Date   : Mon, 25 Jan 2021 07:33:25 -0600
From   : jules.richardson99@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Completely expanded "Cheese wedge" BBC Micro - just

On 1/25/21 6:37 AM, Pete Turnbull wrote:
> When the Master 128 came along, there was a Universal Coprocessor Box
> which could be used with a Model B or Master, and which could take the
> later 65C102 intended for the Master Turbo, the 80186 copro for the
> Master 512, or the 32016 for the Master Scientific.  A third party
> developed an 80286 copro and some work was done on an 80386 as well, but
> neither made it to production.  Too many difficulties and too much work
> for too little return, by that time.

Don't forget Acorn's own 80286 copro (unless that's what you were referring 
to, but there are no indications that it was outsourced)

If we're straying off into third party territory, then also, off the top of 
my head:

PEDL Z80
Torch Z80 (two variants)
Cumana 68008
Casper 68000
Torch 68000 (two variants)
Torch 8086

... "unofficially" there was a way of turning a Dragon into a 6809 copro - 
not a product, as such, but it was covered in one of the mainstream 
magazines and there was an OS-9 release for it, so perhaps it qualifies 
just because it was functionally useful.

Regarding 32016's, there was the Master Scientific internal board, then 1MB 
and 4MB boards with an "external" Tube interface. Wedges existed with 
either "Cambridge Coprocessor" or "32016 second processor" branding, but 
were really just the same 1MB board internally; the 4MB board meanwhile was 
a completely different animal and fitted to some Cambridge Workstations 
(but other Cambridge Workstations just got a 1MB board). I think this all 
happened during Acorn's darkest days, just prior to ARM and when they were 
desperate to push "new" products out the door, which is why it seems a 
little messy.

I have a really hazy memory of some kind of "development" wedge which was 
really just a convenient case, PSU and Tube interface - but perhaps what 
I'm remembering is the unit you mentioned which allowed the various Master 
internal boards to be used externally on a model B.

cheers

Jules