In my younger days, I was lucky enough to own a BBC B Microcomputer (to give it its full name) as an upgrade to my original ZX Spectrum. I never really encountered the Acorn Electron – I don’t remember much about them. So enter my first Electron, purchased from eBay as ‘Not working – missing power supply’ so I wasn’t expecting much. On arrival, it looked in pretty good condition, but very grubby – especially the keyboard. Nothing a little soap and water wouldn’t fix.
Next on the job list was a full recap.
Alter a little research I found that the missing power support, which was 19V AC (yes AC), could be replaced with a standard DC supply – well at least that’s what the internet said. After a final voltage check…
Well that was easy for a change….
I will say that the build quality of the Electron is far superior to the ZX Spectrum, the later design cuts every corner where the Electron does it properly. I can see why they were much more expensive when they first shipped.