website/content/museum/advance-technology-advance-86.md

---
title: ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY Advance 86
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- '8086'
params:
  name: Advance 86
  image: /media/museum/photos/advance_advance86_1.jpg
  company: /companies/advance-technology
  company_name: ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Advance 86
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Advance Technology
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: December 1983
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Advance Basic (and GW Basic on disk)
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      Full-stroke keyboard with 10 function keys and numeric keypad, 84 keys\
      Quite similar to the IBM PC keyboard
  - label: CPU
    value: '8086'
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4,77 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 Kb, up to 256 Kb
  - label: VRAM
    value: 16k
  - label: ROM
    value: 64k
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 x 25, 80 x 25
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 320 x 200, 640 x 200
  - label: COLORS
    value: '16'
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 4 expansion slots (IBM compatible), 2 x 16-bit slots, monitor (composite) and TV video outputs, RS232, Centronics, Joysticks, cassette interface, lightpen
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 2 x 5''1/4 disk-drives (360k each)
  - label: OS
    value: MS-DOS
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in PSU
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 10Mb hard-disk, RAM expansion boards
  - label: PRICE
    value: |-
      86A : £399 (UK, july 84)\
      86B : £1499 (UK, july 84)\
      86B : 2744 (France, 85)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - docs
  forum_thread: 501
  photos:
  - title: ADVANCE 86B GOLD !
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This special model was meant to be the prize of a contest organized by BMI, a french distributor, in 1984.

      Notice the main case with a wide trap-door to store the keyboard, and the upper case with the two disk-drives.
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_advance86_gold.jpg
  - title: ADVANCE 86B
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice the two superposed cases that could be separated by pulling off the plastic ventilation grids.
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_86_system_1.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD HOUSING
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The lower case features a housing allowing the keyboard to be stored when not in use.\
      The power switch and keyboard DIN plug are located in front of the case.
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_86_front_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE LOWER CASE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Picture is taken from the bottom side of the case. Actually, the components normally face the keyboard housing.\
      The lower case contains its own power-supply unit and all the necessary components and interface connectors to run a basic PC system. Programs could be read/saved to a cassette tape. However, a programming language in ROM is missing.

      **(1)** Keyboard connector\
      **(2)** Switching power supply\
      **(3)** 256 KB RAM memory area. The first 128 KB bank chips are soldered, others (optional) are socketed\
      **(4)** RF modulator allowing a TV set to be used as a video display\
      **(5)** All the Ferranti custom chips are equipped with a cooler\
      **(6)** BIOS EPROM chips (2 x 8 KB)\
      **(7)** Connections to the upper case I/O board\
      **(8)** 8086 processor and socket for an optional 8087 coprocessor
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_86_mainboard_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE UPPER CASE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The upper case contains mass-storage devices and an expansion board featuring four standard PC slots and two custom slots.

      **(1)** Connections to lower case mainboard\
      **(2)** Floppy disc controller card\
      **(3)** Multi I/O card featuring 384 KB RAM, Serial and Parallel ports\
      **(4)** 2 x 360 KB Shugart half-size 5.25" FDD\
      **(5)** Second switching power supply unit\
      **(6)** Serial RS232 connector
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_86_top_1.jpg
  - title: BACK SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** RF/TV and composite video outputs\
      **(2)** First Serial RS232 connector\
      **(3)** RGB video output\
      **(4)** Parallel/Printer DB25 connector\
      **(5)** Joystick DB15 connector\
      **(6)** Second Serial and Parallel port from the Multi-IO card\
      **(7)** Tape recorder DIN plug
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_86_back_1.jpg
  - title: ADVANCE 88B
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This (poor) picture shows the advance 88D. It had a 20 MB hard drive, absolutely the bees knees at the time, and came with 640K RAM, again top of the range.

      Unfortunately they all suffered overheating problems, so a kit was introduced which consisted of eight stick on aluminium heat sinks together with a tube of glue.

      The Perfect software was bundled free of charge, and made an excellent package. Made by Advance Computers, run by a chop called Sami Masri in North London. Board also made by Ferranti. A very good value at the time.

      Thanks to **Keith Reynolds** for this information.
    image: /media/museum/photos/advance_advance86_white.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: ENGLISH ADVERT (1984)
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      English advert for the 86A model.

      Thanks to Tony Mattson for this picture
    image: /media/museum/pubs/advance-86a_pub_1.gif
  - title: ENGLISH LEAFLET
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/advance_86_engleaflet_1.jpg
  docs:
  - title: ADVANCE 86 USER MANUAL
    url: null
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/advance86_user_manual.jpg
    text: |-
      **ADVANCE 86 USER MANUAL**\
      written by Advance Technology

       compiled/archived by Øystein De Lumeau\
       type of document : PDF\
       source : www.old-computers.com
  oc_id: 507
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604031851/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=507
    date: '2023-06-04'
---

The Advance 86 was an early IBM PC compatible system conceived by Advance Technology (UK) and built by Ferranti (well known for its military products, and the [ZX-81](/museum/sinclair-zx-81/)custom chip).\
It was intended to appeal to the home user and to small businesses. It had the same features as the IBM PC (360 KB disks, identical graphic resolution) but had a different CPU, the 8086 which was a true 16-bit processor, for a much lower price !

The Advance 86 was totally IBM PC compatible, from the keyboard, the disks, the resolution, to the expansions which could be used with the Advance through four IBM-compatible slots.

In fact, the Advance 86 was first conceived as a home-computer (model **86A**) and was later upgraded with a ''new box'' housing the two disk-drives, the expansion slots and thus the IBM compatibility features (model **86B**). This is why the model 86B is composed of two main cases, the smallest one being the original one (86A) which houses the main board and has a wide trap-door to store the keyboard when not in use.

Back in 1984, the Advance 86 was one of the few professional systems to work without any fan thanks to its dual power supply unit, making work more pleasant. However, a fan was later added into the lower case.

The Advance 86B was sold with four professional software packages: Perfect Writer, Perfect Speller, Perfect Calc and Perfect File. This bundle had everything a new user needed to start, and it was great value as it all came free with the computer !

A 10 MB hard-disk was quickly sold in option, as the disks had a low capacity (360k), like the IBM PC.\
A kit form was also available at a reduced price for self build.