Date   : Thu, 27 Oct 2005 05:19:01 +0100
From   : Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk@...>
Subject: Re: Guess age from serial number?

Pete Turnbull wrote:
> All the early machines had a black linear PSU, so that's not too
> surprising, though Acorn did try fairly hard to get them all replaced.
>  There were, IIRC, three different types, and all were troublesome.
>  One type was merely underpowered and didn't last well (or stay very
> cool) in a fully fitted machine; others were less nice.  One was known
> as the "adapter and exploder" because of a trait it sometimes exhibited
> when overloaded.  I doubt many of those are left, somehow.

I know we've found someone with a handful of model A machines (not sure 
if they've been upgraded or not) - but apparently they all have 
*external* PSUs. Presumably someone's bodge to get around the problems 
you mention...

Did model B serial numbers carry on from where model A ones left off, or 
were the models sufficiently seperate to Acorn to warrant a seperate run 
of serials? (i.e. there's a #1 model A out there *and* a #1 model B)

> 001013 might be old enough to be Issue 1.  If not, it's certainly no
> newer than Issue 2.  Is the serial number sticker an orange ICL one
> (that would be Issue 2) or a plain white one (could be Issue 1 or 2)?

I think the lowest I have is around 3300, and that's an ICL machine with 
issue 2 board. Bloody nasty build quality! :) So yep, deffo an issue 1 
or 2 board in the one Kris has...

Hmm, that'd be a cool display at the museum - ICL 2966 mainframe at one 
end, through the PERQs, with a lowly BBC at the other :-)

cheers

Jules