BeebSCSI V2.6

This release includes fixes for faster access to large LUNs and provides improved performance with Acorn's filestore application. Github issue #23 (bug around closing LUNs incorrectly), issue #24 (regression of fast seeking) and issue #25 (Upgrading underlying FAT library to version R0.14 (latest)) have been fixed and included.

Only the BeebSCSI AVR firmware is affected by this release, so upgrading can be performed using BEEBSCSI.BIN (in the attached zip file) and upgrading via the bootloader (see the project documentation for details of the procedure). Note that the bootloader only accepts FAT formatted SD cards (i.e. not exFAT cards).

BeebSCSI V2.5

This release includes changes to the BeebSCSI firmware (developed primarily by stardot user dp111) that enhance the FAT file-system access speeds when dealing with LUNs containing many files (this is to ensure performance when using BeebSCSI with Acorn's filestore). The release also includes various firmware bug-fixes as well as a fix to the BSTrans BASIC FAT file transfer application.

Attached in the release files are the firmware builds for the various elements of BeebSCSI. Also included are the Gerber files for the PCB (including all that is required to have PCBs made). In the BeebSCSI7.2_5.zip file you will find the .BIN file required to flash existing BeebSCSI devices (please see the documentation for details of the flashing process).

BeebSCSI V2.4

This release brings a new 7_7 version of the BeebSCSI PCB that features many physical enhancements (read more about this in the BeebSCSI Hardware Guide available from: https://www.domesday86.com/?page_id=409 ). Importantly, the board design has been moved from the closed-source EagleCAD to the open-source KiCAD providing the ability to use and modify the design without 3rd party license fees. The 7_7 board also adds the (future) possibility for USB support.

The BeebSCSI AVR firmware has been updated with enhancements to the debug (it now reports the emulation mode, the firmware revision and the USB capability of the PCB). The debug has also been modified to output a small amount of information regardless of the debug output settings - this is to assist board builders when performing initial testing (as the previous release version was silent even if the AVR was functioning ok.

The status/activity LED functionality has also been improved. The firmware now supports LED brightness control (with 20 increments of brightness). The LED now glows dimly when the BeebSCSI board is powered and ready. Activity causes the LED to show full brightness and then fade-off providing a much better looking feedback to the user.

Attached in the release files are the firmware builds for the various elements of BeebSCSI. Also included are the Gerber files for the PCB (including all that is required to have PCBs made).

BeebSCSI V2.3

This release adds FAT file transfer capabilities to BeebSCSI allowing standard PC files to be transferred from the SD Card to ADFS (or any other filing system).

The new AVR firmware provides three additional SCSI G6 vendor-specific commands:

BSFATDIR - Set the directory used by BeebSCSI when executing the BSFATINFO and BSFATREAD commands (allows the host application to traverse the FAT directory tree on the SD card)

BSFATINFO - Allows the host to retrieve information about FAT directory entries from the directory set by BSFATDIR (this includes information about the directory entry type (file or directory), FAT filename and file size

BSFATREAD - Allows the host to perform multi-block random access reads of FAT files

As the new commands are SCSI G6 commands they are all accessible from ADFS using the OSWORD &72 call. BBC BASIC code examples are provided in the technical guide documentation. No additional ROMs or changes to the original Acorn ADFS are required.

A file transfer application written in BBC BASIC is included in the release zip (and via github) as a demonstration of how to use the new commands. This application is quite simple at the moment and any contributions to its development are most welcome. Documentation on the utility is included in the BeebSCSI user guide.

Existing boards can be re-flashed using the BEEBSCSI.BIN file in the release .zip. Simply power down the BeebSCSI and remove the SD card. Copy the BEEBSCSI.BIN to the SD card, reinsert and power up. After a short pause the LED should flash rapidly. Power down, remove the SD card, delete BEEBSCSI.BIN, reinsert the card and power up. *SCSISTATUS should show the firmware version as V002.003 (provided the optional BeebSCSI ROM is available).

Note: BeebSCSI ROM image updated to 1.04 due to issue #5 fix being included.

BeebSCSI V2.2

This release fixes issues #2 and #3 to provide better compatibility with the original Acorn SCSI Winchester and a fix to the AVR project files (to allow compilation of both the bootloader and the AVR firmware in a release configuration). BeebSCSI will now attempt to auto-start a stopped LUN when a Read6 or Write6 command is sent for a LUN that is available (on the SD card) but in the stopped state.

The update to the bootloader is only for new boards. Existing boards can be re-flashed using the BEEBSCSI.BIN file in the release .zip. Simply power down the BeebSCSI and remove the SD card. Copy the BEEBSCSI.BIN to the SD card, reinsert and power up. After a short pause the LED should flash rapidly. Power down, remove the SD card, delete BEEBSCSI.BIN, reinsert the card and power up. *SCSISTATUS should show the firmware version as V002.002 (provided the optional BeebSCSI ROM is available).

BeebSCSI V2.1

This release fixes a minor issue with the timing in the CPLD based implementation of the AIV and normal SCSI host adapter boards. A timing issue in the 74573 module (latching data on the leading rather than trailing edge of the signal) was causing issues with the new AP5 solution for the Acorn Electron. If you are using release 2.0 with a BBC Model A/B or Master you do not need to upgrade your existing board (as the fix is not required for these machines); however the new CPLD code is recommended for all Acorn machine types.

BeebSCSI V2.0

This is the second release of the BeebSCSI software targeted to board version 7_5. Please note that VFS support (for Domesday emulation is still considered beta (as is the 1MHz internal bus adapter board)). ADFS support is complete and tested for both BBC Model B (with ADFS) and Master 128. This release has also been tested with the 6502 copro (Model B), the 65C102 copro (Master Turbo) and the 80186 copro (Master 512).

Included in this release is the new BeebSCSI utilities ROM that uses some new firmware features to provide LUN 'jukeboxing'. Jukeboxing allows you to have multiple LUN sets available providing up to 512GBs of LUNs from a single SD Card.

Also in this release is a new design for the BeebSCSI internal 1 MHz adapter board which has been redesigned to make it smaller and more simple to build.

A binary release zip file is included below. In the zip file you will find:

BEEBSCSI.BIN - This is the primary BeebSCSI AVR firmware and should be loaded on the BeebSCSI board using the SD Card bootloader
BeebSCSI_Bootloader.hex - This is the hex file for the BeebSCSI bootloader (it must be programmed using an AVR programming device)
hostAdapter.jed - This is the JED file for the host adapter CPLD implementation (it must be programmed using a Xilinx programmer)
BeebSCSI_ROM_0102.rom - This is the image file for the BeebSCSI utilities ROM. This can either be loaded into sideways RAM or programmed to a real EPROM.

Please see http://www.domesday86.com for details.

BeebSCSI V1.0

This is the first release of the BeebSCSI software targeted to board version 7_5. Please note that VFS support (for Domesday emulation is still considered beta (as is the 1MHz internal bus adapter board)). ADFS support is complete and tested for both BBC Model B (with ADFS) and Master 128. This release has also been tested with the 6502 copro (Model B), the 65C102 copro (Master Turbo) and the 80186 copro (Master 512).

Files to download:
BEEBSCSI.BIN - This is the primary BeebSCSI AVR firmware and should be loaded on the BeebSCSI board using the SD Card bootloader
BeebSCSI_Bootloader.hex - This is the hex file for the BeebSCSI bootloader (it must be programmed using an AVR programming device)
hostAdapter.jed - This is the JED file for the host adapter CPLD implementation (it must be programmed using a Xilinx programmer)

Please see http://www.domesday86.com for details.