BBC Model B – Installing Turbo MMFS

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BBC Model B – Installing Turbo MMFS

One of the easiest and most useful upgrades you can make to your BBC Model B is installing Turbo MMFS.
It replaces old tape or floppy drives with fast, modern SD card storage making loading software instant and much easier. You can also add more software by updating what is stored on the SD Card.

I bought a pre-burnt Turbo MMFS ROM and ready-made SD card interface, so installation was plug-and-play, this was also cheaper and less time consuming as you will see.
Here’s exactly how to fit it and get up and running.

 What Is Turbo MMFS?

Turbo MMFS is an enhanced version of the BBC’s MMFS (Multi-Media Filing System).
It lets your Model B load programs directly from an SD card while remaining 100% compatible with classic BBC software.

It feels like a small modern miracle, you power up, type a couple of commands, and programs load almost instantly.

Step 1 – Install the Turbo MMFS ROM

  1. Power off and unplug your BBC Model B.

  2. Remove the top cover (four screws underneath the case).

  3. Locate an empty ROM socket, usually IC52, IC88, IC100 or IC101. This location can be found under the keyboard on the right hand side, where you'll see 5 slots. 

  4. Carefully insert your Turbo MMFS ROM with the notch facing the same way as the other ROMs. Double-check pin 1 alignment and that all pins line up with the socket before pressing it down.

  5. Replace the lid and reconnect power.

Tip: Take a quick photo of your board before you start. This is handy for remembering socket positions later.

Step 2 – Connect the SD Card Interface

  1. Plug the SD card interface board into the User Port on the rear of your BBC. The port is labelled and also notched so should only fit one way. 

  2. Insert your SD card into the slot.

  3. Turn on the BBC

Step 3 – Boot and Test Turbo MMFS

When you power up, you should see something like that shown below.

If you don’t, re-seat the ROM, check the socket’s fit. You can also clean the socket with some contact cleaner, but leave it to dry before putting the ROM back in and powering it on.

Once you have the prompt, you can simply hit the SHIFT and BREAK keys together to load into the MENU stored on the SD card, as shown below.

Select a game or an application and enjoy :)

Enjoy Instant Loading

That’s it no more tape recorders, no disks, no waiting.
Turbo MMFS loads programs directly from SD storage almost instantly.
You can switch between images in seconds and fill the card with hundreds of titles.

Video

You can watch the full video of this installation from YouTube channel.
The video is only a few minutes long and reflects just how quickly this modification can be done.
Hope this helps and that you enjoy.
Thanks Matty


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