--- title: "Timex Sinclair Online User Group Meeting February 6, 2023" id: 49513 type: "video" slug: "timex-sinclair-online-user-group-meeting-february-6-2023" url: "http://localhost/video/timex-sinclair-online-user-group-meeting-february-6-2023/" markdown_url: "http://localhost/video/timex-sinclair-online-user-group-meeting-february-6-2023.md" published_at: "2023-04-23T00:28:22+00:00" modified_at: "2024-04-30T20:39:00+00:00" author: "David Anderson" featured_image: url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230424-010007.webp" excerpt: "In this meeting we learned that former Supreme Court Justice David Souter was a Timex/Sinclair 2068 user." category: - name: "Videos" slug: "videos" taxonomy: "category" url: "http://localhost/category/videos/" post_tag: - name: "Timex Sinclair Online User Group" slug: "timex-sinclair-online-user-group" taxonomy: "post_tag" url: "http://localhost/tag/timex-sinclair-online-user-group/" indiv: - name: "Adam Trionfo" slug: "adam-trionfo" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/adam-trionfo/" - name: "Gustavo Pane" slug: "gustavo-pane" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/gustavo-pane/" - name: "Larry Lorenson" slug: "larry-lorenson" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/larry-lorenson/" - name: "Leroy Keith Watson" slug: "keith-watson" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/keith-watson/" - name: "Paul Holmgren" slug: "paul-holmgren" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/paul-holmgren/" - name: "Ryan Gray" slug: "ryan-gray" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/ryan-gray/" - name: "Stewart Newfeld" slug: "stewart-newfeld" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/stewart-newfeld/" - name: "Tim Swenson" slug: "tim-swenson" taxonomy: "indiv" url: "http://localhost/indiv/tim-swenson/" video_date: "20230206" youtube_video_link: "https://www.youtube.com/embed//jv2xA5igcR0" --- - [Paul Holmgren](http://localhost/indiv/paul-holmgren/), former part owner of [Mechanical Affinity](http://localhost/company/mechanical-affinity/) and one half of the team that wrote the [ISTUG TS2068 BBS program](http://localhost/article/istug-bbs-program/), joined our meeting. Paul gave us some interesting details about his intro to the microcomputers, starting with the [Motorola MEK6800D2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEK6800D2). Paul dropped a little trivia bomb: in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Supreme Court Justice David Souter was a Mechanical Affinity customer. Paul also told us a little about the problems shipping product to South America at the time. - Dave (a Scot living in the US) joined us by way of TJ Ferreira’s recommendation and talked to us about growing up with the ZX Spectrum, a point of view we don’t often get in the US. He regaled us with stories about the Enterprise 64 and other fun stuff from the other side of the pond. - Paul and [Tim Swenson](/indiv/tim-swenson/), who did an [epic road trip together quite a while back](/article/rhode-island-show/), caught up a little. - [Stewart Newfeld](http://localhost/indiv/stewart-newfeld/), [another former retailer](http://localhost/company/zebra-systems/), was able to weigh on the topic, too. Stewart Newfeld showed us a [ZX Wespi](https://github.com/holmatic/zx-iot-video), an open source file server/video device for the Sinclair ZX81/TS1000. Stewart is trying to build one. [Larry Lorenson](http://localhost/indiv/larry-lorenson/) talked about his and some of the issues he encountered in getting it going. - [Gustavo Pane](http://localhost/indiv/gustavo-pane/) talked a bit about his TS 2068 and had some questions about various Timex products. That led into a discussion about ways FPGAs can be used to replace or supplement the Timex/Sinclair computers. Dave showed his MISTer and Gustavo talked about how FPGAs can be used to re-implement the 2068 SCLD for high quality video. - [Ryan Gray](http://localhost/indiv/ryan-gray/) prefaced his demo by browsing the “[merch store](https://www.redbubble.com/people/factus10/shop?asc=u)“, where you can find all sort of clothing and other items with Timex items. Ryan then talked to us about work he’s been doing over the past few weeks, including [a program to turn ZX81 .P files into TAP files](https://github.com/ryangray/zx81-utils). You can find it here: Ryan also produced some fantastic cheat sheats for the ZX81/TS1000 and TS2068. Ryan gave an extended discussion of how his code works to reverse a program and handle the many special character codes used by the ZX81/TS1000 and TS2068 in ZMakeBas. - [Adam Trionfo](http://localhost/indiv/adam-trionfo/) showed his ZX81/TS1000 stickers on a PC keyboard. He’s learning the TS1000, preparing for his impending TS1000 and to play [Grimm’s Fairy Trails](http://localhost/product/grimms-fairy-trails/). - We talked a little bit about custom keyboards and then [Keith Watson](http://localhost/indiv/keith-watson/) walked us through his TS 2068 system, including an [AERCO disk interface](http://localhost/product/floppy-disk-interface-3/) connected to an Amdek III disk system. - We talked about the upcoming meeting with [Dan Ross](http://localhost/indiv/ross-dan/), VP of [Timex Computer Corporation](http://localhost/company/timex-computer-corporation/). Last, we chatted about [Mark Fendrick](http://localhost/indiv/mark-fendrick/), a software author and writer who was published in Computer Shopper and ZX Computing. ## Youtube embed