Acorn Eurocard systems

Last updated
Acorn Eurocard systems
Acorn atom zx1.jpg
System 2 - the keyboard design also served as the case for the Acorn Atom
Developer Acorn Computers
Type microcomputer
Release date1979;44 years ago (1979)
Discontinued1982 (1982)
Acorn System 3 computer equipped with (from left) a 6502 CPU card, a 40-column VDU card, three memory cards, an Econet card, and a floppy disc drive. Acorn System 3.jpg
Acorn System 3 computer equipped with (from left) a 6502 CPU card, a 40-column VDU card, three memory cards, an Econet card, and a floppy disc drive.

The Acorn Eurocard systems [1] were a series of modular microcomputer systems based on rack-mounted Eurocards developed by Acorn Computers from 1979 to 1982, aimed primarily at industrial and laboratory use, but also home enthusiasts.

Contents

The experience gained in developing this modular system strongly influenced the design of Acorn's first all-in-one home computer, the Acorn Atom, released in March 1980; and also much of the circuitry in its successor, the BBC Micro, first shown in late 1981.

Acorn's final rack-based machine was the System 5, released in late 1982. The Eurocard business was then sold on to one of its principal resellers, Control Universal Ltd, which continued to develop various cards for industrial use based on the Acorn-standard bus during the 1980s, but ultimately went into receivership in 1989.

Eurocards

Placing the two Eurocards from the original Acorn Microcomputer onto a backplane made the system straightforward to expand in a modular way. [2] The original I/O card, minus its keypad and LED display, became the cassette interface card; while the original 6502 CPU card, slightly adapted with the addition of a keyboard interface, became the basic CPU card of the system.

A series of interchangeable expansion cards were then developed: additional RAM cards; a card containing the Acorn System BASIC interpreter on ROM; a 40×25 character VDU card, and a UHF adaptor for it; interface cards; a floppy disk controller; Econet network cards; an 80×25 character VDU card; and later also alternate processor cards, offering a 6809 or a faster 6502. [3] [4]

System 2

The Acorn System 2 [5] [6] [7] was offered as a system by Acorn Computers from 1980. It was the successor to the Acorn Microcomputer (renamed the Acorn System 1).

The system comprised four Eurocard-sized printed circuit boards mounted in a 19 inch sub-rack frame on an 8-slot backplane, plus a (separately supplied) additional external keyboard. The four PCB cards contained respectively:

The CPU card and cassette interface card were the same cards as used the System 1, but with the keypad and LED display of the latter left unused. The system could be expanded with any of Acorn's standard Eurocards to add further functionality. In 1982 it was being offered for £320, or £480 with power supply, plus an additional £136 for the optional keyboard. [9] [10]

System 3

The Acorn System 3 [11] [12] [13] added a floppy disk controller card, floppy disk drive, and disk operating system ROM, replacing the cassette interface card and cassette operating system of the System 2 machine.

The System 3 became the standard workhorse for development in the Acorn lab: the Acorn Atom has been called a cut-down version of the System 3; and it was based on the System 3 that much of the development work for the BBC Micro was done.

A minimum configuration contained:

In 1982 this was being offered for £775, or £1075 with power supply, casing, and two further 8K RAM cards; plus, again, an additional £136 for a keyboard. [14] [15]

System 4

The Acorn System 4 [16] [17] was similar to the System 3, but in a double height frame, containing fourteen slots in the lower frame, and two floppy disk drives in the upper half of the frame above them. With casing, power supply, and a basic 16K of RAM it was being offered for £1525 in 1982 (again, plus extra for the keyboard). [18] [19]

System 5

The Acorn System 5 [20] [21] was the final Acorn rack-mounted system, released in 1983. [22] It was mounted in an extra-height single 19-inch frame, which could accommodate two vertically mounted 5 1/4-inch floppy drives, with either seven [23] or ten [24] Eurocard slots. It came complete with a power supply, and was only available fully assembled. As standard it had a 1 MHz 6502, 32K DRAM, a disk controller, and either the 80×25 or the Teletext 40×25 VDU cards. Customers could choose which cards to install in the remaining slots, including interface cards, an additional 16K DRAM card, and/or an Econet network adapter; they could also choose to upgrade the processor board to a faster 2 MHz 6502 board. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acorn Electron</span> Personal computer sold in Britain

The Acorn Electron was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a price more competitive with that of the ZX Spectrum. It had 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM included BBC BASIC II together with the operating system. Announced in 1982 for a possible release the same year, it was eventually introduced on 25 August 1983 priced at £199.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aster CT-80</span> 1982 personal computer

The Aster CT-80, an early (1982) home/personal computer developed by the small Dutch company MCP, was sold in its first incarnation as a kit for hobbyists. Later it was sold ready to use. It consisted of several Eurocard PCB's with DIN 41612 connectors, and a backplane all based on a 19-inch rack configuration. It was the first commercially available Dutch personal/home computer. The Aster computer could use the software written for the popular Tandy TRS-80 computer while fixing many of the problems of that computer, but it could also run CP/M software, with a large amount of free memory Transient Program Area, (TPA) and a full 80×25 display, and it could be used as a Videotext terminal. Although the Aster was a clone of the TRS-80 Model I it was in fact more compatible with the TRS-80 Model III, and ran all the software of these systems including games. It also had a built in speaker which was compatible with such games software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acorn Atom</span> home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd from 1979 to 1982

The Acorn Atom is a home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd from 1979 to 1982, when it was replaced by the BBC Micro. The BBC Micro began life as an upgrade to the Atom, originally known as the Proton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MicroBee</span> Series of networkable home computers

MicroBee was a series of networkable home computers by Applied Technology, which became publicly listed company MicroBee Systems Limited soon after its release. The original Microbee computer was designed in Australia by a team including Owen Hill and Matthew Starr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compukit UK101</span> A clone of the Ohio Scientific Superboard II single-board computer

The Compukit UK101 microcomputer (1979) is a kit clone of the Ohio Scientific Superboard II single-board computer, with a few enhancements for the UK market - notably replacing the 24×24 screen display with a more useful 48×16 layout working at UK video frequencies. The video output is black and white with 256 semigraphic characters generated by a two kilobyte ROM. It has no bit-mapped graphics capability. The video is output through a UHF modulator, designed to connect to a TV set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Econet</span> Computer networking system

Econet was Acorn Computers's low-cost local area network system, intended for use by schools and small businesses. It was widely used in those areas, and was supported by a large number of different computer and server systems produced both by Acorn and by other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acorn System 1</span> Early 8-bit microcomputer

The Acorn System 1, initially called the Acorn Microcomputer (Micro-Computer), was an early 8-bit microcomputer for hobbyists, based on the MOS 6502 CPU, and produced by British company Acorn Computers from 1979.

The Acorn Communicator is a discontinued business computer developed by Acorn Computers. Mentioned in the computing press in late 1984 as the C30, previewed in early 1985 with estimated pricing between £500 and £800, in late 1985 with a built-in LCD display, and subsequently unveiled in a slightly different form, the system sold in very low numbers to companies requiring a computer with a built-in modem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microprofessor II</span>

Microprofessor II, introduced in 1982, was Multitech's second branded computer product and also one of the earliest Apple II clones. It does not look like most other computers. The case of the MPF II was a slab with a small chiclet keyboard on its lower part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle Systems</span>

Miracle Systems Ltd. were a manufacturer of personal computer peripherals and upgrades, specializing in the Sinclair QL, in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64 peripherals</span>

This article is about the various external peripherals of the Commodore 64 home computer. Due to the backwards compatibility of the Commodore 128, most peripherals will work on that system, as well. There's some compatibility with the VIC-20 and PET too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acorn MOS</span> Computer operating system

The Machine Operating System (MOS) or OS is a discontinued computer operating system (OS) used in Acorn Computers' BBC computer range. It included support for four-channel sound, graphics, file system abstraction, and digital and analogue input/output (I/O) including a daisy-chained expansion bus. The system was single-tasking, monolithic and non-reentrant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research Machines 380Z</span>

The Research Machines 380Z was an early 8-bit microcomputer produced by Research Machines in Oxford, England, from 1977 to 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Micro expansion unit</span>

A BBC Micro expansion unit, for the BBC Micro is one of a number of peripherals in a box with the same profile and styling as the main computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Smith Super-80 Computer</span>

The Dick Smith Super-80 was a Zilog Z80 based kit computer developed as a joint venture between Electronics Australia magazine and Dick Smith Electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elektor Junior Computer</span>

The Elektor Junior Computer was a simple 6502-based microprocessor development board published in the 1980s in the Dutch, German and later French, Spanish, British and Indian versions of Elektor/Elektuur, in the form of a series of articles, and four books. It was developed by the German engineer Loys Nachtmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Micro</span> Series of microcomputers by Acorn

The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphasis on education, it was notable for its ruggedness, expandability, and the quality of its operating system. An accompanying 1982 television series, The Computer Programme, featuring Chris Serle learning to use the machine, was broadcast on BBC2.

PolyMorphic Systems was a manufacturer of microcomputer boards and systems based on the S-100 bus. Their products included the Poly-88 and the System 8813. The company was incorporated in California in 1976 as Interactive Products Corporation d/b/a PolyMorphic Systems. It was initially based in Goleta, then Santa Barbara, California.

N8VEM was a homebrew computing project. It featured a variety of free and open hardware and software. N8VEM builders made their own homebrew computer systems for themselves and shared their experiences with other homebrew computer hobbyists. N8VEM homebrew computer components are made in the style of vintage computers of the mid to late 1970s and early 1980s using a mix of classic and modern technologies. They are designed with ease of amateur assembly in mind.

The ENER 1000 was a Portuguese computer released in 1982. It had 64 KB RAM and two 5+1⁄4-inch double-density floppy disk drives. It ran the CP/M operating system.

References

  1. ↑ "Acorn System". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  2. ↑ "Acorn System 1". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  3. ↑ Eurocards, Chris's Acorns
  4. ↑ Acorn Eurocards, Control Universal Ltd catalogue, section 3, 1982
  5. ↑ "Chris's Acorns: Acorn System 2". chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  6. ↑ "Acorn System 2". www.museo8bits.es. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. ↑ "Acorn System 2". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  8. ↑ Acorn 6809 flyer. Acorn.
  9. ↑ Acorn System 2, Chris's Acorns
  10. ↑ Control Universal Ltd catalogue, section 4, page 4.2, 1982.
  11. ↑ "Chris's Acorns: Acorn System 3". chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  12. ↑ "Acorn System 3 - Computer - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  13. ↑ "Acorn System 3". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  14. ↑ Acorn System 3, Chris's Acorns
  15. ↑ Control Universal Ltd catalogue, section 4, page 4.3, 1982.
  16. ↑ "Acorn System 4 - Computer - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  17. ↑ "Acorn System 4". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  18. ↑ Acorn System 4, Chris's Acorns
  19. ↑ Control Universal Ltd catalogue, section 4, page 4.4, 1982.
  20. ↑ "Acorn System 5 - Computer - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  21. ↑ "Acorn System 5". www.vintageacorn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  22. ↑ Acorn System 5 Handbook. Dated 1 March 1983 on the front page; though 1982 is the copyright date for most of the internal sections on particular boards.
  23. 1 2 Acorn catalogue, including the System 5, 1983 [?]
  24. ↑ Acorn System 5, Chris's Acorns
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.