AERCO
Owner(s):
Jerry Chamkis
Austin, TX 78760
AERCO made disk drive systems and other accessories for the TS 1000 and TS 2068 computers.
Jerry Chamkis, owner of AERCO, now makes microphone pre-amps and a very unique musical instrument called the Kosmophone.
He studied physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, but disillusioned by the emphasis on military applications, he left and became chief engineer at a radio station in Houston, Texas. In 1975, he formed AERCO (Acme Electric Robot Company), where he initially produced peripheral devices and memory expansions for small computers and then moved on to computer-controlled hot wire cutting systems, broadcast equipment, and microphone preamplifiers. Since about 2000 he has concentrated on various art projects such as the Kosmophone.
Anne Beetem Acker. “Kosmophone.” Grove Music Online. Accessed December 31, 2019.
Products
| Name | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| 256K RAM disk | Upgrade to disk interface. Can be configured as RAM disk or port-mapped in 64K banks shadowing the cartridge bank. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 32K and 32K/64K Non-Volatile Memory RAM Board/Cartridges | Plugs into the TS2068 cartridge slot. On board battery keeps it alive even when you turn the computer off. Switch selectable for use in the DOCK or EXROM banks with no mods to the computer. Write protect switch lets you use memory like an EPROM. Run your own plug-in BASIC programs. Detailed instructions include utilities | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO CP68 Printer Driver | Customizable printer driver for parallel (Centronics) printers. While it was written for the CP-68 parallel printer interface, it does work with other parallel printer interfaces. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable |
| Cartridge Board | Cartridge board that appears to support two EPROMs. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| CP-68 Centronics Printer Interface | Connect to parallel (Centronics) printers. Print in either the printer’s native font or the TS 2068 display font. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| CP-ZX Centronics Printer Interface | Smart printer interface that can autoboot disk system, set RAMTOP and disable Memotech control characters in some software. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Direct Video Modification | Allows connection of standard (composite video) computer monitor to Sinclair computers for noise-free display. Two transistor circuit. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Disassembler | High speed, all Z80 codes. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| FD-68 Floppy Disk Interface | This floppy disk system for the TS2068 can control one to four 3″ to 8″ drives. Loads programs at 250k bit/sec. 64K of on-board RAM (mapped to the DOCK bank) can be used as system memory or to run CP/M. RGB output for monitor connection. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| FD-ZX Floppy Disk Interface | Supports 1-4 drives of any size, single/double density. Software driver in EPROM. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| RB-ZX ROM Board | Modular interface that maps a ROM to several locations in memory. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| RP/M | CP/M 2.2 option for the TS 2068 with AERCO FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| RS-68 RS-232 Interface | Compatible with most modems and printers. Two RS-232 interfaces; connect two devices at once. 300-19,200 baud. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| STD Bus Interface | Converts the ZX bus to STD Bus. Allows for use of peripheral interface cards from numerous manufacturers. On-board memory expansion option. Memory-mapped ports. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Stepper Motor Interface for Robotics and Machine Control | Interface 2 small stepper motors (1 Amp max.) to a standard Centronics printer interface and make fully coordinated 2-axis moves. Provides 4 limit-switch inputs and all the software you need to completely and accurately control a 2-axis machine. This is available for the 1000/1500 and the 2068 machines, but the 2068 is the recommended choice | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| WP-1 Word Processing Software Package | Facilitates preparation of documents and handles any size printer. Provides blinking cursor, keyboard features, insert/delete, tab, etc. 16K. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
Books
| Name | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced User's Guide for the FD-68 Disk Interface | Definitive guide to the AERCO DOS. Examples of commands, how to save arrays/data and use extra 64K RAM. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
Periodicals
Documents
- Addressing the 256K RAM
- AERCO catalog and flyers
- AERCO CP-ZX v3 Centronics Printer Interface
- AERCO Dealer Price List Feb 1 1985
- AERCO Disk Config
- AERCO Dual RS-232 Serial Interface
- AERCO FD-68 Disk File Manager
- AERCO FD-68 Floppy Disc Interface manual
- AERCO Model CP2068 Instructions
- AERCO Model FD-68 Instructions
- AERCO Model FD-ZX Instructions
- AERCO Product Flyer
- AERCO RB-ZX V5 ROM Board
- AERCO RPM Release 1.1
- AERCO Stepper Motor advert
- AERCO TS 2068 Disc System
- BBDOS 4.0 General Information
- BBDOS Manual
- Converting the FD-68 RGB for Positive Sync Monitors
- CP-ZX Very Smart Centronics Interface for ZX81, TS1000
- Evaluation of the AERCO 2068 Disc Interface
- Express v1
- FD-68 EPROM v8.9 Update
- Moving an AROS Cartridge Onto Your AERCO Disk System
- OMNIDISK manual
- SEKTOR 2068 manual
- SPEC-DOS and TX-DOS
- Variable Names and Addresses with the AERCO 2068 Disc Interface
Downloads
| Name | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| AERCO 2068 Printer Driver V2 | Configuration program that supports several different printers and printer interfaces. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO 2068 Printer Driver V2.1 | Configuration program that supports several different printers and printer interfaces. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO CP-68 Driver | Customizable printer driver for parallel (Centronics) printers. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| CP-ZX v2.2 | ROM for the CP-ZX printer interface. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
Articles
| Title | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| 2068 Disk Utility: SuperBoot Part II | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| 2068 Fix Star NX-1000/Aerco Centronics I/F Fix | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| 256K Ram! | Aerco offers a 256K RAM upgrade either configured as a RAMdisk or port mapped in 64K banks shadowing the cartridge bank. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| A Review of a Aerco FD-68 Utilities Program Disk | This is a nifty set of disk utilities for the Aerco FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Across the Pond | Updates on the 2068 scene. Knighted Computers has been licensing Spectrum titles for conversion to the 2068. Quicksilva, Virgin, Digital Integration and Durell’s lines are licensed. Zebra continues to innovate, introducing the OS-64 cartridge, ZTERM and Printshop clones. AERCO’s long anticipated CP/M has been launched as RP/M, a licensed version of CP/M for the 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Across the Pond | Look back on 1986. Introduction of QL. Second Midwest computer Fest. QL Talker, a speech synthesizer that connects to the serial port. More about AERCO’s CP/M option for the 2068 and a brief mention of Dungeon of Ymir for the 1000. | Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Across the Pond | Fendrick looks at AERCO’s FD-68 floppy disk system for the TS 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Activating AERCO Banks for Basic | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Add a Full Size Printer to Your System | Overview of printer interface options for the TS1000/ZX81. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| AERCO Disk Drive Kit | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| AERCO Disk Drives | Aerco has announced their disk drive interface, which will have an extra 64 K of memory (cartridge bank) for you to use (see more details inside). CPM 2068 should follow soon, which would enable file transfer between other types of CPM computers (that can read the standard IBM 3740 disk format) by disk, which is | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO FD-68 Disc Drive System for the 2068 Part 1 | Pre-review of the disk drive system. Jurries reviewed unit number 20 from the initial run. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO FD-68 Disc Drive System for the 2068 Part 2 | So far, Aerco has upgraded their EPROM to version .87. Only two features are not included at this date. They are the .CHR (Character Array) and the .DAT (Numeric Array). This means that you can’t save and load string type data. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO FD-68 Disc System | Tips for using the AERCO disk system. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO FD-ZX Floppy Disk | AERCO’s disk system consists of three major components: interface board, disk drive and power supply. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Aerco Interface with the Spectrum ROM | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Aerco Interface with the Spectrum ROM | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| AERCO Merge Function | Technique for merging programs with the AERCO FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO Screen Copy Routine for Artworx | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| AERCO User's Corner | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| AERCO Users Column | Conversion changes for TASWORD II and PRO/FILE to make them compaible with the AERCO disc system. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Aerco Users Column | Description of features and converting PRO/FILE 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| AERCO-Tasword Two Patch | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| BBDOS: A Disk Operating System for the Aerco FD-ZX Interface | ZX81/TS1000 owners who have been using the Aerco FD-ZX Disk Drive Interface owe Jerry Chamkis and his Texas staff a debt of gratitude for providing them with a reliable, high speed, mass storage system. But even as nice as the FD-ZX unit is, its disc operating system (DOS) leaves much to be desired. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bits & Bytes | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits & Bytes | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits & Bytes | Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits & Bytes | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits and Bytes | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits and Bytes | Timex Computer 2068, Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Bits and Pieces | AERCO FD-68 disk drive interface; A & J Model 2000 stringy floppy; RAMEX offers Millenia K disk interface/package; T/S Smart Terminal Telecommunications guide; ZX81 software; Knighted Computers obtains Quicksilva software rights; new buyer’s guide from D. Lipinksi; other updates. | |
| Bits and Pieces | Maxwell deal to buy-out Sinclair falls through. Update on Portugal 2068 and disk drive. Further details on AERCO FD-68. BBS guide. Newsletter for Memotext/Memocalc users. Vendors cut prices. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Bob's Bits | Overview of AERCO disk interface for TS 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Centronics Printer I/F | This interface plugs into the back of the TS2068 and provides a cable with a standard Centronics parallel printer connector. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Centronics Printer Port - AERCO Style | Schematic for a parallel printer interface using the Zilog Z80-A parallel input/output chip (PIO). | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| CP/M Corner | Column for CP/M and AERCO RP/M users. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| CP/M Corner | Listing of CP/M commands, continued from article in previous issue. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| D.O.S. for the 2068 | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Dear QTS | Sheingorn runs part of his clinical practice on a ZX81; Bower purchased a 2068 to do freelance bookkeeping and writing; Freeline submitted a program that turns a directory listing into a program loader. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Direct Character Code Output | Print ASCII characters through Memotech and AERCO Centronics interfaces and bypass the translation routines. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| DOS-64: A Review | Review of MakeDOS-64, a machine code system which allows use of the OS-64 cartridge code on an Aerco Disk Drive without loss of Aerco DD commands, and with access to the full 256K RAM via bank switching. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Drive to Run CP/M In the Works | Kopak Creations and Aerco are working jointly on a ZX/TS disk drive to run CP/M (world’s most common disk-based microcomputer operating system.) Aerco says the drive will be available in 3 months. | |
| Editor Ramblings | Mistakes in November 1982 issue. Sinclair pocket TV. US Spectrum sales. Printer news. RAM pack ribbon connector. Floppy disk for the TS/ZX. TRS-80 to ZX/TS. Supporting vendors swamped. Super Talker speech synthesizer. ZON X-81 synthesizer. Computer control devices from Thurnall Electronics. | |
| Editor's Corner | Describes trip to California, where he met with John Warburton (Sunset Electronics), Jim Howell (A & J Micro), Bob Orrfelt and Dave Clifford. | |
| Editors Notes | New TS 2068/Spectrum Users’ Guidebook almost finished. Update re Higgenbottom and Timex. Several hundred new members by virtue of picking up the BASIC Computer Newsletter’s subscribers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Enter | Excitement for First Annual Timex/Sinclair Computer Fest. Speakers include Mark Fendrick, Jerry Chamkis, Jack Roberts, Thomas Woods. | |
| EXP/3000 Disk System | Review of the AERCO FD-68, packaged and sold by 21st Century Electronics. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| FD-ZX Floppy Disk Interface | Notes for users of the Aerco FD-ZX disk interface. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Feb News from the T/S Connection | Target date for the 2068 disk interface is February 20 (1985). Z-Link is available. Review of Spec-Tax. Draw II, by Jon Rokententz, reviewed in March issue of Computer Shopper and available from T/S Connection. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Barry Carter, Aerco, Zebra Systems, Pete Petri, JRC Software, Chia-Chi Chao, Poretsky & Poretsky, D. Lipinski Software, K. D. Lewis, American Surplus Trading, Toronto Software World, John Oliger, Rick Munday, A.F.R. Software, Sum-Ware, Al White and WMJ Data Systems. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from C. W. Associates, Gulf Micro Electronics, Aerco, G. Russell Electronics, Melvin MacKaron, Ace Software, Rheesware, EZ-KEy, Falmouth Computer Service, Damco Enterprises, A.F.R. Software, John Oliger, Van Vangor, T-Ware, Integrated Data Systems. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| From Members' Letters: Data from AERCO LKDOS System | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Help with the Aerco FD-68 | Aerco FD-68 DOS lacks the ability to save character arrays. A solution is proposed. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Jack in the Redwoods Heard From | SYNX is a 46-byte relocatable machine language reoutine for Aerco disk users. It allows you to turn off the BASIC syntax checker when writing or editing BASIC lines and to turn it back on. Syntax checking during program execution remains in effect. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Larken Lines | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Latest Vendor News | Updates on products and services from vendors. | |
| Letters to the Editor | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Machine Specifics: Orphans | Timex/Sinclair Disk Drives. Aerco Drive Interface for 2068 (FD-68). RPM (CP/M) upgrade available. FD-ZX (for 1000/1500) also available. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Mass Storage for the TS-1000 Has Arrived! | Overview of load utilities and mass storage systems including ZXLR8 Fasload, Winky Board, A & J Microdrive, and Aerco and Larken disk systems. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Mass Storage for the TS-2068 | List of mass storage options, including: ZX-Microdrive, A&J Microdrive, DAMCO/Rotronics Wafadrive, AERCO 2068 disk system and RAMEX Millenia K interface. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Mid-West TS Computerfest | ||
| Mini-Reviews: XFORTH, Synchro-sette, more | Short reviews of XFORTH by Hawg Wild Software, Synchro-sette magazine, direct video interface from AERCO, 123 Go and Making Treks by 2-Bit Software. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Modifying the Star NX1000 with the AERCO Printer Interface | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Moving an AROS Cartridge Onto Your AERCO Disk System | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| MTERM Patch Corrected | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| MTERM Patch for AERCO Interface | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| MTERM Patch for AERCO Interface and Epson Printer | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| MTERM Smart II Buffer4 | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| New Product News | Spectrum emulators available; disk systems for 2068; terminal software for modem; cartridge version (HOT Z-AROS) of Hot Z-2068 available. | |
| November News from The T/S Connection | AERCO disk interface should be ready; new printer interface for 1000. No news on Higgenbottom/Timex. K-Power, sent as replacement for Timex Sinclair User subscriptions, ceased publication. | |
| October News from The T/S Connection | AERCO has set target date of Oct. 30 (1985) for completion of 2068 drive interface. Smart II terminal program arrived. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Online | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Q! Boot That Disk! | Menu-driven program loader for AERCO disk drives. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| SPAPOAERCOP | ||
| Special Report: Mass Storage Devices For The TS 2068 | Brief overview of A&J Microdrive, DAMCO/Rotronics Wafadrive, Millenia K Disk Interface, Aerco FD-68 Interface. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Super Detailed Disk Directory | 32 and 64-column disk directories for the AERCO FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Synx | Machine code routine for AERCO disk users to turn off syntax checking when writing or editing programs. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Tape to AERCO Disk | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| TASPRINT and AERCO Printer Interface | Pokes necessary to adjust TASPRINT. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The AERCO Centronics Interface | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| The Aerco Disk Drive System | The disk drives sold by Aerco are Pertec FD 250 units. Any Shugart type drive could be used, but at $189 each from Aerco I felt this was the best price around. The Aerco disk drive unit transfers data at a rate of 250,000 bits per second. Disks (soft sectored, double density, double sided) accommodate | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Aerco FD-68 Disk System | Review of the system. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The Aerco prcode, and possible Problems | There are at least four versions of the Aerco printer code and each of these may have three variations of configurations set up during the user’s adaptation to his own printer equipment. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The FD-68 Update | Using RP/M (a clone of CP/M by Micro-Methods) with the TS-2068 and FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The FD-68 Update | The following list is just a few of the programs I find indispensable and which I strongly recommend you obtain. It is certainly not exhaustive, but are a few that I use almost daily. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The FD-68 Update | Program/routines to switch between Sinclair/Timex mode and CP/M mode on the FD-68. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The February Report | ||
| The Programming Corner | Questions about Larken disk system; programming in machine code; recovering from data loss. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The Trials and Tribulation of Reading an MSDOS Textfile Disk | Timex/Sinclair 1000 | |
| The Trials and Tribulations of Reading an MSDOS Text File Disk | Program to read MSDOS files on an AERCO disk drive. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The TS-2068 Disk Drive Systems: Combinations to Achieve Increased Capability | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| TIMACHINE on AERCO Disk | Hint for moving Novelsoft’s TIMACHINE to disk. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| To Disk or Not to Disk | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| Tricks of the Trade | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| TS-2068 Activities | There are now three predominent disk systems for the TS-2068. Their order of usage is: LKDOS, Oliger SAFE DOS, TOS, and Aerco FD-68. TOS DISK users hang in there with determination but receive little support. User activities during 1989 has been away from the Aerco FD-68, mostly toward LKDOS. Quite a number of FD-68 users | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Utilities "INIT" and "Cclear Code" | The “INIT” utilities for the three Disk Operating Systems are slightly different. Each listing may be used to pick up another little twist for another DOS. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Vendor Report | Updates from Sinclair Midwest Users Group re SMUG software; Norris Electronics; Aerco backlog; Gladstone shipping current stock; M-Coder does not work as advertised. | |
| VU-Calc for the AERCO Centronics Printer I/F and 80 Column Printers | Techniques and program to drive an 80 column printer. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| VU-Calc for the AERCO Centronics Printer Interface and 80 Column Printers | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| What Do You Know About RP/M? | Timex/Sinclair 2068 | |
| ZX 81 News and Resources | ZX81 hardware expert Bruce Taylor, of Budget Robotics & Computing, has announced the release of his book, Build a Microcomputer-Controlled Robot and Other Computer Control Projects. David Clifford has Westridge 2050 boards available along with Mini-Xmod 1.7; is working on Mini-Xmod for the 2068. Review of Aerco’s FD-ZX Floppy Disk System. British companies supporting the | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| ZX81 Hardware and Software News | Short notes on ZX81/TS1000. This issue includes brief info on Larken, COMPUSA, Aerco and Oliger 1000/2068 disk systems. Also, why Aerco CP/M was never released. Short reviews of Sinc-Artist for the 2068 and ZX HI-Res. And one user, a Kolorworks owner, mentions writing a TMS9918 toolkit for the ZX81. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| ZX81 News & Resources | Bruce Taylor’s budget robotics book, Westridge 2050 modems, AERCO FD-ZX floppy disk system, | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| ZX81 News & Resources | AERCO and Larken disk systems for ZX81/TS 1000 available. Reports on difficulties with Mini XMOD. Silicon Mountain Computer products discussed. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
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