Upper board, featuring keypad and LED display.
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| Developer | Acorn Computers |
|---|---|
| Type | 8-bit semi-professional |
| Release date | March 1979 |
| Introductory price | £65 (kit), £75 (assembled) |
| CPU | 6502 @ 1MHz |
| Memory | 1.125K |
| Storage | CUTS cassette tape interface |
| Display | LED |
| Graphics | - |
| Sound | - |
| Input | 25-key keypad |
| Controller input | - |
| Connectivity | INS8154 RAMIO Expansion chip (optional), CUTS cassette tape interface, socket for optional additional ROM/EPROM |
| Power | 7.5V+ from external PSU through onboard 5V regulator |
| Dimensions | 160 x 100mm two stacked boards |
| Successor | Acorn System 2, Acorn Atom |
The Acorn System 1, initially called the Acorn Microcomputer (Micro-Computer), was an early 8-bit microcomputer for hobbyists, based on the MOS 6502 CPU, and produced by British company Acorn Computers from 1979.
The main parts of the system were designed by then-Cambridge-undergraduate student Sophie Wilson., with a cassette interface design by Steve Furber. It was Acorn's first product, and was based on an automated cow feeder.
It was a small machine built on two Eurocard-standard circuit boards and it could be purchased ready-built or in kit form.
Main Components (left to right)
Almost all CPU signals were accessible via the standard Eurocard connector on the right-hand side of the board. This connector was not fitted/supplied as standard with the kit version.
The System 1 front board was used as the control panel for the fictional computer Slave in the 1981 series of the BBC science-fiction series Blake's 7.