'''American Computer & Peripheral, Inc.''' ('''AC&P'''), also written as '''American Computer and Peripheral''', was an American computer company based in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], California. The company was founded in 1985 by Alan LueLau and released several expansion boards for the [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] as well as a few [[IBM PC compatible|PC clones]] before going bankrupt in December 1989. Obscure in its own time,{{sfnm|1a1=Amirrezvani|1a2=Rosenbaum|1a3=Trivette|1y=1986|1p=92|2a1=Shackelford|2y=1986|p=12C}} the company's 386 Translator was the first plug-in board for [[Intel]]'s newly released [[i386|80386]] processor and the first mass-market computing device to offer consumers a means of using the 386 in July 1986.{{sfnm|1a1=Amirrezvani|1a2=Rosenbaum|1a3=Trivette|1y=1986|1p=92|2a1=Chabal|2a2=Ranney|2y=1986|2p=8}}
==History==
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| footer = Various AC&P PC clones; from top to bottom: the American 88, the American 286, and the American 286-A
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American Computer and Peripheral was founded in Santa Ana in April 1985 by Alan LueLau.{{sfnm|1a1=Pugila|1y=1987b|1p=20|2a1=OpenCorporates|2y=n.d.}} Among the company's first offerings were a duo of [[IBM PC compatible|IBM PC clones]]: the American XTSR and the American 286. These clones were introduced in May 1986 and were clones of IBM's [[IBM Personal Computer XT|PC XT]] and [[IBM Personal Computer/AT|PC/AT]], respectively. The clock speed of the XTSR's [[Intel 8088]] microprocessor was selectable, allowing users to change it from 4.77 MHz to 7.37 MHz.{{sfn|Staff writer|1986a|p=125}} The module that allowed this selection of clock speeds was later sold separately as the American Turbo.{{sfn|Davis|1986|p=125}}{{efn|A version of the XTSR with the module removed, which limited the clock speed to 4.77 MHz, was sold as the American 88 ({{harvnb|Staff writer|1986b|p=124}})}} The American 286 featured a motherboard in the [[Baby AT]] form factor with five expansion slots house in the same case as the American XTSR.{{sfnm|1a1=American Computer and Peripheral|1y=1986a|1p=2|2a1=Staff writer|2y=1986a|2p=125}} AC&P later introduced the American 286-A, an AT clone with a full-sized AT motherboard, featuring eight expansion slots.{{sfn|American Computer and Peripheral|1986b|p=2}} AC&P hired Chi Yeung, previously a designer for [[Eagle Computer]] before the company went out of business in 1986, to design the 286-A.{{sfn|Obregón|1986|p=38}} Both it and the regular 286 ran the [[Intel 80286]], with clock speeds selectable from 6 MHz to 8 MHz.{{sfnm|1a1=American Computer and Peripheral|1y=1986a|1p=2|2a1=American Computer and Peripheral|2y=1986b|2p=2}} In June 1986, the company released the Abovefunction [[multifunction board]] that allows the PC, PC XT and compatibles to address up to 2 MB of RAM, as well as adding ports for joysticks and serial and peripheral devices.{{sfn|Staff writer|1986b|p=124}} A year later, the company introduced the American 386-16, an [[i386]]-based desktop computer that touted superiority over other 386 clones due to its use of zero-wait states when accessing video and making system calls to the BIOS for peripheral access.{{sfn|Pugila|1987b|p=20}}
