Repair & Schematics
BBC Micro
1770 Floppy Upgrade (BBC Micro)
3 min
if your floppy interface on the bbc micro is using the 8271 you can only load 40 track disks there is an official upgrade guide here https //archbee doc uploads s3 amazonaws com/j28kvka0c jxcfzcoqq29 xyijuvotazhdd8n6y5ysd 20250416 091705 pdf there are modern upgrade kits from places like retroclinic , with official install guides in short remove the yellow bridge wire if it is there (or cut it) replace ic79/80 with 78 f 38 versions (ideally, not always required) remove the old 8271, socket in the new 1770 upgrade remove ic86 (74393), and add a bridge wire between pins 1 and 4 if ic87 (near the rear) is missing, bridge pins 9 and 12 if it is present, leave it in and do nothing with it finally, replace your old dfs rom (usually 0 9) with dfs 2 26 or watford1 54 now you should be able to use and read/write/format 80 track disks if you have issues with reading/writing/formatting you can also try changing the dip switches on the keyboard pcb pins 3 and 4 can both be set high or low, to change the speed of the drive find which works for you