Despite the success of the Sinclair and Timex computers in the American market, the output of software came nowhere near to matching what was available in England.
English ZX Spectrum users had several magazines, dozens of software houses and a cornucopia of high-quality commercial software.
Unfortunately, the many changes Timex made in creating the 2068 from the ZX Spectrum prevented American users from running Spectrum software directly.
Timex acknowledged this problem up front, when Dan Ross demonstrated the TS 2068 at the Boston Computer Society’s Timex Sinclair user group meeting. As part of the demonstration, Ross showed the “Chameleon,” a cartridge that allowed users to run Spectrum software on the TS 2068.
While never released by Timex, enterprising users did find ways to implement their own versions, as cartridges and internally.
| Name | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| 2068 Emulator Board | Spectrum emulation when used with appropriate ROM. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| EMU-1 Spectrum Emulator | Spectrum ROM that fits in the cartridge slot. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| EMU-2 Spectrum Emulator | Spectrum ROM that fits in the cartridge slot. Contains extra socket for another EPROM. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| EPROM Cartridge Board | This device would have been used by Timex and third-parties in developing cartridge software. It’s likely that fewer than 100 were made. A plastic “sled” under the PCB aids insertion. Demonstrated by Dan Ross at the introduction of the TS 1500 and TS 2068, the “Chameleon” cartridge, with a Spectrum ROM, allowed the 2068 to | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| OmniEmu | Auto boot Spectrum ROM on 2068 cartridge. Switch to enable/disable Spectrum mode. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Rainbow plus Interface | Combines improved Spectrum ROM emulation plus a Spectrum compatible expansion connector all in one. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| ROMFIX | ROMFIX upgrades the Russell Electronics ROMSWITCH to run all Spectrum programs. Installs under the EXROM. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| ROMSWITCH | ROMSWITCH is a device that permits you to run both TS2068 and most Sinclair ZX SPECTRUM programs on your TS2068. With ROMSWITCH installed, you can easily switch between your TS ROM and a SPECTRUM ROM supplied with ROMSWITCH. The device mounts permanently inside your computer. No soldering, drilling or running wires is required. Essentially, to | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Spectrum Emulator | This emulator consisted of a 32K EPROM that replaced the 16K ROM. The EPROM contained the 2068 operating system in the lower half, and Spectrum operating system in the upper half. Errors in both operating systems were corrected. Error correction is detailed in documentation. The lower or upper half of the 32K EPROM is selected | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Spectrum Emulator Cartridge | Plug-in cartridge with pull-up resistors. Housed in modified Timex cartridge case. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Switchboard | Internally mounted Spectrum/TS 2068 ROM option, similar to ROMSwitch. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |