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

---
title: Research Machines Nimbus PC
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- AMD 80186
params:
  name: Nimbus PC
  image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_welcomescr_s1.jpg
  company: /companies/research-machines
  company_name: Research Machines
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Nimbus PC
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Research Machines
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1985'
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: '1987'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: RM Basic diskette
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: PC like with 10 function keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: AMD 80186
  - label: SPEED
    value: 10 MHz
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: Socket for a 80187 math coprocessor
  - label: RAM
    value: 192 KB, up to 1 MB
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 or 80 columns x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 320 x 250 (16 colours), 640 x 350 (4 colours)
  - label: COLORS
    value: '16'
  - label: SOUND
    value: 3 voices, 8 octaves + white noise (AY-8910 chip)
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Mono and colour monitor, Serial, Mouse/Joystick, Serial/Piconet port
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 1 or 2 720 KB 3.5'' floppy drives - optional 10 or 20 MB hard disk
  - label: OS
    value: Special version of MS-DOS 3.1
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in switching power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Parallel, Network, FDD/HDD adapter cards
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  forum_thread: 985
  photos:
  - title: PC2 VERSION
    subtitle: ''
    text: PC2 version with dual floppy drive and 1 MB RAM, running the DOS 3.1 Welcome program.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus2_welcomescr_s1.jpg
  - title: FRONT PANEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: The 3 slots on the front were for add-on cartridges. However, the connectors were not soldered to the main board.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_frontpanel_s1.jpg
  - title: PC1 & PC2 MAIN UNITS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_twocases_s1.jpg
  - title: FD UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: External 360 KB 5.25" floppy drive unit.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_fdunit_s1.jpg
  - title: REAR SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      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
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_rearside_s1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      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.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_insidepc2_s1.jpg
  - title: MAIN BOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(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.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus1_mainboard_s1.jpg
  - title: RM MICE
    subtitle: ''
    text: RM mice wasn't either compatible with standard PC mice.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_mice_s1.jpg
  - title: MANUALS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      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.
    image: /media/museum/photos/researchmach_nimbus_manuals_s1.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: UK ADVERT (APR. 1986)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/researchmach_nimbus_pub_s1.jpg
  - title: CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/researchmach_nimbus_pub_s2.jpg
  oc_id: 1011
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230205044606/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1011
    date: '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.