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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ

content/museum/acorn-computer-abc-310.md

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+---
+title: Acorn Computer ABC 310
+categories:
+- Computers
+types:
+- Professional Computer
+origins:
+- United Kingdom
+years:
+- '1984'
+cpus:
+- PLCC 80286
+params:
+  name: ABC 310
+  company: /companies/acorn-computer
+  company_name: Acorn Computer
+  specs:
+  - label: NAME
+    value: ABC 310
+  - label: MANUFACTURER
+    value: Acorn Computer
+  - label: TYPE
+    value: Professional Computer
+  - label: ORIGIN
+    value: United Kingdom
+  - label: YEAR
+    value: October 1984
+  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
+    value: 1984, never mass produced
+  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
+    value: BBC Basic?, DR-DOS (Richard Kilpatrick's model appears to have no language)
+  - label: KEYBOARD
+    value: Standard QWERTY, 10 function keys + arrows, plus numeric keypad and Tube switch
+  - label: CPU
+    value: PLCC 80286
+  - label: SPEED
+    value: Unknown
+  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
+    value: MOS 65C02 (I/O board, essentially a BBC B+)
+  - label: RAM
+    value: 1Mb 286, 64K I/O Board
+  - label: VRAM
+    value: Taken from main RAM, up to 44K?
+  - label: ROM
+    value: 32K, expandable
+  - label: TEXT MODES
+    value: 80 x 32/25 (2 colors) / 40 x 32/25 (2 or 4 colors) / 20 x 32 (16 colors) / 40 x 25 (Teletext display)
+  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
+    value: 640 x 256 (2 colors) / 320 x 256 (4 colors) / 160 x 256 (16 colors)
+  - label: COLORS
+    value: 16 (8 colors + flashing option)
+  - label: SOUND
+    value: 3 channels + noise & envelope control, 7 octaves, optional TMS5220 speech
+  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
+    value: A little larger than a 17'' monitor!
+  - label: I/O PORTS
+    value: 1MHz BUS, Analogue, RGB, Disk, RS423, Mouse (option), BT Link (option; modem?), User port, Econet, internally SCSI may be available
+  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
+    value: 10Mb SCSI-MFM HD subsystem, 5.25'' FD
+  - label: OS
+    value: DR-DOS, BBC MOS, GEM-86
+  - label: POWER SUPPLY
+    value: Built-in PSU, 240V AC - split to monitor power and a switch mode PSU to supply power to the computer and expansion boards.
+  - label: PERIPHERALS
+    value: Most BBC accessories are suitable
+  - label: PRICE
+    value: Unknown
+  tabs:
+  - photos
+  - links
+  photos:
+  - title: 80286 2ND PROCESSOR BOARD
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: Thanks to Richard Kilpatrick for this picture
+    image: null
+  - title: OPENED SYSTEM
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: Thanks to Richard Kilpatrick for this picture
+    image: null
+  links:
+  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
+    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
+    text: ''
+  comments:
+  - author: David Wheeldon (United Kingdom)
+    date: Sunday 7th March 2021
+    text: I recently had the opportunity to collect and own and large collection of BBC equipment which included a number of 2nd processors including a working 80286 Issue 0 board also a 30Mb acorn hard drive unit full of master 512 type files and applications
+  - author: Tim Boyd
+    date: Saturday 3rd July 2010
+    text: Acorn came very close to releasing an 80286 Second Processor$ I''ve seen one in the traditional 2P case, complete with correct labelling, which surfaced during one of Acorn''s clear-outs.
+  related:
+  - /museum/acorn-computer-abc-110
+  - /museum/acorn-computer-abc-210-cambridge-workstation
+  oc_id: 990
+  source:
+    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221203213819/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=990
+    date: '2022-12-03'
+---
+
+Acorn's ABC-310 was to be the flagship of the Acorn business computer range. As far as I can tell, the 310 is the rarest variant, and it is the only one to have no direct equivalent available via a 2nd Processor card.
+
+When the ABC range was dissolved, Acorn already had 2nd Processors (a method of adding a new CPU to the BBC, similar to adding a Z80 on a card to an Apple II, but very different in execution and with far more applications) - the 65C02, the Z80, the Acorn Scientific 16032 (1MB RAM, compared to 4MB in the Cambridge Workstation/ABC-210).
+
+However, the 80286 board in the 310 would never surface outside of these prototype machines. Acorn would indulge in Intel-based co-processors later, the 80186 in the BBC Master 512, and various 486/586 based cards for the Archimedes (3rd party, perhaps?) and the RiscPC.
+
+Technically speaking, the 286 had more direct application support, was potentially faster, and was a smaller package than the ageing 16032. It was also more easily obtained. Why it was never released is beyond me - except that the 286 was a very new CPU at the time, and may have been expensive.
+
+Running ABC-310s seem to be very hard to find, and information on them is scarce. They look identical, from the outside, to the ABC-110 and any other of the Cambridge Workstations.
+
+---
+
+Text and info by Richard Kilpatrick. Thanks a LOT !
+
+**Jules Richardson** comments:\
+I'm told by an ex-Acorn engineer that only a handful of boards were commissioned - but that not all of these were assembled into complete machines. The design and code for the 80286 board fed into the later Master 512 coprocessor.
+
+I'm only aware of two surviving machines - the one pictured here and one other in private hands, although one or two of the coprocessor boards themselves are known to have survived.
+
+I \*assume\* that it just wasn't cost-effective to market the 310 machines - and that the 80286 board was never released as a separate coprocessor because Acorn wanted to protect their Master 512 interests, and a faster rival board that wasn't internal to the Master would not have helped this.
+
+<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>