Editing Acorn Atom

{{Short description|Acorn Computers home computer, 1980–1982}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = Acorn Atom
| image = Acorn atom zx1.jpg
| caption = The Atom was [[Acorn Computers Ltd|Acorn's]] first computer to be aimed squarely at the home market.
| manufacturer = [[Acorn Computers Ltd|Acorn Computers]]
| type = Personal Computer
| releasedate = {{Start date and age|1980|03}}
| discontinued = {{End date|1982}}
| price = £120 (in kit form), £170 (assembled)
| connectivity = 
| lifespan = 
| unitssold = 
| media = 100KB 5¼-inch [[floppy disk]]s, [[Cassette tape]]s
| os = <!-- operating system -->
| input = [[Computer keyboard|Keyboard]]
| camera = 
| power = 8[[volt|V]], 1.5[[ampere|A]] unregulated [[direct current|DC]], 5V regulated inside.
| cpu = 1 MHz [[MOS Technology 6502]]
| storage = 
| memory = 2&nbsp;KB [[Random-access memory|RAM]] (expandable to 12&nbsp;KB), 8&nbsp;KB [[Read-only memory|ROM]] (expandable to 12&nbsp;KB)
| display = 64×64 (4 colours), 64×96 (4 colours), 128×96 (monochrome), 64×192 (4 colours), 128×192 (2 colours), 256×192 (monochrome)
| sound = 1 channel, internal loudspeaker
| service = <!-- online service/s offered -->
| dimensions = 381×241×64&nbsp;[[millimetre|mm]]
| weight = 
| touchpad = 
| predecessor = [[Acorn System 3]]
| successor = [[BBC Micro]]
| related = 
}}

The '''Acorn Atom''' is a [[home computer]] made by [[Acorn Computers Ltd]] from 1980 to 1982,<ref>[https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8412070/acorn-atom-computer-kit-form-microcomputer Acorn Atom computer], [[Science Museum Group]]. Object collection number Y2002.13</ref>  when it was replaced by the [[BBC Micro]]. The BBC Micro began life as an upgrade to the Atom, originally known as the Proton.

The Atom was a progression of the [[MOS Technology 6502]]-based machines that the company had been making from 1979. The Atom was a cut-down [[Acorn System 3]] without a disk drive but with an integral keyboard and cassette tape interface, sold in either kit or complete form. In 1980 it was priced between [[GBP|£]]120 in [[Electronic kit|kit]] form, £170 ({{Inflation|UK|170|1980|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) ready assembled, to over £200 for the fully expanded version with 12&nbsp;[[kilobyte|KB]] of RAM and the floating-point extension ROM.<ref name=chrisacorns>{{cite web|url=https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Computers/AtomComputers.html|last=Whytehead|first=Chris|title=Acorn Atom Computers|website=Chris's Acorns|publisher=The Centre for Computing History|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119184958/http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Computers/AtomComputers.html|archive-date=19 November 2022|access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref>

== Hardware ==

The minimum Atom had 2&nbsp;KB of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] and 8&nbsp;KB of [[Read-only memory|ROM]], with the maximum specification machine having 12&nbsp;KB of each.  An additional [[floating-point arithmetic|floating-point]] ROM was also available.  The 2&nbsp;KB of RAM was divided between 1&nbsp;KB of Block Zero RAM (including the 256 bytes of "[[MOS Technology 6502#Addressing|zero page]]") and 512 bytes for the screen (text mode) and only 512 bytes for programs<ref>{{Cite web|title=ATOM TECHNICAL MANUAL|url=https://www.acornatom.nl/atom_handleidingen/atap/atap02.html|access-date=2022-02-09|website=www.acornatom.nl}}</ref> (presumably in text mode, mode 0, and graphics not available), i.e. written in the [[BASIC]] language.  When expanded up to a total of 12&nbsp;KB RAM, the split is 1&nbsp;KB, 5&nbsp;KB for programs, and up to 6&nbsp;KB for the high-resolution graphics (the screen memory could be expanded independently from the lower part of the address space<ref>{{Cite web|title=EXPANDING THE ATOM|url=http://www.acornatom.nl/atom_handleidingen/atm/atm_06.htm|access-date=2022-02-09|website=www.acornatom.nl}}</ref>). If the high-resolution graphics were not required then up to 5½&nbsp;KB of the upper memory could additionally be used for program storage.  The first 1&nbsp;KB, i.e. Block Zero, was used by the CPU for stack storage, by the OS, and by the Atom BASIC for storage of the 27 variables.

It had an [[MC6847]] Video Display Generator (VDG) [[Video Display Controller|video chip]], allowing for both text and graphics modes. It could be connected to a TV or modified to output to a video monitor. Basic video memory was 1&nbsp;KB but could be expanded to 6&nbsp;KB. Since the MC6847 could only output at 60&nbsp;Hz, meaning that the video could not be resolved on a large proportion of European TV sets, a 50&nbsp;Hz [[PAL]] colour card was later made available. Six video modes were available, with resolutions from 64×64 in 4 colours, up to 256×192 in monochrome.  At the time, 256×192 was considered to be high resolution.

The case was designed by industrial designer [[Allen Boothroyd]] of Cambridge Product Design Ltd.

== Software ==

It had a built-in minor variation of [[Acorn System BASIC]], a fast but idiosyncratic version of the [[BASIC programming language]] developed by [[Sophie Wilson]], which included indirection operators (similar to [[PEEK and POKE]]) for bytes and words (of 4 bytes each); the use of a semi-colon to separate statements on the same line of code (instead of the colon used by most if not all other versions of BASIC); and the option of labels rather than line numbers for GOTO and GOSUB commands. [[Assembly language|Assembly code]] could be included within a BASIC program, because the [[BASIC interpreter]] also contained an [[Assembly language#Assembler|assembler]] for the 6502 assembly language which assembled the inline code during program execution and then executed it. This was unusual.

String handling was based on arrays of characters. A byte vector {{code|A()}} to {{code|Z()}} could be {{mono|DIM}}ensioned and then referred to with the string operator {{code|$A}} to be treated as a string. This sample program, adapted from ''Atomic Theory and Practice'', demonstrates some of Atom BASIC's peculiarities:

<syntaxhighlight lang="basic">
    1 REM Encoder/Decoder
   10 S=TOP; ?12=0
   20 INPUT'"CODE NUMBER"T; REM Use code number to seed random number generator
   30 !8=ABS(T)
   40 INPUT'$S
   50 FOR P=S TO S+LEN(S); REM For each character, if it is a letter add the next random number to it, modulo 26.
   60 IF ?P<#41 GOTO 100
   70 R=ABS(RND)%26
   80 IF T<0 THEN R=26-R
   90 ?P=(?P-#41+R)%26+#41
  100 NEXT P
  110 PRINT $S
  120 GOTO 40
</syntaxhighlight>

In late 1982, Acorn released an upgrade board for the Atom which allowed users to switch between Atom BASIC and [[BBC BASIC|the more advanced "BBC BASIC"]] used by the [[BBC Micro]].<ref name="acornuser198209_bbcbasic">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser002-Sep82/page/n41/mode/1up | title=BBC BASIC for the Atom | magazine=Acorn User | date=September 1982 | access-date=28 April 2025 | pages=38 }}</ref> The upgrade was purely to the programming language; the Atom's hardware capabilities remained unchanged, and hence, contrary to some pre-release beliefs, the BBC BASIC ROM did not allow Atom users to run commercial BBC Micro software, since nearly all of it took advantage of the BBC machine's much more advanced graphics and sound hardware and greater RAM capacity. Commercial BBC Micro cassettes could not have been loaded anyway, as they ran at a transfer rate of 1200 baud and the Atom's cassette interface only supported 300 baud.

The following is the memory map for the Atom.  Shaded areas indicate those present on the minimal system.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
!Hex Address
!Contents
!Annotations
|-
|0000
| style="background:silver" | Block Zero RAM
| 1&nbsp;KB RAM
|-
|0400
|Teletext VDG RAM
| rowspan ="8"|
|-
|0800
|VDG CRT Controller
|-
|0900
|-
|0A00
|Optional FDC
|-
|0A80
|-
|1000
|Peripherals space
|-
|2000
|Catalogue buffer
|-
|2200
|Sequential File buffers
|-
|2800
|Floating-point variables
| rowspan="2"|Internal RAM<br />5&nbsp;KB max.
|-
|2900
|Extension Text space RAM
|-
|3C00
|Off-board Extension RAM
|-
|8000
| style="background:silver" |8000-81FF for mode 0 (512 bytes text)
| rowspan="5"|Video and<br />BASIC RAM<br />6&nbsp;KB max.
|-
|
| style="background:silver" |8000-83FF for mode 1 (1&nbsp;KB graphics)
|-
|
|8000-85FF for mode 2 (1.5&nbsp;KB graphics)
|-
|
|8000-8BFF for mode 3 (3&nbsp;KB graphics)
|-
|
|8000-97FF for mode 4 (6&nbsp;KB graphics)
|-
|9800
|
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|A000
|Optional Utility ROM
|-
|B000
| style="background:silver" |PPIA I/O Device
|-
|B800
|Optional VIA I/O Device for Printer Interface
|-
|C000
|style="background:silver"|ATOM BASIC Interpreter
|4&nbsp;KB ROM
|-
|D000
|Optional Extension ROM
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|E000
|Optional Disk Operating System
|-
|rowspan="2"|F000
|style="background:silver"|Assembler
|rowspan="2"|4&nbsp;KB ROM
|-
|style="background:silver"|Cassette Operating System
|}

The manual for the Atom was called [[Atomic Theory and Practice]] and was written by [[David Johnson-Davies]], subsequently Managing Director of [[Acornsoft]].

The Acorn [[local area network|LAN]], [[Econet]], was first configured on the Atom.<ref name="pcn19830831_atom">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Personal-Computer-News/PersonalComputerNews025-31Aug1983/page/n28/mode/1up | title=Adieu Atom | magazine=Personal Computer News | date=25 August 1983 | access-date=23 October 2021 | last1=Wheelwright | first1=Geof | pages=27 }}</ref>

== Specifications ==

* [[Central processing unit|CPU]]: [[MOS Technology 6502]]
* Speed: 1&nbsp;MHz
* [[Random-access memory|RAM]]: 2&nbsp;KB, expandable to 12&nbsp;KB
* [[Read-only memory|ROM]]: 8&nbsp;KB, expandable to 12&nbsp;KB with various Acorn and 3rd party ROMs
* Sound: 1 channel, integral loudspeaker
* Size: 381×241×64&nbsp;mm
* I/O Ports: Computer Users' Tape Standard ([[Kansas City standard#CUTS|CUTS]]) interface, TV connector, [[Centronics]] parallel printer
* Storage: [[Kansas City standard]] audio cassette interface
* Power: standard 2.1&nbsp;mm power jack connector for 8 volts unregulated DC, providing 5 volts regulated inside the Atom

The Acorn 8V power supply was only rated to 1.5 amps, which was not enough for an Atom with fully populated RAM sockets. The Atom's two internal LM7805 regulators (each regulating the +5V for a section of the digital logic independently) also got uncomfortably hot. Therefore, some Atom enthusiasts removed and bypassed the internal regulators and powered their Atoms from an external 5V regulated power supply.{{who|date=August 2020}} Three amps were typically needed for a fully populated Atom.

There has never been a ''de facto'' standard for external 5V connections, but using the same 7-pin [[DIN connector]]s as the Atari 800XL allowed an Atari 5V linear power supply to drive an Atom, so long as the current was less than the Atari PSU rating (1 or 1.5 amps, depending on the model). These are now uncommon, but 5V [[wall-wart]] switch-mode power supplies capable of supplying several amps are a readily and cheaply available alternative.

== Variants and applications ==

The Atom was incorporated into a "complete dedicated spreadsheet system" known as the Prophet by a company called Busicomputers, with the second edition of this product, the Prophet 2,<ref name="chris_prophet2">{{ cite web | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Computers/Busicomputers_Prophet2.html | title=Busicomputers Prophet 2 | website=Chris's Acorns | date=2 May 2014 | access-date=30 August 2022 }}</ref> consisting of a modified Atom, Ferguson 12-inch black-and-white television, and a Pearlcorder microcassette recorder, all housed in a "robust metal case". Powered by a single mains plug, the system was effectively a "turnkey" solution, emphasising the built-in spreadsheet as its primary function. Although regarded as worth considering as an "inexpensive way of obtaining a sound and reasonably well-presented spreadsheet system", being priced at £795 plus VAT, the use of cassette storage to reduce the system's cost was regarded as impacting its usability, with the slow data transfer rate causing waits of 30 minutes or more to save spreadsheet data and limiting the effective storage capacity of the microcassettes, whereas more expensive disk-based systems would be able to transfer similar volumes of data in a matter of seconds and store tens of spreadsheets on each disk.<ref name="pcw198303_prophet">{{ cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerWorld1983-03/page/124/mode/2up | title=Prophet II | work=Personal Computer World | date=March 1983 | access-date=3 October 2021 | last1=Liardet | first1=Mike | pages=124–126 }}</ref> Regarded as "low-tech" later in 1983, the Prophet II was apparently being given away to participants of one- or two-day business-related training courses, these costing £600 and £700 respectively, with this initiative considered "a nice way of moving old stock".<ref name="pcw198310_prophet">{{ cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerWorld1983-10/page/126/mode/1up | title=Prophet and loss | work=Personal Computer World | date=October 1983 | access-date=12 December 2021 | last1=Kewney | first1=Guy | pages=126 }}</ref> A subsequent model, the Prophet 3, featured a built-in floppy disk drive.<ref name="chris_prophet3">{{ cite web | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Computers/Busicomputers_Prophet3.html | title=Busicomputers Prophet 3 | website=Chris's Acorns | date=2 May 2014 | access-date=30 August 2022 }}</ref>

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}

* [https://electrickery.nl/comp/index.html Yet another computer museum - Acorn Atom]
* [http://acornatom.nl/sites/atomreview/index-uk.html The Acorn Atom Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520053205/http://members.casema.nl/hhaydn/index-uk.html |date=2011-05-20 }}
* [http://acornatom.nl/sites/fpga/www.howell1964.freeserve.co.uk/acorn/atom/atap/atap.htm Atom BASIC]
* [http://acornatom.nl/sites/fpga/acorn_atom_project.htm Acorn Atom in FPGA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722054838/http://members.casema.nl/hhaydn/howel/logic/acorn_atom_project.htm |date=2011-07-22 }}
* [http://www.atomclub.nl The complete Atom DVD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425155227/http://www.atomclub.nl/ |date=2012-04-25 }}
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/AtomsUp/videos YouTube page totally dedicated to the Acorn Atom]
* [https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=80 Online museum of old computers]
* [https://jsacorn.commandercoder.com/?model=atom Javascript based Acorn Atom emulator] - containing [https://www.acornatom.nl/atom_plaatjes/sd-files/atommmc2.html ATOMMC2] with the [https://github.com/hoglet67/AtomSoftwareArchive AtomSoftwareArchive]

{{Acorn computers}}

[[Category:6502-based home computers]]
[[Category:Acorn Computers|Atom]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1980]]
[[Category:Computers designed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:8-bit computers]]