Josh: New page: Acorn ABC 200, from Acorn's brochure, Acorn User and Chris's Acorns

2026-10-01T23:34:13Z

New page: Acorn ABC 200, from Acorn's brochure, Acorn User and Chris's Acorns

New page

{{Infobox computer
| name = Acorn ABC 200
| image = [[File:Acorn Business Computer (brochure photograph).jpg|260px|frameless]]
| caption = Acorn's brochure photograph of the ABC; all models share this case and keyboard
| manufacturer = Acorn Computers
| type = Scientific workstation (not released)
| cpu = National Semiconductor 32016 second processor; 6502-family I/O processor
| memory = 256 KB (Acorn User, 1984) or 512 KB (Wikipedia) for the 32016
| storage = Two 5.25-inch floppy drives (720 KB each)
| display = Built-in 12-inch green monochrome monitor
| os = Panos (not confirmed in writing)
| model = ABC 200
}}
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The '''Acorn ABC 200''' is the 32016 model of the Acorn Business Computer (ABC) range: a twin floppy disc machine with a National Semiconductor 32016 second processor alongside the BBC B+ based main board, a green screen, and a set of programming languages for academic and scientific work.<ref name="chris">Whytehead, Chris. [https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Computers/ABC.html "Acorn Business Computer"], Chris's Acorns, The Centre for Computing History (retrieved 2026-10-01). ABC 200: twin 5.25-inch floppy drives, 32016 second processor, ran Panos "although I have not seen this confirmed in writing", green screen, shipped with C, LISP, ISO-Pascal, Fortran 77, FORTH, BBC BASIC and assembler; listed as wanted; ABC 210 the same with a 10 MB hard disc, colour screen and 1 MB; most models said to have been rebuilt as ACWs.</ref> Acorn cancelled the range before it went on sale. Its hard disc sister, the ABC 210, was relaunched in 1985 as the Acorn Cambridge Workstation; no surviving ABC 200 is recorded by Chris Whytehead, who lists it as wanted.<ref name="chris" /><ref name="wp">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Business_Computer "Acorn Business Computer"], Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-10-01). Cancellation before shipping; ABC 210 relaunched as the Acorn Cambridge Workstation in July 1985; ABC 200 listed with 512 KB, an 8 or 10 MHz memory bus for the second processor, twin 720 KB drives and a monochrome monitor; no price given.</ref>

== Specification ==

Acorn's brochure lists the ABC 200 with a "32016 main processor", twin 720 KB disc drives, Econet and a range of programming languages, describing it as "essentially a data processing tool" with languages "of the type normally associated with mainframe computers": C, LISP, ISO-Pascal, Fortran 77, FORTH, BBC BASIC and an assembler.<ref name="br">Acorn Computers, brochure "The Acorn Business Computer", APP01. Hosted on this wiki: [[:File:Acorn Business Computer brochure (APP01).pdf]]. Page 3 (ABC 200 and 210 descriptions) and page 4 (model specifications).</ref>

The sources disagree on memory. Acorn User reported in October 1984 that the 32016 models would have 256 KB as standard, with C, Modula-2 and Pascal among the languages and Xenix supplied with the hard disc ABC 210;<ref name="au84">"New Acorn micro", ''Acorn User'', October 1984, pp. 7 and 9. [https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/AU/AU_Oct84_NewAcornMicro.pdf Scan] via Chris's Acorns. ABC 200 and 210 described as "academic workstations" with the 32016; standard RAM 256 KB; languages including C, Modula-2 and Pascal; Xenix with the Winchester on the 210.</ref> Wikipedia lists the ABC 200 with 512 KB.<ref name="wp" /> Chris Whytehead believes it ran Panos, Acorn's operating system for the 32016 second processor, but has not seen this confirmed in writing.<ref name="chris" />

The 32016 processor, its Pandora firmware and Panos are described on [[Acorn 32016 Second Processor]]. Acorn's 32016 second processor was offered with 256 KB at first, and Practical Computing reported in 1985 that the shipping software needed at least 512 KB.<ref name="pc85">Cullis, Roger. "Cambridge 32016 Co-Processor: BBC mainframe add-on", ''Practical Computing'', October 1985. [https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PC/PC_Oct85_32016.pdf Scan] via Chris's Acorns. The software needed a minimum of 512 KB, so only 512 KB and 1 MB versions were to be sold.</ref>

== Construction and service ==

The ABC 200 uses the common ABC case, with the 32016 card in a side wing and the main board under the hinged monitor chassis.<ref name="pcw">"Acorn ABC 310", ''Personal Computer World'', vol. 8 no. 4, April 1985. [https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PCW/PCW_Apr85_ABC310.pdf Scan] via Chris's Acorns. Construction of the ABC case; uncased monitor electronics holding a high voltage after switch-off.</ref> The construction, the keyboard's Tube switch and the related Acorn service documents are described on [[Acorn ABC110#Construction]]. Acorn's service manual for the Cambridge Workstation, the production version of the ABC 210 in the same case, covers a later 4 MB 32016 board, the power supply and the monitor.<ref name="acwsm">Acorn Computers, ''ACW 443 Service Manual'', reference 0420,001, issue 1, January 1987. [https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/Manuals/Acorn_ACW_SM.pdf PDF] via Chris's Acorns.</ref>

Warning: the monitor electronics inside the case are uncased and hold a high voltage after switch-off.<ref name="pcw" /> See [[CRT Discharge Procedure]].

== Related pages ==

* [[Acorn ABC100]]
* [[Acorn ABC110]]
* [[Acorn 32016 Second Processor]]
* [[Acorn Business Computer Documentation]]

== References ==

<references />

{{Navbox-AcornComputers|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Acorn Computers]]

Acorn ABC200 - Revision history

Josh: New page: Acorn ABC 200, from Acorn's brochure, Acorn User and Chris's Acorns