Docs / Connecting to your Ultimate
Device discovery
With no address set, Retro Commander looks for an Ultimate by itself when it starts. One device found is saved and connected; if it finds several, it asks you to pick one in Settings.
To search by hand, open Settings, go to the Connection tab and click Scan. Retro Commander probes TCP port 80 on every host of your local subnet, then confirms each hit against the Ultimate REST API - typically in a second or two. Each device found is listed with its address, product and firmware; pick one to use it. One device is connected at a time.
REST password
If your Ultimate's web UI is password-protected, enter the same password in REST password. Leave it blank if it isn't. It is stored in your local settings.json.
FTP credentials
Left empty, Retro Commander logs in anonymously, which stock Ultimate firmware accepts. If you've enabled authentication on the device, fill in Username and Password in the FTP section. Port is 21 unless your firmware was customised.
Test connection
Use the Test Connection button to check the address. The status dot turns green on success - with the device's firmware version next to it - and red on failure.
Editing disks on the device
Once connected, one pane can show the Ultimate's files. Copy and move to and from it with F5 / F6 or by dragging. Open a D64 that lives on the device and you can edit it in place, exactly like a disk on your PC: rename, scratch, add files, insert a stamp. Each change is sent up shortly after you make it, and anything still pending is saved before you eject the disk, switch away or quit. Ctrl+Z restores the disk on the device too.
Want to look without touching? Set Safe Mode to C64U and every write to the device is blocked. To work without the device at all, tick Offline mode on the Connection tab: no probes, no FTP login, no discovery.
Troubleshooting
- The device can't be reached: it isn't on, isn't on the same subnet, or your firewall blocked port 80/21. Try the device's web UI from the same PC first.
- REST calls are refused: the REST password is wrong, or the device has no password set but you provided one. Clear it and try again.
- FTP login fails: verify the username (often empty / anonymous) and that the firmware allows FTP from the network.
- Discovery returns nothing: the scan covers the subnet of your PC's first active network adapter, and some networks block scan traffic. Enter the IP manually - you can find it on the device's own menu.
What else you can do once connected - status, reset, power off, SID playback - is on the Ultimate page.