Acorn NetStation
 | |
| An Acorn NetStation with a smartcard in the front slot (photo: Flibble, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Acorn Computers; NetProducts version for NetChannel |
| Type | Network computer |
| Released | 1996[1] |
| CPU | ARM7500FE (Cirrus Logic CL-PS7500FE-QC-A) at 40 MHz[2] |
| Memory | 8 MB EDO DRAM module |
| Storage | None; smartcard for user data |
| Display | SVGA up to 1024 × 768; composite video, PAL or NTSC |
| Sound | — |
| ROM | NCOS in two ROMs on the board; removable ROM card slot |
| Dimensions | 11.5 × 10 × 1.5 in (factsheet); 310 × 260 × 45 mm (Home NC data sheet) |
| OS / Firmware | NCOS 1.06 (based on RISC OS 3.70) |
| Model no. | TNS10, TNS11; NetProducts NS1; main board 2103,000 |
The Acorn NetStation is the box Acorn built to its own network computer reference design: a flat black desktop unit with an ARM7500FE, 8 MB of memory, NCOS in ROM, a smartcard slot and a plug-in network card, made to sit under a monitor or beside a television. Acorn sold it as the NetStation and the Home NC, and NetProducts sold a version for the NetChannel television Internet service.[2][3] For the range as a whole see Acorn Network Computer.
Versions
[edit | edit source]| Version | Network card | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acorn NetStation TNS10 | 10BaseT Ethernet (Chris Whytehead's unit) | Boots from a network server by BootP; Acorn's Home NC data sheet gives the TNS10 a 28.8 kbit/s modem[2][4] |
| Acorn NetStation TNS11 | Listed by Chris Whytehead with 8 MB; details not recorded[2] | |
| NetProducts NetStation (NS1) | Acorn V34 modem rev 1 | For NetChannel's Internet-on-TV service; IR handset RC1; SCART or monitor output; adapter PS1-UK[5][6] |
Wikipedia says the NetStation came in a modem version for home use through a television and an Ethernet version for businesses and schools, both upgradable because the network card is a replaceable podule, and that the home version was trialled with BT in 1997 and 1998.[1] NetProducts was set up by Hermann Hauser in 1996 to make the NetChannel version; NetChannel's service was later closed.[5]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]
Chris Whytehead's TNS10 and NetProducts units both have the "NC 1 Main Board Reference Design", part 2103,000 issue 1, with a 40 MHz ARM7500FE whose built-in IOMD and VIDC20 serve as memory and video controllers, 8 MB of EDO memory on a module clocked at 16 MHz, and NCOS 1.06 in two ROMs.[2][5] Chris Whytehead describes the memory as a DIMM; Acorn's factsheet says a SIMM.[2][3] NCOS 1.06 reports itself as based on RISC OS 3.70.[2]
The network card plugs in at the back: an Acorn 10BaseT Ethernet adaptor (2303,600-04) in Chris Whytehead's TNS10, an Acorn V34 modem in the NetProducts unit. Acorn's factsheet also lists ISDN, ADSL and ATM25 cards.[2][5][3] Chris Whytehead's Ethernet card carries Microlynx Topcat in its ROM, which makes the NetStation boot from a Windows NT4 server; NetStations can also boot from an Iomega parallel-port Zip drive.[2]
| Position | Item |
|---|---|
| Front | On/Standby switch; smartcard slot; infra-red window; power and activity lights; ROM card slot behind the flap[2][7] |
| Rear (NetProducts unit, left to right) | Modem card; printer port; PS/2 mouse and keyboard; left and right audio out; microphone; TV/video out; VGA monitor; power in[5] |
Power
[edit | edit source]The NetStation runs from an external mains adapter. Acorn's NC user guide gives the supply as 18 V AC from a 230 V adapter; NetProducts specifies its own adapter, part PS1-UK, for 220 to 240 V mains; the label in Acorn's photograph of the Corporate NC's rear panel reads 16 V AC 1.5 A.[7][6][8] Use the adapter that belongs to the unit. Both guides call for clear ventilation slots and a firm, level surface.[7][6]
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No lights on the front panel | No power | Check the adapter is plugged in and switched on at the wall and plugged into the NetStation; check the fuse in the adapter plug; unplug the adapter from the NetStation for a few seconds and reconnect[6][7] |
| Continuous red light | Standby | Press the Standby button[6] |
| Screen red, front lights flashing alternately (long red, short green) | Power-on self-test failure | Remove and reconnect the adapter; Acorn says a unit that still fails needs expert attention[6][7] |
| Green light, no TV picture | Phono or SCART lead, wrong AV channel | Check the red, white and yellow phono plugs or the SCART plug and select the TV's AV channel[6] |
| Green light, no monitor picture, or a flickering unreadable picture | Monitor lead; monitor not VGA or SVGA capable | Check the lead and the monitor's settings; the NetStation needs a VGA or SVGA monitor[6] |
| Smartcard not recognised | Card inserted wrongly | Insert the card with the gold contacts facing down, contact end first[6] |
| No response to the IR handset | Batteries; line of sight | Check the three AAA batteries and the path to the front panel[6] |
| Modem shows "Dialing" but not "Connecting" within a minute | Phone lead or line; pulse dialling or an outside-line code needed | Check the lead and the line with a telephone; set Tone/Pulse and the outside-line code in the Modem screen of the administration utility[6] |
| "Looking for a boot server" repeats (Ethernet models) | No server answering the BootP request | Normal for a few attempts; otherwise the network server needs setting up[7] |
Insert or remove a ROM card only with the adapter unplugged.[7] Take the batteries out of the IR handset if it will not be used for a long time, to avoid leakage damage.[6]
Chris Whytehead's photograph of an opened TNS10 shows the power input components at the front left of the main board, including electrolytic capacitors, a regulator on a small heatsink and a toroidal choke.[2] No circuit diagram or parts list for the 2103,000 board is among the hosted documents. For general capacitor failure signs see Capacitor Failure Symptoms.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Acorn Network Computer Documentation: Acorn's NC user guide, the Home NC and Corporate NC data sheets, the NetStation factsheet, and NetProducts' NetStation User Guide and QuickStart Guide.[4]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Acorn Network Computer", Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-10-02), section "Original model": modem and Ethernet versions, replaceable podule network cards, BT trial 1997/98; launch of the Acorn NC in August 1996.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Whytehead, Chris. "Acorn NetStation", Chris's Acorns, The Centre for Computing History (retrieved 2026-10-02). Acorn's NC reference design became the NetStation; no local storage beyond a smartcard; TNS10 (8 MB, 10BaseT Ethernet) and TNS11; BootP start-up and booting from a server, or from an Iomega parallel Zip drive with the Argo driver; Microlynx Topcat in the Ethernet podule ROM for Windows NT4 servers; front panel (On/Standby switch, smartcard slot, IR window, power and activity lights); board photograph; specification: serial 80-TNS10-1004498, NC 1 main board reference design 2103,000 issue 1, CL-PS7500FE-QC-A at 40 MHz, 8 MB EDO DIMM at 16 MHz, Acorn 10BaseT Ethernet adaptor 2303,600-04, NCOS 1.06 dated 8 November 1996, 23.67 MIPS (ARMSi).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Acorn Computers, Acorn NetStation factsheet, distributed by The Clan. Hosted on this wiki: File:Acorn NetStation factsheet (The Clan).pdf. Hardware details p. 1: 11.5 in W × 10 in D × 1.5 in H black case; ARM7500FE; SVGA to 1024 × 768 and composite video, NTSC or PAL; stereo line outputs; bi-directional DB25 parallel; wired and IR keyboard, mouse, TV-style remote, joystick options; 33.6 kbit/s modem, Ethernet, ISDN, ADSL and ATM25 on a modular network interface card; 8 MB EDO DRAM SIMM; 8 MB ROM card; On/Standby LED and switch; NC smartcard support.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Acorn Computer Group, Acorn Home NC (TNS10), product data sheet AGP24.79.04. Hosted on this wiki: File:Acorn Home NC data sheet (AGP24.79.04).pdf. 40 MHz ARM7500FE; 8 MB RAM; 4 MB ROM; ROM card; smartcard; 28.8 kbit/s modem; PAL TV and SVGA; IR remote; 310 × 260 × 45 mm; product code TNS10.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Whytehead, Chris. "Net Products", Chris's Acorns (retrieved 2026-10-02). Net Products set up in 1996 by Hermann Hauser for NetChannel; NetChannel closed by NTL; NetProducts NetStation: serial NS1-MUKP48E-000146-A1A2, NC 1 main board 2103,000 issue 1, ARM7500FE at 40 MHz, 8 MB EDO DIMM, Acorn V34 modem rev 1, NCOS 1.06; rear panel modem, printer, PS/2 mouse and keyboard, audio left and right, microphone, TV/video out, VGA and power in; RC1 remote control.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 NetProducts Limited, NetStation User Guide, release 1.3 (UK), 1 June 1997. Hosted on this wiki: File:NetProducts NetStation User Guide.pdf. Warnings and precautions (220 to 240 V AC 50 Hz; use only adapter PS1-UK; ventilation) p. 2; IR handset batteries (three AAA; remove them if the handset is unused for a long period, to avoid leakage) p. 11; SCART and the optional RF modulator, appendix A pp. 15 to 18; optional keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer and ROM cards, appendix B pp. 19 to 22; troubleshooting, appendix D pp. 27 to 29; BABT approval 607159 for the V.34 NS1-UK modem p. 30.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Acorn Computers, Acorn Network Computer User Guide, part no. 2403,232, issue 1, June 1998. Hosted on this wiki: Acorn Network Computer Documentation. Boot server message p. 4; self-test and faults p. 10; ROM cards p. 11 to 12; warnings, 18 V AC from a 230 V adapter, ventilation p. 13.
- ↑ Acorn Computer Group, Acorn Corporate NC, data sheet ACG5.79.01, rear-panel photograph. Hosted on this wiki: File:Acorn Corporate NC data sheet (ACG5.79.01).pdf.