website/content/museum/act-apricot-f1.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
ACT Apricot F1	Computers	Professional Computer	United Kingdom	1984	Intel 8086	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links docs related oc_id source Apricot F1 /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f1_1.jpg /companies/act ACT label value NAME Apricot F1 label value MANUFACTURER ACT label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1984 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1986 label value KEYBOARD Infrared membrane keyboard, 92 keys, 10 function keys label value CPU Intel 8086 label value SPEED 4,77 Mhz label value CO-PROCESSOR Z80 CTC counter timer, and a Z80 SIO (Serial I/O controller) label value RAM from 256 Kb to 758 Kb label value ROM 32 Kb, label value TEXT MODES 80 x 24 label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 200 and 640 x 256 with 4 colors, 320 x 256 with 16 colors label value COLORS 16 label value SOUND Beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT 42 x 22 x 16 cm / 5,6 kg label value I/O PORTS RGB and Composite video outputs, RS232c, Centronics, Expansion bus, Internal connector for optional RF modulator label value BUILT IN MEDIA 3.5'' disk-drive, double sided, 720k\ RAM disk feature through BIOS label value OS MS DOS 2.11 (Concurrent DOS, CP/M 86 in option) label value POWER SUPPLY Internal PSU label value PERIPHERALS 10Mb hard-drive, external disk-drive, infrared trackball, RF modulator for TV output label value PRICE F1E : £795 (UK, November 1984)\ F1 : £995 (UK, November 1984) photos adverts hardware emulators links docs 489 title subtitle text image MONOCHROME VERSION #1 /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f1_2.jpg title subtitle text image MONOCHROME VERSION #2 /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_system_1.jpg title subtitle text image F1 ACCESSORIES Here is an external disk-drive and the infrared trackball. /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f1_3.jpg title subtitle text image MAIN UNIT The shape of the system is quite original, narrow and very deep with a tilted surface at the back. /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f1_uc_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP Like many compatible computer manufacturers of the time, ACT offered an innovative keyboard design quite different from that of IBM. /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_keyboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD #2 Four keyboard switches can be used for:\ - System reset\ - Repeat rate adjustment\ - Time setting\ - Keyboard lock /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_keyboard_2.jpg title subtitle text image BACK **(1)** Serial RS-232C DB25 connector\ **(2)** Video RGB output DB9 connector\ **(3)** Composite video output RCA jack\ **(4)** Monitor power supply plug\ **(5)** Parallel printer connector\ **(6)** Mains plug and switch /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE F1 The Apricot F1 is right in the tradition of other ACT models : sober, robust and well-conceived. But as soon as it came out, it was reproached for being a bit slow compared to 6 or 8 Mhz systems. The F1 is however an appealing machine which was of help to many small and medium companies which chose it as their first business computer. Note the case of the infra-red receiver, close to the FDD unit, which receives data from the cordless keyboard and mouse. /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_uncovered_1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE RECEIVER MODULE The infra-red receiver uses an optical lens allowing it to receive data from various angles. This module can also recognise one keyboard from many others permitting several F1s to be used in the same room. /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_lensmodule_1.jpg title subtitle text image F1 MOTHERBOARD **(1)** Expansion connector. Can receive a memory expansion. Unfortunately, there is only one. Another identical expansion connector faces outward, intended for interface boards dedicated to external peripherals control.\ **(2)** Floppy disc drive connector\ **(3)** FDD power connectors\ **(4)** 256 KB RAM memory area - 32 x Nec 4164 memory chips\ **(5)** Power supply connector\ **(6)** Parallel printer connector\ **(7)** Composite video RCA plug\ **(8)** Colour RGB video out DB9 connector\ **(9)** Serial RS-232C DB25 connector /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_motherboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image PROCESSOR CLOSE-UP The 8086 processor here is a (nice) Fujitsu ceramic version. Note also: **(1)** Various motherboard tasks are handled by Zilog chips. Here a Z80 CTC counter timer, and a Z80 SIO (Serial I/O controller)\ **(2)** BIOS and self-diagnostic ROM chips (16 KB x 2)\ **(3)** Western Digital floppy disc controller chip /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf1_cpu_1.jpg title subtitle text image F1 MANUALS & SOFTWARES Alongside these introduction handbooks, much professional software was provided with the Apricot : - **SuperWriter**, a word processing package less advanced than WordStar, the program it was modelled on.\ - **SuperPlanner**, an electronic agenda with address book and a light database\ - **SuperCalc**, the best spreadsheet of the time. /media/museum/photos/s_apricotf1_manuals.jpg title subtitle text image U.K. PRICE LIST Dealer price list - August 1986 /media/museum/pubs/act_apricotf1_pricelist_1.jpg title subtitle text image SPECIAL F1 This special version of the F1 was developed by a french company based in Bordeaux, Cirel Systèmes, a subsidiary of Télésystèmes. It's a basic F1 with an external case placed under the main unit. This box includes a Videotex graphic board, a modem and special software for Minitel emulation, data server and file transfer. The phone is linked to a contact directory which can be dialled automatically. The price of this system was 18500fr (pre-tax) (France, december 1985) /media/museum/hardware/act_apricot-f1_4.jpg title url platform text APE Plus : Apricot Emulator http://www.ansible.demon.co.uk/ai/ape.html MS DOS Commercial emulator that emulates PC/Xi/Xen, the `F' Series, and the Apricot FP Portable title url platform text QDAE http://www.seasip.info/Unix/QDAE/ Multiplatform 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. title url text ACT Apricot computers support page http://www.actapricot.org/home/ Useful infos. Some links might be outdated title url text ACT Apricot Computers Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/actapricot/ Discussion list for the ACT Apricot computers. title url cover text APRICOT F1 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL http://www.actapricot.org/support/ /media/museum/docs/couvs/act_apricot-f1_technical-reference-manual.jpg [**APRICOT F1 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL**](http://www.actapricot.org/support/)written by ACT  compiled/archived by Jonathan Marsters\  type of document : PDF\  source : [www.actapricot.org](http://www.actapricot.org) title url cover text USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 1 http://www.actapricot.org/support/ /media/museum/docs/couvs/act_apricot-user-prompt_1.jpg [**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 url cover text USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 2 http://www.actapricot.org/support/ /media/museum/docs/couvs/act_apricot-user-prompt_2.jpg [**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) /museum/act-apricot-f2-f10 /museum/act-apricot-pc /museum/act-apricot-portable /museum/act-apricot-xen /museum/act-apricot-xi 495 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230603213917/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=495 2023-06-03

After the launch of the Apricot PC, largely inspired by the Victor S1 which sold well in the UK, ACT developed another computer, the Apricot F1. This new system was marketed equally as a business system and as a home-computer (with its TV video output for example).

The design of the F1 is quite innovative with its original shape and infrared keyboard. The main unit is much more deep than large, and the straight line of the whole system was quite stylish for the time.

There was no lead or cord between the keyboard and the main unit. All the communication was made through infrared signals. This is quite useful if you want to work from your sofa, four meters away from the main unit but you also must be sure that there is no obstacle between the keyboard and the infrared receivers located on the front of the main unit.

The Apricot F1 was however originally shipped with a plastic light-pipe that could be connected between the keyboard and CPU so that obstacles would not block the signal. Another drawback was that the keyboard had to be constantly powered with batteries!
This infrared feature is quite rare and the F1 is one of the only computers to be equiped with it, alongside the ACT Apricot Portable and Exelvision EXL-100 and a few others...

Just above the quite comprehensive membrane keyboard are four small round buttons used to set the date and time of the internal clock, to change the rate of the keys auto-repeat feature, to lock the keyboard and to reset the computer.

Even if the F1 used an 8086 it wasn’t really IBM PC compatible (though minor changes could make it BIOS compatible). The MS-DOS 2.11 used by the system is an Apricot modified version of the "real" MS-DOS.

The Apricot F1 was delivered with a nice icon-based graphical interface called "Activity" along with quality bundled sotfware for graphics, communication, wordprocessing and system tools. The same infra-red mouseball pointing device used with the Apricot Portable was available for the F1.

As the F1 was not IBM PC compatible and not particularly cheap, it didn't have great success outside its native country (UK). A slightly less expensive version was also released, labelled F1e. It was the same machine but the 720 KB floppy drive was replaced by a single sided 320 KB version. This version was about 300 Euros cheaper than the normal version.