Sinclair Users Network
Publisher(s):
Sinclair Users' Network
Published by Bill and Diana Wright, Sinclair Users’ Network billed itself as “The Users Group for Timex & Sinclair Computers.”
They published a newsletter every other month and a shorter bulletin in between issues. Members had access to blank cassettes, software and other materials as a co-op.
| Title | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| A BASIC Understanding | Introduction to comptuer terms. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding | Tutorial about ROM and RAM. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding | Thoughts on composing programs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding | A beginner’s glossary defining BIT, BYTE, BINARY, CPU (Z80A), MACHINE CODE, RAM, ROM, PROM, and EPROM in plain language for new TS1000 users. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding - 2 | More computer jargon for beginners. | |
| A Basic Understanding — Memory | An educational article explaining computer memory: bytes, bits, the two ROM chips in the ZX/TS, RAM, and the ZX/TS memory map (0-8191 ROM, 8192-16383 transparent block, 16384+ BASIC workspace). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding (array simulation) | Tutorial on arrays. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A BASIC Understanding (memory management) | Tutorial about memory usage on the TS 1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A Big Keyboard | A DIY project for building a full-size keyboard for the ZX/TS using a bare keyboard board purchased at a hamfest for $15, attributed by context to Bob Ziskind. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A FORTH Primer | Introduction for FORTH. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Autotape | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program | |
| Basically Speaking — Address Book | A type-in address book program (194 lines, 16K only) submitted by Alan Porter, with routines for adding, deleting, searching, and printing contacts. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basically Speaking — Earth Defender | A type-in arcade-style game (87 lines, ZX/TS BASIC) submitted by reader Jorge Salazar in which the player defends the Earth from incoming attackers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| BASICly Speaking | Type-in game: Earth Defender. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| BASICly Speaking | Address book porgram. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| BASICly Speaking | Three short programs: NIM and two sorting routines. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| BASICly Speaking | Class record program. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Battery Back-Up by SyncWare | A review of SyncWare’s Battery Back-Up product family, ranging from the Baby BBU ($39.50) to the TS1000-B60 ($142.50), providing Ni-Cad battery power and a filtered 8V regulated supply. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf | Reviews of Timex Sinclair 1000 by Robin Jones and Ian Stewart, The ZX81 Companion by Robert Maunder, The Watchmakers Guidebook to the Timex Sinclair 1000 Computer, and Computers for Kids ZX-81 Edition by Sally Greenwood Larsen. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf | Reviews of The Timex Personal Computer Made Simple and Mastering Your Timex Sinclair 1000 Personal Computer. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf | Review of Timex/Sinclair 1000 User’s Guide, vols 1 and 2, by Joseph Giarratano. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf | Byteing Deeper Into Your Timex Sinclair 1000 and Machine Code and Better BASIC. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf — Computers for Kids: Sinclair ZX-81 Edition | A review of Sally Greenwood Larsen’s Computers for Kids: Sinclair ZX-81 Edition ($4.95), a computing introduction aimed at young TS1000 users. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf — The Timex Personal Computer Made Simple & Mastering Your Timex Sinclair 1000 | Reviews of two budget TS1000 books: Signet’s The Timex Personal Computer Made Simple ($3.50, recommended) and Bantam’s Mastering Your Timex Sinclair 1000 ($3.95, not recommended due to factual errors). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf — The Watchmaker's Guidebook to the TS1000 | A review of TSG Enterprises’ Watchmaker’s Guidebook to the TS1000 ($3.95), a directory of over 170 hardware and software producers for the machine. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bookshelf — Timex Sinclair 1000 (Jones/Stewart) & The ZX81 Companion (Maunder) | Reviews of two introductory TS1000 books: Creative Computing Press’s Timex Sinclair 1000 by Jones and Stewart ($9.95) and The ZX81 Companion by Maunder from Birkhauser ($10.95). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Co-Op News | Reports on vendors that offer discounts. | |
| Consumer Electronics Show | This is where the big stores make their commitments for the Fall and Christmas buying season, so Timex was present with information on the TS1500 and TS2000 computers. The TS1500 is a sleek, silver and gray 9″ x 5.5″ x 1.5″ computer with a Sinclair ROM but with built in 16K internally with the capability | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2000 |
| Fellow Networkers | Editorial announcing a format change for the newsletter and previewing the contents of this issue. | |
| From Theirs to OURS | Comparison and conversion of Apple, PET and TRS-80 BASICs to Sinclair BASIC. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| From Theirs to OURS | Comparison of functions and commands in Apple, PET and TRS-80 BASICs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| From Theirs to Ours | A BASIC command comparison mapping equivalents for CALL/USR, SAVE, LOAD, RAND, CLEAR, DATA/READ, COLOR, and DIM across Apple, PET, TRS-80, and ZX/TS 1000, to help users port programs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| From Theirs to Ours | A BASIC command cross-reference comparing WAIT/PAUSE, GET/INKEY$, END/STOP, HI MEM/RAMTOP, ELSE, FRE(X), PLOT, and INVERSE across home computers, helping users translate programs to the ZX/TS. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Future Co-Op Items | Details about upcoming releases from TimeWise that will be available to members. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| HELP! | Tips for using the Timex/Sinclair computers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Input/Output | Short notes from readers about resolving poor image quality by replacing the modulator, positive feedback about Bob Berch’s compiler, HOT Z. User dissatisfaction in dealing with Gladstone Electronics. Questions about VU-CALC. Replacement parts. LOAD/SAVE issues. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Input/Output | Feedback on address book program in March issue. Bug fixes to Money Analyzer I from Timex. Report on Sinclairs in Australia. Questions about VU-CALC, feedback on books. | |
| Input/Output | Letters from readers about ZX-G, CAI, ROM bugs, more. | |
| Input/Output | A letters column with member tips: PAUSE vs. FOR-NEXT delays (Ken Williams), UHF modulator replacement and compiler recommendation (Ken Duda), HOT Z praise (John Weilandt), Gladstone Electronics complaint (Mark Walthen), pre-recorded software GOTO fix (Jim Johnston), heat sink mod, PEEK memory routine (Dr. Larry Kelly), power supply plug fix (Frank Peterson), cassette tips, ZX-81 parts | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Input/Output: A Big Keyboard | Instructions on interfacing a full-size keyboard to the TS 1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Letters | ||
| Line Renumbering | Machine language routine to renumber programs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Line Renumbering | A machine code routine entered via hex loader that renumbers BASIC programs in increments of 5 or 10, addressing the lack of a built-in renumber command on the ZX/TS. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Machine Code Magic | Introduction to machine code, short disassembler program. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Machine Code Magic | First in a machine code series, introducing a BASIC disassembler program to examine ZX/TS memory addresses. Includes a complete program listing as a starting point for machine language exploration. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Machine Code Magic - 2 | Tutorial about registers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Machine Code Magic - 3 | Tutorial. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Machine Code Magic II | Timex/Sinclair 1000 | |
| Machine Code Magic II | Second in the machine code series, introducing a mini-assembler and a screen-fill machine code routine running in ~0.2 seconds in FAST mode. Explains addresses, data lines, and the 65,536-location memory space. Includes mini-assembler and run program listings. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Mini-Reviews: Timex Sinclair User, Nightgunner, more | Reviews of Timex Sinclair User magazine, Multi-Program tape from SyncWare, Nightgunner from Softsync, Key Stroke Management and Truth Tables from 2-Bit Software, Inventory Control and Manufacturing Control from Timex. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| 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 |
| Modem & Serial I/O | A review of the Byte-Back MD-1 modem with RS232C serial port ($119.95 kit/$149.95 assembled), covering its features and connection to the ZX/TS 1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Modem and Serial I/O | Review of Byte-Back MD-1 modem. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Hardware — Clock/Calendar Board by J.K. Audio | A review of the J.K. Audio JK-310 clock/calendar board ($59.95 from A&T) using an OKI MSM5832 chip with battery backup. Also covers the JK-330 Plug ‘n Power (controls 8 appliances) and JK-320 signal converter add-ons. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Hardware — Winky Board II by G. Russell Electronics | A review of the Winky Board II tape duplication and noise filter board ($24.80 assembled/$18.80 kit) featuring two LEDs and a head alignment aid. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Hardware: BASICare | Review of BASICare by Microsystem Ltd. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Hardware: Clock/Calendar, Winky Board II | Reviews of Clock/Calendar Board by JK Audio, Winky Board II by G. Russell Electronics. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software — Dominoes by JPR Software | A review of Dominoes ($9.95) by JPR Software, a 16K BASIC game for 1-4 players. Also briefly mentions Artillery, Poker, Antropuss, Yahtzee, Black Jack, and Craps. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software — Fast Duet by Cosmonics | A review of Cosmonics‘ Fast Duet ($27.50), a fast cassette save/load package that operates at 6x normal speed using CFASTDATA (688 bytes) and CFASTLOAD (120 bytes) components. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software — Lingo 1 by Mornae Software | A review of Lingo 1 ($14.95) from Mornae Software, a series of language tutorial cassettes for 16K ZX/TS covering French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish with 350+ words each. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software: Educational Software | Educational software from Softsync and Timex. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software: FAST DUET, LINGO 1, Dominoes | Product reviews of FAST DUET by Cosmonics, LINGO 1 by Mornae Software, Dominoes by JPR Software. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software: Hot Z | Review of the disassembler/monitor from Sinware. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software: Key Load | Review of Key Load by G. Russell Electronics | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| More Software: Timex Household Programs | Reviews Home Asset Manager, Home Improvement Manager, Personal Finance Planner from Timex. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| New Products and Services | ||
| Power Line Filter by HB Industries | A review of a $19.95 power line noise filter from HB Industries that reduces voltage spikes from 600-800mV to under 10mV, protecting the ZX/TS from power irregularities. | |
| Product Updates: Hunter, Memotech | Hunter produces EPROM version of its 8-16K RAM board. Memotech keyboard being shipped in black. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Program Exchange | A standing column listing programs available in the S.U.N. program bank, organized by category: Math, Lab, Home/Business, Statistics, Engineering, Games, Conversions, Astronomy, Education, and Miscellaneous. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Program Exchange | Updated listing of the S.U.N. program bank, noting new additions including Address Book, Permutations & Combinations, Polynomial Roots, Hyperbolic Trig, Simultaneous Equations, Trapezoidal Integration, Machine Language Aids, and other programs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Programming Pearls | ||
| Sinclair | Starting in January 1983, Sinclair Research will act as an independent distributor of Timex/Sinclair 1000 products. | |
| Sinclair | News from Sinclair Research, offering packages of games software. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Sinclair | Deals on tapes from Sinclair. No firm date on flat TV. | |
| Sinclair | Sinclair Research goes public. | |
| Sinclair [News] | Brief news items from Sinclair Research’s Boston office covering software tape availability for ZX/TS machines and an upcoming flat-screen television product. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Sinclair [News] | Brief news from Sinclair Research: a 5-tape software bundle at $50, TS1000 retail at $79.95, a ZX80 upgrade ROM at $39.95, and a note that the flat-screen TV story is still pending. | Sinclair ZX80, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Software: Z Extra by Sinware | Product review. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Power of VU-Calc | A tutorial on using the VU-CALC spreadsheet for the TS1000, using an adding machine example to demonstrate formula entry, display navigation, and the exponentiation operator (2^16 = 65536). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Truth about 'DATA & READ' | Ways to emulate DATA and READ in Sinclair BASIC. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| The Truth About 'DATA & READ' | A tutorial on replicating the DATA/READ construct on the ZX/TS using string slicing and DIM arrays, with two complete solution routines—one for numeric data and one for alphanumeric. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| The Truth About INKEY$ | Tutorial on how to use INKEY$. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| The Truth About INKEY$ | A tutorial explaining how INKEY$ differs from INPUT, covering the keyboard strobe mechanism and demonstrating a practical flashing menu using a FOR-NEXT delay loop. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The ZX Compiler by Bob Berch | A review of a $25 BASIC-to-Z80 machine code compiler by Bob Berch (Rochester, NY) that produces code running 3-10x faster than BASIC and fits in the top 4K of 16K RAM or a Hunter board. Available directly from the author. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TIMEX | This month Timex goes to the Consumer Electronics Show to announce a range of existing new products. | Timex/Sinclair 2000 |
| TIMEX | Timex launches TS2040 printer. TS1500 will retail for $99.95. Timex developing more software. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TIMEX | Speculation on TS 2000 features and availability. | Timex/Sinclair 2000 |
| TIMEX | News about upcoming products from Timex including the 1500, 2000 and modem. | |
| Timex [News] | CES announcements from Timex including the TS2000 (Spectrum for North America), the $99.95 TS2040 printer, a Timex modem, and the Frogger game. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2000 |
| Timex [News] | Timex news covering the March 1 launch of the TS2040 thermal printer, the TS1500 announced at $99.95 with built-in 16K RAM and movable keys, new peripherals (joysticks, cartridges, 32K RAM pack), a mid-year modem, and 80-column printer and mass storage in development. | Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| Tips | A collection of practical tips covering cassette preparation, TV picture improvement, DIM array explanation using a train analogy, TV monitor hookup from Bob Ziskind, a warning about peripheral memory conflicts, and a FOR-NEXT loop tutorial. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? | Reviews of ES-II system switch box by Electronic Shop, ZXFORTH by the Forth Dimension, Memotech keyboard. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? | Reviews of Frogger from Timex, Games Sampler and Mind vs Machine by 2-BIT Software. | |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — CIOUTIL by Cosmonics | A review of CIOUTIL, a $17 cassette I/O utility (~500 bytes) from Cosmonics that loads above RAMTOP to provide enhanced tape data handling. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — Crash Guard by Expense Cutter Products | A review of the Crash Guard acrylic RAM pack stabilizer ($19.95) from Expense Cutter Products, designed to prevent the notorious RAM pack wobble on the ZX/TS. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — E-Z Keyboard by E-Z Key | A review of the E-Z Key 60-key tactile keyboard ($84.95) that plugs directly into the ZX/TS expansion port with no wiring required. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — Flight Simulation by Timex/Sinclair (Psion) | A review of the Psion-developed Flight Simulator for the 16K ZX/TS ($19.95), evaluating its realism and playability as an early flight sim for the platform. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — Mothership by Softsync | A review of Mothership ($16.95), a 3-D arcade game by Softsync for the 16K ZX/TS. Also briefly mentions Double Feature, Super Chess, Math Raiders, Alpha/Vowel Tutor, and Night Gunner. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — MW-100 Printer by Mindware | A review of the Mindware MW-100 impact printer ($129), evaluating its 16-characters-per-line output at approximately 1 line per second. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — Programmers Toolkit & Graphics Kit | Reviews of two Softsync packages: Graphics Kit with 23 machine code routines ($14.95, 16K) and Programmers Toolkit with 8 programming utilities ($14.95, 16K), both from Softsync Inc., New York. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? — Timex 2040 Printer | A review of the newly launched Timex 2040 thermal printer ($99.95), covering its 32-character-per-line output, 50-80 cps print speed, and 4-inch paper format. | |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Firmware | Review of Memotext by Memotech. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Hardware | Reviews of Mindware MW-100 printer, Crash Guard from Expense Cutter Products, Power Line Filter from HB Industries. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Hardware | Reviews of E-Z Keyboard from E-Z Key, Timex 2040 printer, Battery Backup from SyncWare. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Hardware | Review of Memocalc by Memotech. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Hardware | Review of Timex/Sinclair 1500. | Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Hardware | Review of Hunter Board. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Software | Reviews of the Programmers’ Toolkit and Graphics Toolkit from Softsync, CIOUTIL by Cosmonics, Flight Simulation from Timex. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Software | Reviews of Mothership from Softsync, ZX Compiler from Bob Berch, | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Software | Review of Z-Tools and Step by Sinware. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Software | Review of Mega Mind, Expo Tic Tac Toe, Words and Compatibility from Orbyte software. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| To Buy or Not to Buy? Software | Review of Understanding Sinclair BASIC from A+ Associates. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TS2000 News | Along with the TS 2048 and TS 2068 computers, 35 software packages will be released, some on cartridge. | Timex/Sinclair 2000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Upgrade? | ||
| Using the Power of "VU-CALC" | Hints on using the spreadsheet program. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Using the Power of VU-CALC II | More tutorial on using the program. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Using the Power of VU-Calc II | Second in the VU-CALC tutorial series, demonstrating how to store recipe data in a spreadsheet, save and load it from cassette, and apply the exponentiation function (65536^(1/16)=2). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Changes to the newsletter. Blank cassettes and software available. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Computer and RAM pack schematics, program exchange, programming help. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Updates on the publication. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Changes to newsletter format. Overview of issue contents. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Details about newsletter content. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. | Newsletter editorial announcing new columns for the coming year and reporting on plans for a club bulletin board system to run on an Osborne I computer with a modem. | |
| What's Under the S.U.N. / Co-op News | An editorial column announcing co-op products (C-20 tapes, HB line filters, TIMEWRITER word processor, MATH MAESTRO), a list of scheduled reviews, and a programming help service for members. | |
| WOW | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program | |
| Z Extra by Sinware | A review of Sinware’s Z Extra ($19.95), a display manager and screen editor supporting 28-99 screens, sprite-like animation, and BASIC integration via ZEXBAS. Available in 16K and 64K versions. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
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