The TMS9918A video project consists of two PC boards, a small modification/addition to the main computer board, and a +5, +12, -5 VDC power supply (an expansion board of some type is necessary). Video board “A” contains the TMS9918 VDP chip, 16K video ram and one support chip for I/O interfacing. Board “B” contains the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.20.25
Why? Is the predominant first question. If you find that your computer does its job, but you would like to see it work a lot faster (in SLOW), if your tired of that annoying fast mode flicker, if you have a program longer than 16K of BASIC and want it to run without crashing, then…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
If you have a Memotext word-processor module and 64K RAM, you undoubtedly have already made use of its powerful “text” files mode. Memotext also supports “data” files, organized in six fields per file, up to 31 characters per field. Entering data files is just as easy and fast as text, thanks to the re-defined keyboard,…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
As the title implies, this series is designed to introduce the beginner to the basics of machine coding. The beginner in machine language that is. We must assume that you already have a working knowledge of BASIC. As the title also implies, I will try as much as possible to relate machine code programming to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
In Volume 1, No. 5 of Sync Ware News I approached you with the idea of presenting an introductory/ tutorial column on the FORTH language. If you missed my introduction to FORTH article in Volume 1:3, I suggest you go back and read that. Contact Sync Ware News for back issue availability if you need…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
This column is designated for small talk. Forum will be a channel to communicate your needs, ideas and/or specialties to other ZX/TS computerists. Do you provide a service, or do you require a special service? Let us know and we will share your notions with everyone else. There is one catch, NO PRICES will be…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
In this column, we will announce any software or hardware that is new or otherwise untested by us. If you have something of interest, we will announce it here. Send us a description of your product. Keep it short, please. We advise readers to send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope), as a courtesy, to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
In case you hadn’t noticed, a few changes have occured with SWN in the last couple of months. The appearance among others, is quite different. Another change that has transpired is the editor/publisher personnel. We are very happy to have Tom Woods as our publisher. Not only is he involved in publishing, but also in…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
For those of you who thought that we were just a couple of non-existent characters beyond your end-of-line marker, we decided to trip your NMI and create a full display file. Of course that’s quite easy to do from a Bent ROOM. Anyway, this should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are…
article, orig pub: 05.30.22, updated: 10.18.25
Some education theorists suggest that learning to count and read is enhanced if you create a large, sharp image in a child’s mind. This image should be easily recognized and repeated often. Rapidly moving TV pictures get credit (and blame) for generating very powerful attention-grabbing images that anyone watching learns quickly. With your ZX81 and…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.18.25
Sure Does! T.A. Jacoby all the way from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia writes: The Stringy Floppy Notes contained in Updates Vol. 1, No. 1 require a few changes to accomodate the revised A&J firmware. This listing shows what I did. The modified program works fine, except for one minor glitch. When the SAVE command is invoked,…
article, orig pub: 10.18.25, updated: 10.18.25
The A&J Micro Drive is the “new and improved” version of the old CAI ESF stringy floppy, a very high speed tape device which approaches the speed and flexibility of disk drives but at a price of only about $150. This system uses a tiny wafer cassette about the size of a large book of…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.18.25
Our old friend Irving Helbling wrote, “although I spent my entire adult life writing lengthy reports, I find that words on a screen do not look like words on paper. I am constantly in doubt about the accuracy of my spelling. The dictionary usually confirms my instinct, but it takes a lot of time. All…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.18.25
Editor’s note: Although this pearl of programming poetry is not a direct Pro/File enhancement, it is never the less, a utility with many useful applications for people who like to cut and hack into Pro/File or any other program. Now for Richard’s wisdom: Those of us who use 64K RAM on our ZX81/TS1000 must poke…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.18.25
It’s not often that a short piece of new programming can add a whole new dimension to a program, but that’s what happens with this mod. Pro/File the file manager turns into Pro/File the accounts manager with this hot little ditty. Once you add it, you can keep a running total of numbers that you…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.18.25
I, too, have a Compusa Disk system for my TS 1500. I use a different method to save to disk which allows me to save to tape if I want to. The method described in Updates 1:3 forces you to delete old data BEFORE you save the new data. That practice could lead to disaster.…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.18.25
In Updates number 3, the “Additional Selections from the Display Options” enhancement on page 4 screws up the “RETURN” function. Change line 245 to: This fixes the RETURN, and a selection of “M” takes you back to the MAIN MENU.
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Myles Cohen from New York uses the ADD modification given in UPDATES vol. 1, #3, to simulate “labels” such as those used in old, outmoded and obsolete data base programs like Vu-File. Cohen added one file which holds the label names on the line he wishes them to be printed on. Then when he is…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Since my last tip on using QSAVE with the Timex 1500 (see Updates vol. 1, #4), it seems I may not be the only one out here with such a set-up. If that is the case, others might be interested in modifying the QSAVE program so as to allow its use with the 1500 and…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Well, here it is February and the January issue of Updates has just reached you. I’m sorry for the delay. It seems that no matter what I do, it comes out late. First was the Pro/File 2068 manual (1 year behind schedule), then SyncWare News Volume 1 (4 months behind schedule), SyncWare News Volume 2,…
article, orig pub: 10.17.25, updated: 10.17.25
As our lowly ZX computers fade into the setting sun, die-hards among our ranks have expressed concern over where to find replacement computers and parts. For the time being, ZX81 computers, power supplies and parts (ULA’s, ROM’s circuit boards, etc.) can be obtained from Thomas W. Laffin. Laffin, an old Sinclair owner and Pro/File hacker…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
From Bill Hall, Laurel, MD: One of my duties as Minister of Music for the Tabernacle is to compile a schedule of all volunteer help during our Sunday morning services. This involves seven different areas of ministry and as many as ten individuals per area. Conflicts of scheduling this large group of people led us…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
If you use a CAI Stringy Floppy for high speed program saves, you’re not alone if you tried unsuccessfully to adapt PRO/ FILE to work with this device. With the help of Don Bernath in Michigan, Peter Danes in New York, Jim Benedict of Miss., Lionel Barthelemy of Alabama, and Frank Finkelstein of New York,…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Memory space in a computer — regardless of how much you have plugged in — is allocated for certain jobs. Two major sections of memory that concern ZX PRO/FILE are the program area of memory and the variables area. When PRO/FILE runs, all files are stored in the variables area. With 16K attached, the files…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
These changes allow ZX PRO/FILE to perform “NOT” searches. This is equivalent to printing all files EXCEPT the word you input as a search command. PRO/FILE’s builtin multi-word search mode is used in this routine. The computer searches all files for a match to the first word. If one is found, it then scans the…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Al Rapp of Blowing Rock, NC writes: I am using the RS-232 board in my Byte-Back modem and Byte-Back’s printer driver program to drive my Star DP8480 serial printer. I can copy the whole screen by using USR 8347 at line 3020 of PRO/FILE but I can’t select lines to be printed. You must alter…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Far and away, the most common problem experienced by ZX PRO/FILE owners is enlarging the DS array to make use of a larger memory pack. It seems that the dummy who wrote the book was so concerned with getting the program lines on page 42 printed correctly that he completely forgot to tell you to…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Sadly, ZX PRO/FILE will not work on the new TS2068 without a substantial re-write of the machine code. Even general concepts must be changed. Watch for a 2068 version in 6-8 months. By necessity, it will be accompanied by an entirely new text as well.
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Jim Cripps of Central Islip, NY has compiled a large foreign language translation data base using ZX PRO/FILE. His family uses it to improve their language skills in any of the five different languages held in the program. For each word, a two line file is created. The first line holds the initial of the…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
When D$ is longer than 704 characters, report 5 errors prevent you from displaying the array when you PRINT D$. This short routine appended to PRO/FILE lets you read all the contents of D$ without a lot of fuss. Begin numbering the lines at 9000 or some other place where there’s room.
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
I was using PRO/FILE to handle a file and print-out of one line sales transactions, but entering the data of varying length and still keeping all segments of lines properly aligned caused me grief as well as a lot of “Data Too Long” errors. This revision of line 552 and an added line 554 prints…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Add or alter these lines of ZX PRO/FILE to make it work with Byte-Back’s P-2 serial print< er driver. P-2 can be located in any convenient memory location. Once you decide where you want it to be, determine the address of both the LPRINT and the LCOPY routines. The address for LCOPY will be stored…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
I found that I required an INSERT facility for a filing job I was working on. This one works very well. After these changes are made to ZX PRO/FILE you can create an open line between two existing ones in order to insert a new line of text. Whenever the cursor is blinking while you…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Enhancements to PRO/FILE that are written in machine code can present a problem in deciding where in memory you should keep it. A long addition like Q-SAVE or FASTLOAD will usually be placed either above RAMTOP or somewhere in the 8-16K area of RAM if you have it to use. The biggest drawback to keeping…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Dear Fellow Timex Computer Owner, The bad news that Timex has dropped out of the personal computer market comes to me as a Itremendous disappointment. I put my faith in their machines and for the last two years have worked long and hard to build a software business with a reputation that I think is…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.17.25
Linking Pro/File’s data management capabilities with the rapid access and large capacity of a disk system is probably the single greatest improvement you can make to ZX PRO/FILE. If you obtain a disk system manufactured by AERCO you can make these modifications to PRO/FILE to pack your data base with enormous whollop. Here is what…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
Several readers have written of problems when trying to make an ordered search. In order to utilize this function in PRO/FILE you must enter your data carefully or the computer will not be able to find the number you type in. Remember that the number held in the file MUST be the last word of…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
John Willi, Louisville, KY, and Phil Williams, Wilmington, DE, sent these instructions to make PRO/FILE work with Q-SAVE. Willi comments, “I Dimmed D$ to 9700 characters to allow 100 bytes for the NOT search and 500 for the file count. One could otherwise probably increase D$’s length. Load time is 27 seconds!” Williams adds, “According…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
If you haven’t heard already, Timex followed in the footsteps of Texas Instruments not long ago, leaving computer owners and third party supporters alike holding the bag. Rumors are flying fast and furious. Only one thing is certain and that is that we are all in for some uncertain times. Preliminary fears that the entire…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
How ’bout some comments on Timex hardware suppliers? There are lots of ads in SYNC and elsewhere, but who is reliable and who is not. Richard E. KoehlerIndianapolis, IN Finding reliable hardware (and software) is frustrating for all of us. UPDATES definitely will comment on hardware, software and everything else that enhances ZX PRO/FILE, but…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.17.25
If you have a 64K RAM on your ZX/TS, you can recover from crashes by periodically saving your work in high memory, as a snapshot of your current 16K environment. You need a reset button (a momentary contact normally open pushbutton between edge connector pins 21A and 4B, with a 10 ohm 1/4 watt series…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Biocal Software (167 Wilson St., Petaluma, CA 94952 707/7634348) announces new software for the ZX/TS: Rebound (paddle ball game). Life (Conway’s classic simulation) , Bomber (fly over a city and destroy), Z80DA (disassembler and machine code monitor with CAI/ESF and CAI/P40 options). Backgammon (version updates $2 + original copy). Blackjack (up to 4 players), Bar-Dice…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
E-Z Key (711 S. Artery Suite 75, Quincy, MA 02169 617/773-1187) and Knighted Computers (707 Highland St., Fulton, NY 13069 315/593-8219) now have modems (that would have been TS2050’s) available for $119, including Smart I terminal software on cassette and a free membership in the Source. As mentioned in SYNTAX Apr. 84, T.E.J. Computer Products…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Just at press time, Timex began to deliver copies of its comprehensive technical manual for the 2068 computers. Every owner should buy this book — if you don’t need it, you add to the resale value of your machine with the extensive documentation provided. Those of you trying to locate or decipher ROM routines will…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Simulusion, now located at Box 2382, La Jolla CA 92038, now offers 11 cassette packages for ZX/TS machines, including 2 with recipes for drinks and party snacks. All do home tasks or play games. Write for free catalog.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Despite many persistent rumors, Timex says no group has emerged to take over their computer business. SYNTAX can find no evidence of a credible buyer even at the stage of serious negotiations — despite what you read elsewhere.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Everyone knows that Sinclair Timex computers are dead now that Timex quit, right? Well, I’m always the last to get the word, darn it! In May, I completed my “Super JO1000”, a TS1000 upgraded to full color, 124K system with EPROM programming, EPROM read, and Centronics parallel printer interface. (“JO” stands for John Oliger, who…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
Once again, Ray Kingsley has brought out one of the most powerful machine-code monitors I have ever seen. Everyone planning to write machine code routines on the 2068 owes it to himself to buy a copy of this package. This latest version of HOT Z includes disassembly and data displays, ROM floating-point code display, four…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.16.25
This article shows you how you can use a full size IBM compatible keyboard with your computer and create a new channel to link it to your own Basic programs. My new cartridge version of Pro/File 2068 has the software part of this project built into the cartridge, and it can be used with any…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Last time, we looked at the details surrounding HOT-Z’s READ mode. This issue, we’ll use HOT-Z to write some machine code. The program we write will not be a masterpiece that sends shivers up your spine. Instead, it will be something short and sweet, but it will demonstrate the way you use HOT-Z to write…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Here is a simple modification you can make to the NVM which enables you to remove an old battery and plug in a new one WITHOUT losing the program you have stored in it! It is amazing, but true. After removing the battery, you can diddley-bop around for 5 minutes (!) and still have time…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Charles Stelding from Tyler, TX writes… Pro/File 2068 makes an excellent calendar and daily schedule. I use it in my work as a Campus Minister at Tyler Junior College. Here is a print out showing how I use the calendar. I place a “!” after each day that something is scheduled which allows me to…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Did you know that your 2068 has a feature built-in to it which allows you to link new peripherals into Basic? It is possible to interface your computer to modems, keyboards, printers, other computers, or just about anything else you can think of and then use Basic commands like PRINT, INPUT, LIST, INKEY, LPRINT, or…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Attention QL owners: Now you’ve got a magazine of your very own. “Quantum Levels” is our newest project and the first issue is due out in August. Like SyncWare News, the new “Levels” is bi-monthly. It contains product reviews, hardware projects, program listings, tips on Super Basic, and hints on using the QL bundled software.…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
By the time this issue of Updates reaches you, I anticipate that I’ll be up to be up to my hips in Pro/File 2068 cartridge boards, eproms, and instruction books. So if you ordered one, expect it to arrive soon. Several people who had never used Pro/File 2068 asked what sort of instructions come with…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
The first chapter of the explanation of Pro/File’s inner workings is inside this issue and covers the INs and OUTs of hooking up an IBM PC keyboard. What’s more, the routines given here make it possible to use this keyboard with ANY Basic program. The facility is much like using a “print driver” for a…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
My old pal, Floyd Cox, writes, “How do I use the Rompak Quickload and Pro/File cartridge on my TS1000?” Answer: The Quickload Pro/File cartridge which was manufactured by Rompak, and is still being sold by Sunset Electronics in San Francisco, plugs into the back of your computer. When you power the computer up, the “K”…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Hot-Z for both the TS1000 and 2068 has been in constant demand since I first first added it to my product line. Make no mistake about it, this product is a very powerful tool in the hands of a machine code programmer. Unfortunately, there is another side to the Hot-Z coin. Right from the start,…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Here’s a program written in Extended Basic to demonstrate the use of the new commands DRAW, FILL, and SCREEN. For those not familiar with Extended Basic, this program adds 22 new Basic commands to the existing TS1000 vocabulary. The three used in this program are from a large group of “display commands”. DRAW is used…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
Here’s some good news for 32K Non-Volatile Memory owners. Now there is a way to store your Basic programs in the Dock bank on the TS2068 and be able to edit them directly without transferring them into the Home bank first. This makes writing and debugging AROS programs as easy as regular HOME bank programs.…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
In the last issue’s “anemometer” article, I showed how to build a simple but effective (and cheap) device to tell how fast the wind blows. Now, I will carry on with plans for an equally important device to determine wind direction. This project, as all future “weather station” articles shall be, is intended to be…
article, orig pub: 10.12.25, updated: 10.12.25
I do not want to make it a habit of filling the pages of Computer Updates with a lot of hype for new products, but in this instance, I am so happy with the way a new cartridge version of Pro/File 2068 is turning out, I simply can’t resist telling you about it. With a…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
In early May I packed up my bags and headed for Cincinnati, Ohio to attend the Mid-West TS Computerfest. What a blast it was! The whole affair took on the characteristics of a big party for Timex owners. Over 250 people turned out for the event. It must have been the biggest gathering of the…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
Robert Shade from Philadelphia was studying the DEMO program which comes with Extended Basic and asked what function all the OUT commands perform. According to Frits Beniest, author of the program, and programmer extraordinaire, these commands were included to generate sound from the ZON-X sound generator. This peripheral is available in Europe, but to my…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
Pro/File 2068 owners take note! A few frustrated folks who added the new Machine Code Sort capability from the BREAKTHROUGH newsletter experienced crashing problems whenever they tried to alphabetize files by one particular line, but ordering by any other line worked fine. This is a bug in the machine code–not a typing error. Robert C.…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
This project is the first in a series of articles which will chronicle my ongoing experiments in the development of a low-cost completely computerized weather station making use of TS computers, the Experimenter’s Universal Input/Output Port, and a collection of common household items. I think you will enjoy following my trials and tribulations. After completing…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
If you find that you frequently need to change the print format (DEFP) in ZX Pro/File for the TS1000, you can save a lot of cumbersome keypresses by assigning a DO file to do it for you. Since the print format is stored in the three basic variables, C1, C2, and S, it is a…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
When you’re running Pro/File 2068 and you type “SAVE” from the main menu, program line 107 is executed which performs a normal program save of the Basic program and all the variables including DS, the large character array which contains all your data. Many people have asked if it would be possible, instead, to save…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
What’s a tone decoder, you ask? Well, a tone decoder is a vital piece of equipment which must be hooked up in the Morse Code Translator program for the Experimenter’s Universal In/Out Port. It is a circuit that listens to audio dots and dashes from the radio speaker and whenever the sound falls within a…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
(What is This World Coming To Dept.) A few weeks back, I took out a subscription to INFOWORLD, a weekly newspaper featuring all the latest jive from the computer world. I figured that since I was “in the business”, it would behoove me to “keep my ear to the rail”. The paper would give me…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
This issue marks a dramatic change in the newsletter. In our first two years, subject matter was limited rather strictly to applications and enhancements for the TS1000 version of ZX Pro/File. Now, the newsletter has broadened its scope. Instead of detailing just one program, the new Computer Updates will provide indepth information, new uses, program…
article, orig pub: 10.11.25, updated: 10.11.25
Some of you may remember that a LONG time ago, I said I wanted to offer a simple parallel port and use it as the basis of a series of programs designed to show computer hobbyists the what’s, why’s and wherefore’s of “Programming for Ports”. My plan was (and still is) to provide many interesting…
article, orig pub: 01.28.24, updated: 10.08.25
Product annoucement for VOTEM interface board from Down East Computers.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.07.25
TS1000 plus peripherals can make life easier and less expensive for artificial kidney patients and US taxpayers. Artificial kidneys used by dialysis patients cost $20-50 each and patients can use each only once. Each kidney patient must dialyze, using a new kidney, three times a week. Medicare, through our tax dollars, bears 80% of this…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.07.25
With this issue, we start a “mini-series” on improving cassette reliability. I’m sure you’ll agree that unreliable LOADs are perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of personal computing. With a little knowledge about the SAVE/LOAD process, we can take steps to save ourselves a lot of grief. We’ll start the series with a discussion…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 10.07.25
Here are a couple articles that introduce you to control applications for the T/S computers (ZX81, TS1000, TS1500) with a minimum of effort and (best of all) at reasonable cost. Before we control something with a computer, we usually need some way of getting information back to the computer; ie, to control an oven, the…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 10.07.25
Here is a program that demonstrates a simple yet effective way to get analog information (data) into your ZX81/TS1000/TS1500 computer, with a minimum of additional hardware. Also included are various plot and display routines so you can get visual and printed output of your acquired data. Along the way it will show you various “tricks”…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 10.07.25
VOTEM stands for voltage and temperature, and that’s what this new interface from Down East Computers is all about.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.07.25
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.07.25
The Votem, to play on James J. Carr’s book Digital Interfacing to an Analog World (Tab Books, Summit, PA. 1978), is an analog interface to Sinclair’s digital world. Analog/Digital Conversion Analog (related to analogous) refers to relationships by ratios. The analog device relates numbers to a turn on a wheel such as our rapidly disappearing…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.07.25
Instructions and program.
article, orig pub: 11.06.20, updated: 10.07.25
In my Physical Science class we were given the assignment to do a science fair project. I chose to do a project to see whether north or south facing rooms differed in temperature from one another. We discussed all of the problems with using a real house to take measurements and decided that we would…
article, orig pub: 05.24.24, updated: 10.07.25
If you have a VOTEM, or if this article talks you into buying one, here is a simple modification which will extend the board’s utility further, and allow you to start LOADing a program from tape, flip a switch when the loading bars appear on the screen, and walk away; when the program has loaded,…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 10.07.25
Persistence: Four aerospace engineers are hurrying to finish an experiment they began as students. The test, delayed by the Challenger explosion, is scheduled for a mid-August launch.
article, orig pub: 10.07.25, updated: 10.07.25
I have a friend who suffers from computer-phobia — fear of the chip. Whenever I try to interest him in a programming career, he replies, “I can’t learn that stuff. It’s too complicated.” Recently, I invited Dean to my home, gave him Understanding the Micro and a cold beer, and left him at the dining…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.01.25
The man behind the camp program at Wesleyan College in Fort Worth, doesn’t like to make predictions. But one fact in the future of education Dr. Mark Wasicsko is sure of: computers. “I’m convinced education is going in that direction,” he says “Every state in the country has passed a resolution to aim for computer…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.01.25
Computing is fast becoming the latest thing in both day and overnight camps, and many camps across the country already include it among some of their activities. Ah, summer camp. The smell of wood smoke at dusk, the tender-tight feel of a sunburnt nose and tiFed paddling muscles, the sounds of shouts and splashes from…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 10.01.25
ZX-DATA FINDER is a storage and retrieval program with some very advanced title and word search features. It is unique because you don’t have to set file sizes before you begin. Any length of file can be stored in the same program with no loss of precious memory. Computer magazines advertise quite a few different…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
You choose the number (from one to four) of ghosts you wish to evade — the difficulty increases with each additional ghost, and they pursue you with increasing speed in each subsequent play. Though the maze is not adjustable, it is well-constructed and features complicated turns and passages. The keys that control movement (6, 7,…
article, orig pub: 09.28.25, updated: 09.28.25
Another alien invasion. You must protect the planet from hostile Thargon forces. The game features a high-score display, dive- bombing aliens, continuous play, smooth action, fast response, and good graphics. Each time you clear the screen the aliens are replaced, until you deplete your three lives. The game is not easy to beat — the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
A mass of blocks grows beneath you; points are gained by dropping bombs on particular blocks, and lost by missing. The game ends when the mass of blocks reaches the demolisher. As you have little to do but drop bombs, this game is definitely a sleeper.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
The object is to hit enemy installations before they hit you, while simultaneously maneuvering to avoid crashing into treacherous terrain. Unfortunately, the game moves very slowly, and the terrain repeats itself like a chase scene in a poorly animated cartoon. The enemy, seemingly unaware of your presence, fires haphazardly; though I made no effort to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
In this maze game you move around any one of six mazes at any one of nine speeds while a hunter tries to capture you. Though the mazes take time to master and contain some difficult passageways, the game can be played at reasonably fast speeds. You may find the cursor keys difficult to use…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
This space invaders game has superb visual effects that possess almost a three-dimensional quality. To defend yourself (and Earth) you must guard an area two screen-widths across using sophisticated tracking devices including forward radar, a proximity meter and an altimeter. The alien ships grow and display increasingly fine detail as they approach, and explode with…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
ON U.K. IMPORTS I need some assistance! It concerns all these helpful books written by the English for the English, then sold to unsuspecting Americans — like me. It seems no one has bothered to edit these programs to be useful to Americans. I hope your experts will warn us of software which is useful…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
The program loads. 0/0 appears on the screen. The printed instructions tell us to type GO to 1 to start: not the most elegant beginning, but acceptable. Then we are asked level? but nowhere told how to enter it. Finally logic impels us to press 1, and the screen turns gray and stays that way,…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.28.25
2-Bit Software of Del Mar California, has introduced a software four-pack that satirizes the suburban homemaker. Mad Dash tests your ability to race through the house when you haven’t had a break all day, while Carfool demands you figure out how to use the least amount of gas while running errands all over town. Harried…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
If you’ve ever had to struggle through page after page of a boring book, you’ll really appreciate this breath of fresh air: in fact, customs officials should have bestowed it a personality award. It’s fun. The writing is very readable and will please both adult and child. The book (Making the Most of Your Timex…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
In Understanding Your ZX-81 ROM, by Ian Logan, the reader doesn’t have to contend with an update from the Sinclair ZX-80. Hold your joy, however, because since the book was published Sinclair has modified their original 8K ROM monitor. A two-page insert at the front of the book explains the differences, which are about a…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
There are many books on the market today aimed at teaching kids how to get the most from their home computers. Two of these are Computers for Kids, by Sally Greenwood Larsen, and Katie and the Computer, by Fred D’lgnazio. Both are From Creative Computing Press and both should delight young computer users everywhere. Katie…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
Now 42, and with his company, Sinclair Research, recently valued at over 200 million dollars, Clive Sinclair can reflect on a 20-year career in electronics which has established him as Britain’s leading high-technology entrepreneur. He has many ‘firsts’ to his name, from the world’s first pocket calculator (1972) and pocket television (1977), through to the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
With the next new computer from Sinclair Research not expected until next year, attention in the U.K. is being focussed on expanding existing systems. The two major expansions for which Sinclair owners are eagerly waiting are the Microdrives and Micronet 800. Both have been announced but neither is yet available. The Microdrives are expected soon…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
Buying a Timex Sinclair machine can be the start of a lifetime obsession with home computing. It is easy, however, to become discouraged if everything does not go according to plan from the beginning. For those with only a little knowledge of computers and their capabilities, the best way to approach the machine is to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.25.25
A vast support network exists for the T/S1000/ZX81: wherever goes the most popular computer in history, user groups are not far behind. Below is a list of many such groups in the United States; as new ones are springing up all the time, we make no claims that it is inclusive. Whenever two or more…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Because most users of the T/S1000/ZX81 are software orientated, the hardware has been made simple in this design. The software needed to run it consequently will be large and some of it is in machine code. The heart of the design is the 8255 programmable peripheral interface device. This chip has 24 lines of input…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
All you need to start is a simple understanding of the PLOT command, says professor and author Michael K. Barnett in this exclusive interview. Can you tell us some of the computers that you use for computer graphics? These include some very large IBM machines like 370s, 3033s and 3081s, some personal computers like the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
The first question often asked about a new machine is “Does it play Space Invaders?” Though a 1K machine has considerable difficulty getting anywhere Computer Combat using only 1K, is a type of mini Space Invaders but with only one invader and one base and a much slower rate of firing. The object of the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
A game which links the bugbaiting type of program with a battle against alien invaders has been produced by Sanath Yogasundrum. When the game begins, the player is asked for a skill level, A or P, which stand for amateur or professional. It is advisable to start on the amateur level while the player begins…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
You will probably recognize Surround as soon as you RUN it. It is a version of a fairly standard routine in which you are required to surround your adversary before he can surround you. Both players are in continuous motion and are not allowed to cross their tracks or those of their opponent, or to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Knight’s Move uses the movement pattern of the knight in chess to try to cover every space in a square. The program asks where you wish to start on the board, giving the vertical coordinate first, and then marks the moves as you make your way round the board. There is a check routine to…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Eleven-yeah-old Keith Goode of Arlington, Texas, certainly gives you your money’s worth with this program. In the menu, Use It presents you with, you can choose one of seven options. The first turns your computer into a drawing board. Option two draws sine wave curves. Three, four, five and six convert your keyboard into a…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Sixteen pins appear at the top of the screen for Bowling and the ball at the bottom. Use keys 5 and 8 to line up the two and press key 0 to bowl. The ball will be deflected by impact with the pins and thus make your task more difficult. For every pin hit you…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
A fleet of 20 "X” ships is attacking you. You must destroy at least 15 of them or be destroyed.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Last month I explained how to draw a flowchart of a program by splitting it into parts. Each part corresponds to an operation performed either by the user or the computer program. This month we take that a step further and examine a way of breaking a program code into easily-understood areas. There are three…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
In a stalemate over which chess program to buy? Check here before you make your move and you won’t get rooked! To help you bring order to the wide array of software available For the T/S1000/ZX81, our writers will look at specific types of programs in each issue. This month we look at six different…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Kids do learn from using computer games. This does not make those games educational programs. To be educational, a program must teach something that somebody planned to teach. In the jargon of the schools, that is called a learning objective. Further, to be educational, a program must show somehow that the kid has learned that…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Computers are in our schools now, and students are using them every day. Are they dehumanizing? Do they teach anything? Will teachers reject them? Charles Durang, science and computer editor for Reston Publishing, explores some old computer myths. Can you remember, not too long ago, when no one thought computers would get into the education…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
The British newspaper The Guardian has named Clive Sinclair as the Young Businessman of the Year. The award is made annually to people in Britain who have shown particular ability in business. Past winners have included Sir Michael Edwards, the man responsible for improving the ailing fortunes of Britain’s state-owned carmaker BL. The award has…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Fifty thousand people agreed that the 8th West Coast Computer Faire, held in San Francisco From March 18 to March 20, was fantastic. It boasted 500 different exhibitors ranging from the small single-booth entrepreneur selling tapes and books to the “big guns” like Apple, Commodore and I.B.M. No, we didn’t forget to mention Timex, they…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Last April, the British counterpart to this magazine, Sinclair User, ran a program entitled “Machine Code Converter” that was amazingly economical — only 27 lines long. “Now a brilliant piece of programming enables the Basic programmer to convert his listing automatically into machine code by LOADing from a tape or by entering the program line…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Sinclair Research has claimed to be the first company to sell more than one million home computers. Since it began selling the ZX80 three years ago it has sold 130,000 ZX80s, 750,000 ZX81s and 200,000 Spectrums, an upgraded version of which is to appear soon in North America as the T/S2000. And these figures do…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
The Cramic-81 is a low-power, battery-backup RAM. It uses up-to-date technology such as lithium batteries to maintain your RAM’s contents even when the power is disconnected. It is ideal for keeping large, often used programs, machine code routines or programs you are working on without the bother of having to load them from cassette each…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
The Most important hardware device you can add to your computer is a memory unit. In this article we analyse three memory units for design, flexibility, durability and cost: the Memopak 16K, the Sinclair !6K RAM and the Panda 16K. These connect to the T/S1000 via the expansion port at the rear of the computer.…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Description: Machine language programming is very slow and tedious without using an assembler program. International Publishing and Software sells ZX Assembler, a program that allows you to enter and edit machine language using mnemonics. ZX Assembler occupies 7K and is located at the top of memory. It stores the machine language in a REM statement…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Description: You are in charge of a missile launcher and must save Earth from invading spaceships. With 15 rockets, you must choose a velocity to shoot down the invaders. The direction of each rocket is determined by the velocity you choose for it. If that sounds like an exciting game, then you would probably like…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Description: A missile launcher moves up and down on the left side of the screen in the program called Missile Launcher. You fire missiles at ammunition dumps on the right side of the screen. The player gets 25 shots and scores points for hitting the ammunition. Bonus points are scored for destroying an entire ammunition…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Description: Labyrinth is a game sold by Mindware that creates a maze which the player must go through. At the start of the game, the player must choose the width and height of the maze. Before entering the maze, the player is given the option of seeing it first This gives the player plenty of…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Description: In TS Destroyer, you fly in the center of the screen, and objets fly toward you from the left; you must dodge or shoot them. At the same time, another spaceship is flying up and down to your right, taking shots at you. In Space Raid, you control a gun that moves horizontally across…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.24.25
Buying a T/S1000/ZX81 can be the start of a lifetime obsession with home computing. It is easy, however, to become discouraged if everything does not work according to the manual. For those with only a little knowledge of computers a riti their capabilities, the best way to approach the T/S10QUZX81 is to abandon any ideas…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Programming on the T/S1000/ZX81 can be frustrating. These 10 tips should help you get over some of the problems! For our first issue of Timex Sinclair User, we went to dealers, publishers and users for the most often asked questions about the T/S1000,ZX81. These questions and our answers are the contents of this column this…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
The lack of an author’s name on Machine Language Programming Made Simple For Your Sinclair ZX-80 and ZX-81 indicates it may have been prepared by a committee. We decided the author was probably a comic art character used throughout the book to enliven the text. Dressed in a court jester’s outfit, wearing a CPU chip…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Professor Ian Stewart is with the University of Warwick, England, while co-author Robin Jones is with the computer unit at the South Kent College of Technology, England. What kind of a book can we expect from two obviously intelligent gentlemen with a great knowledge of computers? Your first thought is a dry, dull, routine book…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Part one of our step by step guide to help turn every one of you users out there into expert programmers. Any programs written by beginners to computing show a lack of what professionals call structure. The structure of a program is the way in which it is put together and the order in which…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Chicago's James P. Biers has discovered that his T/S1000 is a slide rule, calculator, desk-top planner, and more; and looks at business software.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Beethoven is a remarkable program which allows you to produce music from your T/S1000/ZX81. Stephane Crainic of Paris has linked hex values to the tones available from the speaker of your television set and has produced a table allowing you to convert the notes of the musical scale into those values. When you have typed…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Most computer games require nothing except a quick finger on the cursor key. Most of the rest, those which require a bit of brain power, are adaptations of games when the word computer meant a person with an abacus. London Bridge is one of the few routines we have seen which is original, was written…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Poisson’s formula is a method of calculating the possibilities of recurrence of an event, based on a number of occurrences in the past. For this listing, the time should be adjusted so that the number of occurrences is in the range 3 to 12. The range could be extended upwards if required, but 2 has…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Rear Gunner is a program included specifically for the computer novice, to demonstrate the use of graphics mode and the maneuvering of a display under cursor control. The screen shows a graphic G, representing your target, and a plus sign which is your gunsight. Align the two with the cursor keys and blast your target…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Remarkable graphics effects are the striking feature of Phasor for the 16K TS1000, ZX81. You are an infamous space pirate travelling home through hyperspace after a hard day’s murder and mayhem. Suddenly you find yourself wrenched back into real space/time by a squadron of Federation star-ships. You are hopelessly surrounded. Can you fight your last…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
The children are screaming, the sun is roasting, it is a perfect day for the beach. You are the budding entrepreneur on the lemonade stand, trying to outsell your rivals and lay the foundations of a fast food empire. You start with capital of $50 and have to decide how much to spend on advertising,…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
A lot of people have asked me, “What is a user group and how does one get started?” A user group is a group of people who meet on a regular basis to share and discuss ideas and problems regarding the computer. There are many different types of user groups. Some are formed by owners…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
This I/O (input/output) board is a must for any hardware oriented T/Sl000/ZX8i owner. It lets you add on such peripherals as digital to analog and analog to digital converters. All address and data lines are buffered in order to provide extended drive capabilities. All address lines are decoded for ease of operation and all internal…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
This unit, called the ZX99 RS 232C & Tape Control System is designed for the person needing large data-base capabilities. It provides control for four tape recorders (they must have a “remote” plug). It will allow you to save up to 200K bytes on one C-90 cassette tape. Further, it gives you a visual indication…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
THIS handsomely designed unit, put out by Memotech, allows the user to connect the T/S1000,ZX81 to a “normal” parallel printer. It contains all the software for code conversion to printers such as Epson, Centronics, SCM, and others* All Timex Sinclair printer commands such as COPY, LPRINT, LLIST are supported. All control codes for the printer…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
“Good morning! This is your friendly computer talking.” Your T/Sl000/ZX81 can now say words like that thanks to DCP‘s speech pack. It fits well onto the back of your computer and adds the excitement of sound to your programs. It can “say” all the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0 to over one million,…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Down East Computers of Greenville, N.C., has produced an allpurpose voltage and temperature measuring system designed to interface with the T/S1000, ZX81 computer or any Z80 based system.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Description: With the Flight Simulation program you must land your airplane successfully on the runway without crashing. Sitting in the cockpit, your control panel shows your speed, altitude, fuel and power. The top of your screen is your viewing window for the landing. The player is given the option of flying just the final approach.…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Description: In Invasion Force, you control a laser base and must shoot through a moving force field and destroy an alien ship. If you hit a black blob in the moving force field, all your damage to the ship is repaired. Smaller ships fly by and drop bombs on vou. The game ends when you…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Description: By skillfully piloting your ship through space and firing at enemy craft, you must protect your convoy from destruction in Cosmos, You must direct your ship near an alien and fire your laser before it gets away. Points are scored by destroying alien ships. The player is presented with a black screen. The player’s…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Description: In Night Gunner, you are the pilot of an airplane in combat with four enemy planes. At the center of the screen is your firing sight, a cross used for aiming. Using the cursor keys, you maneuver your airplane to get the enemy aircraft within your sights, and then you fire. The object is…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Description: In the game called Packrabbit, you are a rabbit being chased by four hunters. You must eat all the carrots in a large, complicated maze before you are captured by the hunters. You score one point for each carrot you eat. Scattered around the maze are magical carrots. When the rabbit eats a magical…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Exhibitions have long provided the many suppliers in the British Sinclair market with a popular outlet for their products.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
With much media ado last April, Sinclair Research Ltd. licensed the Timex Corporation to sell its line of personal computers and peripherals in North America. Their first joint product, the Timex Sinclair 1000, hit the stores in August of last year and has been anteing upmarket share in thousands of outlets nationwide ever since.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
When Timex and Sinclair introduced the affordable home computer, it was based on technology developed by Clive Sinclair and Sinclair Research.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Clive Sinclair is now officially worth more than $200 million.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
Welcome to the first issue … the collector's issue … of T1MEX SINCLAIR USER, the independent magazine which aims to help you make the most of your machine.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.23.25
In Galactic Invaders, seven alien crafts fly randomly around the screen, and fire at your laser base. The base can withstand seven hits before it is destroyed. After all seven crafts are destroyed, seven more appear and move at a higher speed. The player scores one point for each craft shot down. Evaluation: Although this…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
Starblaster is one of six 2k games on a tape sold by Softsync. The game uses machine language to scroll starts right to left across the screen. They player scores points by moving a based in front of the stars. The major problem with Starblaster is the instructions. The information with the games gives the…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
Description: Combat Flight casts you as the commander of a fighter ship, flying through mountainous terrain shooting at alien ships. Seven types of alien ships fly by. Points scored depend on the of alien you hit with lasers. A player gets three lives per game. After the game, the top five scores are displayed with…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
LENDING AN EAR I purchased the Timex Sinclair to see if a 60-year-old retired gent could learn computer programming. I do have problems finding books that do more than teach one to input programs and play games. I have purchased five books on the T/S1000 and ZX81 and have yet to find an adequate explanation…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
Welcome to our second issue. Your response to our first was overwhelming and really gratifying. From all of us on this side of Timex Sinclair User to all of you, “Thanks”. Our contest editor is screaming for more help to deal with all the great games that are pouring in. In case this is your…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
New Haven's Chris Baldwin ignited young minds by introducing 28 students to the world of tech through his 10-week ZX81 workshop.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 09.22.25
Explore the fascinating world of integration, as we delve into the legacy of Gauss and Newton, and the modern techniques that make number crunching a breeze. Stay tuned for a captivating journey into calculus.
article, orig pub: 08.24.25, updated: 08.24.25
Putting it to Work Ok, Ok, I can hear it now; it’s just another simultaneous equation program. Anybody can write one or at least find one in a good computer math book (they seem to be proliferating these days), besides what good are they anyway? I’d now like to present Part 2 in a continuing…
article, orig pub: 08.23.25, updated: 08.23.25
Unlocking the complexities of electrical circuits, this analysis uses simultaneous equations to untangle the mysterious world of currents and resistances in a Wheatstone Bridge.
article, orig pub: 08.19.25, updated: 08.23.25
Unravel the mystery of Simultaneous Linear Equations, understand their practical applications, and see how these mathematical systems can unlock everyday puzzles.
article, orig pub: 08.11.25, updated: 08.19.25
Unleash the power of grey graphics characters for data plotting, with the same vertical resolution as PLOT commands. Discover how to plot in two shades, creating striking visual effects on a dark background.
article, orig pub: 08.09.25, updated: 08.09.25
This subroutine draws an unbroken line segment between pixel (X1,Y1) and (X2,Y2). It is based on the equation for a straight line, Y=M*X+B where M is the slope and B is the Y-intercept. First the slope is evaluated in line 1020, after making sure that (X2-X1) is non-zero (division by zero is a no-no). If…
article, orig pub: 08.09.25, updated: 08.09.25
This program converts between polar notation (magnitude and angle) and rectangular (or “Cartesian”) notation (“X” and “Y” values) of vector quantities and complex numbers. Many scientific calculators have this function, which often proves useful if you deal with vectors or phasors. On the ZX81, this can be accomplished quite easily using the SIN, COS, ArcTaN,…
article, orig pub: 08.08.25, updated: 08.08.25
Here’s a neat program that Bill has allowed us to print, hoping that some of you will avail yourselves of his other programs. Drop him a line at the above address for his current product list. This program, like all Soft-way programs, is tightly coded and numbered consecutively. You may wish to re-number using a…
article, orig pub: 08.05.25, updated: 08.07.25
Sinclair brought the ZX81 to the show, even though the company does not and will not have a dealer network. Mary Reinman of Sinclair said the company was at CES to get exposure and allow company leaders to meet with others in the industry.
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 08.07.25
You may have wanted to change RAMTOP without wiping out what you have in memory. It is not enough to simply POKE 16388 and 16389 with the desired RAMTOP, since the machine-code stack stays in the same place until you relocate them using NEW. Several “fixes” have been reported, including one using a ROM call…
article, orig pub: 08.03.25, updated: 08.04.25
This simulation of the Acey Ducey card game. In the game, the dealer (the computer), deals two cards face up. You have an option to bet or not to bet depending whether or not you feel the next card dealt will have a value between the first two. Your initial money is set at $100.…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 08.03.25
I have always been intimidated by computers, and mathematics in general. One look at the Sinclair ZX-80, and I was confused. It wasn’t what I had expected; there were no blinking lights, or humming, and no rows of ceiling high, pulsing units. It looked nothing like my 1950’s science fiction concept of a computer. The…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 08.03.25
30 Programs for the Sinclair ZX-80, by Melbourne House, Glebe Cottage, Glebe House, Station Road, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England, distributed in the United States by Image Computer products, 615 Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062, 111 pages, paperback $14.95. 1980. 30 Programs for the Sinclair ZX 80 published by Melbourne House, contains games and utilities…
article, orig pub: 10.27.20, updated: 08.03.25
Here’s that article, promised in issue 1:3, to help get new 64K RAM owners off the ground. Since the Z80 has 16 address lines, the number of possible address combinations is 2**16=65536 (or 64K, or 10000h; one greater than FFFFh, the highest address). If we look at the possible states of A14 and A15 (the…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.03.25
Here is a short listing you might find useful. I developed it after trying to find the mistakes, and there were several, in a 12K long program that I hand-loaded from a magazine listing. My eyes could not take the strain of staring at the TV and then the listing, back and forth over and…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.02.25
The 16K Hot-Z II has a minor “bug” which causes the program to wipe the bytes from 8000h-8020h when you QUIT the program. If you’re storing complete BASIC programs in the 8009-BFFF range, this will “eat” some system variables stored up there. The author supplies this fix: load HOT-Z, and then use it to load…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.02.25
The easiest way to connect your computer to a monitor is to simply take the composite video signal from pin 16 of the ULA (“SCL” chip). Since this isn’t capable of much power delivery, it will only work in the “high-impedance” input setting. If your monitor doesn’t have a Hi/Lo-Z switch, open the monitor and…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.02.25
So far in “The Custom T/S,” I’ve shown you how to overcome problems with all three of the little inline jacks on the left side of your computer, with fixes that handle trouble with power input and tape-recorder functions. There’s only one other connection (other than the rear edge-connector) left to cause any grief; the…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.02.25
One of the advantages of building a ZX81 from a kit was that you got a schematic with the manual, and you gained some insight into how the machine worked as you put it together. It was evident, for example, that the computer was missing some memory from 8K to 16K — an area transparent…
article, orig pub: 08.02.25, updated: 08.02.25
It was interesting to see in page 10 of the 1:1a issue of SyncWare News, a joystick circuit that is a variation of a circuit which I have been using since I customized my Sinclair ZX81 in the summer of 1982. When I moved the ZX PCB in a large keyboard case, together with a…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
Yes, folks, there’s plenty of room left in even your tiny “stock” case to include re-chargeable BBU INSIDE THE COMPUTER. This makes it immune even to pulling the plug! My 16K machine has the BBU circuit, exactly as above, “under the hood.” I must say that using AA cells makes things rather tight, and it…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
Onward to replacing our good old wall-plug power supply with something more substantial. You have several ways to go, and I’ll try to touch on some of them here. BE CAREFUL as in this project we’ll be dealing with “raw electricity.” Not to scare you off, but “follow the rules” about insulating connections, observing polarities,…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
Now we’ll make some changes and additions to “El Cheapo BBU” that will allow us to use rechargeable “NiCad” cells to provide back-up protection and short-term (up to an hour or so) portable use of your ZX81/TS1000 machine. This approach uses your good old T/S wall-plug supply to power the computer WHILE KEEPING THE BATTERIES…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
The circuit shown is the simplest scheme possible to provide power-down protection for your ZX/TS. You just need a battery holder capable of holding six “one-life” batteries (AA, C or D size), a few silicon diodes (GE531, Radio Shack 276-1141, or other 50 PIV, 2A silicon rectifier) and an on-off switch. An enclosure, some zip…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
It’s sad but true that the ZX81/TS1000 machines tend to be sensitive to overheating in the summer. With a solderless mod, you can in most cases cure the “summertime blues.” No, there’s no drilling and carving involved either. Most overheating problems can be attributed to the “workhorse” chip, or ULA (Uncommitted Logic Array) that co-ordinates…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
Let’s start our series on T/S reliability improvement with some simple but effective ways to make your basic machine virtually crashproof. If you’ve been using your machine for a while you’ve probably had times when the computer suddenly dies and nothing short of starting over will bring it back. I won’t belabor how annoying this…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
It’s a snap to connect an Atari-type joystick to the ZX81/TS1000; all it takes is direct connection to the keyboard lines. The problem with this is that only certain combinations are possible, and you cannot hook it up so that the joystick controls the “arrow” keys 5-8; as a result, software written for the computer,…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
When it comes right down to it, there’s not much the ZX/TS computers can be criticized for. The commonest complaints about the machine are that, by its construction, it is quite prone to crashing (often at a very wrong time) as a result of physical movement. RAM packs are a prime candidate, or anything else…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
Well, folks, we were scooped by James Grosjean in SYNC magazine on the planned subject for this issue. So I’ll refer you to SYNC 3:5 page 80 for all kinds of nifty ways (some of which I hadn’t thought of) to save memory in your programs. We can thus go on to the next step…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
One of the big advantages of the T/S machine is also one of its disadvantages; its five-byte floating point binary numbers allow for 10-place decimal accuracy, but take more space to store than four-byte numbers, What’s more, its BASIC uses floating point numbers, allowing calculated GOTO/GOSUB, FOR/NEXT in fractional steps, and other nifty things, But…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
An important consideration in programming personal computers is memory economy. Unlike the big main-frames that offer virtually unlimited storage, you have only a limited RAM space at your ready disposal. Anyone who’s tackled a large project knows just how small 16K can seem. Fortunately, there are a few relatively “mechanical” techniques you can use to…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
The Memotech WP “Memotext” is the best one I’ve seen for the ZX81/TS1000 to date (and as of Thanksgiving, 1984, still is-ed.); after owning one for some time I can’t imagine life without it. Unfortunately, Memotech only provides the bare minimum of documentation and support needed to get your system working; there is little or…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
So, now that we can do screen dumps and engage the various printer control functions, how about a word processor? Sorry folks, but this is where your BASIC fails you utterly. It is just too slow for most people, especially if there is any input checking. So while there have been several valiant attempts at…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
If you took the trouble to enter an alternate conversion table as described in the last issue, you already have the most of what it takes to do a screen dump. The BASIC “DEMO” listing below, shows the required subroutine at lines 7000-7120. Whenever you want a copy of the screen printed out, GOSUB 7000…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
In this series of articles, I’ll try to give you some information to help you use your printer system “to the max.” We’ll start with a discussion of the ASCII character set, and follow with some information about the Memotech Centronics Interface (CIF) which will demonstrate rudimentary methods of controlling the operation of your printer,…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
I won’t spend much time or space extolling the virtues of a “big” printer for your ZX/TS computer. Suffice it to say that a full-width printer can be the most useful investment you make since you first bought your computer. Such printers allow you to print full-width text and program listings in a variety of…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
by Gary Smith(C) 1983 HAWG WILD Software PO Box 7668 Little Rock, AR 72217 Chet Lambert, the publisher/editor/copyboy/ etc. of COMPUTER TRADER has prompted this article. At first, I resisted because of my identification with FORTH, but relented because there is a need to share information. So there is no misunderstanding, the home computerist’s supply…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25
by Gary Smith(C) 1984PO Box 7668 Little Rock, AR 72217 Right now this column is little more than an idea that has been tossed about by myself and your Story Compiler, Fred Nachbaur. Whether is becomes a reality, and a continuing contribution to “SyncWare News” is strictly up to you, the reader. I suppose before…
article, orig pub: 08.01.25, updated: 08.01.25