 220V 50Hz
• Backward compatibility: Commodore 64, VIC-20
• Predecessor: Commodore 1540
• Successor: Commodore 1570 & 1571
• Related: Commodore 2031, 4040 & 1551

• work performed:
  • some speed DOS or whatever abomination reverted
  • said abomination deformed the upper casing due to the attached ribbon cable
  • case shell bent back over weeks with 90% success
  • recapped with Rubycon brand 105° type [almost impossible to find axial caps replaced with radial ones]