Phoebe (computer)

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Image:AcornPhoebeCase.jpg

The Phoebe PC (or RISC PC 2) was to be Acorn Computers Ltd's next generation RISC PC, slated for release in late 1998. Acorn, Ltd's successor to the Risc PC was nicknamed the "Phoebe 2100". On September 17, 1998, Acorn, Ltd announced the end of the workstations division (responsible for the RISC OS computers) and cancelling Phoebe: Risc PC 2 despite thousands of pre-release orders.

Components

233 MHz StrongARM (multiple StrongARMs support included) CPU
Upgradable daughter board
Four EIDE devices (6.4 Gb unit supplied)
IOMD2 and VIDC20+ chipsets
64 MHz front side bus
up to 512 MB of SD RAM
4 MB of VRAM
Monitor (1280 by 1024 pixels with 32,000 colours)
Two serial ports
Tower case (NLX specification; yellow curved front panel)
Trayless CD-ROM drive
5.25" drive bays
4 PCI sockets
3 Acorn expansion sockets
230 watt PSU unit.

It was to run RISC OS 4 which was being updated by Acorn, a beta version, 3.8, was released to developers, and that code eventually became RISCOS Limited's RISC OS 4 and Castle Technology's RISC OS 5.

Currently probably 2 working Phoebes exist.

After the cancellation about 400 of the yellow cases were sold by CTA

Since then a few other companies have built compatible machines such as the Iyonix PC.

External link

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List of Acorn Computers microcomputers

Microcomputer System | Atom | BBC Micro (aka Proton) | Electron | Communicator | Business Computer | BBC Master | Archimedes range | Risc PC | Network Computer | Set-Top Box | Phoebe