Acorn ANC06 Cambridge Co-Processor

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Acorn Cambridge Co processor front 

 Acorn Cambridge Co-processsor (front)

 Acorn Cambridge CoProcessor RHS

 Acorn Cambridge Co-processor right hand side

Acorn Cambridge CoProcessor back 

Acorn Cambridge Co-processor (back) 

Acorn Cambrdige CoProcessor bottom 

Acorn Cambridge Co-processor (bottom) 

Acorn Cambrdige CoProcessor open 

 Acorn Cambridge Co-processor with top cover off

 Acorn Cambridge CoProcessor circuit board top

 Acorn Cambridge Co-processor circuit board (top)

 Acorn Cambridge CoProcessor circuit board bottom

 Acorn Cambridge Co-processor circuit board (bottom)

This is the Cambridge Co-processor, a development of the 32016 2nd processor. It has a NatSemi NS32016D-6 CPU clocked at 6 MHz and 1MB (32 x 32K RAM) with the Ferranti ULA Tube controller. The ROMs boot to the PANDORA OS kernel which then loads PANOS from disc.

There are only very minor differences between the 32016 2nd processor and the Cambridge Co-Processor, I suspect it was more a case of Acorn Marketing aligning the Co-processor with the Cambridge Worstation, rather than any technical difference.

In addition to the 32016 2ndCambridge Co-processor, Acorn used the NS32016 CPU in:

 The pictures show:

  1.  The front view of the Cambridge co-processor show the typical "cheese wedge" shape and the labels.
  2. The right side showing the "cheese wedge" shape, the left side is the same.
  3. The back of the Cambridge Co-processor showing the power cable, fuse and on/off switch.
  4. The bottom of the Cambridge Co-processor showing the ribbon cable to connect to the TUBE interface underneath the BBC micro/Master and the serial number (23-ANC06-0001493).
  5. Inside the Cambridge Co-processor with the psu at the front and the circuit board filling the rest of the case.
  6. The Cambridge Co-processor circuit board with the Tube connector on the left and the Ferranti ULA next to it. The NS32016D-6 CPU, with the gold label, is next to the ULA and the 2 NatSemi support chips, also with gold labels, are next to it. There is a space for the FPU but it is not installed. The Pandora ROMs (part nos.0201-263-02 and 0201-264-02) are below the CPU. Along the bottom of the board are 32 RAM chips, this example has TMM41256P chips giving 1MB. The board is labeled 32016 Second processor (part no 0210,000 Iss 2).
  7. The bottom of the Cambrige Co-processor circuit board.

Here is a HiRes picture of the Cambridge Co-processor circuit board .

In Oct 1985 Practical Computing published a review titled "Cambridge 32016 Co-Processor ".

A copy of the Cambridge Co-processor User Guide is available in Documents.
Here is the Cambridge Co-processor Keyboard Card.
Other Acorn Scientific Panos manuals  are also available.

The Panos installation discs are available from J.G.Harston's mdfs.net .

Further details of the Panos operating system are available HERE.