Overview
Introduction
The Commodore 64's character set, PETSCII, looks close to ASCII at a glance but diverges in several well-documented ways, most notably its total lack of lowercase letters in the default display mode.
This chart lays out unshifted PETSCII codes 32-126 alongside their decimal and hex values, so you can see exactly where it matches ASCII and where it doesn't.
What Is PETSCII Table Generator?
A static reference chart covering the printable range of unshifted (default) Commodore 64 PETSCII, one row per code 32 through 126.
It's the PETSCII sibling of the ASCII Table Generator, built specifically to highlight where the two character sets agree and where they diverge.
How PETSCII Table Generator Works
Codes 32-90 are identical to standard ASCII (space through uppercase Z), since unshifted PETSCII's letters and basic punctuation match ASCII directly.
Codes 91-95 use PETSCII's documented punctuation substitutions (£, ↑, ← in place of a few ASCII symbols), and codes 96-126 show a <GFX n> placeholder, since unshifted mode displays graphic/line-drawing characters there instead of lowercase letters.
When To Use PETSCII Table Generator
Use it when working with Commodore 64 program listings, disk image contents, or retro-computing projects that need to reference PETSCII byte values.
It's also useful for understanding exactly how PETSCII differs from ASCII before converting text between the two with a dedicated PETSCII converter.
Often used alongside ASCII Table Generator, ATASCII Table Generator and ASCII to PETSCII Converter.
Features
Advantages
- Lays out the full unshifted PETSCII printable range in one scannable chart.
- Makes PETSCII's specific divergences from ASCII (punctuation swaps, no lowercase) immediately visible rather than something you have to look up separately.
- Clearly flags the codes that can't be faithfully shown as plain text instead of silently guessing at them.
Limitations
- Covers only unshifted (default) mode; shifted PETSCII, which swaps in lowercase letters and a different graphic set, isn't shown here.
- Codes 96-126 are shown as a generic <GFX n> placeholder rather than their actual graphic glyph, since those glyphs have no faithful plain-Unicode representation.
Examples
Best Practices & Notes
Best Practices
- Use the filter box to jump straight to a decimal or hex value you're looking up from a program listing or memory dump.
- Cross-check against the ASCII Table Generator side by side when you need to see exactly which codes match and which diverge.
Developer Notes
Implemented as a small hand-maintained lookup: codes 32-90 pass through `String.fromCharCode`, codes 91-95 use a 5-entry substitution table for PETSCII's documented punctuation differences, and codes 96-126 fall back to a `<GFX n>` placeholder string rather than an invented glyph, since this tool's own local table (not shared with the PETSCII/ASCII byte converter tools) intentionally stays conservative about codes it can't faithfully represent as plain text.
PETSCII Table Generator Use Cases
- Looking up a PETSCII byte value while reading or writing Commodore 64 program listings
- Understanding which ASCII characters carry over unchanged to PETSCII before converting text
- Retro-computing and C64 emulation projects that need a quick PETSCII code reference
Common Mistakes
- Assuming PETSCII has lowercase letters in its default display mode, unshifted PETSCII shows graphics at those codes instead.
- Expecting code 92 to be a backslash like in ASCII; it's the pound sign (£) in PETSCII.
Tips
- If you need the actual graphic glyphs for codes 96-126, look them up in a dedicated PETSCII font or C64 character ROM reference; this chart intentionally doesn't guess at them.
- Compare with the ATASCII Table Generator to see a home-computer character set that stays much closer to plain ASCII.