website/content/museum/acorn-computer-bbc-master-compact.md

---
title: Acorn Computer BBC Master Compact
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1986'
cpus:
- MOS 65C02
params:
  name: BBC Master Compact
  image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_bbc-master-compact_1.jpg
  company: /companies/acorn-computer
  company_name: Acorn Computer
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: BBC Master Compact
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Acorn Computer
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: September 1986
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: BBC Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke QWERTY keyboard, 10 function keys, arrow keys, numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: MOS 65C02
  - label: SPEED
    value: 1.8 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 Kb
  - label: ROM
    value: 64 Kb + Sideways expansion
  - 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, 7 octaves
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: BNC video out, RGB video out, RS232 (optional), Econet port (optional), Printer port (36-pin Centronics), Disk-drive connector (Centronics), expansion edge connector
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: PSU Built in to base.
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Expansion units were produced, apparently. Came with 3.5'' 600K disk drive as standard.
  - label: PRICE
    value: Around £600 (UK, 1986)
  tabs:
  - adverts
  - hardware
  - emulators
  - links
  forum_thread: 712
  adverts:
  - title: 'ACORN AD #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Advert said:\
      Success in the future will depend upon confidence in using new technologies. That's why a computer in the home has to be more than just an interesting diversion or even a useful tool. It has to an investment in tomorrow for you and your children...

      Courtesy of **8bs.com**
    image: /media/museum/pubs/acorn_mastercompact_pub_1.jpg
  - title: 'ACORN AD #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Advert said:\
      This attractive package inherits the traditions of the famous Model B BBC microcomputer which is used by children in almost every school in the United Kingdom as well as colleges, hospitals, laboratories, factories, offices, banks and shops.

      Courtesy of **8bs.com**
    image: /media/museum/pubs/acorn_mastercompact_pub_2.jpg
  - title: 'ACORN AD. #3 (NOV. 86)'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Advert said:

      The BBC Master Compact's educational software, takes children from their first grasp of words and numbers to A-level and beyond.\
      In 84% of U.K. schools, children are already growing up with BBC micros.\
      With a BBC Master Compact at home, your child's ability with computers will progress in leaps and bounds...
    image: /media/museum/pubs/acorn_mastercompact_pub_3.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: VOLTMACE DELTA CONTROLLERS
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'Voltmace modified its Database videogame system controllers to be sold for micro-computers, mainly Acorn systems : BBC and Electron (with Plus-1 interface). As the keypad was of no use anymore, it was reduced to only 3 fire buttons.'
    image: /media/museum/hardware/voltmace_joysticks.jpg
  emulators:
  - title: The BBC Lives !
    url: http://www.nvg.org/bbc/emulators.php3
    platform: MS DOS
    text: This excellent site has a complete list of Acorn systems emulators
  links:
  - title: Acornusers.org
    url: http://www.acornusers.org/
    text: The acornusers.org server hosts several Acorn web sites
  - title: comp.sys.acorn.games FAQ
    url: http://www.landfield.com/faqs/acorn/games/
    text: newsgroup FAQ
  - title: RetroBBC
    url: http://www.strafom.force9.co.uk/bbc/Retrobbc/Index.htm
    text: Mainly a software archive. Cool !
  - title: The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library
    url: http://8bs.com/
    text: Lots of stuff to see and download
  - title: The BBC Lives!
    url: http://bbc.nvg.org/
    text: The net's largest site catering for enthusiasts of Acorn's range of 8-bit micros
  - title: The Stairway to Hell
    url: http://www.stairwaytohell.com/
    text: Electron and BBC support. Excellent site with a lot of stuff !
  - title: The Unofficial Acorn Computer User WWW Server
    url: http://www.poppyfields.net/acorn/
    text: ''
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: Programming of Acorn computers
  related:
  - /museum/acorn-computer-atom
  - /museum/acorn-computer-bbc-master
  - /museum/acorn-computer-bbc-master-aiv
  - /museum/acorn-computer-bbc-model-a-b-b
  - /museum/acorn-computer-electron
  oc_id: 729
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230327021045/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=729
    date: '2023-03-27'
---

In 1986 the Acorn Business Computer range was long gone, and Olivetti - Acorn's new owners, having been forced to increase their stake from 49 to 80 per cent of the firm - were concentrating on making Acorn more profitable. The case for the 65C816-based Communicator was retained and given a basic box, housing a PSU and disk drive, to make a standard-looking 3-box computer system based around the BBC Master architecture.

Also marketed in Europe as the **Olivetti Prodest PC 128 S** (S for Sistema), the Master compact differed from other computers in a number of annoying ways. Most confusing was the decision to keep the computer in the keyboard, with suitable reductions in available interfaces and features such as the real-time clock - making the Master Compact rather like a grown up Electron (however, home marketing would unfortunately not be attempted - it would have been considerably more successful). The 'CPU' was connected via a large ribbon cable and a jack plug. The monitor connected to the 'keyboard'. It was, to be blunt, a mess.

However, the system did introduce the 3.5" drive as a standard to the 8-bit BBC range and featured all the usual Master enhancements plus a mouse/joystick port. As a school computer - the traditional market - it differed just enough to make it relatively unpopular, lacking the user and 1MHz bus ports used by many educational devices, and being (by nature of its smaller case) somewhat easier to steal and damage. The Compact was discontinued very early on, the introduction of the A305 Archimedes offering a similar 'format' of machine, but with all the benefits associated with Acorn - expandability, speed, and reliability. The original one-box Master 128 continued to sell until 1993...

Olivetti were to get their own back for the Compact - Acorn sold a branded version of the Olivetti M19 'PC Compatible', a rather dated 8088-based machine.

The Olivetti Prodest 128 can be seen in the kid's film 'Treasure Island in Space' - an Italian production, most likely. The computer is recognizable by its blue and white display.

---

Info, texts and picture by **Richard Kilpatrick**