⌨️ C64 Keyboard: A Typographic Reconstruction

This project, hosted on GitHub by szabadkai, is a meticulous photo-based reconstruction of the lettering found on original Commodore 64 keycaps. Rather than mimicking the on-screen bitmap pixels, this font captures the physical aesthetics of the printed plastic keys, featuring refined shapes and balanced proportions.

🛠️ Project Overview

The goal was to translate physical artifacts into digital vectors. The process can be visualized as follows:

📦 Available Assets

The repository provides a comprehensive suite of files for different needs:

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🖋️ Font Details & Content

The font includes a wide array of characters designed to mirror the physical keyboard layout:

• Standard Set: Uppercase letters, numeric digits, and common punctuation.
• Special Symbols: Arrows, the Pound sign (£), and the mathematical constant $\pi$ (represented in $\LaTeX$ as $\pi$).
• PETSCII Graphics: All 63 front-facing legends used for PETSCII graphics.

Note: These are reconstructed outlines. While the identity and mapping of the keys are derived from the Ultimate Commodore 64 Reference, the actual curves, print proportions, and line thickness were inferred directly from high-resolution photographs of the hardware.

⚠️ Version Updates

The current version is 1.111. If you are upgrading from an older build, please note that some symbols have been removed:

• U+E000 symbol
• U+E020 through U+E028 key-name legends

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🚀 Getting Started

To begin using the font, follow these steps:

• Download the desired format (TTF, OTF, or the full zip).
• Install the font file onto your operating system.
• Select "C64 Keyboard" from your software's font menu.
• (Optional) Open preview.html to explore the PETSCII character map.

Using PETSCII Symbols

Since these symbols aren't on standard modern keyboards, you can:

1. Visit the online preview.
2. Click the specific function-key or PETSCII button.
3. Copy the resulting character from the type tester.
4. Paste it into your app and apply the C64 Keyboard font.

For those interested in the technical build process, the requirements.txt file lists the necessary dependencies. You can run build scripts via the terminal:

# Example of how one might execute a build script
python3 scripts/build_font.py

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⚖️ Legal & Licensing

The creator, Levente Szabadkai, has released this work under the CC0 1.0 Universal license.

"To the extent possible under law, Levente Szabadkai dedicates the copyright and related rights he holds in this repository to the public domain under CC0 1.0 Universal."

What this means for you:

• You can use, modify, and redistribute the font files, outlines, and scripts.
• You can use the font for commercial projects.
• No attribution is required.

Disclaimer: This is an independent, unofficial project. It is not endorsed by Commodore, and the CC0 license does not grant rights to any trademarks or original historical keycap designs held by third parties.