Three looks
Drippy orange Axis, classic Oblivion/2, or green and grey Iniquity.
One tap on the board flips every node. Drop in your own MATRIX.ANS and MAIN.ANS with pipe colours, MCI codes and O/2 pulldown marks.
connecting... (any key skips)
THE BOARD
- BBS
- Axis Micro BBS Firmware
- what
- A real telnet BBS on a 2.8 inch ESP32 touchscreen. No PC behind it.
- sysop
- Rev. J. Money, the maker of RotatoCAM
- price
- $79.00 + $9.00 shipping (US), ready to plug in
THE SYSTEM
- software
- Axis Micro BBS Firmware 0.51
- license
- GPL-3.0+ by Rev. J. Money
- hardware
- ESP32-2432S028R, 240 MHz, 4 MB flash
- doors
- Native LORD, in C++, over telnet
LAST UPDATES
- 2026-11-08Version 0.51: a Renegade-style waiting-for-caller screen in every look, one sysop menu, and a shared cluster key for linked boards
- 2026-11-07LORD on the board is the native C++ door. The DOS emulator is a separate PC build.
- 2026-11-04Local console opens on all 80 columns drawn crisp; ZOOM gives 40 big columns
- 2026-11-04File search, quoted replies, a call time limit, the voting booth, a user editor and the twit flag
- 2026-11-04DOS shell: MORE, TREE, DOSKEY history, DATE and TIME, archive listings
- 2026-11-04Rumors, a BBS list, top ten and a bulletin screen
- 2026-11-04Email, a new message scan, download ratios and new files since your last call
- 2026-11-04Oblivion/2 multinode commands and split-screen chat across boards
- 2026-11-04Theme selector with an Oblivion/2 style look
- 2026-11-03LORD 4.07 plays on the CYD over telnet
── more ── the full log in FEATURES.md
The tour
Everything a 90s board had
Real captures from the live boards. Hover or tap a card for more; every card opens its page in the docs.
File areas
FILES.BBS areas on a microSD card.
Archive listings for ZIP, RAR, ARJ, TAR and GZIP, a search across every area, new files since your last call, and security levels per area.
ZMODEM transfers
ZMODEM, XMODEM and XMODEM-1K, both ways.
Around 247 KB/s over WiFi. ZIP uploads are CRC-tested and rezipped with the board's NFO. Downloads are earned, with an optional ratio.
Messages and email
Message areas, quoting, taglines, private mail.
New counts per area, quoted replies under the writer's initials, a new message scan across every area, and a "you have new mail" notice at login.
Live chat
Callers talk to each other, keystroke by keystroke.
Teleconference across every node, node messages, broadcasts, do-not-disturb, and Oblivion/2 style split-screen chat.
Multinode cluster
Our family: 3 boards, 7 nodes, one BBS.
More boards on your LAN become extra nodes of one BBS with shared users, files and messages. One address for callers, and failover if the main drops. Boards link only when they share a secret cluster key, so a stranger on your network cannot join. SD cards in several boards pool into one library with mirrored areas. Work in progress: an SD disc changer where every card is a hot-swappable disc, Night Owl style.
Native LORD
Legend of the Red Dragon, in C++, on the board.
The engine runs in the BBS over telnet and reads the installed LORD folder for warriors, gear, and ANSI scenes. Several callers can play at once. An unmodified EXE, if you want that, is the separate PC build.
ANSI Pack Viewer
Artpacks straight out of their ZIPs.
A built-in door that pages through classic artpacks and plays ANSI movies at 2400 to 57600 baud. The test board carries 150 scene packs (ACiD, iCE, Fire, CiA, Mistigris, Blocktronics and more) plus three AXIS packs.
The scene
Oneliners, rumors, voting, top ten.
Plus a BBS list, last callers and a bulletin screen. Rumors are anonymous, like the old days.
Waiting for caller
A Renegade-style WFC in all eight looks.
An idle board shows a Renegade-style waiting-for-caller screen with live values: nodes, calls today, free RAM, the last caller. It runs on the touchscreen (45x24), over telnet for a sysop, on the panel console and on the serial console, and it has its own skin setting apart from the theme. Sysops get Renegade keys on it (S, U, #, B, F, L, Space, Q) and type // online.
Sysop console
One sysop menu, on the board and online.
One layered sysop menu, the same one on the touchscreen (f2), online with * or //, and on the serial console: users, file areas and files, message bases and posts, every setting, a menu editor, a Look section for the theme and the WFC skin. Plus a PC/phone control panel with a live wall of every node's screen.
Local console
Log in on the 2.8 inch screen itself.
All 80 columns drawn crisp, or ZOOM for 40 big columns that follow the cursor, with a touch keyboard.
Accounts
An underground new user application, validated by you.
Security levels, per-area access, permissions, call time limits, a twit flag, and a user editor over telnet.
── more ── every feature, in the docs
Get one
Ready to plug in: $79.00 + $9.00 shipping (US)
The 2.8 inch ESP32 touchscreen board in a clear acrylic case with the firmware installed and tested, a touch stylus and a USB cable. You supply USB power and 2.4 GHz WiFi. microSD card not included: add your own (FAT32) to turn on the file areas.
Buy on jmscnc.comOpen source
Or flash your own
GPL-3.0-or-later. Grab a CYD, install PlatformIO, and flash it in one command. The docs walk you through it.