American Computer and Peripheral

American Computer & Peripheral, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Computer hardware
Founded	April 1985 (1985-04)
Founder	Alan Lau
Defunct	December 1989 (1989-12)
Fate	Filed for bankruptcy
Headquarters	Santa Ana , United States
Key people	Alan Lau (founder)
Products	IBM PC expansion cards, IBM PC-compatible computers (American XTSR, American 286 series, American 386-16), 386 Translator, 386 Turbo

American Computer & Peripheral, Inc. (AC&P), also referred to as American Computer and Peripheral, was a computer manufacturer located in Santa Ana, California, established in 1985 by Alan Lau. The firm specialized in creating expansion cards for the IBM PC and various compatible clones before filing for bankruptcy in December 1989. Among its innovations, the 386 Translator stood out as the first plug-in board designed for Intel's 80386 processor, providing consumers with the earliest widely available option to utilize the 386 starting in July 1986.

PC clones and peripherals

Alan Lau founded AC&P in April 1985, and by May 1986, the company introduced IBM PC-compatible systems such as the American XTSR and American 286. The XTSR was powered by an Intel 8088 CPU with selectable clock speeds ranging from 4.77 MHz to 7.37 MHz; this variable speed module was also marketed separately under the name American Turbo. A fixed-speed version running at 4.77 MHz was sold as the American 88. The American 286 featured a Baby AT form factor motherboard with five expansion slots, housed within the same chassis as the XTSR.

Subsequently, AC&P released the American 286-A, an AT clone equipped with a full-sized motherboard providing eight expansion slots. This model was engineered by Chi Yeung, previously associated with Eagle Computer. The 286 series utilized Intel 80286 processors capable of operating at adjustable frequencies between 6 MHz and 8 MHz. In June 1986, AC&P unveiled the Abovefunction multifunction expansion card, which allowed PCs and compatibles to access up to 2 MB of RAM while adding ports for joysticks, serial devices, and other peripherals.

By mid-1987, the company launched the American 386-16 desktop computer featuring an Intel i386 processor with zero-wait states for video memory access and BIOS function calls, positioning it as a leading product among early 386-based clones. AC&P reported revenues of $7.5 million by the end of its first year in business during 1985, indicating promising initial market traction.

Upgrade devices

In June 1986, AC&P introduced the 386 Translator expansion module designed to upgrade IBM PC/AT systems or compatible AT clones from the Intel 80286 processor to the more advanced Intel 80386 CPU. This innovation enabled AC&P to outpace Compaq in providing consumers with early access to the 386 technology. Compaq subsequently launched their Deskpro 386 in September 1986, marking a key development as one of the first major IBM PC upgrades offered externally. The Translator was developed by NDR, an electronics company based in Corona, California, and hit the market prior to Intel’s official distribution of the chip.

Although companies such as Daisy Systems and Valid Logic Systems had been producing high-cost workstations based on the 386 since late 1985, AC&P’s Translator offered a more affordable solution priced at $895 including the processor ($395 without). This allowed users of existing AT systems to upgrade without investing in dedicated new workstations. However, due to compatibility requirements with slower memory components, the module introduced approximately a 10% performance penalty caused by wait states. Despite this drawback, it provided software developers early exposure to the virtual 8086 mode of the 386 and targeted advanced users needing file server functionality on AT-class machines. Following its launch, AC&P anticipated $25 million in sales and quickly sold out their inventory located in Santa Ana.

In November 1986, AC&P released the 386 Turbo expansion card promising enhanced performance compared to the original AT’s 286 processor. Compatible with AT clone motherboards featuring a pin grid array socket for the 286 CPU, this board claimed up to a fourfold increase in software execution speed and could double clock frequencies for ATs running between 6 and 8 MHz. The Turbo included one megabyte of cache memory and supported dynamic switching between clock speeds. Also developed by NDR, it competed directly against Intel’s Inboard 386 expansion board which offered larger RAM capacity but lacked some features found on AC&P’s Turbo. Although AC&P had plans for a "Turbo Graphics Adapter" utilizing an Intel 82786 GPU aimed at CAD/CAM users, this product was never brought to market.

Reputation

Although American Computer and Peripheral (AC&P) achieved notable sales figures for a small computer hardware manufacturer, its peripheral products received varied evaluations. Stephen Satchell from InfoWorld observed that the Turbo 386 did not meet its promise of doubling the performance on 6 MHz AT systems, delivering only an 83% improvement—an underwhelming result given the intended user base. In contrast, Intel’s Inboard provided a much greater enhancement, increasing performance on 6 MHz ATs by 250%. Howard Marks of PC Magazine considered the Turbo's performance satisfactory but pointed out that its restricted memory capacity beyond 1 MB created a processing bottleneck. On a positive note, Satchell commended AC&P’s Abovefunction board for offering excellent value.

The quality of documentation was often found lacking. Satchell criticized the Turbo 386 manual for being vague and potentially hazardous for users attempting chip removal. Marks highlighted inaccuracies in the manual concerning jumper configurations, which led to startup issues, confusion among users, and possible hardware damage. Additionally, AC&P’s 1987 mouse drew negative attention because it required Mouse Systems drivers that were not supplied with the device, a requirement not disclosed in the accompanying documentation.

Although AC&P had intentions to launch an initial public offering in 1987, this plan was abandoned, and the company remained privately held until it filed for bankruptcy in 1989, only four years after its founding. Subsequently, in 1990, the California Franchise Tax Board suspended the company.

External links

• American Computer and Peripheral at Michael Nadeau's Classic Tech