Date   : Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:08:58 -0600
From   : jules.richardson99@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Harddisc fakery using a microcontroller

Rick Murray wrote:
> On 16/12/2010 22:55, Jules Richardson wrote:
> 
>> Quicky of the PCB: http://www.patooie.com/temp/m4.jpg
> 
> Damn. All the work designing and building that board for a machine that 
> never was.
> 
> The pic isn't high enough res to eyeball much. Does anybody know how/if 
> this differs fundamentally from the A-series machines?

I don't expect the core stuff was *that* different. If I remember right it's 
got a pair of MEMC chips on board (one either side of the CPU) though, and I 
can't remember if that was done in any other Acorns.

That board that I had just had 64KB of ROM though with Brazil in it, IIRC much 
like the A680 did. Whether there ever existed any kind of proper OS for them, 
I don't know; this board was always sans-hdd so I have no idea what may have 
been on whatever drive it possibly once had :-)

I do have some other photos which I must get around to uploading somewhere - 
they're a bit higher-res and so show some more detail.

> Weren't the R-series RiscIX workstations rebadged A440s?

The R140 was, I think. The R260 and R225 were A540's.

cheers

Jules