Editing Acorn Electron (section)

===Communications and networking===
To support connectivity, Acorn announced a Plus 2 network interface with availability scheduled for early 1985, together with a RS423 cartridge for the Plus 1.<ref name="electronuser198411" /> Neither of these products were delivered as announced.

====Acorn Plus 2====
The Acorn Plus 2 interface was due to provide [[Econet]] capability.<ref name="acornuser198410">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser027-Oct84/page/n10/mode/1up |title=Electron gets microdrives in Plus 3 box |magazine=Acorn User |date=October 1984 |access-date=27 September 2020 |page=9}}</ref> This interface did not make it to market.<ref name="acornuser198606">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser047-Jun86/page/n46/mode/1up |title=Minus a Plus 2 |magazine=Acorn User |date=June 1986 |access-date=18 October 2020 |page=45}}</ref> However, an Econet interface was produced by Barson Computers in Australia<ref name="beebmaster_elknet">{{cite web |url=http://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Econet/ElkNet.html |title=Acorn Electron Econet Interface |work=BeebMaster |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> and possibly other individuals and businesses.<ref name="acornuser198606" />

====Acorn Plus 4====
The Acorn Plus 4 interface was due to provide a modem communications capability.<ref name="personalcomputernews198411">{{ cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/mag_PersonalComputerNews088-24Nov1984/page/n2/mode/1up | title=Electron wins its spurs | work=Personal Computer News | date=November 1984 | access-date=27 March 2021 | quote=The additions follow the style and numbering system of the Plus-1 printer, joystick and cartridge software interface. The disk system is the Plus-3, Econet comes with the Plus-2, and the modem connection will be the Plus-4. }}</ref>

====Andyk RS423 cartridge====
Andyk announced an RS423 cartridge for the Plus 1 providing a serial port, alongside other products, in late 1985. It was priced at £34.99.<ref name="electronuser198512" />

====Pace Tellstar/Nightingale====
Originally reported in mid-1985 as a collaboration between Acorn and Pace Micro Technology,<ref name="electronuser198508b">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronUserVolume2/Electron-User-02-11/page/n4/mode/1up | title=Communications pack opens door to world | magazine=Electron User | volume=2 | issue=11 | date=August 1985 | access-date=16 January 2021 | page=5 }}</ref> but launched in early 1986, Pace offered a communications product consisting of a RS423 cartridge, bundled with a Nightingale modem and Tellstar communications software,<ref name="electronuser198602a">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronUserVolume3/Electron-User-03-05/page/n10/mode/1up | title=Electron shall speak unto Electron... | magazine=Electron User | volume=3 | issue=5 | date=February 1986 | access-date=15 January 2021 | pages=11–13 }}</ref> retailing at around £161 but discounted to £145.<ref name="electronuser198602b">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronUserVolume3/Electron-User-03-05/page/n10/mode/1up | title=Now YOU - and your Electron - can enter the exciting, ever-changing world of telecomputing! | magazine=Electron User | volume=3 | issue=5 | date=February 1986 | access-date=15 January 2021 | page=55 }}</ref> The substantially reduced price of the Electron itself created an opportunity that Pace was "exploiting nicely" with its telecommunications bundle, described by one commentator as "a marvellous opportunity to get a cheap [[Prestel]] set in addition to your normal computer".<ref name="pcw198602_electron">{{ cite magazine | url=https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/1082/Personal-Computer-World-February-1986/ | title=Electron communications | magazine=Personal Computer World | last1=Kewney | first1=Guy | date=February 1986 | access-date=28 November 2024 | pages=84 }}</ref>

====Jafa Systems RS423 cartridge====
Jafa Systems announced an RS423 cartridge in late 1989 to "fill a two year gap in the market", offering a serial connector compatible with the BBC Micro together with an on-board socket for 8&nbsp;KB or 16&nbsp;KB EPROM devices or for 32&nbsp;KB RAM, the latter being configured to present two sideways RAM banks to the system. Write protect functionality was supported to prevent certain ROM software from attempting to overwrite itself if stored in RAM. The cartridge board itself was priced at around £30, with a case costing £5 extra, and an optional 32&nbsp;KB RAM adding another £20. Support for the E00 ADFS offered by PRES for that company's AP3 disc system was indicated as an application for the sideways RAM.<ref name="electronuser198911">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronUserVolume7/Electron-User-07-02/page/n5/mode/1up | title=Add-ons boost for Electron | magazine=Electron User | volume=7 | issue=2 | date=November 1989 | access-date=21 January 2021 | page=6 }}</ref>

====Slogger Plus 2 RS423 interface====
Slogger provided an RS423 interface as an option for its own Plus 2 expansion, announced in early 1989.<ref name="electronuser198901_slogger">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronUserVolume6/Electron-User-06-04/page/n4/mode/1up | title=Breakthrough boosts Electron's prospects | magazine=Electron User | date=January 1989 | access-date=21 November 2022 | pages=5 }}</ref>