BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Any 8bit repairs, images, cool things, upgrades etc.
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rubber_jonnie
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BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

As well as my recent BBC Model B repair, I also made a couple of upgrades. @JezC this is aimed a little at you :)

The machine I revived received a TurboSPI MMC adapter. This is kind of akin to a Gotek and comes in 2 parts, a ROM to plug in internally and the MMC reader itself, which plugs into the User port and will support around 500 disk images.

The good machine, received a 64KB EEPROM adapter from @cmorley of BooBip, and also received a TurboSpi.

The 64KB EEPROM adapter gives you 4 paged ROM banks in a single ROM socket. They can also be chained as well to give multiple EEPROMS and more banks.

The TurboSpi

TurboSPI.jpg
TurboSPI.jpg (99.9 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

And fitted:

TurboSPI_2.jpg
TurboSPI_2.jpg (59.09 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

And here are both the TurboSPI ROM and EEPROM adapter fitted:

BooBip.jpg
BooBip.jpg (134.92 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

With the additional required connections elsewhere on the board:

BooBip_2.jpg
BooBip_2.jpg (132.9 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

And the overall picture:

BooBip_OV.jpg
BooBip_OV.jpg (128.71 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

And lastly, running RTOOL which comes installed onto the 64KB EEPROM adapter give a nice overview of the installed ROMs and the means to install the ROMs you want:

RTOOL.jpg
RTOOL.jpg (84.25 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

I still need to get my head around driving both of these add ons, but TurboSPI does have a menu you can start and a large selection of games to play with.

TS_Menu.jpg
TS_Menu.jpg (77.52 KiB) Viewed 2937 times

However, I am quickly finding that analogue joysticks are not much fun!!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by stephen_usher »

They're best for games such as Elite and Aviator but not so much for ones where on/off left-right-up-down are needed. Most people just used the keyboard for that.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:36 am They're best for games such as Elite and Aviator but not so much for ones where on/off left-right-up-down are needed. Most people just used the keyboard for that.
Indeed, though despite a refurb, mine seem to have quite a dead zone in the middle. The keyboard is definitely the better option, especially if you can redefine keys, which many games do.

Atic Atac, Sabre Wulf and Jetpac were particularly mad to play with the analog stick!!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Not so much an upgrade, more of a tool, and another of @cmorley's BooBip collection:

Tube_Snoop.jpg
Tube_Snoop.jpg (128.16 KiB) Viewed 2894 times

I can plug into the Tube on a BBC B and with the software available over at startdot, I can decode what's going on on the bus, in case I have another dead Beeb with no video output!!

Next up, i think I'll be ordering one of his 32K RAM/EEPROM kits to get Sideways ram and more ROM banks :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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JezC
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by JezC »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:27 am Not so much an upgrade, more of a tool, and another of @cmorley's BooBip collection:
I can plug into the Tube on a BBC B and with the software available over at startdot, I can decode what's going on on the bus, in case I have another dead Beeb with no video output!!

Next up, i think I'll be ordering one of his 32K RAM/EEPROM kits to get Sideways ram and more ROM banks :)
All looks very interesting...need to start clearing the backlog & saving up some more funds

:roll:
cmorley
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by cmorley »

You might want to cut the trace to one of the FT232H module LEDs (or remove the series resistor)... the details are documented in the stardot thread. Reason being so as to not load the 2MHz clock with the LED.
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

cmorley wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:59 am You might want to cut the trace to one of the FT232H module LEDs (or remove the series resistor)... the details are documented in the stardot thread. Reason being so as to not load the 2MHz clock with the LED.
Yeah, I had read that, just not got round to cutting the trace yet.

Getting a bit worried, the device is detected in Windows but I don't see it or detect it in FTDI FT Prog. Hoping it isn't a duffer. I will give my laptop a reboot first, see if that makes any difference.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Hold that thought, I now have it detected :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
BennehBoy
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by BennehBoy »

I think this is catching, I keep adding beebs & masters to my ebay watch list :oops:
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Re: BBC Model B - Some upgrades

Post by rubber_jonnie »

And it's programmed :)

So, just that track to cut before I go any further.

Back to work for now though!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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