THE

 32K ULTIMATE EXPANDER CARTRIDGE

Imagine an Ultimate VIC-20 with 32K of RAM expansion, the Super Expander’s built in graphics and sound commands, all the powerful BASIC editing tools of the Programmers’ Aid, and the VICmon Machine Language Monitor.  Quebec’s Francois Leveille makes a cartridge for the VIC that does all this, and more. 

 In its simplest form, the Ultimate Expander is a 32K RAM expander with a reset switch and a Read Only/Read-Write switch.  For an additional charge, the cartridge can also contain other cartridge ROMs (Francois calls them Option ROMs) that can be switched in and out of BLK3 and/or BLK5.  If this talk about “BLK 3” and “BLK5” is confusing, read Understanding VIC RAM Expansion.  Understanding the rather confusing way memory is configured in the VIC is crucial to understanding the Ultimate Expander.

MY OPTIONS

The cartridge I purchased came with three extra Options: a BLK3 switch, BLK5 switch, and an A/B switch.  The A/B switch lets me choose between two different sets of BLK3/BLK5 programs.  To illustrate, take a look at this chart of the options I have on my Ultimate Expander:

One switch lets the user decide if they want RAM or an Option ROM in BLK3.  Likewise, there is a switch that controls BLK5.  The A/B switch chooses which group of programs the VIC moves into memory.  For example, imagine the BLK3 switch set to ROM, the BLK5 switch is set to RAM, and the A/B switch is in the A position.  The VIC will boot with the Programmers' Aid and Schema's Utility in BLK3 (that's Option A for BLK3).  BLK5 will contan 8K of expansion RAM.  Another example: imagine both the BLK3 and BLK5 switches in  the ROM position and the A/B switch set to B.  The VIC boots with the Programmers' Aid/Schema's cart in BLK3 and HESMON in BLK5.  And of course, if both switches are set to RAM, the VIC boots with 29K available to BASIC and 8K RAM in BLK5.  In this case, it doesn't matter what position the A/B switch is in since no Option ROMs are being used.

For more detailed instructions on how the Ultimate Expander operates, you can read the instructions here .

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The cartridge is very small, measuring a mere 3.5” by 2.25” deep.  Installed, it barely extends past the VIC’s cartridge port opening.  The switches and the reset button are conveniently placed and easy to access—much simpler than any other RAM expander/cartridge port expander I have used.  Take a look at the picture to see how the Ultimate Expander Cartridge looks next to a similarly equipped 24K Golden Ram Expansion cartridge.  No comparison!

The cartridge seems to be very well built.  The switches are supported with lots of glue and  feel sturdy and solidly attached to the board.  There is also a layer of what Francois tells me is " silicon conformal coating."  I'll take his word for that; it looks like a sprayed on clear coating that covers the entire board.   Francois tells me that it prevents short circuits and it minimizes the risk of damage from static electricity.  (note:  It's still easy to remove the ROMs from their sockets, just in case you're thinking about replacing them with your own.)   You can tell this wasn't just slapped together; Francois seems to have taken care to make the cartridge as durable as possible. 

USING THE ULTIMATE EXPANDER

The Ultimate Expander works as advertised.  Simple as that.   It has never been easier to configure my VIC-20.  Never again will I have a massive cart port expander loaded down with cartridges hanging off the back of my VIC.   The Option ROMs make it literally the only cartridge I need, and the layout of the switches is much simpler and more straightforward than dealing with all those dipswitches on my old 24K Golden RAM Expander. 

The earliest versions of the Expander had an interesting quirk: when you would load a program into BLK5, a cartridge game for example, the game would often STAY in BLK5 no matter how long you left your VIC powered off.  When this happened, the only way to clear out BLK5 was to actually remove the cartridge.  The Expander that Francois is selling today doesn't have this issue.  To clear out a BLK5 game, just power off your VIC for a few seconds and then turn it back on.

IN CONCLUSION

I have only good things to say about this cart.  It's one of coolest items of VIC hardware I've ever seen, and the price is very reasonable.  The power and flexibility the Ultimate Expander brings to your VIC setup is so profound you just can't fully appreciate it until you use it for a few days.  

The physical design of the cart is outstanding.  Francois has done a great job -- it's sturdy, and the switches and reset button are easy to access and well thought out.   In case you're wondering, the Ultimate Expander could probably be modded to fit in a VIC cartridge shell pretty easily.  In fact, I initially planned to install it in one if I could.  Once I received the Expander I decided to leave it the way it is.  The fit is perfect.  It's so small that it's practically invisible; you literally forget it's there.  Even so, the reset button and switches are extremely easy to get to and manipulate. 

Finally, a bit of advice: take your time planning the Option ROMs!  As amazingly useful as my Expander is. I already wish I had made some different choices with my ROMs.  Time for me to get an EPROM programmer!   If you're wondering, I would have this arrangement if I could do it all over again: