Discussion Forum for all things Microbee - Microbee Software and Documentation

Microbee Solar System

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:44:15 +1100

Hi Microbee people,

I think it was Graham72 who shared a galaxy program earlier.

You inspired me to start my own project and I have working on this for months now. I think its ready to share. So I am now presenting my Solar System Demo.

I have intended for this to appear like it was written in the 1980's. I did have help from a couple of AI to get this working.

Here it is.

solar.txt (Size: 18.48 KB / Downloads: 12)

Black waves, soft hair and infrared triangles

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:51:32 +1100

Memories are made of this. Research by theoretical physicists Sabrina Pasterski and Andrew Strominger examines how gravitational waves leave permanent imprints on spacetime.

When cataclysmic cosmic events occur, such as colliding black holes or exploding stars, they radiate gravitational waves that carry away energy and angular momentum. These waves don’t just pass by: they leave space permanently changed. A ring of free-floating masses stays stretched after the wave has gone (the displacement memory effect). Pasterski, Strominger and Alexander Zhiboedov discovered a second effect, spin memory: a passing wave causes a permanent relative time delay for light travelling in opposite directions around a loop.

These memory effects form one corner of the “infrared triangle”, which shows that three separate ideas are the same physics seen three ways: the memory effects, hidden symmetries of spacetime far from any source (supertranslations and superrotations), and “soft theorems” describing very low-energy gravitons and photons. Strominger, Stephen Hawking and Malcolm Perry used these ideas to propose that black holes carry “soft hair”: information recorded on the event horizon when zero-energy particles fall in. They suggested it as a possible route toward resolving the famous black hole information paradox, though whether it can do so is still debated.

The attached program for cp/m microbees shows the first part: the displacement memory produced by supertranslations, and the spin memory produced by superrotations. It doesn’t show soft hair. Soft hair isn’t light or motion that could be drawn, even exaggerated, but a change in the black hole horizon’s properties, so there’s nothing to animate. The display is hugely exaggerated: a real displacement memory is far smaller than an atom over the size of the Earth, and a real spin memory delay is far too small to measure with today’s detectors.

GWMEMORY.zip (Size: 3.19 KB / Downloads: 17)

Contiki OS / ZS DOS / MICROBEE MULTI-BOOT

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:07:06 +1100

I asked Claude what OS it would like to build for Microbee. At first it looked at SymbOS but stated memory issues.

Then it told me about the NEC 6001 microcomputer from Japan

  nec6001.jpg (Size: 7.56 KB / Downloads: 36)
and the Contiki OS port which features a process list, command shell, calculator, text editor, and a RAM filesystem as well as internet connectivity, telnet, email etc.

I said build away and it did. So now I have working internet @ 9600. An email client is a definite possibility if I lose the calculator and text editor.

As Someone has oft mentioned, the Microbee is a true chameleon.

  261029195113.png (Size: 46.76 KB / Downloads: 37)

Collapse OS

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:33:34 +1100

After my FUZIX experiment, I decided to go to the other end of the OS spectrum.

Collapse OS is a minimalist, open-source operating system engineered by Virgil Dupras to survive a global societal or industrial collapse. Built on the Forth programming language, it runs entirely on salvaged, low-power 8-bit processors like the ubiquitous Z80. Users can deploy Collapse OS to program scavenged microcontrollers, automate basic machinery, and manage local text files or radio communications without modern infrastructure.

So attached a tiny OS. Boot using Vibedrone Queen builds. A ubee512 version is in the works allowing disk saves and an Editor.

A curiosity that may prove useful.

This Microbee build has about 225 words. In Forth, every routine is a “word”, and you can define your own with :

261029113218.png (Size: 31.42 KB / Downloads: 29)

COLLAPSE.zip (Size: 50.48 KB / Downloads: 20)

Fuzix for Microbee on UBEE512

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 23:46:42 +1100

Knowing that emulation is all good and proper for those of us who have no access to bare metal, I took some sneaky shortcuts with VibeDroneQueen to get FUSIX booting.

BUT a real machine needs to be able to boot the image via hardware. So towards that end I have got the OS booting on UBEE512. The ubee512 screenshots are all simultaneous, using CTRL 1 thru CTRL 4 to show each TTY in operation.

I am not sure if the HD18 ROM can be used in real 512K machines, but if another ROM is needed then I can adapt the boot code to suit.

  FUZIX6.png (Size: 77.04 KB / Downloads: 39)

  FUZIX5.png (Size: 117.06 KB / Downloads: 38)

  FUZIX4.png (Size: 11.42 KB / Downloads: 39)

  FUZIX3.png (Size: 16.65 KB / Downloads: 41)

  FUZIXHIVE.png (Size: 16.16 KB / Downloads: 39)

  FUZIXTETRIS.png (Size: 10.94 KB / Downloads: 40)

Adventures of Robbo

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:56:11 +1100

Here's a port of an old PC DOS game called Adventures of Robbo. It's pretty close to the original with all 60 levels. Configured to use Premium arrow keys with a Joystick option. Tested on a Freemium, Vibedrone and UBEE512 and works great.

i've added robbo06 which addresses the B: drive loading problem. Thanks Ubee.

ROBBO03_GAME.zip (Size: 40.03 KB / Downloads: 28)

ROBBO06_GAME.zip (Size: 32.58 KB / Downloads: 20)

Galaga24

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:20:25 +1100

Here's a fun adaptation of Galaga. Tested on the Freemium, Vibedrone and Ubee512. It uses Premium arrow keys and optional Joystick.

GALAGA24.zip (Size: 12.29 KB / Downloads: 30)

Viatel Lives!

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:05:49 +1100

Congratulations to Ingmar who succesfully built an IP adaptor and demonstrated a connection to BBC on Mosaic using Videotex. So of course I figured if it can be done in hardware, it can be emulated. So heres my Videotex Vibedrone build. It no longer has mouse. Modem button has to be toggled on off sometimes to make the connection.

A node js file has to be run to act as the connection thru the interwebz. Once node is running Run Vibedrone. Open PC85, Ctrl Click on Modem, then press V for Videotex. Type DIAL 01950 enter, wait, patiently. If a thick cursor shows on top left toggle modem but sometimes it works immediately. If your keyboard shows a £ instead of a # to navigate then use _ .

>>No good software is ever left unused.<<

Oh yes after installing node. At command prompt: node vtx_gateway.js

  gateway.png (Size: 28.04 KB / Downloads: 22)

  viatel.png (Size: 20.27 KB / Downloads: 20)

  vtx_gateway.zip (Size: 1.71 KB / Downloads: 27)

  VDBEEWOLF_101_10_128K_mosaic.zip (Size: 97.53 KB / Downloads: 36)

Hive Works part 2 aka VibeDroneBeeWolfQueen

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:29:09 +1100

I decided to throw caution to the wind and with extreme hubris began using UZI as an OS for Hive Works.

That led me to discover FUZIX and I have got it booting but the keyboard is just crazy. I press a key and get 10-15 bounces.

Anybody succesfully using FUZIX?

261009202755.png (Size: 40.79 KB / Downloads: 63)

SuperPakGames

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:37:06 +1100

In the Repository there is a super pak of games called SuperPAK_Games_Standard_PC85b.zip

Heres a Vibedrone special PAK edition to access the games. Load all the ROMS in one go and the .mwb. Click Menu and enjoy. You don't need to load the C-I pc85 ROMS just all the game roms into SuperPak PAK.

superpak.png (Size: 17.06 KB / Downloads: 35)

VibedroneSuperPak.zip (Size: 91.64 KB / Downloads: 37)

Clowns78

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 15:23:14 +1100

Had a bit of AI fun with this old one :-)

CLOWNS78.zip (Size: 6.78 KB / Downloads: 47)

HIVE WORKS

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 22:42:22 +1000

a quick and dirty attempt to create a multitasking app.

hive.com

lots of information in the zip. please feel free to edit, improve and produce a masterpiece.

HIVE.png (Size: 19.11 KB / Downloads: 32)

GUI010.zip (Size: 96.59 KB / Downloads: 56)

Matilda Screens

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:13:50 +1000

after throwing many darts success, boot screens. A blast from the past -using freedos for now

Proof of concept. If anyone is interested the emu is ~80K and allows creation of a 40mb SCSI HDD. Roms are in repository. As are 2 .dsk files. I used the 7 set FREEDOS version. Attached build notes.

  matilda_DOS.png (Size: 44.04 KB / Downloads: 37)

  matilda_BEE.png (Size: 45.84 KB / Downloads: 35)

  bios.png (Size: 16.43 KB / Downloads: 37)

  40BUILDSMATILDA.TXT (Size: 7.87 KB / Downloads: 42)

  30BUILDSMATILDA.TXT (Size: 13.19 KB / Downloads: 59)

help me workshop a game

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 19:31:21 +1000

I want to create a game similar to wol*&nstein.

First I need a visual indicator of our heros health. how does this look?

wolfbee_faces_preview_3.png (Size: 17.79 KB / Downloads: 76)

Breakout for Microbee

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:06:28 +1000

Is there a Breakout game for the Microbee? That is the old brick and ball game. Toying with the idea of building a paddle controller and game to suit.