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+--- Thread: uBee512 Sanity Checking? (/thread-1000.html)
uBee512 Sanity Checking? - shane.crozier - 08-03-2026
Hi Folks
I've been trying to add an additional hdd to the uBee512 - I have made an assumption that the emulated controller can emulate 3 hdd's based on the help information
My normal start string is (Macos) - which works fine.
ubee512 --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 --video-type=gl --monitor=a
however
I copy the hdd file to another instance of it (Called hdd_test.hd0 )
ubee512 --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM --hdd0=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 --hdd2=hdd_test.hd0 --video-type=gl --monitor=a
Just seems to stall on the "Microbee Hard Disk System" Rom loader.
I'd like to have a virtual disk of around 20Mb in 4x5Mb partitions to store and test the CP/M software library I've amassed.
I would have expected to be able to use --hdd0 but that seems to also fail - what am I missing?
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - ChickenMan - 08-03-2026
The model you need to run HD on is not a p128k but a hdd.
This works fine for me
ubee512.exe hdd --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0
The hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 is an image of the original Teac HD ( the t after 2.2) and has 4 x 2.5gb partitions as the original was only a 10gb HD.
This also works with A: to D: the HD and E: a ds40 floppy
ubee512.exe hdd --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_1.1.hd0 --hdd3=hdd_128k_standard_1.1_ds40.dsk
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - shane.crozier - 10-03-2026
(08-03-2026, 11:56 PM)ChickenMan Wrote: The model you need to run HD on is not a p128k but a hdd.
This works fine for me
ubee512.exe hdd --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0
The hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 is an image of the original Teac HD ( the t after 2.2) and has 4 x 2.5gb partitions as the original was only a 10gb HD.
This also works with A: to D: the HD and E: a ds40 floppy
ubee512.exe hdd --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_1.1.hd0 --hdd3=hdd_128k_standard_1.1_ds40.dsk
Thanks for your reply - There seems to be some differences in the way the ubee512 runs on Windows vs MacOS
shane@Shanes-MacBook-Pro ~ % ubee512 --model=hdd --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 --video-type=gl --monitor=c
ubee512: option `--model' argument of 'hdd' is not permitted
shane@Shanes-MacBook-Pro ~ %
shane@Shanes-MacBook-Pro ~ % ubee512 --lmodel
256tc
p1024k
1024k
p512k
512k
p256k
256k
p128k
128k
p64k
64k
56k
tterm
ppc85
pc85b
pc85
pc
ic
2mhz
2mhzdd
dd
scf
pcf
I guess using a model of 128k with the appropriate ROM option was doing the same thing? Have you tried to mount two hdd images?
Which version of ubee512 are you using? I have 6.0.0
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - ChickenMan - 10-03-2026
Arr the ubee512 ver 6.0 for MAC was not produced by the original author of ubee512 and appears your missing the HDD entry in the roms.alias file -
#===============================================================================
# Microbee HDD boot ROM
#
# c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd HD18.ROM
#
# This S60HDD18.ROM ROM is a 3rd party combination of the BN60 and HD18 boot
# ROMs with some changes to select the WD1002-5 or Coreboard WD2793
# controller using additional port located at 0x58.
#
# d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b S60HDD18.ROM
#===============================================================================
HD18.ROM md5=c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd
;S60HDD18.ROM md5=d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b
But I suspect your --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM is doing the same thing.
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - Graham72 - 10-03-2026
(10-03-2026, 08:00 AM)ChickenMan Wrote: Arr the ubee512 ver 6.0 for MAC was not produced by the original author of ubee512 and appears your missing the HDD entry in the roms.alias file -
#===============================================================================
# Microbee HDD boot ROM
#
# c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd HD18.ROM
#
# This S60HDD18.ROM ROM is a 3rd party combination of the BN60 and HD18 boot
# ROMs with some changes to select the WD1002-5 or Coreboard WD2793
# controller using additional port located at 0x58.
#
# d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b S60HDD18.ROM
#===============================================================================
HD18.ROM md5=c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd
;S60HDD18.ROM md5=d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b
But I suspect your --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM is doing the same thing.
So is it possible to have 2 emulated HDD > with 8 partitions?
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - shane.crozier - 10-03-2026
(10-03-2026, 10:11 PM)Graham72 Wrote:(10-03-2026, 08:00 AM)ChickenMan Wrote: Arr the ubee512 ver 6.0 for MAC was not produced by the original author of ubee512 and appears your missing the HDD entry in the roms.alias file -
#===============================================================================
# Microbee HDD boot ROM
#
# c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd HD18.ROM
#
# This S60HDD18.ROM ROM is a 3rd party combination of the BN60 and HD18 boot
# ROMs with some changes to select the WD1002-5 or Coreboard WD2793
# controller using additional port located at 0x58.
#
# d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b S60HDD18.ROM
#===============================================================================
HD18.ROM md5=c45452cb2981223fda043b99d468cacd
;S60HDD18.ROM md5=d25c81901b5a4cce79239ef6dfb1469b
But I suspect your --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM is doing the same thing.
So is it possible to have 2 emulated HDD > with 8 partitions?
Thats where I'm hoping to be - or expanding the single HDD file to 32 Mb perhaps?
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - ChickenMan - 10-03-2026
The problem is the WD1002-5 controller that the HD18 rom looks for only supports 1 HD and 1 or 2 floppy drives, and I think only DS40 disks/drives. The HD also set to a max 20Mb size so unless someone wants to re-write the rom to handle more, just go for it.
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - shane.crozier - 11-03-2026
(10-03-2026, 11:22 PM)ChickenMan Wrote: The problem is the WD1002-5 controller that the HD18 rom looks for only supports 1 HD and 1 or 2 floppy drives, and I think only DS40 disks/drives. The HD also set to a max 20Mb size so unless someone wants to re-write the rom to handle more, just go for it.
I suspected as much - Although the specification for the controller does state 3 Winchester and 4 Floppy drives - that wouldnt necessarily have been implemented in the bios interface. I doubt anyone is up to rewriting the HD18 rom without source code being available, sorting the capacity may be possible using a modified system disk though - are there hard disk system boot disks for systems other than the Teac drives available? Mitsubishi MR
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - ChickenMan - 11-03-2026
No unfortunately.
But you could try playing with the Compact Flash Microbees. We have a couple of images of those you can play with. Such as these will get you going -
ubee512.exe --video-type=hw --rom1=bn56cf8.rom --ide-a0=cfboot_0_58_cf8_123_16_32.hdd-19-16-32 -a turbo_pascal_ds80.dsk
ubee512.exe --video-type=hw --model=pcf --cfmode=boot --rom1=bn56hd_059.rom --ide-a0=cfboot_0_59_cf8_128k_1p_CHS_490_4_32.hdd-76-4-32 -a pjb.dsk
Because the CF images have 4 partitions (I think), the -a disk will actually show up as E: drive. You may need to use CD to tell what type of drive E: actually is. That makes it easy to copy files to the CF disk image.
RE: uBee512 Sanity Checking? - shane.crozier - 11-03-2026
(11-03-2026, 09:09 AM)ChickenMan Wrote: No unfortunately.
But you could try playing with the Compact Flash Microbees. We have a couple of images of those you can play with. Such as these will get you going -
ubee512.exe --video-type=hw --rom1=bn56cf8.rom --ide-a0=cfboot_0_58_cf8_123_16_32.hdd-19-16-32 -a turbo_pascal_ds80.dsk
ubee512.exe --video-type=hw --model=pcf --cfmode=boot --rom1=bn56hd_059.rom --ide-a0=cfboot_0_59_cf8_128k_1p_CHS_490_4_32.hdd-76-4-32 -a pjb.dsk
Because the CF images have 4 partitions (I think), the -a disk will actually show up as E: drive. You may need to use CD to tell what type of drive E: actually is. That makes it easy to copy files to the CF disk image.
Cheers for that - I think the local ACMS has a couple of HDD based systems in storage - if the software exists I will see if there are any variants of the System (INIT) software for non teac drives we can get imaged for the library.
I will order the greaseweezel sooner than later.
I really appreciate the experience you've shared here - saved me banging my head on a brick wall