New Acquisition: Acorn Electron - 07-ALA01-0136594

 

 

New Acquisition: Acorn Electron

Make	Model	Serial Number
Acorn Computers	Electron	07-ALA01-0136594

Overview

• Manufacturer: Acorn Computers.
• Production Years: The Acorn Electron was introduced on August 25, 1983.
• Historical Significance: The Acorn Electron was designed as a more affordable alternative to the BBC Micro, targeting the home computer market. It retained many of the BBC Micro's features, including compatibility with BBC BASIC, while offering a compact and cost-effective design.
• Architecture: The Electron was based on the Synertek SY6502A processor and featured a custom Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA) for graphics and I/O handling.

Specification

• Processor: Synertek SY6502A running at 2 MHz when accessing ROM, 1 MHz when accessing RAM.
• Memory: 32KB RAM and 32KB ROM.
• Storage: Programs could be saved and loaded via cassette tape. Optional expansions, such as the Acorn Plus 3, added floppy disk support.
• Display: Capable of multiple display modes, including:
  • 160×256 resolution with 4 or 16 colors.
  • 320×256 resolution with 2 or 4 colors.
  • 640×256 resolution with 2 colors.
• Audio: Basic tone and noise generation capabilities.
• Connectivity: Included a cassette interface, RGB video output, and expansion ports for peripherals.
• Expansion: The Acorn Plus 1 provided additional ports for joysticks and printers, while the Acorn Plus 3 added floppy disk support.
• Operating System: Acorn MOS v1.0, with BBC BASIC II included in ROM.
• Common Faults:
  • Failure of the ULA chip, which could cause display or I/O issues.
  • Degradation of the cassette interface, leading to unreliable program loading or saving.
  • Age-related wear on power supplies, resulting in instability or failure.

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How Did I Acquire It?

Where Did I Get It From?

I picked this up on Ebay where itw as said to be for parts or not working.

How Was It Described to Me?

The seller described it as:

“untested - been in the loft for 20+ years so unwilling to try it out - may work or may not!”
Acorn Electron with power supply, TV cable, manual and Elbug magazines

I recently rediscover my Acorn Electron in my loft. It has the original power supply, user manual and TV cable.
It also has a few issues of the Electron User Group magazines which came out for a few years around the time of the Electron's release.

I always thought the Electron looked much cooler than the BBC although obviously cheaper and not as full featured. It has a great keyboard however and the graphics were great for the time.

As I have only recently rediscovered it after quite a few years I don't want to risk anything by powering it up. It may work perfectly (it did when I put it in the loft) or it may not, hence I am selling it as untested / parts just to be on the safe side!

Any questions please contact me! - Thanks for looking!

Supplier Pictures

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Now I have it in my hands

Let us test it out and see what it does, unlike the BBC's the PSU is a external power pack so no risk of capacitor damage and modern alternatives are available.
However modern PSU's are more regulated and smoother than they used to be so it might be worth investigating more.

Next steps:

• Give it a clean
• Look at replacing the PSU
• Investigate options for modern TV, VGA, Possibly even HDMI output
• Options around floppy disk drives and modern alternatives.
• Rom Upgrades

As I get to each stage I'll create a sperate blog post to document my journey.