Most computer users, except for a select group of “do-it-yourselfers” and experimenters, would be horrified at the thought of opening up their computer and installing a small circuit board. Well the folks at Russell Electronics have almost totally eliminated the fears and risks involved in such an operation, by offering a kit that requires no soldering, no drilling, and no technical expertise. The “Romswitch” is simply a tiny circuit board that is inserted into the socket of the TS 2068 ROM chip that has been removed carefully, then inserted into the empty socket on the Romswitch board. Also, on the board is the Spectrum ROM (type three), and a magnetic reed switch assembly. With the Romswitch in place, the TS 2068 user can utilize almost any software written for the 48k ZX Spectrum.
The beauty of the Romswitch is the capability of switching between both the TS 2068 and Spectrum ROM operating systems, by sliding the large magnet “switch” assembly that is affixed to the TS 2068s case by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive tape. This is where the Romswitch received its name. Once the blue magnetic slider is positioned properly next to the 0 key and directly above the previously installed board, you are in business.
Russell Electronics has documented each assembly step quite thoroughly in their instruction packet. Almost any question that one might have, has been answered. The completeness of their instructions is a rare “plus”, and a feature that is rarely included in most kits that we have seen for TS related products. There are very few risks involved here. The biggest perhaps is static electricity discharge or a broken-off chip pin. Again we recommend following the excellent instructions provided, and use patience and common sense. This will more than gurantee a perfect installation. With our sample Romswitch kit, we installed it in less than fifteen minutes in our TS 2068.
When using the Romswitch, it is necessary to turn the power off when switching from the Timex to the Spectrum ROM (or vice versa), otherwise, the computer will crash. Although this requires an additional step, it really isn’t a problem. You will know that you are in the Spectrum mode both because the switch will tell you, and as the computer initializes, only the Sinclair copyright report will appear on the screen. Programming in BASIC is exactly the same in this mode, but some of the keyboard characters have been changed.
We feel that the Russell Electronics Romswitch is a valuable addition to the TS 2068, and extraordinarily easy to install. Although at first we thought that the price of $54.95 (includes postage) was somewhat high, after obtaining some excellent Spectrum programs and using them on our Timex, we began to reconsider our first impressions. The Romswitch is a big improvement over direct replacement of a Spectrum ROM in a TS 2068, and so far to date, has run every program that we have loaded, and has never failed. We recommend the Romswitch without reservation. Good work Russell Electronics!
For more information: Russell Electronics, RD 1, Box 539, Centre Hall, PA, 16828