Acorn Risc PC Technical Reference Manual
The Acorn Risc PC Technical Reference Manual (Acorn part number 0497,057, ISBN 1 85250 144 8, Issue 1, September 1994) is Acorn's hardware reference for the Acorn Risc PC 600 and Acorn Risc PC 700. Unlike Acorn's module-level service manuals, this is a full technical reference: it documents the machine down to individual component values and chip pinouts.
What it contains
[edit | edit source]- Part 1 — System description: the CPU and control subsystem (the manual covers the ARM610 and ARM700 processor cards), the memory system, the video and audio system built on VIDC20, peripheral control via the SMC FDC37C665 "Combo" controller, and the expansion and I/O system built on IOMD.
- Part 2 — Interface specifications: keyboard and mouse, serial port, parallel port, video system, audio system, the OPEN Bus, DRAM SIMMs, VRAM, the floppy drive interface, the IDE hard disc interface, and the complete links, plugs and sockets table. These sections carry the signal timings, voltage levels and connector pinouts.
- Part 3 — Parts lists: the main PCB assembly parts list with every capacitor and resistor designator and value, the 2-way and 4-way backplane parts lists, the 2 MB, 5 MB and 9 MB hard disc final assembly parts lists, the ARM610 processor card parts list, and the 1 MB and 2 MB VRAM card parts lists.
- Appendix A — the Power On Self Test.
- Appendix B — monitor adaptor cables.
- Appendix C — engineering drawings and schematics.
- Appendix D — system chipset pinouts.
- Appendix E — mechanical and electrical data.
- Appended in full: Acorn Guidelines for Safety Testing, the Acorn Network Card Mk II Specification, and the Acorn Enhanced Expansion Card Specification (part number 0472,200).
What it does not contain
[edit | edit source]It is a hardware reference, not a service manual: there are no fault-diagnosis flowcharts, no functional test suite and no disassembly procedures. It does not document the power supply unit internally. Part 3 contains a parts list for the ARM610 processor card only — there is no equivalent list for the ARM700/ARM710 card fitted to the Risc PC 700. It does not cover the StrongARM upgrade, the later Risc PC models, or RISC OS beyond the hardware interface; the operating system is covered in the RISC OS 3 Programmer's Reference Manual and its version 3.5 supplement, neither of which is included here.
Download the Acorn Risc PC Technical Reference Manual here: Acorn Risc PC Technical Reference Manual.pdf