The KoalaPad was a resistive touch pad made for home computers like the Apple II, Atari and Commodre 64, first released in 1983. A few years later, Zebra adapted it for use with the TS 2068. Ironically, the KoalaPad’s ancestor, the PrestoDigitizer, began as a product for the Sinclair ZX-80 and other microcomputers. Innovision PrestoDigitizer […]
The KoalaPad Comes Full Circle Read More »
QZX was one of the longest running Sinclair newsletter in the United States, starting in 1981 and published for more than ten years. Many Sinclair computer users never heard of it because it was a special purpose newsletter devoted to the use of Sinclair computers in radio. Most subscribers were amateur radio operators and were
The History of QZX Read More »
After Timex exited the market, they disposed of excess inventory as quickly as possible. Parker Electronics incorporated the T/S 1500 into a HVAC controller for Carrier installations. According to a brief mention in the VISTA Newsletter, Parker “used T/S 1000s as control devices and 2040 printers for read-outs.” The company went to the trouble of
Parker Electronics/Carrier Command Center Read More »
Lynd Church goes to Scotland to discover just how the ZX-81 is manufactured. In keeping with its philosophy of sub-contracting all manufacturing processes, Sinclair Research appointed Timex to produce the ZX-81 when it was introduced in March 1, 1981.Since that time, production at the Timex plant at Dundee has increased from 10,000 to 60,000 units
A piece of cake in Dundee Read More »
The PC8300 was announced at the 1983 Consumer Electronics Show. Marketed, and maybe manufactured, by Unisonic, it was a “clone” of the ZX81. The ROM featured a highly similar BASIC but with the character code table moved to the custom chip. As a clone, it wasn’t particularly compatible with the ZX81: the display file appears
MIDI, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, was conceived in 1981 and appeared in synthesizers and drum machines in 1983. It was a means of connecting synthesizers and other musical instruments using a vendor-agnostic connector/cable and digital information protocol. It allowed a musician to connect his Yamaha keyboard to his Roland drum machine and play them
MIDI on Timex/Sinclair Computers Read More »
Reprint of an article about a medical practice program written by a practicing ophthalmologist.
ZX81 in an Ophthalmologist’s Office Read More »
In testing my latest iteration of an RGB to SVIDEO/composite board, I managed to toast my 2068. Symptoms point to fried RAM chips, according to an article on DIY fixes to the 2068, so I’ve ordered replacements. The circuit boards above, from left to right, are a buffered 2068 expansion bus, an attempt to make
A Temporary Setback Read More »
I’ve revised my RGB->SVIDEO design to be standalone. It uses a through-hole connector with all parts on the “back” of the PCB so it can plug directly into the 2068. No improvement to video quality, though I plan to build up a circuit that uses the Pound HD Link Cable for Sega Saturn to see
A Small Update on Video Read More »
K-2 Electronics Design offered a particularly robust keyboard upgrade to the ZX-81/TS-1000, one that far exceeded the options available from many other manufacturers at the time. The Kradle was more than just a keyboard upgrade: it included an expansion card with 64K RAM, a joystick port, cassette signal conditioning, extra automatically shifted keys and several
K-2 Kradle Keyboard and Enclosure Read More »
The TS1000 keyboard was, unsurprisingly, not the computer’s strongest feature. It required a very specific touch and was finicky. As a result, aftermarket solutions, from full replacement keyboards to “beepers”, were quite popular among serious hobbyists.
Keyboards and Keyboard Accessories for the ZX81 and TS1000 Read More »
