A file storage system for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. Make your PC do something useful for a change: have it act as a file server for your BBC.
No more swapping discs, no more noisy drives, no more file count limits, and file access is very fast. You get very quick turnaround when developing BBC software using your PC, and it's super-easy to get access to you BBC files. Also: very easy backups!
If you've got multiple BBCs, they can all connect at once and share files.
Get the latest release from https://github.com/tom-seddon/beeblink/releases/latest. Download the Windows zip and unzip it somewhere.
Get the latest release from https://github.com/tom-seddon/beeblink/releases/latest. Download the macOS zip and unzip it somewhere.
The macOS version is not notarized. To bypass any Gatekeeper dialogs: open Terminal, change to the folder to which you unzipped the server, and run the following command:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine beeblink-server bindings.node prebuilds/darwin-x64+arm64/node.napi.node
Follow the build instructions to build the server.
You can build the ROM yourself, or get a prebuilt copy from the Windows or macOS release: https://github.com/tom-seddon/beeblink/releases/latest (you can use either; they are equivalent, though not currently bit-identical)
You'll need a BBC B/B+/Master 128, ideally with some kind of EEPROM module or battery-backed write-protectable sideways RAM - it's no fun having to reload the ROM each time you power on, or have it zapped by careless programs!
(If upgrading: you're advised to run the same version of ROM and server, but if both server and ROM are from a 2024 (or later) release then they don't have to match exactly. But not every combination will have been tested!)
You can connect BBC and PC using a Tube USB serial adapter or a UPURS cable.
See https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14849. You'll need the full kit with the PLD.
Connect the Tube serial board to the BBC's Tube connector, connect any second processor to the Tube serial board, use the jumper to select Comms mode, and connect the device to your PC.
If you're able to reprogram the PLD, it's a good idea to update it to the latest code, as per the instructions here: ./devices/tube_serial
If using Windows, you'll need to tweak one of the device settings.
If you've got some way of getting files to your BBC already, copy the appropriate ROM image from the zip and load it on your BBC; otherwise, use the bootstrap process, and get the file that way.
See https://www.retro-kit.co.uk/UPURS/. You'll also need a FTDI FT232 USB serial adapter. Connect UPURS cable to BBC's user port connector and USB serial adapter, connect USB serial adapter to PC.
If using Windows, you'll need to tweak one of the device settings.
If using macOS, UPURS is currently unsupported, but reports are welcome.
If using Linux, there should be nothing to do!
There's no bootstrap process for the UPURS cable. Use the UPURS tools
to get beeblink_upurs_fe60.rom copied onto your BBC.
There are some notes about using BeebLink with the UPURS cable.
DIY required
You'll need an Electron with Plus 1 (or equivalent - I'm uing an Acorn Plus 1) and Advanced Plus 5 (or equivalent - I'm using the Retro Hardware New AP5).
You'll need a Tube USB serial adapter (see above). The PLD needs to be updated to V3 or later, as per the instructions here: ./devices/tube_serial
Once set up, connect the Tube serial board to the AP5's Tube connector, use the jumper to select Comms mode, and connect the device to your PC.
If using Windows, you'll need to tweak one of the device settings.
There's not currently a bootstrap process for the Electron. I used my Master to get the appropriate ROM image onto a cartridge, then plugged the cartridge into the Electron.
See the filing system docs for some info about how to use it.
The server docs have some additional information about useful command line options, and a few notes about sharing files between BBC and PC.
If you also use TubeHost, you can access your TubeHost files via BeebLink.
There is experimental support for ADFS-like hierarchical volumes - a bit of DIY required. ADFS-like volumes are experimental!
If you use git, some notes on git interop.
This repo has submodules. Clone it with --recursive:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/tom-seddon/beeblink/
Or, after cloning, use git submodule from inside the working copy to
set the submodules up:
git submodule init
git submodule update
(Note that you'll also need to do a git submodule update after
switching branch.)
Build the master branch to get the latest release, or wip/master
to get the latest prerelease. Both should work well, though the
prerelease will have had less testing.
Please file a GitHub issue or post in the StarDot BeebLink thread if you run into any difficulties!
Copyright (C) 2018-2025 by Tom Seddon
Many thanks are due to Chris Morley for the development of the Tube Serial board and associated PLD code, and for providing some excellent suggestions and comments.
Licence: GPL v3