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Project CBM 1.1.0

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@cdaters cdaters released this 25 Sep 01:57
v1.1.0
787c275

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.

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