Philip Webster

In February 1995 Acorn, in colaboration with Aleph1, announced the 486 PC Card for the Risc PC which enabled it to run DOS and Windows sharing the Risc PC screen, keyboard, mouse, memory and storage. With a 486 PC card, a Risc PC can run Windows in a RISC OS Window.

In July 1995 Acorn launched the Risc PC 700 with a faster 40MHz ARM710 CPU, Risc OS 3.60 and bigger hard drives. At the same time the Risc PC 600 was upgraded with a faster 33MHz ARM610 CPU.

In September 1996 Acorn launched the StrongARM Risc PC with a 202MHz StrongARM CPU, RISC OS 3.70 and bigger hard drives.

In September 1997 Acorn launched an upgraded StrongARM Risc PC with a 233MHz StrongARM CPU, RISC OS 3.71, more memory, a bigger hard disc and a CDROM.

Acorn produced upgrade packs which allowed Risc PC owners to upgrade to the latest specification with a new CPU card and new RISC OS version. Like many RiscPC owners, my Risc PC started out as a Risc PC 600 and was upgraded to a StrongARM CPU and Risc OS 3.70. Since then it has been further upgraded with an APDL Turbo 287MHz StrongARM CPU and RISCOS Ltd's Risc OS 6.

The front of the StrongARM Risc PC shows the CD-ROM drive on the left and the floppy disc drive on the right. Like many Risc PC's the spring holding the front flap up has broken.

Unlike many Risc PCs, the spring is still there and keeps the front flap up. Note the flap says Risc PC and not Risc PC 600 or Risc PC 700.

I bought my RiscPC 700s in 2004 from an ex-Acorn employee. This Risc PC 700 has an Acorn 40MHz ARM710 CPU , an Acorn ACA57 100MHz 5x86 PC card. and an Acorn Risc PC 2 slot backplane.

Risc PC 700 front view showing the Risc PC 700 logo on the left and the power on button at the bottom right.

Risc PC 700, seen from the back with the CPU cards removed, showing the RAM SIMMS in the middle and the VRAM SIMM in front. On the bottom left the 2 large chips are the RISC OS 3.70 ROMs, the 2 connectors above them are for the CPU cards.

Risc PC 700 (ACB75B) with the top off. This model did not have a CDROM drive. The ARM710 CPU is on the top left with the i-cubed Network Interface above and to its right.

In July 1995, with the launch of the Risc PC 700 , the Risc PC 600 was upgraded to use a 33MHz ARM610 CPU, 16bit sound and RISC OS 3.60,. As usual Acorn also had a number of Risc PC 600 with bundles software for children, education and home office. The new models included:

Here is the Acorn publicity brochures APP678 Risc PC, APP681 Welcome to the Future and APP687 Risc PC 600 Prices.

The front view of my Risc PC 600, like many Risc PCs the spring holding the flap up has long sice broken which explains why it is sagging to the left. You can clearly see the Risc PC 600 on the panel. The power on/off switch is bottom Right underneath the Acorn logo.

This is an almost original Risc PC 600. It is shown running RISC OS 3.50 and has not been upgraded to RISC OS 3.60. If it wasn't for the fact I want a RISC OS 3.50 system I would upgrade it! However the !Boot has been upgraded to the Universal !Boot.

In March 1981 we knew the BBC were interested in Acorn. Hermann Hauser told us that the BBC were coming five days before they arrived but we didn't even have a machine.

There was a huge gap between what the BBC wanted and what we had planned to build. Their technical specification was basically a Z80 (processor) machine running CP/M (an operating sytem). What they contracted from Acorn was a 6502 (processor) machine running a proprietary operating system.

The other legacy which keeps coming back to me is that a generation of people cut their computing teeth on the BBC Micro so I still meet people who say they did their first computing on the Beeb.

One very interesting complaint that I have from lots of computer science departments now is that people don't learn how to programme at school anymore. When they use PCs they don't programme them. When they used BBC Micro they programmed them themselves because it was so simple to write in BBC Basic.

It's hard to say if we would have specified a computer similar to the BBC Micro if we had not been approached by the BBC.

In the BBC Model B+ the Intel 8271 Disc Controller was replaced by a Western Digital WD1770. Acorn also produced and 1770 Disc Interface Upgrade kit to upgrade BBC Micros. With the 1770 Disc interface fitted, the BBC Micro could be upgraded with the Advanced Disc Filing System ROM (see also Winchester Disc System).

Launched in 1981 to coincide with a computer literacy drive by the BBC, the Model A was the cheaper of Acorn's two machines at £299. The machine's high cost was compensated for by very impressive expansion possibilities including disc drives, a second processor and network capabilities (Econet).

The Acorn BBC model A was the successor of the Acorn Atom was originally known called the Acorn Proton. It was a very popular computer in the UK and was widely used in schools, but it didn't have great success elsewhere (even though it did have great features, it was too expensive).

This computer got its name because in 1980, the BBC decided to start a computer literacy television series. The network realized that, with more powerful and increasingly inexpensive microcomputers, it would soon be possible to create them with enough computing power to offer their owners personal hands-on experience with microcomputers at an affordable price.

The BBC considered the NewBrain computer and rejected it. Acorn and Sinclair Research, along with other companies, then submitted designs, and Acorn won. The BBC Micro was then used almost universally in British schools from its birth into the 90's.

It was followed in 1982 by the Acorn BBC model B. The Model B had the same features but had 32 KB RAM (expandable to 64K). One of its most popular peripherals was the "Torch" floppy disk unit, a 5.25" floppy disk drive with a Z80 which allowed the BBC to use CP/M software. Acorn also made a cheaper version of the BBC (fewer connectors & video modes) called Acorn Electron.