Acorn A4

The Acorn A4 packaged an ARM3 and RISC OS into a portable computer with a monochrome LCD, internal hard disc and battery power management. Despite its name, it was technically closer to the A5000 than to a numbered Archimedes desktop.

The A4 was Acorn’s only production portable ARM computer and remains a distinctive early RISC notebook.

Notable Features

• Acorn ARM3 at 24 MHz provides the system’s processing architecture.
• The standard memory configuration was 4MB.
• Storage was supplied as 1.6MB floppy drive and 60MB or 80MB IDE hard disc.

Historical Significance

• The A4 was Acorn’s only production portable ARM computer and remains a distinctive early RISC notebook.
• This record separates a genuine processor, memory, enclosure or storage model from software bundles and dealer-only configurations.

Collector’s Notes

• Confirm the exact model from its front badge and rear serial label because many Acorn systems were upgraded during their working lives.
• Original monitors, three-button mice, keyboards, expansion podules, manuals and installation media add historical value.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Acorn A4
Manufacturer	Acorn Computers
Launched	Wednesday, January 1, 1992
Discontinued	1993
Country	United Kingdom
CPU	Acorn ARM3 at 24 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	RISC OS 3.10
I/O	Serial, parallel, video, audio, Econet option and expansion connector
Keyboard	Integrated notebook keyboard with pointing device
Storage	1.6MB floppy drive and 60MB or 80MB IDE hard disc
Sound	Eight-channel, eight-bit sound through speaker and headphones
Graphics	Acorn VIDC monochrome graphics
Display	Built-in 9-inch 640 x 480 monochrome LCD
ROM	2MB RISC OS ROM plus power-management extension
RAM	4MB
CPU Speed	24 MHz