You have never seen a BBC Micro like this. The RGBeeb is an original BBC Micro that has been given a new home in an open-frame ATX case.
The brainchild of retro hacker dekuNukem, the RGBeeb includes original and working 5.25-inch disk drives, along with a stunning RGB backlight. As you can see in the video, this works really well, thanks to the Beeb’s mainboard being thin and single-layered (common back in 1982).
This build features:
- Fully functional BBC Micro inside open-frame ATX PC case
- Animated RGB Backlight
- Working dual full-height 5.25″ Floppy Drives
- USB keyboard and gamepad by USB4VC
- ATX power and RGB control by ATX4VC
It’s worth explaining a bit about that last items in particular. You can see it mounted in the 2.5-inch HDD/SSD bay in the lower-right corner of the PC case, its purpose being to translate power requirements for retro hardware from a modern ATX power supply.
While the video focuses on the finished product, dekuNukem has shared a detailed account of the project’s development on his GitHub. This includes details of how he sourced the BBC Micro (no computer was harmed and all mods are reversible) and also reveals an interesting fact: the BBC Micro’s mainboard was almost exactly the same size as a modern ATX board.
You probably won’t be able to buy an RGBeeb. But if you can get hold of a BBC Micro that isn’t artificially inflated on eBay you might have a chance to replicate this build…
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
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