Company Profile: Alpha Microsystems (Santa Ana, CA)

The AM100 was an early 16-bit microcomputer with a CPU based on the design of, but not compatible with, the DEC LSI-11. It was highly expandable and could be used in multiuser environments with enough memory and disk storage. The company is still in business, and it proudly claims the AM100 as the world’s first multiuser, multitasking microcomputer.

The AM-500 series worked as standalone PCs or as terminals on a multiuser network. Units with a 10MB hard disk drive were labeled the AM-510.

The AM-1000 series was primarily a line of multiuser systems based on the 68000 CPU and Alpha Micro’s AMOS operating system. CP/M was also available as an option.

Alpha Microsystems AM100 (early micro)
Base Configuration: WD16 CPU, S-100 bus, 16K RAM
Important Options: 8-inch floppy disk drive, hard disk drive, monochrome monitor

Alpha Microsystems AM-500 Series (1984, PC-compatible desktop)
Base Configuration: 8088 CPU, MS-DOS 2.1, four ISA slots, 128K RAM, dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, monochrome or color CRT display, keyboard/keypad, two serial and a parallel port, GW-BASIC
Important Options: 10MB hard disk drive

Alpha Microsystems AM-1021 (May 1981, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8-inch floppy disk drive, hard disk drive

Alpha Microsystems AM-1031 (multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8-inch floppy disk drive, 10MB hard disk drive

Alpha Microsystems AM-1041 (May 1981, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8-inch floppy disk drive, hard disk drive

Alpha Microsystems AM-1051 (multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8-inch floppy disk drive, 90MB hard disk drive

Alpha Microsystems AM-1000

Alpha Microsystems AM-1000 (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 68000 CPU, 128K RAM (384K max), 10MB hard disk drive, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, video cassette interface, four serial and one parallel ports. AMOS/L
Users Supported: 7
Size and Weight: 6.5h x 20.25w x 15d inches, 23 lbs.
Important Options: 20MB hard disk drive, AM-1003 board

Alpha Microsystems AM-1000E (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 68000 CPU, 256K RAM (512K max), 30MB hard disk drive, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, video cassette interface, three serial ports, AMOS/L
Users Supported: 7
Size and Weight: 6.5h x 20.25w x 15d inches, 25 lbs.
Important Options: 10MB, 20MB, or 30MB hard disk drive; AM-1003 board

Alpha Microsystems AM-1042E (left) and AM-1072 (right)

Alpha Microsystems AM-1042E (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8MHz 68000 CPU, 512K RAM (3MB max), 60MB hard disk drive, 20MB tape drive, AMOS/L
Users Supported: 26
Size and Weight: 10.5h x 19w x 30d inches
Important Options: VCR interface, AM-330 board

Alpha Microsystems AM-1072 (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8MHz 68000 CPU, 512K RAM (4MB max), 70MB hard disk drive, 20MB tape drive, AMOS/L
Users Supported: 40
Size and Weight: 29h x 21.62w x 36d inches

Alpha Microsystems AM-1082

Alpha Microsystems AM-1082 (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8MHz 68000 CPU, 512K RAM (4MB max), 140MB hard disk drive, tape drive, AMOS/L
Users Supported: 40
Size and Weight: 50.25h x 21.62w x 36d inches
Important Options: VCR interface, AM-330 board

Alpha Microsystems AM-1092 (1983, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 8MHz 68000 CPU, 512K RAM (4MB max), 400MB hard disk drive, tape drive, AMOS/L
Users Supported: 40
Size and Weight: 50.25h x 21.62w x 36d inches
Important Options: VCR interface, AM-330 board

Alpha Microsystems AM-1172 (July 1984, multiuser system)
Base Configuration: 68010 CPU, 1MB RAM (4MB max), 70MB hard disk drive, UNIX System V
Users Supported: 16

Literature:

1983 alpha micro am-1000 brochure
1983 alpha micro am-1042e brochure

Company Profile: Albert Computers Inc. (Thousand Oaks, CA)

The Albert was unusual looking for an Apple IIe clone. It was a two-piece design with what the company called “stereo” styling. The company hedged its bets by offering a Z80 option for anyone wishing to use CP/M, and later sold multi-processor systems that could run AppleDOS, CP/M, or MS-DOS.
The company later developed other Albert models. The Albert Express appears similar to the original model. The Albert Executive and Alfred Professional Executive (Profex) offered more expansion options.

A portable version of the Profex was also available. It offered offered Z80 and 8088 coprocessor options for running CP/M and MS-DOS software, respectively. It could operate on batteries or AC power. The Albert Pup was a low-cost, entry-level model.

Model: Albert Computers Albert (April 1983, Apple II-class desktop)
Original Retail Price: $1,595 Base Configuration: 6502 CPU; AppleDOS 3.3 and Coyotesoft OS; 64K RAM (192K max); five Apple-compatible expansion slots; RGB video port; keyboard; RS-232, RS-422/432, parallel, microphone, and game ports, application suite
Video: 24-line x 40-column text, 280 x 192 graphics, 16 colors
Important Options: Z80 coprocessor, joysticks, 12-inch monitor

Albert Computers Albert Express (1983,  Apple IIe-compatible desktop)
Original Retail Price: $695
Base Configuration: 6502 and Z80 CPUs, Coyotesoft operating system, 64K RAM, RGB port, keyboard
Video: 256 colors
Important Options: 12-inch CRT display

Albert Computers Executive (1983, Apple IIe-compatible desktop)
Base Configuration: 6502 and Z80 CPUs, Coyotesoft operating system, 64K RAM, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, RGB port, keyboard
Video: 256 colors
Important Options: 12MB hard disk drive, 12-inch monitor

Albert Computers Albert Professional Executive (Profex) (1983, Apple IIe-compatible desktop)
Base Configuration: 6502, Z80, or 8088 CPU; Coyotesoft operating system; 64K RAM; 5.25-inch floppy disk drive; RGB video port; keyboard
Video: 256 colors
Important Options: 54MB hard disk drive, 12-inch RGB or composite monitor, Savvy database software

Albert Computers Albert Pup (1983, Apple IIe-compatible desktop)
Original Retail Price: $499
Base Configuration: 6502 CPU, Coyotesoft operating system, eight Apple-compatible slots, 64K RAM (256K max), keyboard
Important Options: Z80 coprocessor; CP/M or MS-DOS; 12-inch CRT display; color upgrade; serial, parallel, microphone, and game ports; modem; printer

Albert Computers Albert Profex Portable (1984?, Apple IIe-compatible transportable)
Base Configuration: 6502, Z80, or 8088 CPU; Coyotesoft operating system; 192K RAM; 5.25-inch floppy disk drive; RGB and NTSC interfaces; keyboard; RS-232, RS-422/423, and parallel ports
Video: 256 colors
Important Options: CP/M or MS-DOS, 54MB hard disk drive, 12-inch RGB or composite CRT display, Savvy database software

Literature:

1983 albert apple clone brochure

Company Profile: Acorn Computers Ltd. (Cambridge, UK)

Acorn would become one of England’s and Europe’s leading PC makers. Its earliest computers in the late 1970s were single-board trainers and Eurocard-based rack-mount systems designed for industrial and scientific applications. The System 3, for example, was an enhanced version of Acorn’s 6502-driven System 1 computer trainer with a floppy disk drive and greater memory capacity in a desktop enclosure. A larger System 4 offered 14 slots and dual floppy drives, and the System 5 improved on the performance of the earlier versions.
Those early systems led to Acorn’s first consumer-oriented computer, the Atom. It had better graphics capability than many of its competitors, and the Atom enjoyed a good production run until 1983. The company eventually developed a library of business, productivity, and game software for the Atom. Few were sold in the U.S., and although they are collected domestically, Atoms are more popular today in Europe.
In the early 1980s, Acorn had a U.S. subsidiary based in Massachusetts that sold to the North American market. The first system it sold was Acorn’s BBC Microcomputer. The BBC got its name from the British Broadcasting Corporation, from which Acorn won the right to produce the system in a bidding process. The BBC wanted a computer that participants in it TV-based Open University could use. For a low-cost computer, the BBC was unusual in that it was a multi-processor system; you could have in essence two computers that share common resources running in the same box. Acorn sold the BBC in two versions: The Model A came standard with 16K RAM, while the Model B had 32K RAM,  better text and graphics capabilities, and RS-423, parallel, RGB, and I/O ports. Clearly, the Model B is the more desireable machine, and some were sold configured for the North American market starting in 1983. Acorn briefly offered a Model B+ in 1984 shortly before launching the BBC Master. The Model B+ had 64K RAM and a double-density floppy disk drive. Brits referred to the BBC as the “Beeb.”
The BBC Master replaced the BBC Model B in Acorn’s line in 1986. The series also included the BBC Master Turbo, which had a second 65C02 running at 4MHz, and the floppy-disk-based BBC Master 512, which had an 80186 coprocessor and 512K RAM. A Master Compact had similar specification in a smaller design.
In 1983, Acorn decided it needed an entry-level system and introduced the Electron. It wasn’t much computer in its base configuration, but owners could buy expansion upgrades to achieve a system comparable to the BBC Model B, on which the Electron’s design was based. Fully expanded and well-preserved Electrons bring a premium price especially in the U.K.
While Acorn was getting a foothold in the consumer computer market, it hadn’t forgotten the business user. Its Business Computer series, introduced in 1984, included seven models plus a terminal configuration. The Model PA (Personal Assistant) was the base configuration. Models 100 and 110 had a Z80 coprocessor running CP/M. Models 200 and 210 used a 32016 coprocessor running Xenix, and Models 300 and 310 used an 80286 coprocessor running CP/M, MS-DOS, or PC-DOS. The Business Computer internals were based on the BBC Model B+, and examples are scarce today.
Perhaps what Acorn is best known for today is not its computers, but its ARM series of RISC-based microprocessors. Acorn skipped straight from the 8-bit 6502 processors to the 32-bit ARM 2 CPU, which it developed, with the Archimedes line. In the process, the company leapfrogged many of its competitors in terms of pure processing power. The two models in the series were the Archimedes 305 with 512K RAM standard and the Archimedes 310 with 1MB RAM standard. A professional-class Archimedes 400 series was much like the 300, but with two more expansion slots and Acorn’s Econet networking capability built in. It also had hard drive options and greater memory capacity.

Model: Acorn System 3 (1979, early micro)
Base Configuration: 6502 CPU, DOS in ROM, four Eurocard slots, 8K RAM (32K max), 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, video and keyboard interfaces, BASIC in ROM

Model: Acorn System 5 (1979, early micro)
Base Configuration: 2MHz 6502 CPU, seven Eurocard slots, 32K RAM, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, video and keyboard interfaces
Important Options: Versatile Interface card, Econet Interface card, ASCII keyboard, monochrome or color monitor, second floppy drive

Model: Acorn Atom (1979, home computer)
Original Retail Price: £120 to £200 kit, £150 to £250 assembled
Base Configuration: 1MHz 6502A CPU; CUTS cassette routines; Eurocard slot; 2K RAM (40K max), 8K ROM (16K max); integral keyboard; serial, parallel, and PAL TV ports; Atom BASIC and assembler; manual; AC adapter; three-voice sound Video: 256 x 192 graphics Size/Weight: 15 x 9.5 x 2.5 inches
Important Options: DOS, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, cassette recorder, color graphics card, word processor, GP-80 printer, Econet network interface

Model: Acorn BBC Microcomputer System Model A/Model B (Nov. 1981, desktop micro)
Original Retail Price: £299 to £399
Base Configuration: 2MHz 6502 CPU, MOS (Machine Operating System), extension bus, 16K or 32K RAM per CPU (64K max), 16K ROM, IEEE-488 and PAL TV interfaces, integral keyboard, BBC BASIC in ROM, user guide
Video: 32-line x 40-column text, 320 x 256 graphics (Model A)/32-line x 80-column text, 640 x 256 graphics (Model B)
Size/Weight: 16 x 13.5 x 2.5 inches
Important Options: 6502 or Z80 coprocessor, CP/M 2.2, cassette recorder, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, monochrome or color CRT display, game paddles, Videotext terminal, Econet network interface, voice synthesizer

Model: Acorn BBC Master 128/BBC Master Turbo/BBC Master 512 (Jan. 1986, home computer)
Base Configuration: 2MHz 65C02 CPU, 4MHz 65C02 coprocessor (BBC Master Turbo)/8MHz 80186 coprocessor (BBC Master 512), ADFS, 128K RAM (512K max), 64K ROM, floppy disk drive (BBC Master 512)

Model: Acorn Electron (Aug. 1983, home computer)
Base Configuration: 2MHz 6502 CPU; 32K RAM; 32K ROM; RGB, composite, and TV video ports; integral keyboard; game and cassette ports
Video: 32-line x 80 column text, 640 x 256 graphics, eight colors
Important Options: external 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, RS-232 and parallel interfaces, EPROM programmer

Model: Acorn Business Computer Series (1984, desktop)
Base Configuration: 2MHz 6502 CPU, operating system in ROM, 64K RAM (4MB max)
Important Options: Z80, 32016, 80186, or 80286 coprocessor; CP/M, Xenix, MS-DOS, or PC-DOS; 10MB hard disk drive

Model: Acorn Archimedes A300 Series (1987, desktop)
Base Configuration: ARM 2 CPU, Arthur operating system and ADFS, two expansion slots, 512K RAM (1MB max), 512K ROM
Video: 640 x 512 graphics, 256 colors

Literature:

1979- Acorn computer catalog
1979- acorn atom brochure
1982 acorn bbc microcomputer system brochure

Company Profile: Access Matrix

Access Matrix Corp. (San Jose, Calif.)
Access Matrix laid claim (questionably) that the Access was the first all-in-one portable, integrating a printer and acoustic coupler into the unit. Unfortunately, more components mean more potential points of failure. Keep this in mind if you come across one of these systems. In 1984, the company changed its name to Actrix Computer Corp. and the name of the computer to Actrix. At the same time it also offered an 8088 coprocessor option so the Actrix could run MS-DOS.

Model: Access Matrix Access (Feb. 1983, transportable)
Original Retail Price: $2,495
Base Configuration: Z80A CPU; CP/M 2.2; 64K RAM; dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives; integral 7-inch monochrome CRT; keyboard/keypad; two RS-232C, parallel, and IEEE-488 ports; MBASIC or C BASIC; application suite; integral printer and acoustic coupler; leather carrying case
Size/Weight: 16.13 x 10 x 10.75 inches, 33 lbs.
Important Options: 8088 coprocessor with MS-DOS (Actrix), battery pack

Literature:

1983_Access_Matrix_Access_Portable_Computer_brochure
1983_Access_Matrix_Access_brochure2
1984_Actrix_DS_portable_brochure

 

 

Let’s Get Started

This blog is for anyone with an interest in old tech with a particular focus on computers and related topics. Some of the material is from my book, Collectible Microcomputers.