Project CBM turns a Raspberry Pi into a keyboard-operated Commodore computer collection. Switch it on, choose a machine, and arrive at BASIC or launch your games, demos and programs. Machine artwork, called Covers, identifies the computer as it starts. F10 → Quit brings you back to Project CBM.
Built on Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit), based on Debian 13 “Trixie”, with SDL2 VICE and a Bash/dialog Menu. No desktop or cloud account is required. You retain normal Linux terminal and administrator access.
Project CBM 1.2.0 is released. Release page and notes. The exact released image passed all five focused Raspberry Pi 4 B checks: USB browsing, Guided Import, RUN, direct boot and Assembly64. Earlier qualification records retain the broader lifecycle and screenshot testing.
Assembly64 Online Library brings search and downloads to CONTENT → Online Library. Find software, narrow results with filters, read details, choose files and save them to your local library. Saved software stays available offline. How to use Assembly64.
- Import files from USB: choose a folder, scan, select supported files, review the destination and import. Unsupported files are explained.
- Browse a USB drive safely: FILES → USB Drive opens Midnight Commander with a read-only source. Copy what you need, press F10, then Safe Unmount.
- Take screenshots from SSH:
pcbm-screenshotsaves Menu, MC, Cover and supported VICE/gameplay pictures in/home/pcbm/content/screenshots/. - Choose your startup: open Menu or start the current RUN machine directly, with normal Cover presentation and F10/Quit return.
- Clearer file sizes, Back/Parent navigation, duplicate handling and friendly labels.
Read the 1.2 release notes or start with the download and setup guide.
Powered by Assembly64 — official website. Assembly64 is an independent external service, not owned by Project CBM. Optional PayPal and Ko-fi links support its team. Project CBM bundles no Assembly64 collection. Bring or download only software you are entitled to use.
- VICE 3.10 and eleven profiles covering C64, SuperCPU 64, C64 DTV, C128 (40/80 columns), VIC-20, Plus/4, PET and the CBM-II families.
- Guided first boot, keyboard Menu and machine Covers.
- Organized local library, guided USB import and separate read-only USB browsing.
- CCGMS 2021 for BBS calls through TCPser and SID-Wizard for creating music.
- Midnight Commander, optional file sharing, SSH and network discovery.
Raspberry Pi 4 B is physically qualified for this release. Pi 400, Pi 5 and Pi 500-class systems are targets requiring separate model qualification. Pi 3 and Zero-class hardware are outside the 1.2 target. See hardware and setup requirements. A supported machine profile is not a claim that every workload or peripheral has been tested.
These retained 1.0.0 images illustrate the project's appearance; they are not screenshots of 1.2.0. Menu labels and behavior have changed. No replacement screens have been fabricated.
Historical gallery · Current screenshot capture checklist
- Project CBM 1.2.0 compressed image — project-cbm-1.2.0.img.xz
- SHA256SUMS
- All release assets, source archives, notices and inventory
Verify the compressed image before flashing. Its SHA-256 is:
b2b7836f752d4b5b3a9a7cd5116776dff8f19eceaf4ad155b9541cc2efb69b5d
The download is 599,119,848 bytes and expands to a 3,095,396,352-byte image. Allow additional space for setup, updates and your library. The raw image is not a public asset; extract the XZ only if your imaging tool needs it. GitHub's source ZIP/TAR files are not bootable images.
| Task | Read this |
|---|---|
| Verify, flash and reach C64 BASIC | Getting Started |
| Learn everyday Menu tasks | User Manual |
| Add content or import USB files | Content and USB |
| Share files, enable SSH or call a BBS | Networking and services |
| Fix a problem or protect your files | Troubleshooting and backup/recovery |
Product owns OS/runtime integration, image construction and authoritative user
documentation. Project CBM Menu owns
Menu presentation, scripts, artwork and its independently versioned package.
The 1.2 development branch is feature/1.2-content-ingestion;
main is retained as historical repository history.
runtime/: appliance integration and validated operations.build/,tools/,tests/: factory recipes, engineering tools and checks.docs/release/: current user and developer guides.docs/design/: design decisions and future work.
Start with Development, Contributing or Build Your Own. The public first-build bootstrap is not yet complete; a published image is not a claim of independent reproducibility.
Assembly64, guided USB import, read-only USB browsing, SSH screenshots and startup improvements are implemented for 1.2. Future work includes more hardware testing, one-step Save & Run, and improved public build tooling. Roadmap.
Project-owned code and documentation use MIT. Upstream software, artwork and supplied content have their own terms; the MIT badge is not a blanket license for the image. See software and rights, release policy and acknowledgements.
Current engineering checkpoint · Architecture · Provenance · Security history · Engineering recovery · Historical 1.0 notes. These preserve earlier audits and qualification evidence without replacing current user instructions.
The immutable Product v1.2.0 tag identifies the frozen binary-source snapshot.
Later repository documentation records clarifications and engineering work;
publication identities and the release manifest
record the exact release source/documentation snapshots.