Connectors

• a tape interface running at either 1200 or 300 baud - 7-pin round DIN (identical to BBC Micro)
• UHF TV output jack - RCA phono socket
• Composite video output - RCA phono socket
• RGB video out - 6-pin round DIN
• an expansion port - 50-pin edge connector
• 19V AC power input socket

Hover your mouse over the circuit board for a description of the components

Technical Facts

• The Electron has all the same video modes as the BBC Micro except Mode 7 which is the Teletext feature.
• The main reason for the Electron's incompatibility with its bigger brother, the BBC Micro, it due to the Electron's ULA - the Electron chip that drives just about everything from video and audio to peripherals. The BBC Micro did not have this.
• Expansion for the Electron came in the form of the "Plus 1" unit which plugs into the 50-pin expansion port at the back of the Electron. The Plus 1 provides the Electron with the means to drive joysticks, ROM cartridges, printers and much more.

Trivia

• Consumers waiting for the Electron expected it to cost less than £199 when it was introduced, and it is thought that poor take-up of the Electron was mainly due to the small but worthwhile price hike from the Electron to the more expandable and popular BBC Model B.