website/content/museum/acorn-computer-system-1.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Acorn Computer System 1	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1979	6502	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts emulators links oc_id source System 1 /media/museum/photos/acorn_system1_keyboard_2.jpg /companies/acorn-computer Acorn Computer label value NAME System 1 label value MANUFACTURER Acorn Computer label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1979 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Machine code label value KEYBOARD Calculator-style hexadecimal keyboard, 25 keys label value CPU 6502 label value SPEED 1 Mhz label value RAM 1 kb label value ROM 512 bytes label value TEXT MODES 8 x 1 (8 digits seven-segment LED display) label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS None label value SOUND None label value I/O PORTS Eurocard bus (100 x 160 mm cards), Tape interface (300 bauds), RAM I/O (16 lines I/O) label value POWER SUPPLY External power supply unit (Option, £7) label value PERIPHERALS Memory expansion boards (4k / 8k), Video card, 4k Basic card, Assembler/desassembler card label value PRICE UK: Kit: £75 - Assembled: £91\ France: Kit : 198 Assembled : 222 photos adverts emulators links 477 title subtitle text image THE WHOLE SYSTEM The two boards are "sandwich" mounted. /media/museum/photos/acorn_system-1_1.jpg title subtitle text image UPPER BOARD This card deals with the keypad and the display. /media/museum/photos/acorn_system1_keyboard.jpg title subtitle text image LOWER BOARD This card is where the 6502, RAM and ROM are mounted. It can be considered the "mainboard". /media/museum/photos/acorn_system1_mainboard.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT (DEC. 1979) Thanks to David Wilson for this picture /media/museum/pubs/acorn_system1_pub-dec1979.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT (FEB. 1980) Thanks to David Wilson for this picture /media/museum/pubs/acorn_system1_pub-uk_feb1980.jpg title url platform text Acorn Microcomputer Emulator http://www.cary.demon.co.uk/acorn/acornEmulator.html Windows Nice little emulator written by Mike Cowlishaw title url text The Acorn Microcomputer (1979) page http://www.cary.demon.co.uk/acorn/ Nice dedicated page with info and emulator! 483 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230210082452/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=483 2023-02-10

This 6502 modular system was the first computer produced by Acorn in 1979. It was basically the same type of computer as competitors offered at that time (KIM-1, MK14, Nascom, etc...) : a 6502 or Z80 CPU (in this case, a 6502) mounted on a simple "naked" board, with a one-line display and a hexadecimal keyboard.

The System 1 is no exception : it featured an eight-digit seven-segment LED display, a hexadecimal keyboard (25 keys) and as there was no built-in BASIC in the computer, it had only machine-code.
Fortunately there was a tape-recorder interface communicating at 300 bauds.

Like all these types of "hobbyist" computers, the main advantage was the expandability of the system. They were quite cheap machines because they were shipped basically "naked". Then you had to buy whatever cards you wanted (video, BASIC, sound, etc...). Here the system was Eurocard compatible, which was a well-known expansion board standard at that time.
If then you had "too many" expansion cards, a Eurocard rack was available to organise the whole system.

The System 1 itself was composed of two Eurocard boards (one for the CPU and the other for the keypad and display) mounted one above the other (sandwiched, you could say), the two being connected by a ribbon cable.