website/content/museum/acorn-computer-abc-310.md

---
title: Acorn Computer ABC 310
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1984'
cpus:
- PLCC 80286
params:
  name: ABC 310
  image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_abc310_1.jpg
  company: /companies/acorn-computer
  company_name: Acorn Computer
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: ABC 310
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Acorn Computer
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: October 1984
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: 1984, never mass produced
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: BBC Basic?, DR-DOS (Richard Kilpatrick's model appears to have no language)
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Standard QWERTY, 10 function keys + arrows, plus numeric keypad and Tube switch
  - label: CPU
    value: PLCC 80286
  - label: SPEED
    value: Unknown
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: MOS 65C02 (I/O board, essentially a BBC B+)
  - label: RAM
    value: 1Mb 286, 64K I/O Board
  - label: VRAM
    value: Taken from main RAM, up to 44K?
  - label: ROM
    value: 32K, expandable
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 32/25 (2 colors) / 40 x 32/25 (2 or 4 colors) / 20 x 32 (16 colors) / 40 x 25 (Teletext display)
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 640 x 256 (2 colors) / 320 x 256 (4 colors) / 160 x 256 (16 colors)
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 (8 colors + flashing option)
  - label: SOUND
    value: 3 channels + noise & envelope control, 7 octaves, optional TMS5220 speech
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: A little larger than a 17'' monitor!
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 1MHz BUS, Analogue, RGB, Disk, RS423, Mouse (option), BT Link (option; modem?), User port, Econet, internally SCSI may be available
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 10Mb SCSI-MFM HD subsystem, 5.25'' FD
  - label: OS
    value: DR-DOS, BBC MOS, GEM-86
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in PSU, 240V AC - split to monitor power and a switch mode PSU to supply power to the computer and expansion boards.
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Most BBC accessories are suitable
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - links
  photos:
  - title: 80286 2ND PROCESSOR BOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to Richard Kilpatrick for this picture
    image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_abc310_80286-2nd-processor.jpg
  - title: OPENED SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to Richard Kilpatrick for this picture
    image: /media/museum/photos/acorn_abc310_opened_1.jpg
  links:
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: ''
  comments:
  - author: David Wheeldon (United Kingdom)
    date: Sunday 7th March 2021
    text: I recently had the opportunity to collect and own and large collection of BBC equipment which included a number of 2nd processors including a working 80286 Issue 0 board also a 30Mb acorn hard drive unit full of master 512 type files and applications
  - author: Tim Boyd
    date: Saturday 3rd July 2010
    text: Acorn came very close to releasing an 80286 Second Processor$ I''ve seen one in the traditional 2P case, complete with correct labelling, which surfaced during one of Acorn''s clear-outs.
  related:
  - /museum/acorn-computer-abc-110
  - /museum/acorn-computer-abc-210-cambridge-workstation
  oc_id: 990
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221203213819/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=990
    date: '2022-12-03'
---

Acorn's ABC-310 was to be the flagship of the Acorn business computer range. As far as I can tell, the 310 is the rarest variant, and it is the only one to have no direct equivalent available via a 2nd Processor card.

When the ABC range was dissolved, Acorn already had 2nd Processors (a method of adding a new CPU to the BBC, similar to adding a Z80 on a card to an Apple II, but very different in execution and with far more applications) - the 65C02, the Z80, the Acorn Scientific 16032 (1MB RAM, compared to 4MB in the Cambridge Workstation/ABC-210).

However, the 80286 board in the 310 would never surface outside of these prototype machines. Acorn would indulge in Intel-based co-processors later, the 80186 in the BBC Master 512, and various 486/586 based cards for the Archimedes (3rd party, perhaps?) and the RiscPC.

Technically speaking, the 286 had more direct application support, was potentially faster, and was a smaller package than the ageing 16032. It was also more easily obtained. Why it was never released is beyond me - except that the 286 was a very new CPU at the time, and may have been expensive.

Running ABC-310s seem to be very hard to find, and information on them is scarce. They look identical, from the outside, to the ABC-110 and any other of the Cambridge Workstations.

---

Text and info by Richard Kilpatrick. Thanks a LOT !

**Jules Richardson** comments:\
I'm told by an ex-Acorn engineer that only a handful of boards were commissioned - but that not all of these were assembled into complete machines. The design and code for the 80286 board fed into the later Master 512 coprocessor.

I'm only aware of two surviving machines - the one pictured here and one other in private hands, although one or two of the coprocessor boards themselves are known to have survived.

I \*assume\* that it just wasn't cost-effective to market the 310 machines - and that the 80286 board was never released as a separate coprocessor because Acorn wanted to protect their Master 512 interests, and a faster rival board that wasn't internal to the Master would not have helped this.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>