Acorn R260

The Acorn R260 combined A540-class ARM3 hardware, 8MB RAM and SCSI storage as the flagship RISC iX workstation. It was intended for software development, networking and technical Unix applications.

It was the most powerful commercial member of Acorn’s RISC iX line and an uncommon example of an ARM workstation sold before ARM became a mass-market architecture.

Notable Features

• Acorn ARM3 at 26 MHz provides the system’s processing architecture.
• The standard memory configuration was 8MB; expandable to 16MB.
• Storage was supplied as 800KB floppy drive and 100MB SCSI hard disc.

Historical Significance

• It was the most powerful commercial member of Acorn’s RISC iX line and an uncommon example of an ARM workstation sold before ARM became a mass-market architecture.
• 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 R260
Manufacturer	Acorn Computers
Launched	Monday, January 1, 1990
Discontinued	1992
Country	United Kingdom
CPU	Acorn ARM3 at 26 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	RISC iX 1.2
I/O	Video, audio, serial, parallel, SCSI, Ethernet and four podule slots
Keyboard	Separate keyboard and three-button mouse
Storage	800KB floppy drive and 100MB SCSI hard disc
Sound	Eight-channel, eight-bit stereo sound
Graphics	Acorn VIDC colour and monochrome graphics
Display	External high-resolution monitor
ROM	512KB boot ROM
RAM	8MB; expandable to 16MB
CPU Speed	26 MHz