--- title: ACT Apricot Xen categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1985' cpus: - '80286' params: name: Apricot Xen company: /companies/act company_name: ACT specs: - label: NAME value: Apricot Xen - label: MANUFACTURER value: ACT - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: United Kingdom - label: YEAR value: October 1985 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: None - label: KEYBOARD value: |- Full-stroke keyboard, numeric keypad, 10 function keys and 6 dynamic function keys\ Small LCD screen (40 characters x 2 lines) - label: CPU value: '80286' - label: SPEED value: 7,5 Mhz - label: RAM value: 512 KB or 1 MB depending models - label: ROM value: Unknown - label: TEXT MODES value: 80 chars. x 25 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: |- Monochrome (green or paper white) 800 x 400 dots\ Colour 640 x 350 dots - label: COLORS value: Unknown - label: SOUND value: Unknown - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 37 (W) x 37 (D) x 10 (H) cm (CPU) - label: I/O PORTS value: Parallel, Serial, Video out, Apricot monitor output - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: One 3''1/2 disk-drive (sometimes 5''1/4) and 20Mb hard-disk - label: OS value: MS-DOS 3.2, Windows, Xenix optional - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External or internal power supply unit, depending models - label: PERIPHERALS value: Trackball, external 5.25 F.D.D. unit - label: PRICE value: 'Xen FD: £1699 - Xen HD: £2699 - Xen WS: £1199' tabs: - photos - emulators - links - docs photos: - title: XEN-I MODEL subtitle: '' text: |- A XEN-i.10 version with a 10 MB hard disk, optional Xen-Tel and high resolution colour monitor. The Xen-i was launched with a 5.25" FDD, and then reverted to a 3.5" FDD. You can still tell the Xen from the Xen-i because the floppy drive design was different (Xen had an eject button on the right of the drive, Xen-i had a centred eject button). image: null - title: XEN MODEL subtitle: '' text: |- The Xen only came in a 3.5" FDD version. You can still tell the Xen from the Xen-i because the floppy drive design was different (Xen had an eject button on the right of the drive, Xen-i had a centred eject button). Notice the cordless track-ball which replaced the mouse. image: null - title: RIGHT SIDE subtitle: '' text: Monochrome version image: null - title: FRONT PANEL subtitle: '' text: 5.25'' version. We have no information about the 'voice' LED feature image: null - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: The 80-character LCD display is used to dynamically label programmable function keys image: null - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** External floppy drive unit connector\ **(2)** Expansion connector\ **(3)** 12V / 5V DC outlet\ **(4)** Parallel printer connector\ **(5)** Serial DB9 connector\ **(6)** Apricot video connector\ **(7)** PC compatible video connector\ **(8)** Mains plug and switch\ **(9)** Keyboard DIN plug image: null - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Switching power supply unit\ **(2)** Internal speaker\ **(3)** Provision for a second floppy disc unit (but no room inside the case!)\ **(4)** 2 x AA batteries housing used for hardware setup backup\ **(5)** 5.25" floppy disc drive\ **(6)** 20 MB 3.5" hard disc drive\ **(7)** Internal and external expansion slots. Internal one is 16-bit PC compatible\ **(8)** 80286 processor and socket for 287 math co-processor image: null - title: XEN-XI MAIN BOARD subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Hard disk connector. Up to two MFM hard disks could be connected\ **(2)** Western Digital hard disk controller chipset\ **(3)** MOS 6845 video chipset and Apricot video gate array chip\ **(4)** Western Digital floppy disc controller\ **(5)** Floppy drive connector\ **(6)** Reset switch\ **(7)** 32 KB BIOS ROM chips (2 x 27128)\ **(8)** RAM memory expansion connector\ **(9)** 512 KB internal RAM area (16 x 60256 chips)\ **(10)** Keyboard connector (right), Ni.Cd setup battery backup and power connector (left)\ **(11)** Apricot monochrome video daughterboard\ **(12)** Parallel printer connector\ **(13)** 80287 math co-processor socket\ **(14)** Apricot XP-i expansion box connector\ **(15)** Intel 80286 processor\ **(16)** Internal AT-type expansion slot\ **(17)** External floppy drive or tape drive connector image: null emulators: - title: 'APE Plus : Apricot Emulator' url: http://www.ansible.demon.co.uk/ai/ape.html platform: MS DOS text: Commercial emulator that emulates PC/Xi/Xen, the \`F' Series, and the Apricot FP Portable - title: QDAE url: http://www.seasip.info/Unix/QDAE/ platform: Multiplatform text: QDAE is a Quick and Dirty Apricot Emulator for Linux, Windows and MacOS X. This version emulates the Apricot F1; it may support other F-series Apricots as well. links: - title: ACT Apricot computers support page url: http://www.actapricot.org/home/ text: Useful infos. Some links might be outdated - title: ACT Apricot Computers Yahoo Group url: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/actapricot/ text: Discussion list for the ACT Apricot computers. docs: - title: USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 1 url: http://www.actapricot.org/support/ cover: null text: |- [**USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 1**](http://www.actapricot.org/support/)written by UserPrompt Guides  compiled/archived by Jonathan Marsters\  type of document : PDF\  source : [www.actapricot.org](http://www.actapricot.org) - title: USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 2 url: http://www.actapricot.org/support/ cover: null text: |- [**USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 2**](http://www.actapricot.org/support/)written by UserPrompt Guides  compiled/archived by Jonathan Marsters\  type of document : PDF\  source : [www.actapricot.org](http://www.actapricot.org) comments: - author: Matthew bennett (England ) date: Tuesday 14th December 2021 text: Hi there my dad helped develop the zen,,, My main point is that I still have a one off prototype of the zen case, it was is a clear one so you can see all the internal parts ðŸ‘�ðŸ‘� related: - /museum/act-apricot-f1 - /museum/act-apricot-f2-f10 - /museum/act-apricot-pc - /museum/act-apricot-portable - /museum/act-apricot-xi oc_id: 501 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230603003909/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=501 date: '2023-06-03' --- Codenamed Candyfloss, this computer was aimed to compete with the IBM PC-AT. It was a multipost system capable of controlling up to 16 stations. Three versions were sold:\ • Xen FD with 512 KB of RAM and 2 x 720 KB 3.5" FDD.\ • Xen HD with 1 MB of RAM, 720 KB 3.5" or 1.2 MB 5.25" FDD. and 20 MB HDD.\ • Xen WS (WorkStation) with 1 MB of RAM and no disk drives. Some Xen systems used a large black external power supply unit weighing at least 2-3 kilos, others featured a built-in one. Speed of processing, supposedly zero wait-state, was superior to that of the IBM-AT. The motherboard featured a hard disk controller but the graphics card was delivered separately. Xen systems also shipped with MS-DOS 3.2, GW-Basic and Windows. They could also run Xenix O.S.!