SYNC v2 n5 – Timex/Sinclair Computers

Date: September/October 1982

Volume: 2

Issue: 5

Articles

Title	Description	Computers
8K ROM Updates	Updates to Hurkle, Castle Doors, Nichomachus and Widget for the 8K ROM.	Sinclair ZX80, Timex/Sinclair 1000
A Mouthful for Every Occasion	You can call up sensational headlines, forceful commands, whimsical statements, ageless wisdom, and irrelevant nonsense all at the push of a key on your Sinclair computer with the Mouthful program.	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
Arithmetic Series Quiz	One exercise to sharpen arithmetic skills is to use a series of numbers which require discerning the relationships of the numbers in order to complete the series. The program in Listing 1 will print out an arithmetic series. Your task is to figure out the next two numbers in the series. If you are not	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
Arithmetic with a Smile	The computer as an instructional tool is perhaps nowhere more successful than in conducting arithmetic practice drills. Unlike the typical classroom teacher, the computer never tires and never makes a mistake. It provides arithmetic practice and never forgets to reward a right answer with a smile.	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
Block Transfers: Horizontal Scrolling on your 1K ZX81	A programming technique called block transfers of memory adds new possibilities for your programming and for taking advantage of your computer’s capabilities. Although the technique involves the use of machine language, this article assumes only that you are familiar with the Sinclair manual ZX81 BASIC Programming and that you are willing to work with hexadecimal.	Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
BOLEX: Beginner's Ohm's Law EXercises	BOLEX is a program that solves Ohm’s law equations two at a time. Enter the program into your computer, hit RUN and NEWLINE. Four prompts will appear on your screen: amps, volts, ohms, and watts. Type in a value for one, hit NEWLINE. Continue until the values have been entered. With two values you will	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Chase	Chase is a game of survival. The object is to survive as long as you can. You are set in a playing field, shown as a 20×10 block on your TV screen, surrounded by a lethal fence. Mines are scattered about in the field. You are being chased by five robots which will move straight	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Degrees, Grads, and Radians	There are three methods of measuring angles: degrees, grads, and radians. However, the ZX81 with all its new trigonometric functions can only measure angles in radians. You can convert a measurement by any of the three methods to either of the remaining methods with the few short programs given in the listings below. You may	Sinclair ZX81
Elimination	Elimination is a traditional dice game which provides a worthwhile vehicle for teaching young children (and others) simple strategy, an understanding of odds, and the mental manipulation of numbers. Consequently, it helps reinforce arithmetic skills since the player’s ability to use mental arithmetic is pitted against the computer’s problem posing ability. Although the game is	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Glitchoidz Report	Note the ROM requirements; An Alternative Display Method; Space Warp; DEF; ZX Destroyer; Renumbering by a USR Routine.
Hardware Tips	Some MicroAce Hardware Peculiarities: keyboard entry, cursor flicker, spare chips, references for troubleshooting.	MicroAce
House of Horrors	You are trapped in the dreaded “House of Horrors.” Naturally it is filled with monsters, mummies, skeletons, and strange creatures. Secret passages and mysterious rooms confront you with danger and yet offer the only way out. Your goal is to escape from the house alive.	Sinclair ZX80
How Many Blocks	Like most new computer owners, I was testing my new equipment with some games. My fun was interrupted, though, when I realized that I was being watched. As I turned, I was confronted by my five year-old daughter, Scooter. Wearing a sad face and eyes that reminded me of a beagle puppy, she muttered, “How	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Just for Fun	Zap; Blaster; Catch 25, or Playing Left Field; Bombs Away!; Grand Prix.	Sinclair ZX81
Letters	ROMs and RAMS, Memory Saving Tips, The SAVE Signal.	Sinclair ZX80
List Learning with the Sinclair	The Sinclair computers can be effective learning aids if the student or teacher has the software to set up learning situations. A program to assist in the learning process should meet several criteria. First, it should be self-explanatory. Second, it should have different modes of operation. Third, it should be practical as a learning tool.	Sinclair ZX81
Maps and the ZX80/81	In this article, we will examine some ways of putting maps into your ZX80 or ZX81. We will also see how the Sinclair computers can generate complex maps by themselves.	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Perceptions	This article is the third in a series discussing the ZX81 Parser. Since the first two articles may have been a bit too abstract for some readers, I hope this discussion will pull the previous articles together.	Sinclair ZX81
Repeat Key Option	A repeat key option is relatively simple to build and install.	Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81
Resources (Sync v2 n5)	Listing of new user groups, books and other resources.	Timex/Sinclair 1000
Rounding Off with Conditional Tests	We have all learned in plane geometry classes the Pythagorean theorem: a squared plus b squared equals c squared. Thus, if we know two sides of a right triangle, we can easily calculate the third. Or can we?	Sinclair ZX81
Solving Implicit Functions on the ZX81	The computer can handle problems of this kind by making a series of successive approximations: try out any value of X, and see if it gives the Y you want; if it does not, then try another value of X.	Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
Space Taxi	You are the pilot of a space taxi in the year 2081. You have just picked up a fare who must catch the next ship to Zeta Chi LXXXI. Naturally, there is a big tip if you make it in one piece. You control your taxi by the 6 and 7 keys to avoid the	Sinclair ZX81
Sync Notes	SYNC in the Classroom; ROMs and RAMs.
Teaching with the ZX81	The Educational ZX80/1 Users 1 Group (EZUG) had a triple celebration in January. First, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief that we had survived a year of frenzied activity. Secondly, we welcomed the thousandth subscriber to our bimonthly newsletter. Thirdly, we launched our first educational ZX81 programs, fourteen of them in fact.	Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
The Complete Sinclair ZX81 Basic Couse	Review of book/tapes by the same title.	Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
Try This		Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000
ZX81 Chess vs. ZX Chess II	Computer chess is becoming a very popular hobby for those who cannot find opponents on their level, and a large number of ”dedicated” machines are appearing with increasingly greater strengths. Another area of growing popularity is designing a chess program which is more powerful (i.e., a better player) than other chess programs. Two powerful chess	Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000