Acorn Engineering News Issue 2
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Wakefield 2006 RISC OS Computer Show
I would like to welcome you all to this, our eleventh annual show in Wakefield. There have been many ups and downs over the last eleven years, since the first show at Cedar Court, organised in thirteen weeks, which ended up taking over the entire hotel. Ever since then, we have been at our current venue of Thornes Park. Over the years we have had many interesting attractions and features, such as the guest appearance by Johnny Ball one year. Of course, the show has seen many new hardware and software launches and previews over the years, some more successful then others: Kinetic, Peanut, Phoebe, StrongARM, Vantage, RiScript and so on. In fact, this year it is ten full years since we saw the very first StrongARM at the first Wakefield Show, as well as being the 25th Anniversary of the BBC Micro! Even now, we still have people developing for this famous microcomputer, which helped to start the home computer revolution. Be sure to visit both the JGH BBC Software and Domesday System stands during your visit. The Domesday Project is another superb example of how advanced we were with the BBC Master and other Acorn products of the 1980s. Now we are looking to the future with the new A9home, which is expected to be on retail sale or available for ordering at the show. Over the years we have had visitors to the show from all over the world, from countries such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and the USA; not bad for an amateur show! Another long-standing attraction of the show is of course the charity stall, which allows redundant equipment to be recycled, and through your kind support the stall has raised many thousands of pounds, primarily for the Wakefield Hospice, over the years. -
Archimedes PC Emulator
Archimedes PC Emulator PC emulators are not new, but so far they have had limited success in their job of enabling your chosen micro to run PC-compatible software. Simon Jones unveils Acorns PC Emulator package for the Archimedes range of micros to see how well it performs in action. At this years PCW Show, Acorn proudly displayed its PC Emulator package for the Archimedes range of computers, which is claimed to allow packages written for the IBM PC to run on an Archimedes. Acorn was demonstrating the Emulator running dBase III+ and Lotus 1-2-3 at the show and, as I only managed a quick glance at the Emulator then, I was pleased to get the opportunity to examine the product at close quarters. Having seen other attempts at PC compatibility, such as pc-ditto (reviewed in PCW, October) I was sceptical to say the least. The Archimedes carries on the Acorn tradition, having a lot in common with the BBC Micro and the BBC Master series. Indeed, the Archimedes will run most of the well-behaved software written for the BBC computers. However, the Archimedes and the BBC micros differ radically in the CPU they use and the amount of RAM available. Based on Acorns RISC processor, the Archimedes 440 is blindingly fast and, with 4Mbytes of memory, it is not short functions to those in MS-DOS. This is cellaneous keys between the main of space — a problem which caused the more than a little confusing if you are group and the numerics. The back- downfall of the BBC Micros. -
Acorn Master Service Manual
British Broadcasting Corporation Master Series Microcomputer Service Manual British Broadcasting Corporation Master Series Microcomputer Service Manual Part No 0443,004 Issue 1 April 1986 M S S M W BBC ' B B C. C A C L 1986 N the whole or any part of the information contained , or the product described , this manual may be adapted or reproduced in any material form except with the prior written approval of A C L (A C). T product described in this manual and products for use with , are subject to continuous development and . A information of a technical nature and particulars of the product and its use ( including the information and particulars in this ) are given by A C in good . H, it is acknowledged that there may be errors or omissions in this . A list of details of any amendments or revisions to this manual can be obtained upon request from A C T E. A C welcome . A :- T E A C L N R C CB5 8PD A maintenance and service on the product must be carried out by A C authorised . A C can accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service or maintenance by unauthorised . T manual is intended only to assist the reader in the use of this , and therefore A C shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of any information or particulars , or any error or omission , this , or any incorrect use of the . T A C . F 1986 P A C L 1 I 1 M S S M WARNING: THE COMPUTER MUST BE EARTHED IMPORTANT: T : G Y E B N B L T moulded plug must be used with the fuse and fuse carrier firmly in . -
Who Saysyou Can't Improve on Thebest?
Who says you can’t improve on the best? The Best. Better. Since the day it was launched the BBC Micro has Above is a machine which at first glance looks been garlanded with praise. very like the best micro in Britain. One early reviewer called it `the limousine of home But it’s better. computers’ and virtually every independent assessment It’s the new, enhanced, BBC Micro B+. of it since has added weight to that description. Now you can have the legendary quality and The reasons are legion. reliability of the B, plus an extra 32K memory. First, its famous adaptability and expandability. And since this extra memory is largely used on the A feature which makes the BBC Micro invaluable in screen it allows wider use of the outstanding graphics. every corner of science, industry and education. You also get an additional two expansion ROM Then there are its exceptional graphics; its speed; sockets (making four available ROM sockets in all). its reliability. In other words, room for more applications And of course its language - BBC Basic, which and languages. today is the leading language in education and widely The acclaimed Acorn disc filing system is used in business and industry. included as standard for immediate access to a fast and All in all, quite simply, the best. efficient disc storage system. There are extra utility commands for disc and ROM management-thus maximising memory availability. And remember, the Model B+, like the B, is produced by Acorn Computers who have an unbeaten record for products of outstanding quality and reliability. -
Tube Application Note
16th January 1992 Support Group Application Note Number: 004 Issue: 1 Author: Tube Application Note Applicable Related Hardware : Application BBC B Notes: BBC B+ BBC Master 128 Copyright © Acorn Computers Limited 1992 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this leaflet is true and correct at the time of printing. However, the products described in this leaflet are subject to continuous Support Group development and improvements and Acorn Computers Limited reserves the right to change its specifications at any time. Acorn Computers Limited cannot accept liability for any loss Acorn Computers Limited or damage arising from the use of any information or particulars in this leaflet. ACORN, Acorn House ECONET and ARCHIMEDES are trademarks of Acorn Computers Limited. Vision Park Histon Cambridge CB4 4AE Support Group Application Note No. 004, Issue 1 16th June 1992 Overview One of the BBC Microcomputer's strengths lies in its sophisticated Operating System, the MOS. This operating system has a very fast and flexible response to Interrupts, which allows the machine to take a wide range of peripherals and handle them with ease. The TUBE is a fast bus interface through which additional Co-processors (also called second processors) can be added. when a co-processor is connected to the TUBE interface, the BBC Micro continues to look after all of the I/O processing, whilst the additional co-processor now carries out the task of running the Language Application. The Co-Processor The co-processor can be based on any microprocessor chip, and can have any memory size that this chip can address. -
A Hardware Guide for the BBC Microcomputer
A Hardware Guide For The BBC Microcomputer. Written By: A. D. Derrick. B.Sc. D. S. Harding. B.Sc. S.D. Middleton. M. P. Smith. Edited and Published by: Wise Owl Publications Printed by Queenprint Ltd.; 64/74 Holderness Road, Hull HU9 lEQ. Telephone (0482) 224935. 1 Published in the United Kingdom by: Wise-Owl Publications, Hull Innovation Centre. Guildhall Road, Queens Gardens Kingston-upon-Hull, England. Copyright © 1983 Wise-Owl Publications. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publishers. First Published 1983. The Authors would like to thank Dr. W. K. Donaldson, Ian Halstead, Instruments and Controls (Hull), Bernadette, Catherine and Julie for their assistance in the production of this book. The information contained within this book is given in good faith and is believed to be correct at the time of writing. However, neither the Authors or the Publishers take any responsibility for omissions or errors. No liability is assumed for any damages or injury whatsoever resulting from the use of information contained within this publication. All references to the BBC Microcomputer in this publication refer to the microcomputer produced for the British Broadcasting Corporation by Acorn Computers Ltd. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research Corporation. It should be noted that the terms "Econet" and "Tube" are registered trademarks of Acorn Computers Ltd. The Authors thank the following manufacturers for granting permission to publish the data sheets given in Appendix 1 of this book: Hitachi Intel Corporation Motorola Ltd. -
APP229 Acorn Education News Issue 6 June 1989 6Th Edition
Announcing a new BBC ISSUE computer - the Acorn A3000 6 JUNE 1989 The A3000, Acorn's new Archimedes 6502 emulator allows access to many computer for primary and secondary edu- BBC B and Master 128 software packages cation, has been enthusiastically received (where copyright permits). On top of this, by education, software producers and the an optional PC Emulator makes it possible computer press. Since 1982, when the to run MS-DOS packages on the machine. BBC Model B was launched, Acorn has offered outstanding power, performance The A3000 retails at just £649 + VAT and ease of use to users in schools and the (educational prices are available through Inside: home. The A3000 once again leads the Acorn dealers) so that many more schools, way with its advanced RISC technology. including primary schools, will be able to Computer-designed cards bring in benefit from 32-bit technology, with the cash The new machine is like the Master 128 in powerful sound and graphics and an easy- Snaps and snippets that it incorporates its full PC-style key- to-use mouse and pointer interface. The Let the BBC Acorn User Show board and processor into a single unit. But A3000 is being used by peripheral make your day in addition the A3000 has an integral 3.5 and software developers and is available to inch floppy disc drive on the right hand LEA's for demonstration and evaluation. Two-day networking conference side of the case. The 32-bit RISC chip set The machine can be first purchased at the fixed for September has a full 1 Mbyte of fast access RAM, in BBC Acorn User Show at London's Master is the tops for special needs line with the demand for a memory ca- Alexandra Palace from 21-23 July. -
Acorn System 1
WORN lUT fcKAcorn Computers Limited, 4a Market Hill. Cambridge CB2 3NJ, England. Telephone 0223 31.^72 ACORN TECHNICAL MANUAL Micro-Computer 200,000 Key-Board 200,00 I Introduction .., page 1 Corstruction Procedure for Kit page 2 Power Supply ... page 11 Cassette Recorder Interface page 12 Address Selection ... page 13 Micro-Computer Parts List page 1 6 Key-Board Parts List page 18 Single Board Controller Parts List page 2 0 Micro-Computer Circuit Diagram loose Key-Board Circuit Diagram loose ISSUE 1 March 1979 INTRODUCTION The Acorn Micro-Computer employing tfte 6502 Micro Processor is a versatile circuit board which may Be used in at least three ways:- 1. As a Single Board Controller with a program in the pair of 74S571 PROM's or in the EPROM socket which may be 4, 8 or 16 K with single or multiple power supplies. Two RAM/10 ICfs may be fitted giving 32 individually programmable 10 lines and 256 bytes of RAM. IK of further RAM may be fitted if requir ed. 2. As a machine code computer with an 8 digit x 7 segment HEX display, HEX keyboard and a cassette interface all on a second board, which is accessed by one of the RAM/10 I.C.'s. Programs are entered and stored in the IK of user RAM space. 3. As the Central Processing Unit for a complete computing system. All the 6502 data, address and control lines leave the board via a 32 way D.I.N. connector, which will then have access via a parallel back plane to extension memory, a Visual Display Unit, floppy disc drive, etc. -
Acorn User Welcomes Submissions Irom Readers
ACORN BBC MICRO- ELECTRON- ATOM DECEMBER 1984 £1 TOP SCORE We pick the 20 best games of '84 ORGAN PROJECT Build your own keyboard DATABASES File on six packages LIGHTPENS Which one shines? Program entry at a stroke ' MUSIC MICRO PLEASE!! Jj V L S ECHO I is a high quality 3 octave keyboard of 37 full sized keys operating electroni- cally through gold plated contacts. The keyboard which is directly connected to the user port of the computer does not require an independent power supply unit. The ECHOSOFT Programme "Organ Master" written for either the BBC Model B' or the Commodore 64 supplied with the keyboard allows these computers to be used as real time synth- esizers with full control of the sound envelopes. The pitch and duration of the sound envelope can be changed whilst playing, and the programme allows the user to create and allocate his own sounds to four pre-defined keys. Additional programmes in the ECHOSOFT Series are in the course of preparation and will be released shortly. Other products in the range available from your LVL Dealer are our: ECHOKIT (£4.95)" External Speaker Adaptor Kit, allows your Commodore or BBC Micro- computer to have an external sound output socket allowing the ECHOSOUND Speaker amplifier to be connected. (£49.95)' - ECHOSOUND A high quality speaker amplifier with a 6 dual cone speaker and a full 6 watt output will fill your room with sound. The sound frequency control allows the tone of the sound output to be changed. Both of the above have been specifically designed to operate with the ECHO Series keyboard. -
Acorn Prestel System User Guide
The Prestel User Guide Part no 415000 Issue no 1 Date March 1984 WARNING: THE PRESTEL ADAPTER MUST BE EARTHED Important: The wires in the mains lead for the Prestel Adapter are coloured in accordance with the following code: Green and yellow Earth Blue Neutral Brown Live As the colours of the wires may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows: The wire which is coloured green and yellow must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked by the letter E, or by the safety earth symbol 4- or coloured green, or green and yellow. The wire which is coloured blue must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N, or coloured black. The wire which is coloured brown must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter L, or coloured red. If the socket outlet available is not suitable for the plug supplied, the plug should be cut off and the appropriate plug fitted and wired as previously noted. The moulded plug which was cut off must be disposed of as it would be a potential shock hazard if it were to be plugged in with the cut off end of the mains cord exposed. The moulded plug must be used with the fuse and fuse carrier firmly in place. The fuse carrier is of the same basic colour* as the coloured insert in the base of the plug. Different manufacturers' plugs and fuse carriers are not interchangeable. In the event of loss of the fuse carrier, the moulded plug MUST NOT be used. -
Acorn Computers Limited - Press Release
ACORN COMPUTERS LIMITED - PRESS RELEASE ACORN COMPUTERS ANNOUNCE THE AVAILABILITY OF AN EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR THEIR SINGLE CHIP, 32-BIT REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTER - THE ARM CAMBRIDGE, UK. — 7/7/86 — Acorn Computers Ltd are making available an evaluation system for their RISC architecture CPU, the Acorn RISC Machine (ARM), first announced in August last year. This marks the first opportunity for independent developers and researchers to gain experience with this very high performance processor. Acorn Computers is producing two versions of the evaluation system, one to be used with their BBC and Master Series micros, the other to be used with IBM PC's, AT's and compatibles. The evaluation systems combine a hardware system with a comprehensive kit of software including five high level languages, a powerful Assembler and associated software tools. The ARM's high performance processing capability is essentially derived from its ability to use a high memory band-width and its applicability is increased through its good interrupt handling. With prices being considerably less than other processors of equivalent power, the ARM offers exceptional price performance for a wide range of applications. Typical applications include communications, microcomputers, expert systems and such embedded systems as laser printer controllers, network controllers and graphics engines. Acorn recently reached an agreement, with VLSI Technology Incorporated of Phoenix, Arizona, to manufacture and market the chip set consisting of the ARM and a series of associated controller chips. This agreement includes the establishment of the provision for a second source for the chip set. The development of the ARM demonstrates Acorn's continued commitment to maintaining its renowned high technology expertise. -
Connection of Monitors to Acorn Computers
24th May 1994 Support Group Application Note Number: 249 Issue: 1.13 Author: DW Connection of Monitors to Acorn Computers This Application Note describes how various monitors may be connected to the Acorn family of machines, and how RISC OS machines may be suitably configured to use them. Information concerning MonitorTypes 4 and 5 (VGA and SVGA) are applicable to RISC OS 3.1 only. Applicable Related Hardware : Application BBC Model B Notes: 226 VIDC Screen Mode BBC Master Series Parameters Archimedes 300, 400, 540 247 Sharing Multiscan A3000 Monitors and TV Displays on a R140, R200 series Single RISC OS Computer A3010 A3020 A4000 A5000 Copyright © 1994 Acorn Computers Limited Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this leaflet is true and correct at Support Group the time of printing. However, the products described in this leaflet are subject to continuous development and improvements and Acorn Computers Limited reserves the right to change Acorn Computers Limited its specifications at any time. Acorn Computers Limited cannot accept liability for any loss Acorn House or damage arising from the use of any information or particulars in this leaflet. ACORN, ECONET and ARCHIMEDES are trademarks of Acorn Computers Limited. Vision Park Histon, Cambridge CB4 4AE Support Group Application Note No. 249, Issue 1.13 24th May 1994 Video signals and Standards Acorn RISC OS 3 systems are capable of connecting to displays conformant with several industry-standard video specifications; each of these distinguished by the value of the MonitorType variable held in battery- backed memory. The value assigned to this variable may be examined from the command line using *STATUS, and changed using *CONFIGURE MONITORTYPE <number>.