Project CBM 1.2.0

Project CBM 1.2.0

Find more Commodore software, bring your own files onto the Pi, and capture the
moments you want to share. Project CBM 1.2 adds Assembly64 Online Library, a more
selective USB importer, safe USB browsing and screenshots from SSH.

These notes describe 1.2.0. Check release availability
for the verified image and checksums before flashing.

Highlights

• Assembly64 Online Library: search, filter, inspect and save software.
• Guided USB Import: scan a folder and choose what to copy.
• Read-only USB browsing with Midnight Commander and Safe Unmount.
• pcbm-screenshot for Menu, MC, Covers and supported VICE/gameplay screens.
• Direct startup into your RUN machine, with reliable return to Menu.
• Clearer file sizes, friendly names and improved Back/Parent navigation.

Assembly64 Online Library

Open CONTENT → Online Library to search Assembly64. Use the supported filters,
read a result's details and choose downloadable files before saving them to your
local library. Already Present avoids copying identical files; Keep Both
preserves different versions. Saved content works offline through Browse Library.
Server Information stays readable until you leave it; About & Support
provides the official website and optional donation links.

Powered by Assembly64 — assembly64.hackerswithstyle.se.
Assembly64 is an independent project/team; Project CBM provides an API integration,
not ownership or wider affiliation. Optional support: PayPal
or Ko-fi. No hosted collection is bundled. Search
and downloads need Internet access; automatic FTP/server fallback is not provided.

USB improvements

CONTENT → Import from USB lets you choose a partition/folder, scan, select
supported files, choose category and machine, review, then import. Scanning never
copies files. Unsupported files are explained, and Parent/Back make it easier to
change the source. Read the completion and USB-release result before unplugging.

FILES → USB Drive is for manual browsing/copying. Mount Read-Only, use Midnight
Commander, press F10, then Safe Unmount. MC uses its own overwrite prompts; guided
Import offers reviewed selection and duplicate handling. Both protect the USB source.

Raw BIN/ROM resources are not general importable content. Copying a ROM file through
FILES does not configure it in VICE. Dedicated ROM management remains future work.

Screenshots

From SSH, run pcbm-screenshot. It prints the PNG path under
/home/pcbm/content/screenshots/, named with a UTC timestamp. Retrieve it through
file sharing or SFTP. An optional basename ending in .png is accepted; existing
files are never overwritten. Capture is local and on demand, with no upload or video.
Normal Covers are brief: capture during their existing interval without extending it.

Startup improvements

Choose CONTROL → Machine and Startup → Boot preference: Menu or Default emulator.
Direct startup finishes the boot artwork, shows the selected machine Cover and
opens visible VICE. F10 → Quit returns to a responsive Menu without an auto-launch
loop. Normal Menu/RUN behavior remains available.

Other improvements

Improved USB keyboard handling, clearer scan/result messages, readable sizes,
retained filter choices and persistent Server Information. Existing CCGMS 2021,
SID-Wizard and VICE profiles remain included. Multi-display capture, one-step
Save & Run, selectable public servers and extra hardware qualification are deferred.

Upgrade note

There is no supported in-place Project CBM release upgrade. Back up your entire
content library and wanted personal settings to another computer, keep the old card,
flash the new verified image to separate media, complete first boot, then restore
content with file sharing or SFTP. Restore preferences selectively rather than
copying system/account files. See backup and recovery.

User Manual · Assembly64 · Content/USB
· Screenshots · Startup

The exact Pi 4 B qualified image is released without rebuilding. Product source
v1.2.0 is adb61cfef7942a73fd10feed91db7c76d34114d8; the accompanying
user documentation snapshot is c7bf20aa79133f526ea310e3a1d1363666869a95. Later documentation does not change
the image. See SHA256SUMS, QUALIFICATION.json and the accompanying sources/notices.

Project CBM 1.1.0

Project CBM 1.1.0

Project CBM turns a Raspberry Pi into a Commodore-focused appliance: switch on,
choose a machine, and start exploring BASIC, games, demos or your own programs.
VICE 3.10 provides the emulation. Project CBM brings it together with a keyboard
Menu, first-boot setup, machine artwork and an organized content library.

What is new

• Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit), based on Debian 13 “Trixie”.
• Guided first boot for region, keyboard, timezone, administrator password and Wi-Fi.
• Project CBM startup artwork and machine-specific Covers before emulation.
• Eleven profiles spanning C64, SuperCPU 64, C64 DTV, C128 (40/80 columns), VIC-20,
  Plus/4, PET and the CBM-II families, including the faster C64 option.
• One pcbm account and an understandable library at /home/pcbm/content.
• USB import with read-only source access, duplicate preservation and filtering of
  known host-OS metadata. Supported dot-prefixed content remains discoverable.
• CCGMS 2021 for C64 BBS calls through the included modem bridge; SID-Wizard for
  creating SID music. Bring games, demos and other software you are entitled to use.
• File Sharing, Remote Access (SSH), Network Discovery, and useful IP/gateway/DNS
  information. Network services are opt-in, with clear connection instructions.
• Midnight Commander file management and normal Linux access for advanced owners.
• Expanded user, networking, content, recovery, customization and developer guides.

Hardware

Raspberry Pi 4 B is physically qualified. Pi 400, Pi 5 and Pi 500-class machines
are supported targets where compatible but are not all physically qualified. Use a
suitable power supply, cooling, HDMI display, keyboard and microSD card with room for
the uncompressed image and your content.

The final 1.1.0 image passed the owner's Raspberry Pi 4 B smoke test, including
fresh setup, display/input/audio, repeated emulator/Menu return, USB import,
a live CCGMS/TCPser BBS connection, reboot, persistence and shutdown.

Pi 3 and Zero-class systems are outside 1.1.0 support. Representative Pi 3 B+ VICE
workloads could not sustain the intended real-time experience. This is not a claim
that those machines cannot boot, or that every workload on newer models is benchmarked.

Your first session

Follow Getting Started to verify and flash the image. Connect
keyboard/display/audio, then complete the setup. Choose RUN for C64 BASIC.
Press F10 → Quit to return to Project CBM. Use POWER for safe shutdown.

CONTENT browses your library; IMPORT brings in USB files. The User Manual
explains every Menu area and the content guide gives examples.

For BBS use, turn on BBS / Modem and launch CCGMS from its C64 Communications folder.
Select Swift / Turbo DE to match the shipped SwiftLink/ACIA interface at $DE00,
and begin at 2400 baud. The networking guide
walks through calling, exchanging text, disconnecting and returning to the Menu.

File transfer and remote access

The default Computer Name is projectcbm; the username is pcbm. Enable services
when needed. SSH uses your administrator password. File Sharing uses its own password
and exposes the content library to your Mac or Windows computer. Direct hostname/IP
connection works even when automatic network browsing is unavailable.

Installation and upgrades

Download project-cbm-1.1.0.img.xz and SHA256SUMS from the project release page.
On macOS use shasum -a 256 project-cbm-1.1.0.img.xz; on Linux use sha256sum;
on Windows use Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256. Compare the published value for that
exact file before flashing. Checksums detect changed/corrupt downloads; this release
is not cryptographically signed.

Flashing erases the selected card. Back up content and important settings first.
The supported upgrade path is a fresh image, first boot, then restoration of compatible
user data—not an in-place operating-system upgrade. See backup and recovery.
After a reflash, an expected SSH host-key change is explained in troubleshooting.

Known limitations

• Quit VICE before switching Linux consoles with Ctrl+Alt+F2/F1.
• Automatic network browsing varies by client/network; use the displayed hostname/IP.
• Hardware qualification is specific to the tested model; see the hardware guidance above.
• Generic PSID/RSID music-file playback is not provided; SID-Wizard is a music editor.

Credits and notices

Thanks to VICE, TCPser, CCGMS, SID-Wizard, Raspberry Pi OS/Debian and their contributors.
Craig Daters created Project CBM's branding and Covers. Code and artwork have separate
terms. See software and notices and the accompanying source/
notice material. CCGMS uses an unchanged program on a Project CBM application disk;
unrelated upstream compilation utilities are not bundled. StrikeTerm is not included.

All documentation · Customization · Development

Source and documentation snapshots: Product tag v1.1.0 identifies the frozen binary source commit 787c275005aaf2c03b2ed769edc815a34ccafc9f. Updated documentation and publication records identify commit f185bc353428a1ab9bb4b6e1ab49143c73b3a57a. GitHub’s automatically generated tag source archives contain the tagged binary-source snapshot rather than the later documentation/publication snapshot. The attached RELEASE-MANIFEST.json records both identities.

Project CBM v1.0.0

Project CBM v1.0.0 Release Notes

Release Summary

Project CBM v1.0.0 is the first public image release for Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi 4/400, Raspberry Pi 5, and Raspberry Pi 500-class systems.

This release provides a Raspberry Pi OS Lite-based Commodore emulation appliance using VICE 3.10 and the Project CBM console menu system.

Project Background

Project CBM v1.0.0 was created as a modern Raspberry Pi OS Lite-based Commodore emulation image inspired in part by the appliance-style experience of Carmelo Maiolino's Combian64.

Project CBM is independently assembled and is not a fork of Combian64. The v1.0.0 release focuses on providing a ready-to-image Project CBM environment for Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi 4/400, Raspberry Pi 5, and Raspberry Pi 500-class systems.

Downloads

Note: Project CBM does not include copyrighted ROMs, games, or commercial software. Users are responsible for providing software they are legally allowed to use.

This release includes three downloadable assets:

• pcbm-v1.0.0-rpi3-5.img.xz - compressed Raspberry Pi image
• pcbm-v1.0.0-docs.zip - offline documentation bundle
• SHA256SUMS - checksums for verifying the downloaded files

Release Artifacts

pcbm-v1.0.0-rpi3-5.img.xz

The compressed Raspberry Pi image for Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi 4/400, Raspberry Pi 5, and Pi 500-class systems.

Flash this file to a microSD card using Raspberry Pi Imager, BalenaEtcher, or another imaging tool that supports .img.xz files.

Do not copy the .img.xz file to the SD card like a normal document. It must be written/flashed as a disk image.

pcbm-v1.0.0-docs.zip

Offline documentation bundle for this release.

This bundle includes the README, end-user documentation, flashing instructions, troubleshooting notes, support information, license notes, and release notes.

SHA256SUMS

Checksum file used to verify the downloaded release assets.

Use this file to confirm that the image and documentation bundle downloaded correctly before flashing the image.

Supported Hardware

Project CBM v1.0.0 targets Raspberry Pi 3 through Raspberry Pi 5 and Pi 500-class systems.

Supported Raspberry Pi models:

• Raspberry Pi 3
• Raspberry Pi 4
• Raspberry Pi 400
• Raspberry Pi 5
• Raspberry Pi 500 and Pi 500-class systems

Recommended setup:

• Raspberry Pi 5 or Pi 500 for best performance
• Quality 16GB or larger microSD card
• HDMI display/audio
• USB keyboard
• Official or high-quality power supply
• Optional USB gamepad/controller
• Optional Ethernet connection for easiest first network setup

Notes:

• Raspberry Pi 400 is treated as a Raspberry Pi 4-class system.
• Raspberry Pi 5 and Pi 500 are recommended for the smoothest experience.
• Raspberry Pi 3 is supported, but heavier emulation or some demos may perform better on newer hardware.

First Boot Behavior

On first boot:

• Raspberry Pi OS boots in console mode.
• The root filesystem should expand to fill the SD card.
• Project CBM launches on the primary console.
• Users can start supported Commodore machines from the menu.

Included Features

• Raspberry Pi OS Lite base
• VICE 3.10 console/SDL2 build
• Project CBM menu system
• Commodore machine launchers
• Content folders for games, demos, music, programs, and ROMs
• USB import helper
• Samba file sharing support
• Network information and test tools
• BBS/modem support hooks using TCPser
• Safe shutdown and reboot menu options

Known Notes

• Use a quality SD card, especially with Raspberry Pi 5 and Pi 500 systems.
• Ethernet is the easiest first network setup.
• WiFi is intentionally left unconfigured so each user can configure their own region and network.
• Controller behavior may vary by USB gamepad model.
• The Content menu launches files using the current default machine.

Verification

After downloading the release assets, verify them before flashing.

On Linux or Raspberry Pi OS:

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS

On macOS:

shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS

Expected result:

pcbm-v1.0.0-rpi3-5.img.xz: OK
pcbm-v1.0.0-docs.zip: OK

If either file does not return OK, download it again before flashing.

Recommended Flashing Tools

• Raspberry Pi Imager
• BalenaEtcher
• Linux command line using xzcat and dd

Upgrade Notes

This is the first public release, so there is no previous Project CBM release to upgrade from.