--- title: Acorn Computer Archimedes A3020 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1992' cpus: - ARM 250 32 bit RISC params: name: Archimedes A3020 company: /companies/acorn-computer company_name: Acorn Computer specs: - label: NAME value: Archimedes A3020 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Acorn Computer - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: United Kingdom - label: YEAR value: '1992' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: BBC BASIC / RISC OS 3.1 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke PC-102 style - label: CPU value: ARM 250 32 bit RISC - label: SPEED value: 12 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: MEMC (memory), VIDC (Video and Sound), IOC (I/O) - label: RAM value: 2 MB (up to 4Mb possible with socketed zip ram chips) - label: ROM value: 1 MB - label: SOUND value: 8 voices - label: I/O PORTS value: Centronics, RS423, VGA, Network, 1 expansion slot (same as A4000, A3000 and A3020) - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: One 3.5 - label: OS value: RISC OS 3.11 - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in power supply unit - label: PRICE value: £749 with floppy, £899 with a 60Mb hard disk. tabs: - photos - hardware - emulators - links - docs photos: - title: SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: UNCOVERED subtitle: '' text: Notice the (blue) Econet network card. image: null - title: MOTHERBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Power supply area\ **(2)** Video and sound custom chip (VIDC)\ **(3)** Keyboard connector\ **(4)** Arm-250 RISC processor\ **(5)** Econet network optional card\ **(6)** Risc OS 3.0 ROM chips (2 x 256 KB)\ **(7)** 2 MB RAM chips (4 x Hitachi 514260)\ **(8)** I/O custom chip from CHIPS (IOC)\ **(9)** 2 MB expansion RAM sockets\ **(10)** Floppy disc and hard disc connectors image: null - title: CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: ARM microprocessor, RISC-OS ROM and base RAM memory chips. Memory extension DIP chips sockets are empty. image: null hardware: - title: 486 CARD subtitle: '' text: Allowed Archimedes series computers to run 32-bit PC-DOS software. It was delivered with a manual, a driver disk and PC-DOS 6.3 image: null - title: GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR subtitle: '' text: |- Graphics accelerator card (called "ColourCard") for A3000, Archimedes and A5000.\ Company : Computer Concepts\ Enhanced potential for Archimedes series including 15-bit desktop modes (i.e. 800\*600 @ 256 colours). Thanks to **Chris Syntichakis** image: null - title: CUMANA SCSI CARD subtitle: '' text: |- 16-bit SCSI-1 card\ Company: Cumana.\ There are an external port for scanners/CD-ROM etc. and 2 internal ports for SCSI and Floptical drives. Thanks to **Chris Syntichakis** image: null - title: SERIAL CARD subtitle: '' text: |- From Atomwide's site:\ High speed serial card featuring three ports, each in the shape of a standard 9-pin ‘D’ plug. Each port on the card is capable of running at up to 460,800 bits per second, and employs a 16-byte FIFO buffer to reduce loading on the host computer’s processor, so improving communications reliability. All serial cards are standard single-width podules, and are fully compatible with Atomwide 6 and 8-slot RiscPC backplanes. image: null - title: MIDI CARD subtitle: '' text: Allowed Archimedes systems to interact with any midi sound device. image: null emulators: - title: Arculator url: http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/ platform: Windows text: An excellent Windows-based Archimedes emulator, plays many games and has simple usage. - title: Red Squirrel url: http://www.red-squirrel.org/ platform: Windows text: An Emulator of Arm based Acorn machines for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP - title: Virtual Acorn url: http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk/ platform: Windows text: Excellent but commercial software - £30 - title: ARCHIE url: http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/campus/5427/ platform: Multiplatform text: Archie is an emulation of the Acorn Archimedes hardware (A3xx/A4xx/A3xxx) for DOS/Windows links: - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: '' docs: - title: TOM'S ARCHIMEDES DOCS (INTERNAL HARDWARE) url: http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif text: |- [**TOM'S ARCHIMEDES DOCS (INTERNAL HARDWARE)**](http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html)written by Tom Mowalker  compiled/archived by Tom Mowalker\  type of document : HTML\  source : [Arculator](http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html) comments: - author: Nattyfido (UK) date: Tuesday 4th September 2007 text: If anyone is interested in these computers, I still have them, my email has changed though. It is fido_ov_lido@yahoo.co.uk and my website is www.nattyfido.is-a-geek.com - author: Dean Fowler (Margate, Kent, UK) date: Wednesday 18th October 2006 text: I have an A3000 and three A3020s. I would be willing to swap the A3000 (not working) and two of the A3020s for an Archimedes mouse. All machines have internal hard drives and are a bit grubby. related: - /museum/acorn-computer-a4 - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3000 - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3010 - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a4000 - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a5000 - /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a7000 oc_id: 706 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230129160638/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=706 date: '2023-01-29' --- The Acorn Archimedes [A3000](/museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3000/) was replaced by the Acorn [A3010](/museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3010/) and A3020, two simililar but slightly different models, aimed at the home and educational markets. The A3020 was a lower-cost replacement for A3000 aimed at British classrooms. The case was slightly shorter at the back and an awkward to reach mouse port that was underneath the A3000 was moved to the back. The RISC OS 3 operating system and more curved Logitech-built 3 button mouse used on the A4000/A5000/A4 were included as standard, as well as a 1.6MB floppy drive capable of reading all PC disks as well as the new extended Acorn 1.6MB format. Upgrading memory to 4MB of RAM was simple with plug-in ZIP D-RAM chips. Looking inside the machine however, Acorn have rather stupidly built-in the 220/240 volt power supply to the motherboard, making conversion to run on 110 volts for US and Japanese users impossible without very serious modification. If the power supply unit fails then repair would also be difficult. The Acorn A3020 had a hard disk controller to which a standard 2.5" laptop-style hard disk could be added, and a DB-15 network port which the A3010 did not have. Thanks to **Jonathan Hayward** for his help in Archimedes models.