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USE THE BEEPER
The next time you have a program that takes a long time to run (or to SAVE/LOAD), save your patience by inserting a BEEP message to catch your attention when the job is finished. You can program the BEEP for a single note, a TA-DA!, or even for Beethoven’s Fifth. Then you can enjoy your coffee, or work on your notes, or just doze off, and the computer will gently remind you when it wants your attention again.
With the ZX81/TS1000, without BEEP capability, you can get a similar effect if you leave your printer connected and ready to run. Just program LPRINT nn for the strategic moment. Your printer will give a discreet hiccup at the proper time.
OLIGER 2068 EXPANSION BOARD PRECAUTION
Run a strip of insulating material (plastic tape, for instance) along the exposed card-edge connector leads soldered to the top of the expansion board. My kitten pulled a loose power supply cord across my system and the coaxial plug contacted the bus, frying a 4416 in the TS2068. I lost a week in trouble-shooting and repairs. The kitten lost one of his 9 lives.
PC8300 VIDEO FIX
One of the most common complaints with the PC8300 is that the characters tend to have a “splayed” look, with horizontal lines Sticking out to the right. No, it’s not because the Chinese designers didn’t know how the characters are shaped. It’s simply a matter of overdrive (video level or “contrast” too high).
The fix is remarkably simple. Connect a resistor (I used 4.7K) between pin 35 and pin 40 of the custom chip. This is the chip nearest the modulator. Pin 40 is the pin furthest to the right in the front TOW, as viewed from the front of the machine. Pin 35 is five pins to the left of pin 40. If you are experienced at soldering, simply solder the resistor directly to the “shoulders” of the pins. If not, you’d be better off removing the chip, and connecting the resistor to the socket on the underside of the board.
Lower values (e.g. 3.9K, 3.3K) will give more attenuation.