Acorn Electron
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| Developer | Acorn Computers |
|---|---|
| Type | 8-bit microcomputer |
| Release date | August 25, 1983 |
| Media | Cassette tape, floppy disk (optional), ROM cartridge (optional) |
| Operating system | Acorn MOS v1.0 |
| CPU | MOS Technology 6502A clocked at 2MHz when accessing ROM and 1 MHz/0.5897 MHz when accessing RAM |
| Memory | 32 kB RAM, 32 kB ROM |
| Display | RF modulator, composite video, RGB monitor output |
| Graphics | 160×256 (4 or 16 colours), 320×256 (2 or 4 colours), 640×256 (2 colours), 320×200 (2 colours — spaced display with two blank horizontal lines following every 8 pixel lines), 640×200 (2 colours — spaced display) |
| Input | keyboard |
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC v2 along with its operating system.
The Electron was able to save and load programs onto audio cassette via a supplied converter cable that connected it to any standard tape recorder that had the correct sockets. It was capable of basic graphics, and could display onto either a television set, a colour (RGB) monitor or a "green screen" monitor.
For a short period, the Electron was reportedly the best selling micro in the United Kingdom,.
After Acorn Computer released the BBC Micro, executives believed that the company needed a less-expensive computer for the mass market. In June 1982, cofounder Hermann Hauser was asked about the recently announced £175 Sinclair ZX Spectrum's potential to hurt sales of the BBC Micro. Hauser responded that in the third quarter of that year Acorn would release a new £120-150 computer which "will probably be called the Electron", with graphics superior to the Spectrum's and compatibility with BBC Micro software. Acorn's Chris Curry stated that "the Electron is designed to compete with the Spectrum. The idea is to get the starting price very low, but not preclude expansion in the long term." The company reduced the number of chips in the Electron by 90% from the BBC Micro's about 100, with most functionality on a single Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA). Problems with the ULA delayed the Electron, however, and Acorn repeatedly missed deadlines to ship the computer.
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