The whole thing started at the Robson Square Media Centre Computer Fair in mid September 1983. For me the most interesting display was that of the TIMEX-SINCLAIR User’s Group. There was Ken Abramson’s ZX 81 exhibited in a plexiglass case – you could actually look inside and see the works! Also there were a disc drive and extension boards built by club members. John Brohman explained to me just how much you can do with these little machines and Bob Lussier said that they just happened to be on sale at A&B Sound for only $99.95 with 16K RAM Pack. Well that same afternoon I dashed over there and picked one up while there were still some left and joined the club.
Ever since then I have attended just about every club meeting and built enthusiastically every project that Karl Brown had created for our club: the ZX I/O Board, the Z SOUND Board, and the Z SPEAK Board. I also bought a proper keyboard from him and copied his external plug-in feature allowing the use of built-in and/or external keyboard. I have learned a lot from all hardware & software ideas contributing club members.
I have no formal training in electronics, being a mechanical design draftsman by trade.
I had built BERT, Karl Brown’s educational robot, and I needed a computer or terminal with RS232 port to program BERT. So I built ETI’s RS232 Board, which turned out to have had bugs right in the printed circuit board layout. Fortunately I had competent help (from my boss) in troubleshooting the completed board and have it working.
My only printer is the T/S 2040 and I bought my WORD SINC II both of which I am using for the production of this article.
Other completed hardware projects are Wilf Rigter’s 8K NVM, his JOYSTICK INTERFACE Board (this is really something: it uses the 2K RAM surplussed by the 8K NVM installation!) and his latest release, Z VOICE. I also obtained a non-working 2050 modem and a second hand green screen monitor. Thanks to Harry Slot’s generous help both are now working just fine.
I have collected software ranging from games to business applications including technical and educational programs. A spare RAM Pack and a couple of T/S 1000 are “stashed away” in case something goes wrong to insure my stay with ZX computing. I have never even had a chance to play with a 1500, a SPECTRUM, a 2068 or a QL. So much do I enjoy participating in our club and working with my T/S 1000 that I do not have time to look at other computers.
With programs like “HIGH-RES BASIC”, “HIGH RES-CHESS”, “DUNGEON OF YMIR”, and multi-tasking just released in early 1987 for T/S 1000 & ZX 81, we can all look forward to interesting SINCLAIR computing for years to come.