Trebuche — Fast File Delivery for Commodore

Product

The fastest file delivery ever offered for the Commodore platform.

“Files arrive almost before I am ready for them, which takes some adjustment.” — D. Marchetti, Tempe AZ

Trebuche is a double-length cartridge for the Commodore expansion port, featuring both a classic IEC serial interface for your existing Commodore drives and a modern USB connection for direct transfer from any contemporary computer. One cartridge. Two worlds. Zero waiting.

Compatible with every Commodore ever manufactured. No EPROM swapping, no hardware modification, no fuss. Simply insert Trebuche and experience the fastest file transfer your breadbin has ever seen.

$109,79

Includes cartridge · IEC cable · USB cable · quick-start guide

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Technical Specifications

What Trebuche delivers.

Trebuche is a double-length expansion cartridge engineered to bridge your classic Commodore hardware and the modern world. Every specification below reflects real-world testing conducted at the Thomas Brothers Systems facility in Baltimore.

Form factor	Double-length expansion cartridge & software solution
IEC interface	Full IEC serial — compatible with all Commodore drives
USB interface	Modern USB — direct transfer from any PC or Mac
Transfer speed (IEC)	Up to 38× faster than stock serial bus
Transfer speed (USB)	Full USB 2.0 throughput to Commodore RAM
Hardware modifications	None required — cartridge port only
DOS Wedge	Built-in, supports both IEC and USB sources
Disk editor	Hex + ASCII, full track and sector access
ML monitor	Disassembler, single-step execution, relocator

IEC and USB interfaces may be used independently or simultaneously. Trebuche auto-detects connected devices at startup.

Compatibility

Compatible with all Commodore computers manufactured 1977 to present.

C64 C128 VIC-20 PET Plus/4 C16 CBM 8032 SX-64

SX-64 portable users: the double-length cartridge fits the SX-64 expansion port without issue. USB cable routing may require a short extension.

What is in the box

✓ Trebuche double-length cartridge

✓ IEC serial cable, 1m

✓ USB-A to USB-B cable, 1m

✓ Quick-start card

✓ Full user manual, 32 pp.

✓ Thomas Brothers sticker

Customer Testimonials

What our customers are saying.

4.6

★★★★★

47 verified purchases

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

R. Hawthorne — Akron, Ohio

★★★★★

Verified

Finally — a loader as fast as advertised

I have owned several fast loaders and none of them came close. With Trebuche, my favourite title loaded before I had even sat back down. The USB side is genuinely remarkable — dragging files straight from my PC to the C64 feels like witchcraft. Five stars without hesitation.

D. Marchetti — Tempe, Arizona

★★★★★

Verified

Incredible speed. Some caveats.

The transfer speed is genuinely the fastest I have ever experienced on a Commodore. The IEC side screams compared to stock, and the USB connection means I no longer hunt for blank disks when I want to try something new. The double-length cartridge fits solidly in the port. My wife is also impressed, which is no small achievement.

B. Tremblay — Burlington, Vermont

★★★✎✎

Verified

Good product. Neighbour situation unresolved.

Trebuche works exactly as described. IEC speed is excellent — easily bests every other fast loader I have tried. The USB side took about ten minutes to set up on the PC end and has worked flawlessly since. Three stars only because the manual could use a clearer diagram of the port connections. Will revise upward once I have had more time with it.

S. Szymanski — Dearborn, Michigan

★★✎✎✎

Verified

Two stars. The disk was the data.

Took a star off because I initially plugged the IEC cable into the wrong port and spent an embarrassing amount of time troubleshooting. That is entirely my fault. Once correctly connected, my favourite game loaded from the drive in a fraction of the usual time. The USB transfer from my modern PC is the real killer feature. Thomas Brothers support responded to my question within a day.

Thomas Brothers Systems does not edit customer reviews. All testimonials are printed as received, with minor corrections for legibility. Thomas Brothers Systems is not liable for any damages described herein, including but not limited to disk loss, drive displacement, ceiling fan entanglement, or disputes with occupants of adjacent dwellings.

About

Thomas Brothers Systems.

Founded in a Baltimore garage in 1984 by Dean Thomas, Dennis Thomas, and Perry Baker, Thomas Brothers Systems was built on a single conviction: that Commodore users deserved faster file access, and that the gulf between classic hardware and modern storage was a problem worth solving properly.

After two years of development, the team arrived at Trebuche — a double-length cartridge offering both a high-speed IEC serial interface for classic Commodore drives and a modern USB connection for direct transfer from any contemporary computer. The name is a nod to a certain medieval delivery mechanism. The product is considerably more precise.

Trebuche is the company’s latest hardware product. Thomas Brothers Systems is also the creator of Crossed Swords, You Cannot Pass, and the best-selling Moat and Pike Squad system, available wherever fine Commodore products are sold.

The Team

Dean Thomas

Founder & Chief Engineer

Firmware architecture, hardware design, customer support.

Dennis Thomas

Co-Founder & Hardware

Cartridge design, PCB layout, packaging.

Perry Baker

Associate Engineer

Quality assurance, field testing, documentation.

The fastest file delivery ever offered for the Commodore platform.

What Trebuche delivers.

Compatibility

What our customers are saying.

Thomas Brothers Systems.

Place your order.