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---
title: Acorn Computer Archimedes A3020
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1992'
cpus:
- ARM 250 32 bit RISC
params:
name: Archimedes A3020
image: /media/museum/photos/acorna3020_system_2.jpg
company: /companies/acorn-computer
company_name: Acorn Computer
specs:
- label: NAME
value: Archimedes A3020
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Acorn Computer
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: United Kingdom
- label: YEAR
value: '1992'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: BBC BASIC / RISC OS 3.1
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full-stroke PC-102 style
- label: CPU
value: ARM 250 32 bit RISC
- label: SPEED
value: 12 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: MEMC (memory), VIDC (Video and Sound), IOC (I/O)
- label: RAM
value: 2 MB (up to 4Mb possible with socketed zip ram chips)
- label: ROM
value: 1 MB
- label: SOUND
value: 8 voices
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Centronics, RS423, VGA, Network, 1 expansion slot (same as A4000, A3000 and A3020)
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: One 3.5
- label: OS
value: RISC OS 3.11
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in power supply unit
- label: PRICE
value: £749 with floppy, £899 with a 60Mb hard disk.
tabs:
- photos
- hardware
- emulators
- links
- docs
photos:
- title: SYSTEM
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/acorna3020_system_3.jpg
- title: UNCOVERED
subtitle: ''
text: Notice the (blue) Econet network card.
image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_a3020_uncovered_1.jpg
- title: MOTHERBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(1)** Power supply area\
**(2)** Video and sound custom chip (VIDC)\
**(3)** Keyboard connector\
**(4)** Arm-250 RISC processor\
**(5)** Econet network optional card\
**(6)** Risc OS 3.0 ROM chips (2 x 256 KB)\
**(7)** 2 MB RAM chips (4 x Hitachi 514260)\
**(8)** I/O custom chip from CHIPS (IOC)\
**(9)** 2 MB expansion RAM sockets\
**(10)** Floppy disc and hard disc connectors
image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_a3020_mboard_1.jpg
- title: CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: ARM microprocessor, RISC-OS ROM and base RAM memory chips. Memory extension DIP chips sockets are empty.
image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_a3020_cpucloseup_1.jpg
hardware:
- title: 486 CARD
subtitle: ''
text: Allowed Archimedes series computers to run 32-bit PC-DOS software. It was delivered with a manual, a driver disk and PC-DOS 6.3
image: /media/museum/hardware/acorn_a39000_486card_1.jpg
- title: GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Graphics accelerator card (called "ColourCard") for A3000, Archimedes and A5000.\
Company : Computer Concepts\
Enhanced potential for Archimedes series including 15-bit desktop modes (i.e. 800\*600 @ 256 colours).
Thanks to **Chris Syntichakis**
image: /media/museum/hardware/acorn_a5000_colorcard_1.jpg
- title: CUMANA SCSI CARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
16-bit SCSI-1 card\
Company: Cumana.\
There are an external port for scanners/CD-ROM etc. and 2 internal ports for SCSI and Floptical drives.
Thanks to **Chris Syntichakis**
image: /media/museum/hardware/acorn_a5000_scsicard_1.jpg
- title: SERIAL CARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
From Atomwide's site:\
High speed serial card featuring three ports, each in the shape of a standard 9-pin ‘D’ plug. Each port on the card is capable of running at up to 460,800 bits per second, and employs a 16-byte FIFO buffer to reduce loading on the host computer’s processor, so improving communications reliability. All serial cards are standard single-width podules, and are fully compatible with Atomwide 6 and 8-slot RiscPC backplanes.
image: /media/museum/hardware/acorn_a5000_serialcard_1.jpg
- title: MIDI CARD
subtitle: ''
text: Allowed Archimedes systems to interact with any midi sound device.
image: /media/museum/hardware/acorn_a4000_midicard_s1.jpg
emulators:
- title: Arculator
url: http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/
platform: Windows
text: An excellent Windows-based Archimedes emulator, plays many games and has simple usage.
- title: Red Squirrel
url: http://www.red-squirrel.org/
platform: Windows
text: An Emulator of Arm based Acorn machines for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
- title: Virtual Acorn
url: http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk/
platform: Windows
text: Excellent but commercial software - £30
- title: ARCHIE
url: http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/campus/5427/
platform: Multiplatform
text: Archie is an emulation of the Acorn Archimedes hardware (A3xx/A4xx/A3xxx) for DOS/Windows
links:
- title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
text: ''
docs:
- title: TOM'S ARCHIMEDES DOCS (INTERNAL HARDWARE)
url: http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif
text: |-
[**TOM'S ARCHIMEDES DOCS (INTERNAL HARDWARE)**](http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html)written by Tom Mowalker
 compiled/archived by Tom Mowalker\
 type of document : HTML\
 source : [Arculator](http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/index.html)
comments:
- author: Nattyfido (UK)
date: Tuesday 4th September 2007
text: If anyone is interested in these computers, I still have them, my email has changed though. It is fido_ov_lido@yahoo.co.uk and my website is www.nattyfido.is-a-geek.com
- author: Dean Fowler (Margate, Kent, UK)
date: Wednesday 18th October 2006
text: I have an A3000 and three A3020s. I would be willing to swap the A3000 (not working) and two of the A3020s for an Archimedes mouse. All machines have internal hard drives and are a bit grubby.
related:
- /museum/acorn-computer-a4
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3000
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3010
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a4000
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a5000
- /museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a7000
oc_id: 706
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230129160638/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=706
date: '2023-01-29'
---
The Acorn Archimedes [A3000](/museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3000/) was replaced by the Acorn [A3010](/museum/acorn-computer-archimedes-a3010/) and A3020, two simililar but slightly different models, aimed at the home and educational markets.
The A3020 was a lower-cost replacement for A3000 aimed at British classrooms. The case was slightly shorter at the back and an awkward to reach mouse port that was underneath the A3000 was moved to the back.
The RISC OS 3 operating system and more curved Logitech-built 3 button mouse used on the A4000/A5000/A4 were included as standard, as well as a 1.6MB floppy drive capable of reading all PC disks as well as the new extended Acorn 1.6MB format.
Upgrading memory to 4MB of RAM was simple with plug-in ZIP D-RAM chips.
Looking inside the machine however, Acorn have rather stupidly built-in the 220/240 volt power supply to the motherboard, making conversion to run on 110 volts for US and Japanese users impossible without very serious modification. If the power supply unit fails then repair would also be difficult.
The Acorn A3020 had a hard disk controller to which a standard 2.5" laptop-style hard disk could be added, and a DB-15 network port which the A3010 did not have.
Thanks to **Jonathan Hayward** for his help in Archimedes models.
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