Raspberry Pi inside BBC Master (not a second processor)

[andrewvideo]

Hi Guys.

I know we can use Raspberry Pi as a second processor for the BBCs. It's posbile to use the Raspberry Pi as the main computer but using the all the ports from the BBC like Keyboard,Joystick, User ports, disc drive and Video out etc from the computer?

Some could make a program / rom thats allow the Raspberry Pi to take contorl of the BBC Computer and software for the pi.

Its would be nice if I could use my Raspberry Pi for more things not using it for a second processor.

Might be a project for someone.

[BigEd]

To do that today, you'd probably connect with the serial port and stick to text-mode use of the Pi. Then your Beeb is a dumb terminal, or a slightly smart terminal. You should be able to edit files, browse the web, run makefiles and develop software, just like it's the mid-80s.

PiTubeDirect isn't much help here, as the Pi in that case isn't running a full Linux, it's running well-optimised bare metal code and has to be dedicated to servicing accesses made by the Beeb or Master host machine.

Although, RobC has done some impressive things shipping sound and video from the Pi back to the host. This technique allows general C code running on the Pi - but not under Linux, or any other OS, and so no access to networking.

For the (near or mid) future, there's a very interesting project by revaldinho here which offers two FIFOs to connect an 8 bit host to a Pi (or indeed to something else) - the FIFOs and other logic mean that the Pi doesn't have such hard deadlines and can run a full Linux. There are many possibilities open, which are being thought about or worked on.

[roland]

To do that today, you'd probably connect with the serial port and stick to text-mode use of the Pi. Then your Beeb is a dumb terminal, or a slightly smart terminal. You should be able to edit files, browse the web, run makefiles and develop software, just like it's the mid-80s.

Then you would get something like my Atomic Linux, a visual demo is here: https://youtu.be/C49T8roKkBk

This uses a serial communication to a terminal program with limited graphic capabilities, on the beeb it should also be possible to do this as you can use vdu codes to invoke graphic commands. Running X windows or a graphical desktop environment will probably never possible.

My termnal program can be expanded to give access to other hardware resources like printer port, joystick, mouse, audio, 1MHz bus etc.

[BigEd]

That's great Roland!

[RobC]

I was fortunate to have a stand next to Jim Russell's at the recent RISC OS London Show. He's got a Pi running RISC OS in a Beeb case:
https://mobile.twitter.com/RISCOSDevLtd ... 160706?p=p

I think he said he was on here so may be able to give more details.

[jgharston]

I know we can use Raspberry Pi as a second processor for the BBCs. It's possible to use the Raspberry Pi as the main computer but using the all the ports from the BBC like Keyboard,Joystick, User ports, disc drive and Video out etc from the computer?

Some could make a program / rom thats allow the Raspberry Pi to take contorl of the BBC Computer and software for the pi.

That essentially IS what a second processor does. It takes control of the BBC's keyboard, user ports, video out, etc. by running the Tube Host on the BBC.

[Kazzie]

I know we can use Raspberry Pi as a second processor for the BBCs. It's possible to use the Raspberry Pi as the main computer but using the all the ports from the BBC like Keyboard,Joystick, User ports, disc drive and Video out etc from the computer?

Some could make a program / rom thats allow the Raspberry Pi to take contorl of the BBC Computer and software for the pi.

That essentially IS what a second processor does. It takes control of the BBC's keyboard, user ports, video out, etc. by running the Tube Host on the BBC.

Or, alternatively, there's the approach used with the tube podule for the Archimedes.

[1024MAK]

Just to explain it a bit further, when a second processor is used with a BBC B, or BBC Master, the existing microprocessor in the machine effectively becomes just an interface processor. The execution of the program is carried out by the second processor. With the existing microprocessor just servicing the display, keyboard, disk drive(s) and all the other I/O ports.

For the clearest examples, look at a BBC B or Master with a Z80 second processor. Now you have a set-up that runs CP/M. Or alternatively look at a Master with a 10 MHz Intel 80186 second processor with 512 KB memory. Now you have a set-up that runs DOS Plus and the GEM graphical user interface.

Mark

[BigEd]

The thing about a second processor is that it's captive: all I/O goes to the host, which is a Beeb or Master.

This thread is about how to access the I/O that the Pi has: audio, video, network, storage, GPIO - from the user's position on the host. Normally you'd find a Pi is running Linux which has drivers for all those things, but Linux is ruled out by PiTubeDirect's architecture. It's possible some of the facilities could be made available in PiTubeDirect, but that would be a significant project. (Storage is probably the closest to being available. Maybe video fairly close?)

[1024MAK]

Yeah, but (nearly) all focus has been on making a Pi be compatible with the Acorn Tube system. If instead you use custom code instead of the Acorn Tube code on the BBC B/Master 128 it should be possible to have the Pi running Linux or any other OS. That way you can allow for completely different timing across the interface.

Indeed, you could make a simpler interface for the BBC B/Master 128 to communicate with the Pi. With the hardware similar maybe to the way Torch did it with their Z80A processor.

Mark

[BigEd]

I think you do need to make a different kind of connection. Unless there's a way to get the GPU to do enough of what's needed while Linux is running on the ARM (the GPU is needed for the bitbanging because there are very tight deadlines.)