BBC Micro

An original model BBC Micro.

The BBC Microcomputer System, typically shortened to BBC Micro, is a series of 8-bit personal computers designed and built by Acorn Computers and first released in December 1981. The computer was originally to be called the Acorn Proton, and upgrade of the earlier Acorn Atom, but, after winning the BBC's Computer Literacy Project competition of creating an affordable educational computer, it was rebranded for the BBC. The BBC then produced several television programs about the computer which lead to a great deal of additional sales for Acorn, particularly by schools which led to many UK students of the 1980s growing up on BBC Micros. The computer also helped bring about the ARM family of CPUs. The computer was followed up by the BBC Master and the Acorn Archimedes.

The original computer uses a MOS 6502A CPU clocked at 2 MHz, the GPU uses a Motorola 6845 for graphics and a Mullard SAA5050 for text, and the APU uses a Texas Instruments SN76489. The cheaper Model A shipped with 16 KB of RAM, the model B had 32 KB. The computer booted into BBC BASIC and could run Acorn MOS. With the Z80 Second processor add-on, it could run CP/M.

Personal

Being from the States, I had never heard of the BBC Micro growing up. I first learned about it in my 20s while researching older computers and was surprised to see that the BBC had released a computer. I tried some of the games for the platform and found them lacking, so I haven't bothered doing much else with it since.

Models

• BBC Micro A
• BBC Micro B
• BBC Micro B+64
• BBC Micro B+128

Hardware

• BBC Cassette Drive - Used standard audio cassettes to store data.
• BBC Disk Drive - An 5.25" floppy disk drive drive.
• Winchester disk system - A hard drive.
• 6502 Second Processor
• Z80 Second processor
• 32016 Second Processor

Software

Applications

• BBC BASIC
• Altair DOS
• CP/M

Games

See all BBC Micro Games.

Media

Hardware

• 

  Models A and B had the same case.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - User's Guide - Model A-B.

• 

  Manual - User's Guide - Model B+.

• 

  The Advanced User Guide for the BBC Micro.

• 

  The Advanced BASIC ROM User Guide for the BBC Micro.

• More manuals

Links

   

• virtual.bbcmic.ro - Virtual BBC Micro.
• clp.bbcrewind.co.uk/beeb - Online emulator with educational software.
• turbowarp.org/531881458 - Online emulator with games.
• bbcmic.ro - BBC Micro BASIC online emulator.