The original ZX81 and later the TS1000 have been so popular that hundreds of companies in the United States, England, and Canada have developed literally thousands of products that are compatible with the Timex-Sinclair computer. This broad support opens up a potential that owners of some other computers are denied, either due to prohibitive expense or non-availability.
Yet there is a problem. Many Timex users have gone to great expense to expand their systems only to discover that components from different companies are not always compatible with each other.
As an example a recent letter to COMPUTE! discribes one ZX81 owner’s problem. He has a Memopak 32K RAM from Memotech that works fine with his ZX81, and a TS-2040 printer that works equally well. However he complains that when the printer and the RAM are both attached to the computer nothing works! In this case the problem seems to be an extra circuitry loop that reduces the RF emission from the printer. Timex is said to have made this modification to meet FCC guidelines. While it does not effect the Timex 16K RAM, the Memopaks (16K, 32K, 64K) have subtle differences, and in some cases the Memopaks are not compatible (although strangely, not always).
Local stores carrying Timex-related products where you can test new peripherals are few and far between, so what’s the eager TS1000 owner to do? E. Arthur Brown‘s policy, according to their recent catalog, stresses a 10-day trial period for a hardware, during which any item can be returned for a full refund or exchange. This removes some of the anxiety about new hardware investments. Also, they try to keep tabs on the products they sell and indicate in their literature any compatibility problems they become aware of.
Actually, Postal regulations require that any item ordered through the mail be eligible for a full refund, for any reason, if the item is returned in essentially the same condition as shipped, for a period of ten days. (Obviously this excludes any attempted hardware kits.) However, when buying through the mail an uncooperative company can be hard to deal with. It is nice that at least one company has made the ten day trial period a matter of policy.
To help our readers with this increasingly common problem we will be printing “Compatibility Alerts” in the T-S News section of T-S Horizons. If you have any compatibility-type problems, let us know. In the meantime don’t forget your right to a 10-day return period when you order anything by mail.