Timex sinclair 2068 classic computing atariage forums. Minesweeper is written by zxteammember bodo in pure basic. Minesweeper for your zx81 will also run under zx81emulator xtender. Please respect this licence and feed back any changes into the. The choice of partnership was natural, as timex was already the main contractor for manufacture of sinclair s zx81 and zx spectrum computers at its scottish plant in dundee. Way back i was tasked with filming my wifes family gatherings and a few of my own, summer picnics, christmas festivities, thanksgiving dinners, birthdays and countless other occasions. It was very similar to zx81, it only contained more ram 2k and had ntsc tv modulator with switch allowing to switch between channel 2 and 3. The machine was assembled by timex corporation in their scottish plant. In july 1982 watch maker timex began selling the timex sinclair clone of the zx81 at their dealership network in the united states.
Even by 1981s standards, it was slow but it also cost a mere 100 bucks, making it an attractive entry point. The zx81 is a home computer that was produced by sinclair research and manufactured in dundee, scotland, by timex corporation. Sinclair zx81 basic is the dialect of basic resident in rom on the zx81 home computer 1981 and compatibles timex sinclair, lambda 8300, and many others. Thanks to the enthusiasm shown for the sinclair zx81, we are working to release new. The primary video camera i used then 80s 90s was a full size vhf tape affair that sat on ones shoulder heavy.
Supplied as either a full version for the expanded sinclair zx81, timex sinclair ts and ts1500 min 4k ram, a 2k version for an unexpanded timex 2kb of ram and a 1k cutdown version. August sinclair research reports that it has shipped 500,000 zx81 personal computers in over 30 countries. Practical programs to do real jobs in a variety of environments. It only had 1kb of onboard ram, it was slow, it was small, it could only do black and white graphics, and its membrane keyboard was useless for fast typing. It was launched in the united kingdom in march 1981 as the successor to sinclair s zx80 and was designed to be a lowcost introduction to home computing for the general public. The sinclair zx81 also sold by timex as the timex sinclair was a very compact z80 based machine with a membrane keyboard. The zx81, released in a slightly modified form in the united states as the timex sinclair, was a home computer produced by sinclair research and manufactured in scotland by timex corporation. Eightyone source code is released under the gnu gpl. Jul 31, 2015 in this video we take a look at the timex sinclair, a lowcost microcomputer from the early 1980s. Timex sinclair ts timex sinclair is a result of joint venture between sinclair research ltd and timex corporation. Unfollow timex sinclair computer to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Timex sinclair 1500 computer steves computer collection. I say something about the history of the computer, go over its hardware and software.
This is a zx81compatible z80based eightbit computer kit with 32k ram, tynemouth software explains of the minstrel issue 3 design the latter a considerable upgrade from an unexpanded sinclair zx81, which launched in the uk in 1981 with just 1kb of onboard ram. This computer was a very great success in europe in the beginning of the 80s. A guide to the timex sinclair, henry mullish, 1984 the elementary timex sinclair, william b. July timex computer begins selling the timex sinclair through over timex retail outlets. Keyboards and keyboard accessories for the zx81 and ts. Zx81 games that i published in the magazine sinclair programs in. It was launched in the united kingdom in march 1981 as the successor to sinclair s zx80 and designed to be a lowcost introduction to home computing for the general public.
The computer was developed with another technology company, nine tiles, and manufactured in a timex corporation factory in dundee, scotland. The zx81 was an upgrade to the zx80 which had half the rom. Timex sinclair was a joint venture between the british company sinclair research and. In 1981, sinclair released a computer at a price that is still crazy 30 years later. Please respect this licence and feed back any changes into the project. Sinclair zx81 customs services and international tracking provided. Sync magazine was a relatively shortlived glossy magazine dedicated to the timex sinclair zx80 zx81 models of computers. Eightyone is designed to run on windows xp, but should work on windows 98 and above. Timex sinclair pc, printer, software, manuals, adapter. The sinclair zx81 was released 1981 in the uk and later in 1982 in a slightly modified form as the timex sinclair in the united states. Feb 16, 2014 check out my retro tech tshirt store i love the design of the sinclair zx81. It was manufactured by timex in dundee scotland and designed to work on a standard television set and although still available in kit form, could be also purchased ready assembled.
Tynemouth software launches minstrel issue 3 sinclair zx81. January timex introduces the timexsinclair 2000, which is their repackaged sinclair spectrum for the north. Followed in march 1981 by the even more popular successor, the sinclair zx81, both models had a profound impact on home and hobbyist computing in the uk and many other countries. Supplied as either a full version for the expanded sinclair zx81, timexsinclair ts and ts1500 min 4k ram, a 2k version for an unexpanded timex 2kb of ram and a 1k cutdown version. A guide to the timexsinclair, henry mullish, 1984 the elementary timexsinclair, william b. The zx81 could be bought by mail order in diy kit form or preassembled as such it created a huge community of enthusiasts and at lot of retro fans all over the world including usa, with timex sinclair, but with 16k of ram. Feb 23, 2011 the zx81 was manufactured by the timex corporation and sold as a kit. Sinclair zx81 project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The ts was my first computer, so it holds a special place in my heart. Timex sinclair was a joint venture between the british company sinclair research and timex corporation in an effort to gain an entry into the rapidly growing early1980s home computer market in north america. The timex sinclair, also known as the zx81, was small, ran on basic, and offered a mere 2kb of ram to go with its 3. You might be able to fix the keyboard on your timex sinclair or sinclair zx81 computer and have it working again. Timex sinclair 10 most popular computers in history. The zx81s commercial success made sinclair research one of britains leading computer manufacturers and earned a.
The choice of partnership was natural as timex was already the main contractor for manufacture of sinclairs zx81 and zx spectrum computers at its scottish plant in dundee. Lot mindware games software for timex sinclair ts zx81 computer. Zx81 emulator written in visual basic can you believe it windows. The choice of partnership was natural, as timex was already the main contractor for manufacture of sinclairs zx81 and zx spectrum computers at its scottish plant in dundee. Designed as a lowcost introduction to home computing, the zx81 was designed to be small, simple, and cheap. Author pushes the zx81 and casts aside the idea that it is too small for any real computing work. Zx81timex sinclair flight simulation simulator and youtubea short demo of loading and running the psion flight simulation software on a timex sinclair mounted in a suntronics fullsized keyboard mod with a. Sort of an experimental unfinished zx81 emulator windows. Even by 1981s standards, it was slow but it also cost a mere 100 bucks, making it an attractive entry point for aspiring hobbyists who couldnt spend a thousand. Supplied as either a full version for the expanded sinclair zx81, timexsinclair ts and ts1500 min. It runs the current program for only about a quarter of the time in effect slowing the machine down fourfold, although in.
It was launched in the united kingdom in march 1981 as the successor to sinclairs zx80 and was designed to be a lowcost introduction to home computing for the general public. Minesweeper for your zx81 will also run under zx81 emulator xtender. Ram packs and memory expansion for the zx81 and ts. Inside is a standard zx81 issue 3 board, with some extra shielding and some modifications for ntsc mode and a channel switch more on that on my previous post on making a multiregion ts. The sinclair zx81 timex sinclair computer youtube. Having one to physically have it is one thing but if you actually want the experience of using one, the next best thing. Jun 09, 2019 a timex sinclair retro revisit june 9, 2019 by rlaude w ay back i was tasked with filming my wifes family gatherings and a few of my own, summer picnics, christmas festivities, thanksgiving dinners, birthdays and countless other occasions. The timex came with 2k of ram rather than 1k like the zx81 came with and outputs to 60hz ntsc video while the uk model does 50hz pal video output. The timex sinclair ts was the first computer produced by timex sinclair, a joint. Timex claimed to have sold 600,000 tss in the us by early 1983, and other companies imported localized versions of british software. Timex sinclair ts replacement keyboard membranes the timex sinclair ts was a rebadged version of sinclair s zx81, with a few minor changes.
Timex sinclair was a joint venture between the british company sinclair research and timex corporation in an effort to gain an entry into the rapidlygrowing early1980s home computer market in the united states. In this video we take a look at the timex sinclair, a lowcost microcomputer from the early 1980s. It displays an onscreen keyboard to make it easy to use the clever onekeypercommand basic programming interface, and the view screen is. The rf modulator is different for the us timex model and the us zx81 which they did sell some of, there are a few other differences. Zx81 tape flight simulation by sinclair researchsee more details for this tape and play it now on the zx81stuff website. Timex sinclair ts replacement keyboard membranes the timex sinclair ts was a rebadged version of sinclairs zx81, with a few minor changes. Im no electronics expert, but dave curran of tynemouth software is. The sinclair zx81 was released by sinclair research limited on 5th march 1981 as an upgraded version of the sinclair zx80. Repairing keyboard on timex sinclair zx81 computer. This is a rewrite of the classic arcade game, klingons. Timex sinclair academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. Although they all have ts or 1500 in the title, many are reprints of zx81 books.
The zx81 is a home computer produced by sinclair research and manufactured in scotland by timex corporation. The sinclair zx81 was the first popular home computer and was the computer which launched the home computer industry it followed on the heels of the white sinclair zx80 home computer which was supplied as a kit and came either as a kit or readyassembled. Was it an oversight or an intentional form of lockout. January timex introduces the timex sinclair 2000, which is their repackaged sinclair spectrum for the north. Launched in england on march 5, 1981, was designed to be a lowcost introduction to home computing for the general public. Repairing keyboard on timex sinclair zx81 computer youtube. Multimachine emulates a whole range of 8 bit machines. In place of a dedicated monitor, the zx81 was designed to output video to standard television set. Dec 07, 2010 you might be able to fix the keyboard on your timex sinclair or sinclair zx81 computer and have it working again. Any idea why timex modified it to have such compatibility problems. The ts was a slightlymodified version of the sinclair zx81 with an ntsc rf. Over the years a lot of vhf tapes 40 or so were produced and gathered. He figured out how to link a zx81 keyboards connection cables to an atmel atmega32 chip of the kind found in various arduino boards, and he wrote some code to read key presses and send appropriate.
New sinclair zx81 timexsinclair timexsinclair 1500 hardware. The pi uses usb for peripherals, so clearly the zx81 keyboard has to be capable of being bridged by some usb hardware. This time klingons were flying through space with a ship full of goldpressed latinum for the empire. Download software for zx81 and emulator here i will present some nice software for your zx81 which is written by zxteam members and cannot be found in other sites. Sinclair vintage computers and mainframes for sale ebay. If you are looking for information on the zx81, including emulators and downloads, a good place to start would be the sinclair zx81 webring, as well as the sinclair zx80 and zx81 computer forums. The sinclair zx81 known in the us as the timex sinclair was my. The 1k zx80 was updated to the zx81 in march 1981 with 2k of memory.
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