Adrian from Adrian’s Digital Basement has pulled off another unexpected tech twist—running an Apple II program from a Commodore 1541 disk drive. If that sounds like a glitch in the retro-computing matrix, it’s actually just clever hardware tinkering.
The Commodore 1541 and Apple Disk II both use 5.25-inch floppy disks with similar single-sided, double-density storage capacities. But the similarities mostly end there. Commodore packed a full 6502-based computer inside the 1541, handling drive operations independently. Apple, however, relied on the host computer’s CPU to do the heavy lifting. This design difference is why the Commodore drive is bulkier and heavier—it houses its own power supply and control board.
Despite their internal differences, both drives share a common element: the ALPS drive mechanism that physically reads and writes data. That’s the secret sauce behind Adrian’s experiment. By transplanting the ALPS mechanism from an Apple Disk II into a Commodore 1541 chassis—and making a few adjustments—he created a hybrid that works with the Apple II.
The process involved swapping faceplates (since the Apple mechanism’s front panel doesn’t fit the Commodore case), extending wires for the activity LED, and mounting the Apple controller board inside the 1541 chassis. Since the Apple controller board doesn’t fit the Commodore’s original screw mounts, Adrian installed brass standoffs to hold it securely.
Power and data cables needed rerouting, with a bit of hot glue added for stability. A minor hiccup occurred when tapping into the board for the power LED, but a quick adjustment had the green light shining as expected.
So, what’s the result? A Commodore 1541 that behaves like an Apple Disk II—head-banging startup sounds included. The activity LED and power LED work as expected, and the drive reads Apple II disks without a hitch. The only noticeable difference is that the hybrid drive is louder when seeking, likely due to the chassis’ different acoustics.
Why do this? Adrian admits there’s no practical reason beyond the fun of seeing people’s confused reactions when an Apple II boots software from what appears to be a Commodore drive. It’s a novelty build that’s fully reversible, with no permanent modifications made to any parts.
Now, the only question is: What other retro mashups might be lurking in Adrian’s workshop?
