Computers I never had: the Acorn A3020
7 days ago
- #RetroComputing
- #AcornArchimedes
- #HardwareRestoration
- The author discusses restoring an Acorn Archimedes A3020, a computer they never owned but found historically significant due to its ARM RISC processor.
- The A3020 features an ARM 250, a system-on-chip with a 32-bit ARM3 core, marking it as one of the first ARM-based computers.
- ARM processors, originally developed by Acorn, now power billions of devices, including iPhones, Macs, and Raspberry Pis.
- The restoration process involved dealing with severe battery corrosion, requiring extensive cleaning and repair of damaged PCB traces.
- The author replaced the original battery with a CR2032 holder and fixed broken traces using bodge wires.
- Initial power issues were traced to a broken transformer, which was repaired by soldering and epoxy.
- The internal hard disk and floppy drive were non-functional due to corrosion, leading the author to use a CF card and later an IDE flash disk for storage.
- To format the new storage, the author used a Raspberry Pi running RISC OS Open to bridge the gap between modern systems and the A3020.
- Keyboard issues were resolved by ensuring springs were properly seated, highlighting the sensitivity of the membrane keyboard.
- A serial mouse was adapted for use with RISC OS 3.1 using a custom module, overcoming the lack of native support.
- The author used a GBS-8220 upscaler to connect the A3020 to a modern monitor, enabling gameplay of classic games like Lemmings.
- A Gotek floppy emulator with FlashFloppy firmware was installed to replace the non-functional floppy drive, allowing file transfers via USB.
- The author upgraded the A3020's RAM from 2MB to 4MB by installing additional DRAM chips sourced from the UK.
- A SyQuest 1GB SparQ drive was restored using a custom driver, !BootSparQ, obtained through community help and a Greaseweazle floppy reader.
- The restoration was completed successfully, with the author expressing admiration for the Acorn Archimedes and RISC OS despite their personal history with Amiga computers.