waiting for keys released

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • Hi All,

    I finally received my new PSU for my breadbin C64. Connect power, Chameleon and then: yes an image with the text "waiting for keys released"... Regardless of whatever key I press (shift lock has also been checked), nothing happens. This is with and without SD card.


    I have no RF cable so I can't connect my C64 to something different, and see whether the keyboard actually works or not. So I more or less hope that it might be another bug. I tried to update too the newest firmware, but the Chameleon sees updates.prg and does nothing "waiting for keys released" so I can't update the firmware either. I need the cartridge mode because I don't have a PS2 keyboard.. Anyone got a clue?


    I disconnected the keyboard from the C64 and the C64 started. In a flash I saw the blue commodore screen and the Chameleon updater started but that hangs with an empty screen. So the Chameleon hangs on something with the keyboard....

  • Synter

    Changed the title of the thread from “waiting for keys pressed” to “waiting for keys released”.
  • Is it possible to get a PC next to your C64 setup so you can connect the PC with a USB cable to the Chameleon?

    Then you could use the Chaco tool start the hardware test (by default available in slot 1 unless overwritten in the past) and check if the keyboard works there. Chaco also allows updating the firmware through USB. Though I'm not aware of any previous firmware that caused this behavior, so an firmware update is unlikely to fix your issue.


    It really would be nice if you could test the C64 without the Chameleon. As the Chameleon is not meant as diagnostic tool.

  • You should indeed first make sure the C64 is working without the Chameleon - the Chameleon needs a working C64 to work, and using it with a broken one can damage the Chameleon in the worst case.

  • I found a cable to connect the C64 to my monitor. It looks like the keyboard is broke. The spacebar seems stuck and the cursor starts moving.The spacebar itself functions as expected. So, that mystery is solved.

  • This afternoon, my second C64 started to give the error "waiting for keys released"

    This C64 worked ok. I had to remove the Chameleon about 5 or 6 times before it decided there were no keys stuck.

    Is this a bug in the Chameleon?

  • If removing and reinserting the Chameleon fixed the problem, I would closely inspect the cartridge port of the C64 for bend, dirty or damaged pins. If there is bad contact this can result in the behavior you described.


    If you keep getting stuck on the waiting for keys. There is a way to bypass the menu system completely:

    - remove sdcard

    - Hold left arrow <= (the key next to the 1) while you power on the machine.

    - F7

    - F7

    Now you should be in a basic prompt and can test the keyboard (and other functions).

    Take note this is a very limited configuration, you won't have access to any drive emulation, menu system or advanced functions.

  • If someone else finds themselves here, I just had the same issue. But um oops. The shift lock on my C64 on on.


    As it turns out, with a chameleon plugged into a c64, it gets stuck at the "waiting ..." If the shift lock in on.


    Oops. User error

  • The last reply was more than 365 days ago, this thread is most likely obsolete. It is recommended to create a new thread instead.