In a fresh episode of Retro Tech Insanity, the Commodore 128D gets a long-overdue upgrade—a new internal Pi1541 drive. For those who’ve followed the channel, this rebuild comes after the original 1571 was removed to make space for earlier mods. Now it’s time to give the machine back its brain, but with some modern flair.
Instead of reinstalling old hardware, this build opts for a Raspberry Pi running the Pi1541 firmware. It’s an emulated 1541 drive, but with real-time IEC bus behavior—just like the original hardware. The twist? It’s not just about plugging in a Pi and calling it a day.
Better Controls with OLED + Rotary Encoder
To streamline file browsing without relying on clunky software menus, this setup adds a 1306 OLED display and a KY040 rotary encoder. These additions make it easier to scroll through files directly on the device. The OLED hooks up to the I2C pins of the Raspberry Pi—pins 3 and 5 for data, and pin 17 for 3.3V power. As for the encoder, it connects to GPIO pins 13, 15, and 16—the same ones used for traditional button inputs—and grabs 5V power from anywhere convenient on the board.
This combination of display and dial is a massive quality-of-life upgrade. No more squinting at menus or reaching for a mouse. You scroll, you click, you’re loaded.
Based on Stephen White’s Pi1541 “Option B” Design
The heart of this mod is built around the “Option B” board design by Stephen White. Without his work, none of this would exist. His firmware lets the Raspberry Pi behave almost exactly like a real Commodore 1541, supporting fast loaders and accurate IEC behavior. You can check out his work at cbm-pi1541.firebaseapp.com.
The project files and instructions for the internal setup are shared on GitHub, courtesy of Insanity213:
https://github.com/insanity213/C128-Internal-Pi1541-Interface
Whether you’re a C128D user looking for a clean internal solution or just someone who appreciates clever upgrades to classic gear, this build is worth seeing in action.
