One of the most memorable moments I have of my TS1000 is the day I brought it home from the store. Carefully setting everything up according to instructions, I proceeded to load the included tape in the recorder and turn it on. NO LOAD! It was 45 minutes before I finally got it to load. This is the unfortunate memory of many users.
Surveying the situation in the TS1000 market, we’ve found number of alternatives to the original “slow-load” cassette as provided by Sinclair.
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CASSETTE SYSTEM
G. Russell Electronics offers two products that enhance the basic cassette loading method. ZXLR8 Fastload is a high speed save and load utility. Programs can be saved then loaded at 6-10 times normal speed. This 2K piece of code is user friendly, is relocatable in memory, and requires no hardware changes or additions. It does require a good recorder and quality tape. It is also available on an EPROM. Cassette version is $10.50. The Winky Board is a long popular interface that fits between the recorder and the computer. A small circuit board with two LEDs and several jack inputs, the Winky Board filters the signal for easier load and also allows more consistent loading from one tape to another simply by adjusting recorder volume until the LEDS are lit to a predetermined brightness. Price is $19.95.
MICRODRIVES
The A & J Microdrive is effectively a high-speed endless cassette save/load system. A 28K program can load as quickly as 24 seconds. Many programs can be adapted to microdrive and some even are available on microdrive “wafers”. Up to two drives can be attached to the TS1000. A Starter Kit consists of 1 drive, an interface for a second drive, 5 wafers, manual, and wafer storage box. Kit price is $149.50 with the second drive costing $99.50. Wafers are $3.50 to $4.50 each. Several T/S dealers carry the Microdrives, or they can be purchased direct from A & J.
DISK DRIVES
Two disk drive systems are available for the TS1000 family. The Aerco system has been around the longest and is a respected system. Cost for the interface is $179 or Aerco will sell complete systems including drives and power supply. New is the Larken interface from Canada. It claims to be more user friendly and versatile than Aerco. It loads 32K in 7.5 seconds and uses no TS1000 RAM memory. Price for the controller is $99 direct from Larken.
Honestly now, is it worth all the trouble to add disk drives or even a microdrive to the TS1000? Yes! If you are already happy with your computer and enjoy it, why not? NO! If you think that adding faster mass storage will turn it into an IBM. Do remember that the disk drives and power supply can probably be used with your next computer system, especially 1f it is a TS2068, Spectrum, or QL!
- G. Russell Electronics, RD 1 Box 539, Centre Hall, PA 16828; 814/364-1325.
- A & J 1050 “I” E. Duane Avenue, Synnyvale, CA 94086; 408/732-9292.
- Aerco, Box 18093, Austin, TX 78760; 512/451-5874.
- Larken Blectronics, RR #2, Navan, Ontario Canada K4B-1H9.