The Acorn Archimedes was a computer series of the company Acorn.

The Archimedes was characterised by at that time a speed tremendously high for home computers, which it owed to the particularly developed arm microprocessors. Further developed versions of these 32 bits RISC processors are until today particularly in the Embedded range (e.g. mobile phone and PDAs) in use.

From the speed on with 8 MHz the Archimedes expensive placed clocked and at that time about 3,500 DM practically everything in the Preisklasse to approximately 20,000 DM into the shade. Like that it was for example in various tests approximately eight times faster than a comparably fast clocked Amiga and ten times faster than a IBM-RK-compatible PC at that time.

It is furthermore worth mentioning that that, the Amiga and Atari was applicable clearly superior BBC BASIC built in the ROM to use by the possibility, Inline assembler also for serious programming. In this basic for example also the graphic user surface of the first Archimedes operating system, was ARTHUR, programmed. With the later operating system RISC OS this was then however in assembler programmed. (This statement is only causes correct. It tunes that the "“user surface program"” was programmed in BASIC, it thereby however to a great many already existing operating system functions, e.g. for the expenditure of the windows, fell back. The actual work was carried out thus already with Arthur von Assembler-Routinen, coordinated in BASIC these only.)

A PC emulator made it to let PC programs run with the speed for genuine PC possible.

The Acorn Archimedes controlled higher resolutions than the Amiga and without Interlace. With its diagram chip (VIDC) dissolutions and depths of shade could be programmed within wide limits at will, what however an accordingly flexible monitor vorraussetzte (much was the Multisync II of NEC likes). Like the Amiga the Archimedes from altogether 4096 colors could select, by which depending upon mode 2, 4, 16 or 256 could be represented at the same time. Somewhat comparable to the HAM mode of the Amiga (with that all 4096 colors were at the same time representable) did not give it with the Archimedes however.

The Archimedes controlled only a hardware Sprite (that primarily as pointers of mouse one used). Besides it did not have contrary to the Amiga diagram special chips (Blitter and copilot by) so that the development of plays was clearly more difficult. Nevertheless there were impressing plays, even conversions of Amiga plays, also with the Archimedes which were inferior to their originals in nothing. Own developments such as Zarch (on other systems than "“virus"” admits) and Conqueror, both of David Braben (elite), ran contrary to the conversions absolutely liquid.

With the sound the Archimedes the Amiga was about equal, since both used no Synthesizer, but Sampling (music) played. While the Amiga made his own DMA (direct memory access) channel available however for each audio channel and a mixing of the channels by hardware realized, the Archimedes offered only a DMA (direct memory access) channel and had the audio data up of the individual channels (up to 8) before the expenditure by software to build.

Acorns Archimedes was the first RISC computer, which was made accessible for a broad group of buyers, years before Apple PowerPC.

The first Archimedes models (A305 and A310) as well as the A3000 carried on the keyboard beside the Archimedes Logo still the signature "“British Broadcasting corporation Microcomputer system"” and had the red function keys typical for BBC computers.

Archimedes of models

• Archimedes A305 (1987), the a riser model with ARM2-CPU with 8 MHz, 512 KB RAM, was usually already rigged in Germany of the dealer on 1 MByte (whereby the A305-Schriftzug was pasted over with an A310 signature)
• Archimedes A310 (1987), like A305, only with 1 MByte RAM
• Archimedes A410, was announced (several times), was however (probably) never really available
• Archimedes A440 (1987), like A310s, but with 4 MByte RAM, ST-506 hard disk controller and a non removable disk with 20 MByte
• Archimedes A410/1 (1989), like A440, but with new (about 10% faster) MEMORY CONTROLLER MEMC1a, 1 MByte RAM and without non removable disk
• Archimedes A420/1 (1989), like A410/1, but with 2 MByte
• Archimedes A440/1 (1989), like A410/1, but with 4 MByte RAM and with a ST506-Festplatte with 53 MByte
• Archimedes A540 (1990), the first Archimedes with ARM3-CPU with 26 MHz, 4 MByte RAM (expandable on 16 MByte) and optional mathematical Koprozessor, SCSI non removable disk with 100 MByte

Following models of Acorn not Archimedes were called, are however technically as far as possible to the Archimedes identical:

• A3000 (1989), keyboard computers, similarly the Amiga 500 (and/or that BBC master 128)
• R140 (1989), like A440/1, however with a non removable disk with 60 MByte and (additionally to RISC OS) with RISCix (UNIX derivative)
• R260 (1990), like A540, but 8 MByte RAM, a SCSI non removable disk with 100 MByte, Ethernet interfaces and RISCix
• R225 (1990), like R260, but with 4 MByte RAM and without drive assemblies
• A5000 (1991), ARM3 also at the beginning of 25 MHz (with it the A540 as Topp model remained preserved), later with up to 33 MHz and optinal with mathematical Koprozessor (FPA10), first model with standard IDE CONTROLLER and 2 MByte (gross) floppy disk drive
• A3010 (1992), keyboard computer, ARM250 (processor ARM2, memory CONTROLLER MEMC1a, IO CONTROLLER IOC and diagram chip VIDC1a in a chip united), 12 MHz, 1 MT RAM, first and only "“Archimedes"” with inserted Joystick haven and TV-modulator
• A3020 (1992), like A3010, however 2 MT RAM, no Joystick haven, no TV-modulator, but with eingabutem IDE CONTROLLER and optional non removable disk
• A4000 (1992), particularly for the British schools conceived "“intermediate thing"” between A3020 and A5000, like the A5000 with set off keyboard, but technically on the conditions of the A3020 (ARM250, 12 MHz)
• A4 (1992), the Notebook, the forerunner of the A5000 was technically seen which to 4 MByte RAM (although it came only to it on the market), with ARM3 (24 MHz), and a gray tone display with 640x480 pixels, the housing was identical to the milling station of triumph eagle and the S20 von Olivetti (to the time was Acorn to 79% in the possession of Olivetti). It did not have an inserted showing equipment such as TRACK ball or Touchpad.

Successors were the Risc PC von Acorn.

Related links

• http://www.heimcomputer.de/comp/archimedes3010.html
• http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~peterr/dokus/museum/liste.htm

Articles in category "Acorn Archimedes"

We found here 21 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 6 related websites.

• Acorn Archimedes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  By the early 1990s however, the UK educational market which had been Acorn's perennial "cash cow" was beginning to turn away from the Archimedes. ...


• OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum
  The Acorn Archimedes A3000 was replaced by the Acorn A3010 and A3020, two simililar but slightly different models, aimed at the home and educational markets ...


• Old-Computers.com: Acorn Archimedes
  Specification for the A305, A310, A410, A420, A440, and A540, along with links.


• Open Directory - Computers: Systems: Acorn: Archimedes
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• Red Squirrel
  The official site of the Red Squirrel Acorn Archimedes Emulator. ... Red Squirrel Acorn Archimedes Emulator. This website can only be displayed of your ...


• Wocki's Acorn-Site
  A site about Acorn Emulation and the home of ArcDisc. Upgrades for Virtual A5000 (VirtualAcorn). A mass of downloads for your Acorn emulator.