Acorn Atom PCB

[GrubZero]

Hi All.

I have an genuine, unused & unpopulated Acorn Atom PCB that maybe of interest to someone who wants to document the design & / or copy it & get some replica PCB’s made.

I’d be happy to loan the board to someone who wants to do this as long as they cover the postage.

Or, I may consider selling it?

I acquired it many moons ago with the intent of building an Atom from scratch, but, like many things, I never found the time!

Cheers.

Pete.

[BigEd]

(If it happens that you don't get any interest here, after say a week, you might well find more interest over on the Stardot forums. There's a small but active Atom scene over there.)

[Windfall]

GrubZero wrote:

I acquired it many moons ago with the intent of building an Atom from scratch, but, like many things, I never found the time!

I did. Great fun. Although rounding up all the different parts (all NOS as a matter of principle) was cumbersome.

I probably got the PCB the same way you did.

[GrubZero]

I probably did!

If I remember correctly, I purchased two PCB’s from a company called Telec Electronics based in the Netherlands.

I think I ordered they’re last two units?!

I wonder where they got them from?

Cheers.

[Windfall]

GrubZero wrote:

If I remember correctly, I purchased two PCB’s from a company called Telec Electronics based in the Netherlands.

Same here. Ebay, March 2010, it seems.

GrubZero wrote:

I wonder where they got them from?

From kits that were never built, I suppose. The Atom was my first computer, and at the time they came as a kit or ready built (mine was the latter).

[fletch]

Hi Pete,
I sent you a PM. I am working on a redraw of the Atom PCB and would be interested in scans or the board itself.

Fletch

[Arlet]

Ha, I remember building the kit as a teenager, together with my dad. It didn't work, and we didn't know how to fix it, so it sat idly in the bookcase for some time. At some point I remember him shipping it, and getting it repaired.

[fletch]

I was saving up for a kit back in 1980 so I've always wanted to build one.

I found some scans of the Atom PCB on the net and have been trying to reproduce the PCB. However, the scans just aren't clear enough and I made a lot of mistakes that I had to correct by hand.

I am having problems getting the prototype working and I still don't know if the problem is a board fault, dodgy components or a construction fault. Having access to a better quality scan or an original board would help.

[barnacle]

I think that the latest version 7 of kicad has a mode in which an image can be used as a template for a PCB layout. At least you'd start with the chips in the right place.

Are you looking to do an exact recreation or e.g. something with modern memory?

Neil

[fletch]

The plan is to create a reproduction board along the lines of the OSIwebs Superboard II PCBs. I'm trying to duplicate the original layout using a program called Sprint-Layout. This will allow someone with the right chips to make a replica Atom just as if they had ordered a board back in 1980. Once that is done I may make another version that uses modern EPROMs and Cherry keyswitches.

[BigEd]

(Welcome, fletch!)

[rwiker]

Are the original Atom keyswitches available anywhere? I have two Atoms with a few broken switches each (and most likely some other problems).

[fletch]

Which issue of the board do you have? Issue 5 boards use Futaba switches like the BBC Micro and those are still available NOS.

[rwiker]

fletch wrote:

Which issue of the board do you have? Issue 5 boards use Futaba switches like the BBC Micro and those are still available NOS.

I believe the two I have use the earlier switches: https://deskthority.net/wiki/MEI_Sabrecoil

[fletch]

I wonder if you can 3D print those?