BBC Micro
I
n one of life’s cruel jokes, the most recognisable machine that Acorn
Computers ever released didn’t bear the Acorn name – instead carrying the
branding of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The computer had been
designed for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, and beat machines from five other
companies to win the tender. The state broadcaster supported its chosen computer
with the television show The Computer Programme and successor shows such as
Micro Live. Additionally, educational materials were produced including a range of
games that tied into TV serials such as Through The Dragon’s Eye. As a result, the
computer was a common sight in UK schools throughout the Eighties and Nineties.
Though it wasn’t as popular as the cheaper 8-bit micros for home users, it still hosted
some excellent games over the years.
The BBC Micro was initially released in two models, the cheaper Model A and more
capable Model B. Both were externally similar – the BBC was a big, bulky machine as
wide and deep as a Commodore 64, but 14cm longer and twice as heavy. The machine
was distinguished by its black keyboard and red row of function keys, as well as a cream
case that has proven unfortunately prone to yellowing over the years. MANUFACTURER: Acorn Computers YEAR: 19 81 COST: £235 (Model A)/£335 (Model B) (launch), £75+ (today)PROCESSOR: MOS TECHNOLOGY 6502A CPU 2MHZ
RAM: 32KB SHARED RAM
GRAPHICS: MOTOROLA 6845, EIGHT MODE S FROM 640X256
TWO COLOURS TO 160X256 EIGHT COLOURS
AUDIO: TI SN76489, THREE SQUARE WAVE
CHANNELS PLUS ONE NOISE CHANNEL
OPERATING SYSTEM: 6KB MACHINE
OPERATING SYSTEM ROM
MEDIA: CASSETTE, OPTIONAL 5.25INCH
FLOPPY DISK INTERFACE, OPTIONAL
HARD DISK INTERFACEBBC Micro
fact
QWith the use of the BBC Micro Teletext Adapter, it was possible
for users to download ‘telesoftware’ through the BBC’s Ceefax
service from 1983 until the transmissions ended in 1989.