website/content/museum/jupiter-cantab-jupiter-ace.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
JUPITER CANTAB Jupiter Ace	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1983	Zilog Z80A	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware screenshots emulators links docs comments oc_id source Jupiter Ace /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_system_1.jpg /companies/jupiter-cantab JUPITER CANTAB label value NAME Jupiter Ace label value MANUFACTURER Jupiter Cantab label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Forth label value KEYBOARD QWERTY, chicklet keyboard, 40 keys, auto-repeat label value CPU Zilog Z80A label value SPEED 3.25 MHz label value RAM 3 kb (up to 51 kb) label value ROM 8 kb label value TEXT MODES 32 columns x 24 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 64 x 48 label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Internal beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT 21.8(W) x 19.2(D) x 3.2(H) cm. / 246 g label value I/O PORTS UHF TV out (channel 36), User Port, Tape interface (1500 baud), Z80 Bus label value POWER SUPPLY External PSU label value PERIPHERALS RAM expansion label value PRICE £89.95 (UK, september 1982) photos adverts hardware software emulators links docs title subtitle text image JUPITER ACE /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_system_2.jpg title subtitle text image TOP /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_top.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_keyboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image UNCOVERED Note the large power regulator IC metallic cooler.\ Keyboard membrane is simply put down on the board. /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_uncover_1.jpg title subtitle text image JUPITER'S HEART The Jupiter design is very similar to the Sinclair ZX 80's one, except from the specialized component. Indeed you have to be sure to sell a great number of systems, if you want to be able to pay the development and production costs of such a component. **(1)** 5-volt power regulator\ **(2)** Power jack. Power is supplied by an external AC adaptor\ **(3)** Z80-A microprocessor. Here a Nec version\ **(4)** Memory expansion connector. It is compatible with the Sinclair ZX 81 memory modules (up to 16 Kb). with a special adapter\ **(5)** 2 x 4 KB ROM chips holding the FORTH programming language\ **(6)** Buzzer\ **(7)** 2 x 2114 static RAM chips holding 1 KB of RAM\ **(8)** 4 x 2114 RAM chips hold 2 additional KB of RAM\ **(9)** Peripherals connector, mainly used for printers\ **(10)** Modulator for T.V. aerial video signal\ **(11)** Tape recorder Load/Save jacks. Data transfer reliability is better than the Sinclair one.\ **(12)** Keyboard contacts. When a key is pressed, a contact is made between 2 lines of the circuit /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_insideexpl_1.jpg title subtitle text image RUBBER KEYBOARD The rubber keyboard and "eraser" keys need some practice for fast typing. /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_keyboard_2.jpg title subtitle text image BACK Note the peripherals (left) and memory expansion connectors.\ Grooves on the back cover are meant to avoid the thin plastic case bending out of shape. /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image LAST MINUTE Last minute factory modification /media/museum/photos/jupiter_ace_lastminute_1.jpg title subtitle text image JUPITER BROCHURE #1 /media/museum/pubs/jupiter_ace_brochure_s1.jpg title subtitle text image JUPITER BROCHURE #2 /media/museum/pubs/jupiter_ace_brochure_s2.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT #1 /media/museum/pubs/cantab_jupiter-ace_pub1.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT #2 Thanks to [Howard Jones](http://wotsit.thingy.com/haj/) for this picture. /media/museum/pubs/cantab_jupiter-ace_pub_2.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH AD (JULY 1983) "access to the Forth power" "with the Jupiter Ace, enjoy profesionnal experience of Forth" /media/museum/pubs/jupiter-ace_pub_access-puissance.jpg title subtitle text image 16K RAM EXPANSION from EME (Essex Micro Electronics) /media/museum/hardware/cantab_jupiter-ace_eme-16k.jpg title subtitle text image MEMOTECH KEYBOARD Memotech, well known for making Sinclair extensions, also made Jupiter Ace accessories including this add-on mechanical keyboard. /media/museum/hardware/cantab_jupiter-ace_memotech-keyboard.jpg title subtitle text image EXPANSION BOARD This board was used to plug more than one expansion to the Jupiter Ace. /media/museum/hardware/cantab_jupiter-ace_expansion-board.jpg title subtitle text image SOME TAPES /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_software.jpg title subtitle text image TAPES, BOOK AND 16 KB RAM EXPANSION /media/museum/software/jupiter_ace_soft.jpg title subtitle text image ATIC RAID /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_aticraid_ss.gif title subtitle text image BOMBER /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_bomber_ss.gif title subtitle text image FROGGER /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_frogger_ss.gif title subtitle text image LUNAR LANDER /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_lunar-lander_ss.gif title subtitle text image MILLIPEDE /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_millipede_ss.gif title subtitle text image PACMAN /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_pacman_ss.gif title subtitle text image WORDACE Wordprocessor /media/museum/software/cantab_jupiter-ace_wordace_ss.gif title url platform text ACE32 http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/ace32.html MS DOS Jupiter ACE Emulator for MSDOS by Paul Robson title url platform text EightyOne http://www.chuntey.com/eightyone/ Windows The best Jupiter Ace Emulater for Windows platform , including AY8910 sound chip, colour board.The emulator of choice by the Jupiter Ace Archive team. title url platform text Blaze http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/blaze.html Other platform Jupiter Ace Emulator for Sam Coupe computers title url platform text XACE, VACE and VACE3D Jupiter Ace emulators http://hem.passagen.se/tiletech/ace.html Multiplatform Nice emulators by Edward Patel, for Windows and Unix. There is even a 3D version !! title url text Documentation http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html A searchable pdf of the manual, all 182 pages is now on the resource site at www.jupiter-ace.co.uk title url text Jupiter Ace FAQ http://users.aol.com/autismuk/ace/faq.htm FAQ written by Paul Robson. title url text Jupiter Ace Resource site http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/ Jupiter Ace restoration and preservation project title url text The Jupiter Ace hardware page http://home.micros.users.btopenworld.com/JupiterAce/JupiterAce.html Helps you build your own Jupiter Ace ! title url text The Jupiter Ace Software Library http://users.aol.com/autismuk/ace/software.htm Some software to download; useful ! title url cover text JUPITER ACE - USERS MANUAL http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/jupiter-ace_users-manual.jpg [**JUPITER ACE - USERS MANUAL**](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html)written by Steve Vickers  compiled/archived by Steve Parry-Thomas\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Jupiter Ace Resource Site](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/) title url cover text THE FORTH BRIDGE - TRANSLATING BASIC PROGRAMS INTO FORTH http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/jupiter-ace_forth-bridge.jpg [**THE FORTH BRIDGE - TRANSLATING BASIC PROGRAMS INTO FORTH**](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html)written by Jupiter Cantab  compiled/archived by Steve Parry-Thomas / Jupiter Arce Archive Project\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Jupiter Ace Resource Site](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/) title url cover text RAM PACK INSTRUCTION LEAFLET http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/jupiter-ace_ram-pack-instructions.jpg [**RAM PACK INSTRUCTION LEAFLET**](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/usermanual.html)written by Jupiter Cantab  compiled/archived by Steve Parry-Thomas / Jupiter Arce Archive Project\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Jupiter Ace Resource Site](http://www.jupiter-ace.co.uk/) author date text Big Bad Bot Tuesday 22nd November 2016 Jupiter Ace, when compared to computers of the era is just a little off center. And it is enough out of sync to make it uncomfortable to use$ especially since it did not have BASIC. Now if they created it as a color computer before the Spectrum, then it probably would have been more successful. author date text Jackson Sunday 10th February 2013 I believe Matt is stupid and needs to get a life and typing lessons. author date text Matt Whele Monday 7th January 2013 i believe all of you are stupid and need to get lives and get off of this site author date text Matt Whele Monday 7th January 2013 i believe all of you are stupid and need to get lives and get off of this site author date text Matt Whele Monday 7th January 2013 i believe all of you are stupid and need to get lives and get off of this site author date text Tony (Hastings/UK) Thursday 15th March 2012 To keep comparing it solely to the ZX81 missed the point I think. Although memory was as low as the ZX81 and some of the hardware (such as graphics) almost as low, it was much closer in look and feel to the Sinclair Spectrum. author date text Nick (Swindon/Brussels) Saturday 29th May 2010 I bought one in a sale at the time but it kept catching fire which was somewhat unnerving. author date text Steve(spt) (UK) Thursday 16th June 2005 A searchable pdf of the manual, all 182 pages is now on the resource site at www.jupiter-ace.co.uk author date text Simon Goodwin (Warwick, UK) Saturday 6th December 2003 The Jupiter Ace was designed and implemented by Steven\ Vickers and Richard Altwasser after they left Sinclair\ Research for their start-up company Jupiter Cantab.\ As Altwasser designed the Spectrum hardware (and later\ computers for Amstrad) and Vickers wrote the Spectrum\ manual and adapted the ROM from that for the ZX-81\ (as an employee of Sinclair's software sub-contractors\ Nine Tiles) the family resemblance should come as no\ surprise. Simon Goodwin (former Technical Editor of Crash magazine) author date text Mario Villar (Uruguay) Friday 15th August 2003 I want to know if anyone out there has a Jupiter Ace manual that can send me via mail.\ Many Thanks author date text Sam Wilson (Bergen) Wednesday 20th November 2002 Well, this looks like an interresting computer. I have never had one, but i have run an emulator. This computer reminds me of the ZX Spectrum. Why are they so similair? author date text Alan Whiteside (UK) Wednesday 12th June 2002 I have two Jupiter Aces which I have recently refurbished.I wonder if any one has a circuit diagram. Many thanks\ AW 147 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230529183420/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=147 2023-05-29

The Jupiter ACE looks very similar to the Sinclair ZX 81. Actually, the designers of this computer, Richard Altwasser and Steven Vickers, played a major role in creating the Sinclair Spectrum.

The ACE is very similar to the ZX 81, but has some extra features: it has a user port, and it can generate sound (the ZX 81 can't). It can also use RAM expansion modules for the ZX 81 smaller than 64KB via a small adapter.

Its most significant feature is its language: instead of using BASIC like other computers, it uses the FORTH language (as did the Hector HRX).

FORTH's advantages are that it's comprehensible, small, interactive, fast and extensible. It centers around writing procedures which operate on objects on a FIFO stack, and is not as intuitive as BASIC. FORTH was three to ten times faster than BASIC but was not as easy to learn.

This computer did not achieve significant success, probably due to its relatively obscure language - as far as the general public was concerned.

Steve Vickers wrote the ZX Spectrum manual - he has been an academic researcher working most recently (2003) at Imperial College London, and the Open University.