UltraTerm128
A terminal program for a real Commodore 128 or Commodore 128D with RR-Net or 1541 Ultimate II+ Ethernet and a WT32-ETH01 companion board. The C128 stays on a local Ethernet link while the companion handles Wi-Fi, DNS, and Internet TCP connections.
Terminal software plus network firmware
UltraTerm128 lets the C128 scan Wi-Fi networks, save credentials, reconnect on boot, and connect to Telnet BBSes and other Telnet services through the WT32-ETH01 companion.
Built for real C128 hardware
Runs on a Commodore 128 or C128D with RR-Net or 1541 Ultimate II+ Ethernet and an 80-column display.
WT32-ETH01 companion
The companion board handles Wi-Fi, DNS, and Internet TCP while the C128 talks over local Ethernet.
PETSCII, ANSI, and VT100
Includes PETSCII 40/80-column modes, ANSI 80x25, VT100 80x24, CP437 ANSI art, and experimental XMODEM receive.
Hardware required
UltraTerm128 is intended for a physical Commodore 128 setup. Use the disk image that matches your storage device, and keep the files from the disk image together so ANSI mode can load the CP437 VDC font. For normal operation, power the WT32-ETH01 from a good-quality 5 V supply rated for at least 1 A; a 2 A supply gives comfortable headroom.
- Commodore 128 or Commodore 128D.
- 80-column display connected to the C128 RGBI output.
- Ethernet interface: RR-Net-compatible cartridge or 1541 Ultimate II+.
- WT32-ETH01 board with 5 V power.
- Ethernet cable between the C128 network interface and the WT32-ETH01.
- 3.3 V logic USB-to-UART adapter for flashing the firmware.
Flash the WT32-ETH01 firmware
Before flashing
The WT32-ETH01 normally has no onboard USB-to-serial interface, so use a USB-to-UART adapter and follow the wiring and power guidance for your specific WT32-ETH01 board. The serial lines must use 3.3 V logic; do not use 5 V serial logic on the ESP32 pins.
Upload firmware
- Install PlatformIO Core or the PlatformIO extension for Visual Studio Code.
- Hold WT32 IO0 to GND.
- Briefly pull EN to GND, then release EN.
- Keep IO0 grounded while uploading.
- From the firmware directory, find your serial port with
pio device list. - Upload with
pio run -t upload --upload-port YOUR_PORT_HERE. - Disconnect IO0 from GND, then briefly reset EN again to boot normally.
pio device list pio run -t upload --upload-port /dev/cu.usbserial-0001 pio run -t upload --upload-port /dev/ttyUSB0 pio run -t upload --upload-port COM3