website/content/museum/research-machines-nimbus-pc.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Research Machines Nimbus PC	Computers	Professional Computer	United Kingdom	1985	AMD 80186	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts oc_id source Nimbus PC /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_welcomescr_s1.jpg /companies/research-machines Research Machines label value NAME Nimbus PC label value MANUFACTURER Research Machines label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1985 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1987 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE RM Basic diskette label value KEYBOARD PC like with 10 function keys and numeric keypad label value CPU AMD 80186 label value SPEED 10 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR Socket for a 80187 math coprocessor label value RAM 192 KB, up to 1 MB label value ROM 16 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 or 80 columns x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 320 x 250 (16 colours), 640 x 350 (4 colours) label value COLORS 16 label value SOUND 3 voices, 8 octaves + white noise (AY-8910 chip) label value I/O PORTS Mono and colour monitor, Serial, Mouse/Joystick, Serial/Piconet port label value BUILT IN MEDIA 1 or 2 720 KB 3.5'' floppy drives - optional 10 or 20 MB hard disk label value OS Special version of MS-DOS 3.1 label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in switching power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS Parallel, Network, FDD/HDD adapter cards label value PRICE Unknown photos adverts 985 title subtitle text image PC2 VERSION PC2 version with dual floppy drive and 1 MB RAM, running the DOS 3.1 Welcome program. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus2_welcomescr_s1.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL The 3 slots on the front were for add-on cartridges. However, the connectors were not soldered to the main board. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_frontpanel_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PC1 & PC2 MAIN UNITS /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_twocases_s1.jpg title subtitle text image FD UNIT External 360 KB 5.25" floppy drive unit. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_fdunit_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR SIDE From left to right: • Mouse or digital joystick DB9 connector\ • Keyboard DIN socket\ • Colour RGB monitor DIN socket\ • Monochrome monitor DIN socket\ • Serial printer RJ11 socket\ • Piconet network RJ11 socket\ • Optional Ethernet network slot\ • SCSI connector\ • Parallel printer connector along with +5V and +12V output jacks\ • External FDD unit connector /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE Notice that the expansion cards are not fixed onto the main board but linked together by a bus flat cable.\ Internal Floppy drives and external FDD connector are also linked through the same cable to the controller card. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_insidepc2_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MAIN BOARD **(1)** 64 KB video RAM chips (8 x 4164)\ **(2)** Text and graphics video chip\ **(3)** AMD 80186 processor and socket for the 80187 math co-processor\ **(4)** Memory management chip\ **(5)** AY-8910 sound generator\ **(6)** Main RAM chips can take place onboard (empty sockets)or/and in a RAM module (not inserted here)\ **(7)** I/O management chip\ **(8)** Zilog and Intel I/O chips\ **(9)** Bus connector for expansion cards. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image RM MICE RM mice wasn't either compatible with standard PC mice. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_mice_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MANUALS RM Basic, Pascal and Logo programming languages manuals.\ Nimbus machines could also run standard PC software like Microsoft Word, Multiplan and even the first version of Windows. /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_manuals_s1.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT (APR. 1986) /media/museum/pubs/researchmach_nimbus_pub_s1.jpg title subtitle text image CLOSE-UP /media/museum/pubs/researchmach_nimbus_pub_s2.jpg 1011 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230205044606/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1011 2023-02-05

When the Nimbus PC series was launched, Research Machines already had a long history of providing innovative and reliable computers for the British education market.

The Nimbus PC was also intended to support schools in the use of the computers. It wasn't a pale copy of a standard PC but a fast and versatile DOS machine entirely designed and manufactured by RM.

The basic machine held 192 KB of RAM, a single 720 KB floppy drive and extended sound and graphics. It could be expanded to 1 MB of RAM, dual floppy drives and up to 160 MB hard disk. The Nimbus was also designed as a network station and came with built-in Piconet and ethernet ports.

The Nimbus ran a modified version of Microsoft MS-DOS 3.10 that could not run on a standard PC. Sadly, this was quite a limitation. Although an IBM emulator software allowed some standard PC programs to run, only software specifically written for the Nimbus was able to take advantage of the improved sound and graphic features. However, RM and third-parties released numerous languages and educational software that fulfilled most school needs.
A special x86 version of BBC Basic also allowed a wide range of programs written for Acorn machines to be run. To note also that some Nimbus software would run on a standard PC, for example the Nimbus versions MS Word and Multiplan.