Brand: Jupiter Cantab Ltd.
Model: ACE
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Launch date: 22 September 1982
Price: £89.95
Board design: Richard Altwasser
Software: Steve Vickers
Dimensions: 211 × 191 × 31 mm (feet adds 2 mm)
Weight: 425 g
This is not a ZX81 nor a ZX Spectrum, it’s not even a Sinclair!So what is it doing here? It kinda looks familiar though…
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The name ACE is taken from one of the earliest British computers, the 1950’s Pilot ACE (an acronym for Automatic Computing Engine). It ran the FORTH programming language.
After Richard Altwasser designed the ZX Spectrum’s hardware and Steve Vickers had written the ROM of the ZX81 and Spectrum, both left Sinclair Research in April 1982 and formed Jupiter Cantab and designed the Jupiter ACE. They sold an estimated 5000 to 9000 ACE’s, 800 of them to the USA. A year and a half later, Jupiter filed for bankruptcy.
A remaining 2000 ACE’s were bought by Boldfields Computing who planned on selling them for £29.90 through mail-order. Several years later a stash of ACE’s were found in Boldfields’ street branch in Cambridge, who sold them for £35 each. Today, these rare computers command an asking price at least twentyfold.
A remaining 2000 ACE’s were bought by Boldfields Computing who planned on selling them for £29.90 through mail-order. Several years later a stash of ACE’s were found in Boldfields’ street branch in Cambridge, who sold them for £35 each. Today, these rare computers command an asking price at least twentyfold.