Discussion Forum for all things Microbee - All Forums

Hello!

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:16:44 +1000

Hi everyone, nice to find this forum.

First computer I ever got to use was a Microbee - a ROM model around 1983-4 in school.

I haven't had a chance to touch one again until recently acquiring a 128K non-premium model, with what looks like a 3.5" disk controller (alas, no drives) and a green monochrome monitor.

The computer seems to work, but the majority of keys are flaky. They seem to be coming to life a bit with some use (if I move the keys side to side when depressed they will mostly register) so I'm hoping that it's just oxidation, but may need to get a replacement keyboard at some point.

The monitor, alas, isn't working - it flickers on when turned on very briefly, and then goes black. But of course I can use the system with another composite monitor, and it's nice to have an original for display at least.

I plan to try using a Gotek to get started, at least until I can source a proper drive (then maybe try a dual drive setup with a gotek and real 3.5" drive arrangement.

Anyway, just a brief message to introduce myself and say hi. It's exciting to revisit the computer that got me interested in computing in the first place. Good times ahead I hope!

the solar system, galaxys and universe explained.

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:12:00 +1000

In the beginning was Microbee, and it created a program and spiral galaxy formed and years and years and aeons passed.

10 HIRES2
20 C=256
25 D=127
30 FOR N=16 TO 1 STEP -1
35 K=0
50 FOR T0=0 TO 94.2 STEP .1
60 R0=T0*1.348
70 K=K+1
75 IF K 77 K=0
80 SET INT(R0*COS(T0)*2)+C,INT(R0*SIN(T0))+D
90 NEXT T0
95 K=0
110 FOR T0=94.2 TO 0 STEP -.1
120 R0=T0*1.348
130 K=K+1
135 IF K 137 K=0
140 SET INT(R0*COS(T0)*2)+C,INT(R0*SIN(T0))+D
150 NEXT T0
160 NEXT N
170 FOR N=16 TO 1 STEP -1
175 K=0
190 FOR T0=0 TO 94.2 STEP .1
200 R0=T0*1.348
210 K=K+1
215 IF K 217 K=0
220 RESET INT(R0*COS(T0)*2)+C,INT(R0*SIN(T0))+D
230 NEXT T0
235 K=0
250 FOR T0=94.2 TO 0 STEP -.1
260 R0=T0*1.348
270 K=K+1
275 IF K 277 K=0
280 RESET INT(R0*COS(T0)*2)+C,INT(R0*SIN(T0))+D
290 NEXT T0
300 NEXT N

It would appear that the universe is currently around the 220 mark.

Otherwise a neat screen saver

uBee512 with 56k not formatting diskettes?

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 15:20:04 +1000

Hi Folks,

An obscure one, but I have been using the ubee512 emulator to check a few things out and found that using 56k model with 56k master images, he ddformat utility doesnt seem to be able to format the B drive sucessfully - it completes without error but doesnt erase the virtual diskette..

Does anyone have the same issue with the emulation or the real thing?

thanks for adding me

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:26:17 +1000

hi all thanks for the add.. i am hoping to find a place to get dsk images and get help completing my suzy core board. im happy to pay. just needs roms burned and some resisters soldered and ic's put in. any help would be great.

Microbee Admate DP-80 Notes

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:19:23 +1000

This a single page A4 in size I found hidden in some of my paperwork.

It outlines possible problems winding paper backwards in the printer and includes a simple screen dump Basic program that you can include in your own Basic program.

So in the MbeeTech Repository in the Microbee\Documentation\Articles folder we placed

microbee_admate_DP-80_notes.pdf

Fairly new to Microbee

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:44:53 +1000

Hi There, I've been a member here for the last couple of years and about time to introduce myself. I'm a vintage computer enthusiast and learning as i go along. Never owned a Microbee back in the day but did have the opportunity recently to build my own Freebee Premium thanks to Suzy over at MSPP. It's a great little machine and had alot of fun building it. Thanks to Chickenman's posts in relation to the Funstuff like games and joysticks etc. I have a TRS80 model 3 in my collection :-) and it's great to see some of the games converted to the Microbee, especially Galaxy Invasion, my favourite. Here's a pic of my Freebee Premium.

20260814_155951 (2).jpg (Size: 485.75 KB / Downloads: 35)

Some Microbee Games from Under4MHZ

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 22:57:15 +1000

Thanks to Under4MHZ for making these games available to run on the Microbee. They are some old classic puzzle games converted to run on the Microbee.

These were posted in the Forum years ago, thought it would be good to put them on the one bootable disk.

The games are -

Diamond Dash
Pegged
Pitman
Vexed

Further information and screen shots, see

DIAMOND DASH, see https://microbeetechnology.com.au/forum/...age-2.html
VEXED, see https://microbeetechnology.com.au/forum/thread-523.html
PEGGED, see https://microbeetechnology.com.au/forum/thread-546.html
PITMAN, see https://microbeetechnology.com.au/forum/thread-537.html

So in the MbeeTech Repository in the Microbee\Software\Games folder we placed

Under4MHZ_Games_ss80.dsk

Microbee's on 60 Minutes in 1982

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:52:18 +1000

Thanks to kimjohn for bringing these to my attention.

On 4 April 1982, MLC School, Sydney made history as the first school in Australia to bring computers into classroom learning.
Each student in Kent House’s 5W class received a Microbee desktop computer, launching the pioneering Computer Aided Learning Project.
It was so groundbreaking that 60 Minutes filmed a segment, calling it “the first of its kind in Australia, and possibly the world.”

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story...Vx1sCU6qgA#

Also, the Prendiville Catholic College, Perth show off the Microbee being used back in 1986. Check it out also, at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C4x1GzPK1/ In the first 1986 pic, top left corner you see the Microbee Starnet server with HD.

I'm new. Long story short...

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:46:18 +1000

Hi, I'm Gespenster. I do stuff in 8 bit. Right now, what I am looking to do is to port .z3 adventure game / story files to Game Boy. The program for that is INFGMB via https://problemkaputt.de/infgmb.htm if someone is interested. (Before that I did similar for Game Boy Advance, but now, I wanna be even more 'lo-fi'.) Anyway, I think that might turn out max. cozy. All of this is for my own personal use, nothing about this is commercial.

Well, and it seem that you have a bunch of .z3 files. Hoping I may have some.
(You have them in/due to your adventure floppy compilations. For maybe that is not something many people recall or are interested in.)

(I was born in central Europe, so all we ever had at home were two C64 and an Amiga.)

Kind Regards,

How To Archive Old Computer Data Tapes Using Tapetool2 (Exidy Sorcerer)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:14:47 +1000

Tutorial.jpg (Size: 244.44 KB / Downloads: 21)
https://github.com/rcl9/How_To_Archive_O..._Tapetool2

This tutorial captures my experience with retrieving and archiving early 1980's Exidy Sorcerer data tapes and directly converting them to binary, Exidy Sorcerer .tape format and related de-blocked text files using the TapeTool2 utility program. If I had access to this repo before starting my project then it would have saved me a good day or two of head banging and head scratching. It also applies to some other computers supported by Tapetool2.

However, much more importantly for an Exidy Sorcerer user (or other retro-computer enthusiasts) reading this tutorial, I provide a well defined batch script file named "convert.bat" which will quickly convert a 300 or 1200 baud .wav file into a corresponding binary (for CP/M usage) and .tape file (for jSorcerer or MAME usage). Other sites on the Internet often provide dozens of 1980s software downloads in .wav audio file format but no simple method to convert them into runnable files for the Sorcerer.

The Exidy Multi-Net 80 'User Module' -- History and Reverse Engineering (1984)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:13:43 +1000

Exidy MultiNet 80 with new daughter card.jpg (Size: 410.58 KB / Downloads: 10) https://github.com/rcl9/MultiNet-80-User-Module---History-Reverse-Engineering-and-Repurposing-as-a-MIDI-Computer-1984-1985

This is a significant historical posting in the world of retro-computing. Over the last 40 years I have not seen any hand's-on tear downs or reverse engineering of the super-rare Exidy Multi-Net 80 "User Module" S-100 card nor one which has been hacked and repurposed as a stand-alone MIDI processor board (as I have done herein).

I decided to reverse engineer the board on November 17 and 18 1984, write a new monitor system for it, then eventually develop a daughter card to give it RS-232 and MIDI capabilities. This repository documents those endeavors for the current and future benefit of the retro-computing community.

A Potted History of "Canada Remote Systems" of the 1980s

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:10:49 +1000

https://github.com/rcl9/Canada-Remote-Sy...ed-History

This retro-computing article aims to expand upon the publicly available history for Jud Newell's "Mississauga RCP/M", "Toronto RCP/M" and "Canada Remote Systems" bulletin board (BBS) systems, starting from 1977. This history is partly from my personal experience as one of Jud Newell's first users of his "Mississauga RCP/M" (located in his home) as of February 1982. I have derived the factual information from the 1985-1991 Canada Remote Systems (CRS) member newsletters.

I'd be happy to expand upon this write-up if anyone else has very specific and substantiated information beyond what I have provided.

Canada Remote Systems - 1.jpg (Size: 336.93 KB / Downloads: 10)

History of the Canadian Cypher Z80/68000 Single Board Computer (of the 1984-1986 era)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:09:22 +1000

https://github.com/rcl9/Cypher-Z80-68000...umentation

This retro-computing article strives to provide a historical snapshot, archive and description of the short lived Cypher Z80/68000 single board computer which was designed, built and sold by Motel Computers of Willowdale Ontario in the 1984-86 era. It was believed at the time that CP/M-based computers would (ideally) remain the dominant operating system well into the early to mid 1980s. The Cypher SBC arrived in the 1983-1984 era when CP/M-68k and 68000 CPUs were becoming more readily available. What the designers of the Cypher computer did not foresee was the rise and dominance of the IBM PC, DOS and 8086 processors which would have been a prime reason that the company disbanded the project in 1986. Tech manuals, schematics, historical advertisements and a history of Motel Computers is provided.

Motel Computers Z80-68000 board.jpg (Size: 451.61 KB / Downloads: 9)

Playing Computer Music via an AM Radio on Computers Like the Altair, Sorcerer, etc

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:04:15 +1000

https://github.com/rcl9/Playing-Computer...-the-1970s

This retro-computing article focuses on the generation of rudimentary computer music played through an AM radio in the mid to late 1970s via RF noise emitted by the CPU. Implementations for 8080/Z80 and PDP8 are provided as well as raw data for 'Daisy Bell'. Unless you were a business user who could afford a very expensive S-100 system running CP/M on 1 or 2 floppy drives then there wasn't very much that a "home accessible computer" could do other than (drum roll please!) play computer music.

AM Radio from 1979.jpg (Size: 237.78 KB / Downloads: 10)

History of 8080-Z80 BASEX Compiler from the 1979 Era

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:57:54 +1000

https://github.com/rcl9/History-Of-The-B...e-1979-Era

This retro-computing article acts as a tribute and time capsule to the long lost BASEX compiler of the 1979 era of early computing written by Paul K. Warme (retired accountant from State College, PA) as a faster byte-code interpreted version of BASIC that ran on the 8080 and Z80 platforms. This history came about from my work to resurrect the complete runtime environment and development history of my Exidy Sorcerer "Space Invaders" game of 1980-81, written in BASEX.

banner1.jpg (Size: 135.98 KB / Downloads: 12)