Elektronika BK
The Elektronika BK (Russian: Электроника БК, where БК stands for “Бытовой Компьютер” / “Home Computer”) is a series of 16-bit PDP-11-compatible home computers developed by NPO Scientific Center in the Soviet Union. It was the only official government-approved Soviet home computer in mass production, released in 1985. The BK-0010 sold for approximately 600 roubles (about 4 months' average salary at the time).
The BK series includes:
- BK-0010 (1985) - Original model with FOCAL interpreter in ROM, membrane keyboard
- BK-0010.01 - Revised model with mechanical keyboard and BASIC in ROM
- BK-0011 (1989) - Upgraded RAM (128 KB) and CPU speed (4 MHz)
- BK-0011M - Improved BK-0011 with better BK-0010 software compatibility
The BK had a tremendous effect on the development of the Russian-speaking software community, similar to the roles of the C64 and ZX Spectrum elsewhere.
This system scrapes metadata for the “bk” group(s) and loads the bk set from the currently selected theme, if available.
Quick reference
- Core: libretro: bk, libretro: MAME
- Folder:
/userdata/roms/bk - Accepted ROM formats:
.bin,.img,.dsk,.bkd,.zip,.7z
BIOS
BK-0011M BIOS files:
| MD5 checksum | Share file path | Description |
|---|---|---|
fe4627d1e3a1535874085050733263e7 | bios/bk/B11M_BOS.ROM | BK-0011M BOS ROM |
dc52f365d56fa1951f5d35b1101b9e3f | bios/bk/B11M_EXT.ROM | BK-0011M EXT ROM |
946f6f23ded03c0e26187f0b3ca75993 | bios/bk/BAS11M_0.ROM | BK-0011M BASIC ROM (part 0) |
1e6637f32aa7d1de03510030cac40bcf | bios/bk/BAS11M_1.ROM | BK-0011M BASIC ROM (part 1) |
5015228eeeb238e65da8edcd1b6dfac7 | bios/bk/DISK_327.ROM | BK-0011M Disk controller ROM |
BK-0010 BIOS files:
| MD5 checksum | Share file path | Description |
|---|---|---|
3fa774326d75410a065659aea80252f0 | bios/bk/BASIC10.ROM | BK-0010 BASIC ROM |
5737f972e8638831ab71e9139abae052 | bios/bk/FOCAL10.ROM | BK-0010 FOCAL ROM |
95f8c41c6abf7640e35a6a03cecebd01 | bios/bk/MONIT10.ROM | BK-0010 Monitor ROM |
Which BIOS files are needed depends on the selected model. BK-0011M + FDD (the default) requires the BK-0011M set. BK-0010 requires the BK-0010 set. You can verify your BIOS files from the Batocera menu: GAME SETTINGS > MISSING BIOS CHECK.
ROMs
Place your Elektronika BK ROMs in /userdata/roms/bk.
Software for the BK was distributed primarily on cassette tapes and later on floppy disks. Common formats include disk images (.dsk, .bkd, .img) and raw binary dumps (.bin).
Emulators
RetroArch
RetroArch (formerly SSNES), is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple “cores”, which are essentially the emulators themselves. The most common cores use the libretro API, so that's why cores run in RetroArch in Batocera are referred to as “libretro: (core name)”. RetroArch aims to unify the feature set of all libretro cores and offer a universal, familiar interface independent of platform.
RetroArch configuration
RetroArch offers a Quick Menu accessed by pressing [HOTKEY] + 
which can be used to alter various things like RetroArch and core options, and controller mapping. Most RetroArch related settings can be altered from Batocera's EmulationStation.
Standardized features available to all libretro cores: bk.videomode, bk.ratio, bk.smooth, bk.shaders, bk.decoration, bk.game_translation
libretro: bk
The libretro bk core is a dedicated Elektronika BK emulator. It supports BK-0010, BK-0010.01, BK-0011(M) and Terak 8510/a emulation.
libretro: bk configuration
Standardized features for this core: bk.rewind, bk.autosave
ES setting name batocera.conf_key | Description ⇒ ES option key_value |
|---|---|
| Settings that apply to all systems this core supports | |
MODEL bk.bk_model | Select the BK model to emulate. Requires restart. ⇒ BK-0010 BK-0010, BK-0010.01 BK-0010.01, BK-0010.01 + FDD BK-0010.01 + FDD, BK-0011M + FDD BK-0011M + FDD, Terak 8510/a Terak 8510/a, Slow BK-0011M Slow BK-0011M. |
PERIPHERAL (UP PORT) bk.bk_peripheral | Select peripheral device connected to the UP port. ⇒ None none, Covox covox, AY-3-8910 ay_3_8910, Mouse (high) mouse_high, Mouse (low) mouse_low, Joystick joystick. |
libretro: MAME
The libretro version of MAME can also be used to emulate the Elektronika BK. It uses MAME BIOS and ROM sets.
MAME
Standalone MAME can also be used as an alternative emulator for the Elektronika BK.
Controls
The Elektronika BK is a computer system, so it primarily uses a keyboard for input. A physical USB keyboard is strongly recommended for the best experience.
When using the libretro bk core, a joystick can be enabled via the PERIPHERAL core option.
Troubleshooting
Black screen on boot
Make sure the correct BIOS files are in /userdata/bios/bk/. The required files depend on the model selected in core options (BK-0010 vs BK-0011M). Use GAME SETTINGS > MISSING BIOS CHECK to verify.
Wrong model selected
Some software only works with specific BK models. If a program doesn't load or crashes, try switching the model in the core options (e.g. from BK-0011M to BK-0010.01 or vice versa).
Further troubleshooting
For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.
- systems/bk.txt
- Last modified: 5 weeks ago
- by wizzard