SyncWare News was a more technical publication, printing many hardware articles by Fred Nachbaur, John Oliger and others.
They produced the magazine entirely on Timex Sinclair computers. They used Memotext on the TS 1000, MSCRIPT on the TS 2068 and QLWP on the QL.
Staff
- Thomas Woods, publisher
- Thomas J. Bent, associate editor and editor
- Jeffrey D. Moore, editor
- Fred Nachbaur, technical director
The magazine did not have a single office address. They split editorial offices between Moore, in Louisville, Ohio, and Bent, in Columbia, Maryland. Nachbaur was the Canadian contact. Woods' address in Jefferson, New Hampshire, was listed for subscription, billing and ad artwork.
| Title | Description | Computers |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 2K Text Writer | This program was written on a 2K TS1000 and will handle a full screen of text. It gives you a full screen editor that will handle about 20 words per minute. You can print the screen to the printer by Lprinting, and Stop will bring you to a halt at line 410. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| 1000 Auto Analysis | Program to analyze, diagnose and recommend solutions for engine problems. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| 1000 One Chip Mod: A Built-in NVM | This battery backed-up RAM is a miniaturization and functional equivalent of the famous “Hunter” board. It was designed by Mr. Wilf Rigter of the Vancouver, BC T/S User Group. I owe many thanks to Mr. Rigter for inspiring me to write this article, and assisting with technical advise during the construction and refinement of this […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| 2068 & Spectrum Reviews | Hall of the Things, Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy, Lunar Jetmen. These four programs for the ZX Spectrum have several things in common. First of all, they are all of truly “ARCADE” quality with excellent graphics and sound. Secondly, they have all occupied the #1 spot on the European charts in 1983 or 1984. Lastly, […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 2068 Art | This short program will have you staring at your screen for hours. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| 2068 Buggy Software | It isn’t considered normal when а magazine like SyncWare gives you а program that’s riddled with bugs. But then, we never promised you a normal magazine. Since this is our special April Fool’s issue, we thought we’d introduce you to SyncWare’s in house bug. Actually he’s a worm–a friendly little fellow–who took up residence in […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| 2068 Cassette Connection: Part II: Loading Tips | In the last Issue, I recommended removal of a couple capacitors in the SAVE circuitry of the TS2068. This provides a “brighter” save signal, which makes subsequent loading more reliable. This is all that is required to get many systems working “up to spec,” and makes the use of “fast-load” routines possible, even practical. On […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 2068 Character Builder | The TS2068 offers a very powerful feature in its capacity to build up user-defined characters. However, the procedure for building up those characters is a bit of a pain in the neck. This program will simplify that procedure for you. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Label Maker | Program to print return address labels or any other message on 15/16″ labels. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 LOAD Notes | Stan Nagrod reports the removing R11 from his computer cured his loading problems. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 2068 Lotto | Program to pick Lotto numbers. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Machine Code in a DATA Statement | Program allows you to place machine code located anywhere in memory into a DATA statement in line 1 of your BASIC program. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 PC Board Aid | This program is designed as an aid in laying out a PC board for the Sinclair computers. The 2040 listing will give the correct 0.1″ spacing for the edge connector. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| 2068 Piano | Type-in program to let you play the TS 2068 like a piano, using BEEP. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Print Command Compiler | Program that compiles PRINT statements into machine language equivalent that uses the ROM's PRINT routine. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Review: Checkrec & Inventory | Review of “Checkrec 2000” and “Household Inventory 2000“, two programs written in BASIC, in spreadsheet format. Programs available from WMJ Data Systems. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 2068 Review: Hi*Res | There was once a time when I had a small touch of envy when I read an ad for a plotter for some computer other than my Sinclairs. I was even able to use a plotter-printer with my old Commodore VIC-20. In fact, I still had my Commodore 1520, but had rarely used it the […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| 2068 Screen Copy | When I first got an Aerco interface and a C. Itoh 8510AP printer for my TS2068, my immediate interest was in getting out a big batch of letters I needed to get done at the time, so after casually noting that PRINT CHR$ 0 called up a screen-dump COPY routine I didn’t give much attention […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Tape to Disk Conversion For VU-File and VU-Calc | The program tape-to-disk conversions shown in this article are for use with the Aerco FD-68 Disk Interface. The procedures are presented “cookbook style”, so they should be easy to follow and to modify for other disk interfaces. Just substitute your interface’s commands at the appropriate spots. SyncWare News welcomes articles such as this, and will […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Tower of Brahma | Variation of Tower of Hanoi for the TS 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Variable Save Trick | After a lot of experimenting, I may have a solution. The “may have” is because the process alters the system variables and, although it seems fine so far, I prefer to test it much more before using it with complete confidence. The process simply involves fooling the computer about where to start saving. Since we […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Window | Machine language screen utility to support replacing and restoring a section of the display with another, pre-defined section. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Windows | With the wave of new micros touting their window abilities maybe other 2068 owners like myself have been keeping quiet. Well, if you have been feeling sorry for yourself because you have a computer that “won’t do windows” then cheer up! Those windows are painlessly easy on the mighty 2068! | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Word Images | One particularly strong fascination the computer holds over me is its almost magical ability to conjure up powerful images in my mind. You can use the computer to illustrate this phenomenon by programming it to choose and print words on the TV screen. By consciously thinking about the images your mind creates in response you’ll […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 2068 Word Wrap Utility | When printing a text to the screen by using the PRINT statement, words at the end of the screen often will be cut off in the middle and continued on the next line. This makes the text difficult to read. This utility will put the entire word at the beginning of the next line so […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 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 |
| 2K-SDP: A Serial Data Port | A system which allows transfer of data between ZX/TS and ТS2068 computers and cassette tape operations in TS2068 format. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| 64 Column BASIC | The 64 column utilities in the 2068 technical manual do work, but they are not easy to use from Basic. There are far too many things to remember, and debugging your programs is a nightmare. This program allows the use of the Basic PRINT command without having to rewrite the ROM. It’s possible to intercept […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| 64 Column Basic: TS1000 Style! | Teaser about a 64 column mode for TS1000 owners with Oliger Video board. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| 8K ROM Upgrade | By now you should have a pretty good idea of what I’ve been doing; so what’s ol’ Tom been up to? Well, instead of a much-deserved rest from high math writing, Tom has been busy upgrading his hardware with the Oliger system, Starting out as a self described “electronics duffer,” he has succeeded in getting […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A ‘CAVEMAN’ Wordprocessor | So, now that we can do screen dumps and engage the various printer control functions, how about a word processor? Sorry folks, but this is where your BASIC fails you utterly. It is just too slow for most people, especially if there is any input checking. So while there have been several valiant attempts at […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| A 2068 Printer Driver | In reply to the request from Mr. George Cary in the May/June SyncWare News for a big printer driver for the Spectrum mode 2068, the accompanying machine-code program is submitted. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| A Bird in Hand | Our favorite computers are getting harder and harder to find. TS1000’s are no longer being offered except from an occasional surplus dealer. The 2068’s can still be found, but not without some difficulty. My trusty 2068 gave up the ghost during the assembly of this issue. After calling almost every vendor in my files, I […] | |
| A Challenge | Request to improve included subroutine (“flowchart”). The subroutine plots the program above it (prior to line 9901) as a flowchart. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| A National Users’ Group | One of the more provocative ideas emerging during the WINTERFEST was that of a national Users’ Group. The project is still flexible enough so that you can get your own ideas into the hopper. | |
| A New Thrust | Sinclair’s new venture is high performance aircraft. Note the issue date. | |
| A NIM Game for 2K | An important consideration in programming personal computers is memory economy. Unlike the big main-frames that offer virtually unlimited storage, you have only a limited RAM space at your ready disposal. Anyone who’s tackled a large project knows just how small 16K can seem. Fortunately, there are a few relatively “mechanical” techniques you can use to […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| A TS1000 REM Generator | Short program to generate a 1 REM line with any number of spaces. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| A TS2068 Music Maker | The Timex/Sinclair 2068, with its built-in sound chip is capable of producing sound and music in three parts. The program included here will allow you to create, enter, and play music in three-part harmony. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| A Video Reverse Board | The easiest way to connect your computer to a monitor is to simply take the composite video signal from pin 16 of the ULA (“SCL” chip). Since this isn’t capable of much power delivery, it will only work in the “high-impedance” input setting. If your monitor doesn’t have a Hi/Lo-Z switch, open the monitor and […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A Video Upgrade? | Why? Is the predominant first question. If you find that your computer does its job, but you would like to see it work a lot faster (in SLOW), if your tired of that annoying fast mode flicker, if you have a program longer than 16K of BASIC and want it to run without crashing, then […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| A Word to Authors | Advice on writing articles for the magazine. | |
| A Word to Authors | Here are a few tips for any of you who ever wanted to get your name (and your thoughts) before the public. | |
| A&J Notes | When using the A&J Microdrive “ESOS” (Exatron Stringy Operating System), there are times when you don’t want it to change your RAMTOP. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| ABC-123 Part 2 | Finishes the “ABC/123” program for the TS 1000 introduced in prior issue. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| ABC-123: Educational Games for the ZX81 | The “ABC/123” program is quite long, so we are breaking it into two parts. The result of this first installment will be a self-sufficient program in its own right. It is a trainer in the recognition of the alphanumeric characters, both upper and lower case. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Adding On To Gladstone | Many memory expansion boards have been offered for ZX81’s and TS1000s. One of the first to break down through the $100 price barrier was the Gladstone 64K RAM pack. It gave you use of RAM memory from locations 8K through 64K. Its only short coming was that you had to ALWAYS use all of the […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Addition: A “Training” Program | Program to teach young children basic math. Draws a train engine as successive correct answers are provided. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Additional Byte-Back Memory Pack Notes | Thanks to John Oliger’s NOT M1 decoding circuit, many new and excellent pieces of software are coming into the market place that make use of machine language routines in the 32K-48K (8000-BFFF hex) region of memory. Some examples of these would include Hot Z-II by Ray Kingsley and Memotext in RAM, Version 3, modified and […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| 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 |
| Algebra | Here’s a neat program that Bill has allowed us to print, hoping that some of you will avail yourselves of his other programs. Drop him a line at the above address for his current product list. This program, like all Soft-way programs, is tightly coded and numbered consecutively. You may wish to re-number using a […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| An Improved Joystick | It was interesting to see in page 10 of the 1:1a issue of SyncWare News, a joystick circuit that is a variation of a circuit which I have been using since I customized my Sinclair ZX81 in the summer of 1982. When I moved the ZX PCB in a large keyboard case, together with a […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| And in This Corner | Tom Woods, the venerable publisher of SyncWare News, will be stepping down from that post іп the near future. An open letter to our readers from Tom appears in this issue’s Forum column (see Changing of the Guard). Current SyncWare News Editor, Jeff Moore, will be assuming the duties of publisher, the keeper of subscriptions, […] | |
| Animalslll: Best TS2068 | The SyncWare News 2nd (sort of) Annual Programmers’ Competition winner. ANIMALSLLL by Larry Liedtke is our first place winner in the TS2068 category. The original submission contained 327 different animals with 15 questions being asked about each. This amounted over 11,000 possible answers. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Another Video Primer | Definitions of common terms used to describe video signals. | |
| Applied Sinclair: Subroutines and Programs for the Mathematically Minded | Have you ever had some tricky or complicated calculations to make, or found yourself over your head with mathematic routines? If you have then this book is for you. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Appointment Watch | APPOINTMENT WATCH is a spread sheet program written in machine code and BASIC. It requires at least 16K of memory. In 16K, Appointment Watch allows the user to enter and store 100 appointments. It allows you to enter the Date, Time, and Place of your appointments, as well as with whom they are, and the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Are We Not Hackers? | There has been a lot of press over the last year about “hackers,” referring to the dishonest minority of computer users who delight in crashing BBSes, breaking into data-bases, and generally wreaking havoc. | |
| Audio Frequency Counter Program for the Timex/Sinclair ZX81 | This program will run with as little as 1K of RAM and will allow frequency measurements of up to 28,500 Hz. This is useful for tuning RTTY tone generators, electronic musical instruments, tone encoders, and for calibrating audio generators. The audio signal is fed to the computer’s earphone jack, and the frequency is displayed to […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Bank Switching the 2068 | TS2192 COMPUTER The 2068 was introduced to us as a memory manager, capable of handling up to 256 banks of 64K memories, a veritable elephant among small plastic boxes. Close inspection revealed that an item called a BEU (meaning either Bus Expansion Unit or “hello” in Elephant) was necessary to access most of the extra […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| BASIC Bank Switching | Short recap of ways to add RAM to the TS 2068 and switch it in/out. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| BASIC Tipics: Use Logic | This article explores a blend of two forms of logic: arithmetic and Boolean logic (AND, OR, and NOT) operations. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basic Topics | Is It A Number? By Fred Nachbaur The following routine contains a trap to insure that you enter a number. This is useful in math drill programs, to prevent cheating by entering an expression. The BASIC interpreter will accept the question as the answer by evaluating the expression for you. For example, in response to […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium | This chapter will treat the machine code equivalent of the FOR…NEXT loop, and introduce the four “packaged loops” whose mnemonics end іп “R”. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium | So far, the Z80 chip must impress you as being a singularly inflexible device. It will do what you ask it to, and do that very well–so long as you ask it to tell you the value of B+256*C. And аз long as you include enough information in the program to define В and С. […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: “Painless” MC Development | This chapter will give you a look into “real life”, and will show you how to make a “rough draft” of your programs in BASIC. I always find it easier to debug my programs in BASIC before actually translating them into machine eode, as the results of an error are much less drastic in BASIC. […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: A Few No-Nos | Recaps utility routines described in prior articles and why machine code containing the values 118, 126 and 11 may be problematic. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Addition, Overflow, Carry | This article will show you how to add and subtract, and how to “increment” and “decrement” registers; it will tell you about overflow and carrying; and it will Introduce the concept of flags. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Basic Machine Code for the ZX-81/TS1000 | As the title implies, this series is designed to introduce the beginner to the basics of machine coding. The beginner in machine language that is. We must assume that you already have a working knowledge of BASIC. As the title also implies, I will try as much as possible to relate machine code programming to […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Basil’s Compendium: Deluxe Loader Program | This installment gives you a simple loader program that will make it very easy for you to enter machine code in decimal notation. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Go To/Go Sub | This article introduces the concepts of JUMP and CALL, the machie code analogs to Basic’s GOTO and GO SUB. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Hexadecimal and 256-imal | This article introduces the concept of hexadecimal notation and “256-imal.” | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Let A = … | This installment is going to show you how to assign values to a number of variables — or, as computer jargon has it, to load registers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: LET A= … | This installment will teach you how to enter an actual program in machine code. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: PEEK, POKE & USR | Reviews the operation of the ZX81 memory, discusses PEEK and POKE and introduce the USR command. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: TS1000 and TS 2068 | That’s right–Basil’s Compendium is going to add the TS2068 to its repertoire. But you ZX81/TS1000 enthusiasts need not lose heart. The two computers use the same microprocessor, the Z80, and are really not awfully different from each other. Sort of like brothers born a year or two apart. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium: Where to Put the Program | This chapter will list some requirements for the place where we will put the machine code, and will show you how to find a memory location that meets those requirements. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| Basil’s Compendium: Why Use Machine Code? | If you have the choice between simple and complicated, simple is usually the more elegant. It’s often a poor bargain to trade many minutes of machine code writing for a saving of a few milliseconds in program execution. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Basil’s Compendium | Chapter discusses conditional instructions and behavior of various flags. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Battery Back-up The EI Cheapo BBU | The circuit shown is the simplest scheme possible to provide power-down protection for your ZX/TS. You just need a battery holder capable of holding six “one-life” batteries (AA, C or D size), a few silicon diodes (GE531, Radio Shack 276-1141, or other 50 PIV, 2A silicon rectifier) and an on-off switch. An enclosure, some zip […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| 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 |
| BBSing on an Unexpanded 2068 | After you have been using your modem for awhile, you notice one thing most, it can be an enjoyable use of your computer. Sending and receiving electronic mail, uploading and downloading programs, and all of the different SIGS (special interest groups) that allow one to share common interests and hobbies with others are just a […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Become a Sinclair Tycoon | Advice on how not to run a software/hardware business. | |
| Best of PCW Assembler Routines | Review of the book published by Personal Computer World. Includes machine language routines for the Z80 CPU. | |
| Beta Basic Review | Among the many outstanding things that software writers and hardware developers have provided for T/S users, some have gone unnoticed by potential purchasers who did not happen to subscribe to the newsletters or magazines in which they were reviewed or advertised. | Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Boy, This Z is HOT! | You may have heard of HOT Z and its decendent, HOT Z-II, and wondered why you haven’t seen any reviews on it. I’ve noticed that other publications are promising reviews “in the next issue,” so I gather others are having the same problem we are; HOT Z is a very difficult program to do justice […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bug Alert | Corrections articles in SWN v3n3: “GET”, “ONE-CHIP MODS,” and DICE 1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bug Alert | Missing section of World Geography by Shawn Byrne, published in volume 5, number 4. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Bug Alert | Correction to reverse-video driver, “Adding on to Gladstone”. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Bug Alert: One-chip NVM | The “One-chip NVM” in SWN 4:1 shows a minor discrepancy between the schematic (Fig. 3) and the pictorials and instructions. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Bugs Strike Again | Notes on fixing “ETAMITLU” by Jeff Moore. | |
| Building a 2068 Database, Part 1 | The concept of a Completely Interactive Database System (CIDS) that has been implemented on a micro-computer is interesting in that this type of environment Is normally only found on mainframe computers. What I hope to do is cover the various aspects of implementing just such a system in the next few issues. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Building a 2068 Database, Part 2 | In this installment of CIDS, we will develop six essential routines. The only routine that is not a command is the error report routine. Also, as all programs are prone to revisions and extensions, the error routine may not reflect future versions, since the error routine takes memory that could be used for another command. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Built In BBU | Yes, folks, there’s plenty of room left in even your tiny “stock” case to include re-chargeable BBU INSIDE THE COMPUTER. This makes it immune even to pulling the plug! My 16K machine has the BBU circuit, exactly as above, “under the hood.” I must say that using AA cells makes things rather tight, and it […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Byte Back at the Real World | Finally! A product that is easy and Straightforward to review. I’m speaking of the BB-1 control module from Byte-Back, Rt. 3 Box 147 Brodie Road, Leesville, SC 29070. It is easy to review because it is easy to understand, easy to build and easy to implement. When you open the package, you find all your […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Celestial Basic: Skyplot | Eric Burgess’ “Celestial Basic,” is a collection of astronomy programs converted for Sinclair Basic and published in “More Uses for your TS1000: Astronomy on your Computer.” | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Celestial Computing | Computerists and astronomers have much in common. Both have a fastidious interest in detail, an appreciation of precision and a love of things beyond the ordinary. It is natural that this publication carry a regular column devoted to computer astronomy. | |
| Celestial Computing: Astronomical Software 1, Planet Finder | AS1 provides functions frequently found only on more expensive software for more expensive computers. Combined into two compact “Time Options” and “Coordinate Options” menus, we see many selections that were treated as separate programs in Eric Burgess’ ‘Celestial Basic.’ Planet Finder is a collection of astronomical images and information. It’s a cleverly designed, graphically interesting […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Change RAMTOP Without NEW | You may have wanted to change RAMTOP without wiping out what you have in memory. It is not enough to simply POKE 16388 and 16389 with the desired RAMTOP, since the machine-code stack stays in the same place until you relocate them using NEW. Several “fixes” have been reported, including one using a ROM call […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Chroma Soft TS 1000 Review | Review of a program that displays color by flashing at different rates. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Circuit Board Hint | After building circuit boards from artwork or kits, it’s a good idea to clean all the rosin from the board. This makes it easier to see bad connections and shorts, and also gives a cleaner appearance. | |
| Clear That Screen! | The purpose of this article is to present some alternatives to this command, and in this process maybe show some ways of handling your display file. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| Columbus Day | One of my first opportunities as your Editor was to attend a mass meeting of Users’ Groups in Columbus, Ohio, This was on January 30, a day between (well, sort of) snowstorms. Including your Publisher and your Editor, there were 18 TS enthusiasts there, coming from places as diverse as Columbus (of course), several Indiana […] | |
| Coming Events | Computerfest ’88 (Dayton, OH), Third Annual International/Great Northwest TS Mini-Fair (Portland, OR), Timex-Sinclair-Amstrad Computer Users 1988 Midwest Regional Conference (Cleveland, OH). | |
| Communications in a Flash | This program simulates a blinker signaling device. Nowadays, when radio communicators are constantly trying to use ever-higher ultra frequencies, we tend to forget that blinkers have been using, for centuries, frequencies higher than any radio signal yet generated. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Computerfest Update | Details about the 1987 T/S Computerfest, held in Indianapolis, Indiana. | |
| Contest Closes | The Second Sort-of-Annual Programmer’s Contest officially closed April 15th. Soon judging of the entries will be complete, the winners announced, and the prizes awarded. Be watching the July/August issue for the winning programs to be published! | |
| Contest Deadline Nears | The Second Annual Programmer’s Contest deadline is rapidly approaching. As of January 31, on a single entry has been submitted. Deadline extended to April 15, 1987. | |
| Contest Nears Conclusion | 60+ contestants who submitted over 80 programs to the Big Contest; Timex 2068 disk drive has been submitted to the FCC for approval; Kirt Olsen of Syntax has stated that he will not take on any new subscribers; QL is out of the FCC (after one year) and is available by mail order. | Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Controlling Your Printer | In this series of articles, I’ll try to give you some information to help you use your printer system “to the max.” We’ll start with a discussion of the ASCII character set, and follow with some information about the Memotech Centronics Interface (CIF) which will demonstrate rudimentary methods of controlling the operation of your printer, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Converting the Oliger 64K Ram for the 2068 | To use the JLO 64 K RAM board (from the TS1000) on the 2068, it is necessary to make these changes. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Cryptograms on the Computer | Let me start out by saying what this program does NOT do. In spite of the title, it does not solve cryptograms, I enjoy working those little fellows far too much to surrender the fun to a computer. This program is designed, rather, to do the clerical jobs for me, while I save the creative […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Curve Tracing – 2068 | Use the TS 2068 to print mathematical curves, handwriting, doodles, etc. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Custom Keyboard Tip | Did you hook up one of those TI keyboards to your ZX81/TS1000? Don’t you wish it had all the Sinclair legends on the keys? Well, if you can find an old membrane keyboard (remember those?) you can cut it up and paste the legends onto the keys with silicone glue. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Customize your M-SCRIPT | I am one of those people who can’t have a program for long before I find something to improve or otherwise fool with. In this case, the victim is MSCRIPT. MSCRIPT is a beautiful, full featured word processor. In a month of using the program, I’ve found only four things to complain about. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Customize Your Sign Designer | Most, if not all, of you should have heard about the famous Print Shop program for computers such as Apple and IBM. It is a graphics package which allows you to create cards, signs, and banners for various occasions, Well, how about our Timex Sinclair computers? Zebra Systems came to the rescue by putting out […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Dear Reader | The management of SYNCWARE NEWS has asked me to take on the post of editor, as of the first issue of 1988. I am both honored and delighted at the prospect. This preliminary announcement is intended to let you know what I am thinking at the moment, and to ask your help in charting the […] | |
| Decimal to Hex and Back | Converting from hexadecimal to decimal number systems has been the bane of many an aspiring machine code programmer. This listing does the converting for you. When you RUN the program, a prompt asks you for a hex number. You can either type one in to get the decimal equivalent, or press ENTER to flip to […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Decoding the EXROM | The following circuit will allow you to use the memory area above the EXROM, which ocupies the 0 to 8K chunk in that memory bank, as RAM. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Delphic 2K Toolkit, Tape Version | Had it been possible for SWN to adhere to its originally intended publication schedule, you would have seen a review on this toolkit in the Nov/Dec issue, and a new product announcement and ad in the next issue; this one would have contained the update announcement, But things didn’t work out that way, so now […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Dice 1000 | Program to “roll” graphic dice. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Dot-Matrix Bit Graphics | A current ad for a book about dot-matrix printers states that 80% of the users only make use of about 20% of the features available to them. Whether this is an accurate estimate or not, it is likely that when we unpacked our new printer the most of us did not spend much time on […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Dump that Screen! | If you took the trouble to enter an alternate conversion table as described in the last issue, you already have the most of what it takes to do a screen dump. The BASIC “DEMO” listing below, shows the required subroutine at lines 7000-7120. Whenever you want a copy of the screen printed out, GOSUB 7000 […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Dunnington Flowcharter | (Editor’s NOTE: This article would be worthwhile reading if it didn’t contain anything but the material on programming above line 9999.) My version of the BASIC program uses 1004 bytes after deleting all lines less than 9000 and ENTERing CLEAR in accordance with the CHALLENGE instructions. Our Editor did not like the treatment of the […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Editorial | Another amazing year has passed and we have seen a number of computer companies bite the big one, as well as a number of computer related publications. Syncware News is now firmly planted and has every intention of “sticking around.” | |
| Editorial | In case you hadn’t noticed, a few changes have occured with SWN in the last couple of months. The appearance among others, is quite different. Another change that has transpired is the editor/publisher personnel. We are very happy to have Tom Woods as our publisher. Not only is he involved in publishing, but also in […] | |
| Editorial | Season’s greetings; Second Sort-of-Annual Programmers Competition; new improved publication. | |
| Editorial: Another Year Older; 2nd Annual Fest Planned; TS Communications | Issues this year will include more material for the less technically inclined on the basics of T/S computing. 2nd Annual Midwest T/S Computer Fest will be May 2-3, 1987 in Indianapolis, IN. Indiana Sinclair Timex Users group is currently running a bulletin board, with software they’ve developed, on an unexpanded TS2068. | |
| Editorial: Quantum Levels Premiers; Timex & Other Rumors; Amstrad Invasion | August/September issue of Quantum_Levels available; Timex Portugal announced plans to bring the home computer battle back to North American shores; Sears, Roebuck will be offering Amstrad’s new word processor. | Sinclair QL |
| Editorial: Sinclair-Amstrad Deal; SyncWare Grows; Journal Goes | Sinclair Research sold rights for Spectrum computers to Amstrad. Jeff Moore becomes editor. SyncWare Journal in construction. | |
| ENER-Z Me! | Report Generator BoardENER-Z CompanyPO Box 635Port Washington, PA 19034 FEATURES: Real-time clock, A/D, I/O Ports, parallel printer interfacePRICE: US$ 89.95 A&T, $59.95 kit If you could buy only one peripheral which would let your ZX/TS communicate with the real world, Ener-Z’s Report Generator just might be it. The board’s features include a real-time clock, analog […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Enter Q_Review? | Teaser about new publication supporting the Sinclair QL. | Sinclair QL |
| EPROM Programmer, Part II: Fixing Your Home ROM | Correct the home ROM by transferring it into RAM, changing the code, and then programming a 27128 to replace it. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| ETAMITLU – The Simplest Word Processor | Don’t ask me how to pronounce that word. Don’t ask what it means, either. If you know how my mind works, you won’t have to ask. If you don’t–well, you remember what Louie Armstrong said about jazz: “If you have to ask what it is, you wouldn’t understand the answer,” | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Expanded 2068 Input Prompts | One day, as I was rummaging through the TS2068 ROM, I discovered that there was more to the INPUT command than what was described In the manual. Digging a little deeper, I found that what’s presented here is covered In detail In the Spectrum manual. Well, so much for international communications. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Extensions to Pro/File Review | There are four issues of Extensions that total 31 pages of well documented changes, additions, and instructions. These modifications can either be keyed into your computer or you can purchase the programs on tape. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Fabulous Fest Feted | Mix 500 plus people who share a like interest with 52 vendors and displays, a superior hotel, service, and banquet, add over 116 door prizes and gifts, sprinkle in some terrific software and hardware bargains, plus some excellent speakers, and what do you get? The Second Annual Mid West Timex Computer Fest! If you missed […] | |
| Fast Times at Clairmont High TS 1000 | Game to get Walter Wimply to class. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| FAT M-Script | Use this listing in place of the Basic loader supplied with M-Script. It gives a backup capability and will provide larger letters that help improve readability. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Flagging Interest | My 2068 serves me as a useful tool to cope with the many demands of semi-retirement. I use it frequently to help me acquire new knowledge and skills, an activity that to me is a prime reason and delight of retirement. As a retiree I get to spend more time on the water sailing than […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Floppy Disk | ||
| For Your Support | Column announcing hardware, software for Timex/Sinclair owners. Products from Bruce Taylor, Fred Nachbaur, Tom Woods, John Oliger, Jack Donahy, 21st Century Electronics, Zebra Systems, Steve Wyatt, G. Russell Electronics and Tad Painter listed. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, 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 Robert Fischer, UAS, Tom Laffin, Knighted Computers, RAMEX, Ben Johnson, Fred Nachbaur, Tom Bent, Jim Houston Enterprises, Paul Bingham, Sum-Ware and Ray Kingsley. | Sinclair ZX81, 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 |
| For Your Support | In this column, we will announce any software or hardware that is new or otherwise untested by us. If you have something of interest, we will announce it here. Send us a description of your product. Keep it short, please. We advise readers to send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope), as a courtesy, to […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from English Micro Connection, TEJ Computer Products, Macshak Software, Delphic Enterprises, Pleasantrees Programming, Communications Systems Center, Toronto Software World, T Dailey, People’s Software Supply, S. J. Wyatt and John Oliger. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from G. Russell Electronics, Byte-Back, Variety Sales, Chia-Chi Chao, Larken Electronics, Sams, Fred Nachbaur, Lemke Software Development and E. Arthur Brown. | Sinclair QL, Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Softaid, TEJ Computer Products, G. Russell Electronics, Integrated Data Systems, Sharp’s, Richard Booth, J. Keene, Pratt Programs, Robotron Industries, Knighted Computers, Ray Rash and Fred Nachbaur. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcement from Bill Bell, G. Russell Electronics, Dunbar Aitkens, I. B. A. Computer Users Network, Brice Road Pharmacy, Damco Enterprises, Sharp’s, C. W. Associates. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from John Oliger Co., NovelSoft, Willcocks Research Consultants, Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Knighted Computers, G. Russell Electronics, Jim Houston Enterprises, Larken Electronics, Chia-Chi Chao, Fred Nachbaur, Robert Fischer, Bill Heberlein, Bill Bell, C. W. Associates. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Chia-Chi Chao, NovelSoft, Willcocks Research Consultants, Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Knighted Computers, Fred Nachbaur/Silicon Mountain Computers, Robert Fischer, Larken Electronics, Bill Bell, Thomas Woods, Jim Houston Enterprises, WIDJUP Co., David Hill. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Fred Nachbaur, John Oliger Co., Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Larken Electronics, Chia-Chi Chao, Robert Fischer, Bill Bell, G. Russell Electronics, EZRA Group II, RMG Enterprises, David Hill, Paul Holmgren, GLENN Technics, John Deering. | |
| For Your Support | Announcement of version 2.5 of ZX-TERM*80, version 3 of SRAM Hi-Res Extended BASIC from Silicon Mountain Computers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| For Your Support | Hardware and software offerings from Chia-Chi Chao, Mike Trivisonno, Jack Donahy, Fred Nachbaur, Tim Worcester, Games to Learn By, Kraig Pritts, John Oliger, Tom Woods and Knighted Computers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Products from Allan Wolach, C. W. Associates, Chia-Chi Chao, Don Dailey, Ed Grey, Fred Nachbaur, G. Russell Electronics, Newpower Inc., Paul Bingham, Robert Fischer, SAF User Group, Samson Okoloko, Steve Wyatt, Time Designs and Tom Woods. | |
| For Your Support | Hardware and software announcements from many vendors. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | AN-TO Productions is marketing QUICKEY 2068 keyboard overlays. Overlays are available for the following programs: AccuDraw T2, Artworx v1.1, Tasword/Tasprint, Mscript (regular and V5) and Omnicalc II. There is also a key finder and a blank overlay for your own programs. Bill Bell announces the availability of an Oliger Video Version of BBDOS for the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | ZEBRA SYSTEMS, INC., is currently offering Graphics Collection tapes for use with their TS2068 Graphics Designer Series programs: The Banner Designer, The Greeting Card Designer, and the Sign Designer. Each tape includes 30 graphics. Collection subjects include holidays, office, sports, and religion to name but a few. There are currently 12 collections available with more […] | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from AN-TO Productions, Bill Bell, Chia-Chi Chao, David Hill, Fred Nachbaur/Silicon Mountain Computers, Knighted Computers, C. W. Associates, RMG Enterprises, Weymil Corporation, Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Rockfort Products, Charles Stelding, John McMichael, G. Russell Electronics. | Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Shawn Stamp, Chia-Chi Chao, Robert Hartung, Weymil Corporation, Fred Nachbaur, E. A. Brown, G. Russell Electronics, Cuyahoga Valley Software Works, TS-2068 Safe Disk Update, AN-TO Productions, Larken Electronics, RMG Enterprises, Charles Stelding. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from TS-2068 Safe Disk Update, Charles Stelding, Shawn Stamp, Chia-Chi Chao, Robert Hartung, C. W. Associates, E. Arthur Brown, Larken Electronics, Silicon Mountain Computers. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Shawn Stamp, Curry Computer, Chia-Chi Chao, Robert Hartung, Larken Electronics, Fred Nachbaur, E. Arthur Brown, TS-2068 Safe Disk Update, Nicolson Nighttime Network, Lemke Software, Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Dan Elliot, John McMichael. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Frank Lockhart, Robert Hartung, Dan Elliot, Lemke Software, Nicolson Nightime Network, John McMichael, Grey & Clifford Computer Products. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Nicholson Nightime Network, John McMichael, Lemke Software, Grey & Clifford Computer Products, Dan Elliot, G. Russell Electronics, Knighted Computers, Larken Electronics, Steven Petrovic, B &G Electronics. | |
| For Your Support | Product announcements from Chia-Chi Chao, Mike Trivisonno, Jack Dohany, Fred Nachbaur, Tim Worcester, Games to Learn By, Kraig Pritts, John Oliger, Tom Woods, Knighted Computers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forth is a State of Mind | One of the problems encountered when introducing Forth to others is explaining how a language that is so strong and rich can and must be extremely simple and elegant. These terms are not as contradictory as they seem on the surface. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forth Origins | by Gary Smith(C) 1983 HAWG WILD Software PO Box 7668 Little Rock, AR 72217 Chet Lambert, the publisher/editor/copyboy/ etc. of COMPUTER TRADER has prompted this article. At first, I resisted because of my identification with FORTH, but relented because there is a need to share information. So there is no misunderstanding, the home computerist’s supply […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Forth-with | by Gary Smith(C) 1984PO Box 7668 Little Rock, AR 72217 Right now this column is little more than an idea that has been tossed about by myself and your Story Compiler, Fred Nachbaur. Whether is becomes a reality, and a continuing contribution to “SyncWare News” is strictly up to you, the reader. I suppose before […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Forth-With | In Volume 1, No. 5 of Sync Ware News I approached you with the idea of presenting an introductory/ tutorial column on the FORTH language. If you missed my introduction to FORTH article in Volume 1:3, I suggest you go back and read that. Contact Sync Ware News for back issue availability if you need […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Forth: Language Unique | I’m sure that many of you have heard rumblings or seen ads for a new computer language called “FORTH,” and are wondering what this is all about. The claims made for it are quite impressive; FORTH enthusiasts are almost evangelical in getting this tool known and used. Three versions (that I know of) exist for […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Forum | Letters from Gerd Breunung, Arthur Gindin, Bill Heberlein, David Barrow, Basil Wentworth, Robert Hartung, William Frank, T. G. Morley, Lyle Luzum, John Constantine, George Cary. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Letters from G. W. Goegelein, Robert Hartung, Frances Jackson. | |
| Forum | Letters from Thomas B. Woods, Mel Richardson, Lou Dooley, Earl Swallow, Petrus Hu. | |
| Forum | Letters from Robert Fischer, Sergio Frost, Mel Richardson, Dallas Swindal, Gary Robinson, Kenton Garrett, Tom McHargue, Roy Brann, Joan Kealy, Stan Nagrod, Jack Dohany, D. F. Wagner, Byron DeFries, John Sumpolec, Ed DeBoer, Robert Gray, Arthur Cant, Larry Chavarie. | |
| Forum | Letters from readers. | |
| Forum | The Winterfest Economists are always being quoted as saying that the best time to buy anything is last year. This year, they were wrong. The prices for QL’s, 2068’s, and a lot of peripherals, software, and literature were lower than I have ever seen them. The weather of Sunny Florida was a bit of a […] | |
| Forum | Letters to the editor, corrections. Letters from Thomas Griffin, Bob Orrfelt, Dennis Silvestri and Pete Kelly. | |
| Forum | Address for QZX; Tony Gomez has board to convert Compusa disk to interface with DEC drives; Roy Brann offers feedback on machine code article; Kingsley Langenberg would like to know where to find spare parts for ZX81. | |
| Forum | Terminal program for TS1000; bus conversion to Spectrum; tilde character; Byte-Back modem with Modem II; converting Spectrum software; RAMTOP with Compusa drive; making backups on the 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Timex Portugal moving ahead with Timex 2068; bug in TS1500 ROM LOAD routine; errors in John Oliger’s article in 2/4; Pro/File 2068 books shipped; questions about A&J Microdrive; Spectrum ROMs; corrections to “Clear That Screen”, articles in vol 1; sources for replacement chips. | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | This column is designated for small talk. Forum will be a channel to communicate your needs, ideas and/or specialties to other ZX/TS computerists. Do you provide a service, or do you require a special service? Let us know and we will share your notions with everyone else. There is one catch, NO PRICES will be […] | |
| Forum | Although it was not out intention to cause either mass hysteria or high anxiety, last issue’s front page seemed to cause both. I never got so much mail in my life! Would you believe 18 inches deep? If I haven’t responded quickly to your letters recently, please understand why. | |
| Forum | Make Mscript work with Tasman interface; 2040 printer and Memotech 16K RAM; pull-up resistors on data lines; load amp circuit; print command compiler. | |
| Forum | Short program by Arthur B. Marzano; introduction of new editor, Jeff Moore; SUM, Time Designs merge. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Forum | Screen interference with Zebra Disk System; 2040 paper feed problems; translating to other languages; balance of articles; UV lamp warning; Spectrum +2 announcement; TS1500s in music lab at community college; microdrive info wanted. | Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| Forum | Monochrome monitor compatibility; Pascal help wanted; 2068 Art revisited; 2068 business graphics wanted; keyboard troubles; ink jet woes; more on Mandelplot. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Computerfest Update; SyncWare programmers contest; who is Orrin McGill; external power; questions about color monitors; ZX81 flight trainer; what’s a MIDI; corrections to errors; TS computers in model rocketry. | |
| Forum | Random Access From Our Readers (short tips, suggestions and requests from readers) Silicon Mountain Computers to Close Doors Cedric Bastiaans, SWN Author, Dies Late News on Cleveland 1988 Mid West T/S Conference A Plug for SNUG Missing Person Report Truth or Consequences Further Info on that “Other” PC (IQ8300 is same as PC8300, Power 3000) […] | Cambridge Z88, Lambda 8300, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Letters from Jean-Claude Touzin, P. H. Skipper, Chris Sloan, Paul Bingham, Tony Gomez, Paul Edwards. Correction to article about TS1500 ROM bug fix that appeared in SyncWare News v2 n6 forum. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Letters from Alex Burr about the Timex Sinclair Amateur Radio User Group, Bob Howard re battery powered daisy wheel printers and Richard Norek about illegitimate line numbers. | |
| FORUM | Letters from readers. Tom Saine has questions about running Chess with his TS 1500 and AERCO disk drives. Computerfest updates. Charles Sullivan asks about converting a ZX80 to a ZX81. Wayne Kay gives advice on power line protection. Warren Fricke expresses concern about addition of QL coverage. Barry Malpas gives info about CAN, a newsletter […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum | Letter from Paul Holmgren inviting Timex/Sinclair owners to attend the Second Annual Midwest Timex-Sinclair Computer Fest. Letters detailing: wish list of add ons for the TS 2068 from Pete Kelly ZXLR8 problems from John Baney questions about 64 column mode from John Pigg printing challenges from John Christensen user group request from T. G. Morley […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Forum: Spectrum Compatibility | Add pull-up resistors to ROM, consistent with Spectrum design. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Fred’s Soapbox | All too often I hear comments like “Since I got my TS2068, the TS1000’s been sitting on the shelf, awaiting a trip down memory lane.” | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| From the Editor… | As with Fred, my entry into computers came about three years ago, but my reasons were slightly different. A change of jobs brought. me into the computer era, Several college courses in programming and numerical methods helped bring me up to speed. My ZX81 gave me a real edge over my classmates though. Not only […] | |
| From the Publisher’s Desk | As many of you may already know, SyncWare News is published by four partners who are geographically spread out across continental North America. All of us, with the exception of Basil who is retired but very active in the Symphony, college, and civic matters, work full time jobs to support our families. Due to the […] | |
| Geometry Plotter | This is another program by the winner of the TS1000 section of our contest. Mr. Sweitzer tells us that his program has been “field tested” in his classroom. He also reports that he has one pupil who is turning into a real computer enthusiast as a result of his work with the good ol’ ZX81. […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| GET: A String Input Routine | Machine-language routine to format numbers on entry. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Getting Into A BIG Printer | I won’t spend much time or space extolling the virtues of a “big” printer for your ZX/TS computer. Suffice it to say that a full-width printer can be the most useful investment you make since you first bought your computer. Such printers allow you to print full-width text and program listings in a variety of […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Getting Started with Beta BASIC | Introduction to Beta BASIC, an extension of Spectrum BASIC. Requires a Spectrum BASIC ROM or cartridge. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Getting Started With Beta BASIC, Part 2 | Printer & DOS Routines In Part 1 (SWN Vol, 5 No. 5) of this intro to Beta Basic (BB) we looked at some of the editing and data-manipulation features which may be used on programs entered in T/S mode as well as those written in BB. This time let’s see how it may be adapted […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Good News: “THE NEWS” Lives! | Shortly after SWN 1:4 was mailed, letters started coming in from concerned readers, encouraging us to continue publishing. It is largely thanks to those individuals that I can make the following announcement: SyncWare News will continue into its second volume. We have been convinced that there is still plenty of interest in the TS machines, […] | |
| Gossip Bytes | Novel Soft, 35 Candle Liteway, Willowdale, Ontario, M2R 3J5, Canada, (416)665-0290, has announced that their long time associate, David Ridge, will no longer be with the company. Unfortunately for us TS Users, Mr. Ridge has been made a better offer that he feels he can ill afford to pass up. Both SyncWare News and Novel […] | |
| Greyplot Dual Display Technique | Unleash the power of grey graphics characters for data plotting, with the same vertical resolution as PLOT commands. Discover how to plot in two shades, creating striking visual effects on a dark background. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Halt Right There! | You ZX/TS users have been told, and told again, “Don’t mess with the interrupts” and “Never use the HALT command.” The severity of the admonitions seem to imply that a fate-worse-than-crashing awaits those who would tamper with such things. When HALT is encountered, the Z80 CPU stops running your program. In this way it is […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Hang-Mult 2068 | The mainframe where I work has a Hangman-style number guessing game in its library which has fascinated me. I wrote HANG-MULT to emulate the mainframe’s program on my TS-2068 and thought other SWN readers might enjoy it too. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Happy 5th! | Believe it or not, here we are about to embark on our fifth year of publishing SYNCWARE NEWS. We are committed to the continued technical, hardware, and software support of Timex TS1000/ZX81, TS1500, and TS2068 computers. For the next year, we’re going to guarantee to bring you five more issues packed with ideas, tips, and […] | |
| Happy Birthday to Us | This issue marks the beginning of the third year of support for TS computers. | |
| Hardware Projects | When it comes right down to it, there’s not much the ZX/TS computers can be criticized for. The commonest complaints about the machine are that, by its construction, it is quite prone to crashing (often at a very wrong time) as a result of physical movement. RAM packs are a prime candidate, or anything else […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Hints to Users’ Groups | Several valuable suggestions for UGs came out of the Columbus meeting. Which proves the value of UGs in general and, even more so, the value of inter-group meetings. | |
| Hot Z-Il Fix | The 16K Hot-Z II has a minor “bug” which causes the program to wipe the bytes from 8000h-8020h when you QUIT the program. If you’re storing complete BASIC programs in the 8009-BFFF range, this will “eat” some system variables stored up there. The author supplies this fix: load HOT-Z, and then use it to load […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| HOT Z/Zeus Comparison | Comparison between the two machine-language utility programs. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| How Fast is Fast Enough? | Todays word is SPEED. Regardless of which machine you own, you can speed up your SAVE and LOAD times in several different ways. The most economical is the tape based fastload, of which there are several programs out for the 1000. The 2068 has a speed limitation due to design considerations, although it does load […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Instant Sorting | Explanation of Shell-Faulk sorting algorithm and implementation in BASIC and machine language. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| Intelligence About Sir Clive | Writing as Chairman of British MENSA, Sir Clive Sinclair published a very provocative article about Artificial Intelligence. He predicts an assembly of ten-to-the-fourteenth components, each in the order of a tenth of a micron in diameter, yielding an artificial brein with a capacity comparable to that of its human counterpart, in a 10-centimeter cube. | |
| Intro to I/O | Here are a couple articles that introduce you to control applications for the T/S computers (ZX81, TS1000, TS1500) with a minimum of effort and (best of all) at reasonable cost. Before we control something with a computer, we usually need some way of getting information back to the computer; ie, to control an oven, the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Ireg 1000 | The TS1000 owners manual states (p. 123) that upon return from machine code, the I register must have the value lEh. However, it can be a lot of fun breaking the rules. The I register points to the upper byte of the character generator table in the ROM. If we change it, the character set […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Laptop Portable: 200 Pounds | By the time you’re reading this, Cambridge Computer Ltd., Sir Clive Sinclair’s new company, is expecting to be making deliveries of the Z88 Computer, according to Personal Computer World, Great Britian’s prestigious microcomputer magazine. This new entry into the laptop computer market sports integrated software, a LCD display, tips the scales at 2 lbs., and […] | Cambridge Z88 |
| Letter Scramble | Short program presents scrambled words to user, user must unscramble them. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Listing Scanner | Here is a short listing you might find useful. I developed it after trying to find the mistakes, and there were several, in a 12K long program that I hand-loaded from a magazine listing. My eyes could not take the strain of staring at the TV and then the listing, back and forth over and […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Location for Machine Code | When you turn on your TS2068 computer, POKE 23730, 255 and ENTER. Then press NEW and ENTER. This will put RAMTOP at address 65535 which is as high as possible. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Looping in Machine Code | Suggestions looping and operating on data in the loop. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Lprint With RADIO SHACK Paper | Radio Shack’s Thermal paper for their TP-10 (#26-1332) at $5.95 here (Canada) fits the Timex 2040 fine with a bit of squashed corrugated paper at each end, CAI’s paper for their 40 char, printer is the right size. Both are considerably cheaper than the Timex paper, and easier to obtain. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| M*5: Best Overall | The SyncWare News 2nd (sort of) Annual Programmers’ Competition 1st Prize winner. Paul Holmgren got the that appeared in idea for this program from one “Sync” Vol. 3 No. 1 by Ronald Duguid. The program was originally written for the TS1000, which was the machine Paul first owned. After obtaining a T2068, Paul used UPLOAD […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Machine Code Topics: 2068 BASIC ROM Calls | This is the first of an occasional and indefinite series on machine-code programming for the 2068. I do not intend to take you through the rudiments of Z80 instructions, nor even the discovery and invention of the poked REM statement, but if you know how to do it even a little bit, then maybe I […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Machine Code Topics: How to Write Relocatable Z80 Code | Relocatable code will execute, without modification, when placed at any available address. The techniques to make code completely relocatable are the subject of this article. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Make Your Own 2068 & TS1000 EPROM Progammer | Here is a project that will let you “burn” (program) EPROMS using your computer. It will handle either the 2764 type (8K bytes) or the 27128 (16K) EPROMs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Mandelplot: Mathematical Printer Art | The purpose for writing this article is to show you how easily you can get beautiful math-art creations using a minimum of hardware. The program presented is for the ZX81/TS1000 or TS1500, but can readily be extended to virtually any computer ever built. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Master Your TS | I can recommend the Bantam book (paperback, March 1983 @ $3.95) “Mastering Your Timex/Sinclair 1000 Personal Computer” by Tim Hartnell and Dilwyn Jones, If a convention were made that “A” is “Attracted”, “B” is “Beginner”, “C” is “Coming on well”, “D” is “Dependable” and “E” is “Elegant”, then this book is for A through B […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Math Development Program | Unravel the mystery of Simultaneous Linear Equations, understand their practical applications, and see how these mathematical systems can unlock everyday puzzles. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Math Development Program, Part 2 | Putting it to Work Ok, Ok, I can hear it now; it’s just another simultaneous equation program. Anybody can write one or at least find one in a good computer math book (they seem to be proliferating these days), besides what good are they anyway? I’d now like to present Part 2 in a continuing […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Math Development Program, Part 3 | Explore the fascinating world of integration, as we delve into the legacy of Gauss and Newton, and the modern techniques that make number crunching a breeze. Stay tuned for a captivating journey into calculus. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Math Development Program, Part 4 | Explore the fascinating world of integration, as we delve into the legacy of Gauss and Newton, and the modern techniques that make number crunching a breeze. Stay tuned for a captivating journey into calculus. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Meet the Survivors | Well, now you know that SWN is among the publications that survived the Timex “crash.” Thank God that we’re not the only one, though; we are extremely fortunate to have several respectable publications that still support “our” machines, But first, who didn’t make it? At the top of the list, of course, is SYNC Magazine. […] | |
| Megabasic Magic | Review of YS (YourSinclair) Megabasic. | |
| MEMONOTES Makes Debut | Quarterly newsletter, for owners of Memotext and/or Memocalc and truly serious 1000 owners, is available. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Memotech CIF “Copy” Fix for Hot-Z 11 | Many TS-1000/ZX-81 users drive full size printers with the Memotech Centronics interface due to the wide availability and the ease of use with BASIC programming. However, machine code programs designed to operate the Timex printer have compatibility problems when producing screen copies that are longer or shorter than the standard 22 lines. A notable example […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Memotech Revisited | All Timex Sinclair computer owners can expect to get an offer from Memotech soon. This offer is in the form of a trade in. They will reduce the price of their MTX512 computer a substantial amount, depending on what you have to trade in. The MTX512 has been upgraded considerably since it was first announced. | |
| MEMOTEXT Oddities | The Memotech WP “Memotext” is the best one I’ve seen for the ZX81/TS1000 to date (and as of Thanksgiving, 1984, still is-ed.); after owning one for some time I can’t imagine life without it. Unfortunately, Memotech only provides the bare minimum of documentation and support needed to get your system working; there is little or […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Microdrives! | Zebra Systems has the Sinclair microdrives running on a 2068 (with a Spectrum ROM). They should have a bus conversion out soon for attachment of those and other Spectrum peripherals. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Midwest TS Computerfest | Announcement about event scheduled for May 3 and 4, 1986. | |
| More About Mscript | MSCRIPT uses the true 64 column mode of TS-2068, and therefore, the border does not change color during loading and saving. It would be better if a message is printed after “Start tape & press ENTER” to indicate the acceptance of the keystroke. Also, MSCRIPT does not confirm the Restart option, so hours of work […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| More on S.N.U.G. | During one of the organizational meetings of the recent Sunstate Timex/Sinclair Winterfest ’88, the idea of a National organization for the advancement of Sinclair computing came up. It was decided that since we had developed a “core group” that was dedicated to promoting Sinclair computing, we would attempt to lay the groundwork for such an […] | |
| Multiplication Tutor | This program is designed to lead students, step by step, through the intricacies of multiplying multi-digit numbers. You are first asked to specify the range of multiplicand (to 999,999) and multiplier (to 999). Then the computer asks your name, and courteously addresses you by that name throughout the program. (I wonder how many students give […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| MULTSTEPS: Best TS1000 | The SyncWare News 2nd (sort of) Annual Programmers’ Competition winner. MULTSTEPS is a multiplication tutor written for the TS1000/1500 by Alex Switzer of Fayette City, PA. The program epitomizes how computers can be used as teaching tools in the classroom or on the job. The program takes the student step-by-step through the process of multiplying […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| National Landmark Quiz | Mr. Dunnington tells us that this quiz was taken from the Readers Digest for July 1988. In the form that he sent it, the questions and answers were quoted verbatim; with true editorial timidity, I changed the wording rather drastically, in order to minimize the danger of copyright violations. The principle remains intact. The quiz […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| New Updates | Computer Updates appears from the shadow of Pro/File Updates. 12 page quarterly includes updates to all software from Tom Woods. | |
| Nissim’s Marvel | I’ll start out the software part of the reviews with a package you may have seen the ad for and been a little leery of: a software-only high-resolution program for the ZX81 that sounds too good to be true. After all, how could it possibly do the same thing as those $100 add-ons that turn […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Not A Bug | But annoying none-the-less. Our printer got the listings for “ABC/123” nice and dark, but pushed the inverse graphics into the mud. Since some of these are crucial to proper program operation, here are these lines in a different format. Significant spaces are indicated with a crosshatch “#”, and inverse video is underlined. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Numbers Are No No’s | One of the big advantages of the T/S machine is also one of its disadvantages; its five-byte floating point binary numbers allow for 10-place decimal accuracy, but take more space to store than four-byte numbers, What’s more, its BASIC uses floating point numbers, allowing calculated GOTO/GOSUB, FOR/NEXT in fractional steps, and other nifty things, But […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| NVM and the 2068 | Often while folks gather and talk about their computers I hear something like this, “Why don’t you try this” and the almost standard reply is “I didn’t know you could do it that way, thanks.” This article is the result of my being in that same boat and finding an answer by myself. Way back […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Of Flags and Strings and Other Things | Well, folks, we were scooped by James Grosjean in SYNC magazine on the planned subject for this issue. So I’ll refer you to SYNC 3:5 page 80 for all kinds of nifty ways (some of which I hadn’t thought of) to save memory in your programs. We can thus go on to the next step […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Off the Wall | A list of amusing re-imagined definitions of computer terms. | |
| Off the Wall | Short program that makes the TS 1000 attempt to list its own ROM. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Off the Wall | Fred Nachbaur responds to criticisms about the magazine’s prior contest in “song” form, parodying Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing. | |
| Off The Wall: How Many Combinations? | How big is 64 K, really? Have you ever wondered exactly how many possible combinations there are in 65536 memory locations, each capable of assuming values from 0 to 255? Well, 64K bytes is 524288 bits, so the number of possibilities is 2**524288, or about 2.6E157826 (26 followed by 524,287 zeros). Printing this number in […] | |
| Oh Really? How Hot is It? | This comes as a sequel to last issues not-a-review on this program, It became apparent to me that I was not the only person that had to reread the Hot Z manual in order to absorb the necessary information. When I got my original version 1.3, about 2 years ago, I was confounded by all […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Oliger DOS v.2 & M-SCRIPT | I just received my JLO SAFE Disk Basic V2.11 EPROM and it’s GRR-REAT. Here’s how I changed the BASIC in my A&J Microdrive version of Dohay/MSCRIPT to use it. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Oliger DOS v.2 & Pro/File Cartridge | These two are superb with each other. The speed of the DOS makes a TS2068 file management program practical. They don’t get any better than these two. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Olio a la Oliger | SWN being a technically oriented magazine, it is very fitting to review various hardware efforts reported in other magazines, that may or may not have caught your eye. The unfinished series started in Syntax Quarterly Magazine Winter 1982, by John Oliger, 11601 Whidbey Drive, Cumberland, In. 46229, stands out from the crowd as far as […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| On Loading | The program presented here creates a modified LOAD command. It moves the routines needed for the LOAD from ROM into RAM and adjusts them to work there. The routines are changed so that when the LOAD completes, machine language code from the 1 REM statement is executed. By changing statement 1, you can completely control […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| One Chip Mods | Modify memory-mapped Byte-Back modules to work better with an expanded TS1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| One Chip Mods: Kempstonize Your Joystick Port | Although the circuit described can be built on an external card perfectly well, it is somewhat unique in that it can be installed inside your TS2068, without interfering with the normal operation in any way. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| One Chip Mods: Recycle that 16K RAM pack | Instructions on how to alter a standard 16K RAM pack to work as 2 8K banks in the 8-16K region of the TS 1000. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Paging Control | One of the advantages of building a ZX81 from a kit was that you got a schematic with the manual, and you gained some insight into how the machine worked as you put it together. It was evident, for example, that the computer was missing some memory from 8K to 16K — an area transparent […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Part 2: Retain Buffers & Macros | Patching Mterm to allow it to remember buffers and macros. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Pat’s Soapbox: Just for the Fun of It | Why are you still wasting time with that toy? Why don’t you get a Mac, an IBM, or one of the clones? We have all heard these questions many times. Don’t you get tired of it? Of course you do, and so do I. Let me give you a few of the responses I give […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| PC 8300 Circuit Board and Schematic | Lambda 8300 | |
| PC Findex from Tom Woods | PRO/FILE, the popular data base program for ZX/TS computers has been refitted for use on PC compatible machines, says Tom Woods, PRO/FILE’s creator. The new program, called FINDEX, is a much upgraded version which makes uses of the PC’s disk drives, 80 column video, and greater memory capacity. New features include the ability to merge […] | |
| PC8300: ZX81 Clone Is It Magic or Madness? | You may have seen ads, or heard about a “Timex 1000 clone” called the PC8300, available from a company in New Jersey doing business as “American Design Components.” The price is certainly attractive ($29.95), as are the claims that are made for this device. A TS1000 clone with music and sound, auto line numbering, moving […] | Lambda 8300 |
| PET ASCII Output Program for the Timex/Sinclair ZX81 | This article describes a project which may be useful for anyone desiring to use software for the ZX81, TS1000 or TS1500 on a different computer. The program version presented here is designed to convert Sinclair BASIC programs into ASCII text which can be sent from the Sinclair computer to the serial port of a Commodore […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Plane Frame | Plane Frame is a mechanical and structural engineering program. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| Polar-Rectangular Conversion | This program converts between polar notation (magnitude and angle) and rectangular (or “Cartesian”) notation (“X” and “Y” values) of vector quantities and complex numbers. Many scientific calculators have this function, which often proves useful if you deal with vectors or phasors. On the ZX81, this can be accomplished quite easily using the SIN, COS, ArcTaN, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Poor-Man’s EPROM Eraser | Recommendations for erasing EPROMs with an ozone or germ lamp. | |
| Port Projects: Get the LED-OUT | In any number of monitoring and/or control uses for your ZX/TS, you may find that using a TV set to check on your system is inconvenient or impractical. This would be so, for example, in outdoor or dirty environments or when you simply wish to check the status of one or two system parameters without […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| Pounding Brass and Blinking Symbols | You might at some time have read a story written in round-robin technique. A story that is started by one author, and finished by another, with perhaps one or more other authors contributing “middle” sections, And all working independently. We have something like that this month–a trilogy of programs on related subjects, but done by […] | |
| Products on Parade | Memotext Memotech Corp.99 Cabot StreetNeedham, MA 02194 This word-processor from MEMOTECH is a tough thing to review, as it would take more space than I’ve got left to cover all its features. Sim ply Stated, it is a marvellous piece of work. You could compare Memotext (M/T) against commercial word processors for fancier machines costing […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Profile 2068 | Contrary to popular belief, there is a Profile manual under construction. (I have seen the proofs with my own eyes.) There is however, one chapter to go before it is ready for the printer. The manual is comprised of not only instructions, but several modifications, program improvements and upgrades and will be a good tutorial […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Program Segmentation | Author introduces the concept of breaking programs into smaller segments and loading the segments from disk as needed. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Put MSCRIPT on EPROM | Describes how to make an AROS EPROM cartridge from the original MSCRIPT tape version. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Put Those Extra Banks To Work | Several recent developments in the Timex 2068 hardware have made our computers much more flexible and powerful. Extra memory banks available to us now give us room to do things never before possible. Such extra memory banks are available on the AERCO disk interface and RAM cartridges. Relocate ZEUS assembler to a different bank. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Put Your Inkjet in Plotter Mode | Here is an answer to Robert Haley’s letter in FORUM, SWN 4/2. I suspect the chief problem is understanding the PR2300 User Guide. It seems to have been written in Italian and translated into UK English (rather than American English) by someone whose first tongue was NOT English. Awkward User’s Guide notwithstanding, the PR2300 has […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Q & A | Byte-Back UM-64; One Chip Mods; “Delete” machine code. | |
| Q&A | Problems with quality of 2068 display; TS1500 high res video; Aerco/Royal printer compatibility; curing interference on 2068 saves; more on spikes; print message notes; Canada customs. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| QL Price Drops $200 | Sinclair Research drops the price. | |
| QL Submissions Invited | Request for articles for QL Review. | Sinclair QL |
| QL Super Basic | In the last issue I gave you a brief overview of the hardware angle to Sinclair’s latest computer, the QL. This time, I’ll tell you about some of the features available in this computer’s built-in Super Basic language. | Sinclair QL |
| Quick Mode for 1500-1000 | We leave the wonderful world of true hi-res for a moment, to show you just one of any number of fascinating possibilities that can result from experimenting with the ZX81’s interrupt-driven display routines. Those of you who have played with Wilf Rigter’s “Nova” package already know of some of the neat things you can do […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Quick Print Your Pro/File & Tasword Files | One day as I was drumming my fingers on the desktop while waiting for my Tasword tape to load, I began thinking how ridiculous it was to be loading the whole program just to print out one page of a form or letter. All that I really needed was a printer driver and a short […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Quick Screen Display 2068 | If you are looking for a way to rapidly store and retrieve an entire screen display, then this approach may be useful to you. It moves the 6912 bytes of the normal screen display file (DFILE1) to an address in RAM, from which it may then be retrieved as one block of data and reinserted […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Random Access From Our Readers | One of our readers (whom I won’t identify) wrote to point out that I had omitted the letter “u” from “florescent” in one of our recent issues, Seemed to think that I might have left it out on purpose, to avoid running the risk of the common misspelling, “flourescent”. Sorry about that, but they’re two […] | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Random Numbers | This program is an interactive tutorial on random numbers, ways to generate and test them and on uses. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Read a 2068 Header | Program to read the information block/header of a TS 2068 program saved to tape. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Read Restore & Bump for the 1000 | If you have ever tried converting programs written for other computers to run on the TS 1000 then you are probably aware that the DATA, READ, and RESTORE statements are frequently used commands which are not available in SINCLAIR 8K BASIC. The machine code programs presented in this article can be used to replace these […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Redefine the TS2068 Character Set | Every 2068 user should know by now that they can define their own graphics characters, but did you know that you can also design your own type fonts? Well now you are no longer locked In by the standard 2068 block characters. The really amazing part Is that It Is quite easy to redesign them. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Downloadable, Type-in program |
| Review: Timex Sinclair Intermediate Advanced Guide | This book was mentioned in an early SAMS offering, but due to the Timex pull-out it was not marketed until September. The demand was strong enough for it. The book starts with a brief but thorough explanation of the insides of the 2068, its architecture and its electronics. A full explanation of digital mathematics follow. […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Rock Crush | Given the paucity of new software for the ZX81/TS1000, it is indeed heartening to discover that there are still at least a few programmers who, like me, still consider this venerable machine worthy of support. One such programmer is a Mr. S. McDonald, in Scotland. He has written a high resolution game called “ROCK CRUSH,” […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Run TS1000 Machine Code in High Memory | This trick was originally published in Syntax Quarterly, Summer 1983. It will allow you to use the 32-48K RAM area for machine code, if you have the Memotech or JLO 64 K boards (and maybe some others, but not the Byte-Back UM). | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Run Your Memotech 64K on the 2068 | Advice on adding 64K RAM units to your 2068 system in a manner which would not require additions or modifications to the RAM pack. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Running On 64K | Here’s that article, promised in issue 1:3, to help get new 64K RAM owners off the ground. Since the Z80 has 16 address lines, the number of possible address combinations is 2**16=65536 (or 64K, or 10000h; one greater than FFFFh, the highest address). If we look at the possible states of A14 and A15 (the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year | ||
| Send a 2068 Message | Describes how to use ROM calls and machine language to print built-in error messages. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Share-Ware: The T/S Lifeline? | Software has always been a difficult commodity to market and distribute. Users want new software, they want support for their software purchases. What’s more, EVERY computer buff likes to build up a big library of programs. Most are never or rarely used, but there is a certain element of the pack rat in all of […] | |
| Sinclair QL Update | The latest word is that Sinclair will take orders as early as November, with deliveries as early as January (FCC permiting). Several improvements have been made to it since it was first introduced, mainly to correct the original discrepancies in the operating system, etc. | Sinclair QL |
| Soapbox | After seeing some of the new software available for the ZX81/TS1000, specifically “Dungeon of Ymir” and “SRAM HI*RES Extended BASIC,” something has occurred to me about the TS1000 lacking color and sound. Color and sound is nice, and it can even be spectacular in a good game or whatever. However, I have noticed that after […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Software Compatible Joystick | It’s a snap to connect an Atari-type joystick to the ZX81/TS1000; all it takes is direct connection to the keyboard lines. The problem with this is that only certain combinations are possible, and you cannot hook it up so that the joystick controls the “arrow” keys 5-8; as a result, software written for the computer, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Software Lo-Res for the TS1000 | SOFTWARE LO-RES is a machine-language utility program for the ZX81/TS1000/TS1500, which creates enlarged characters on the screen. This makes it useful for any persons with a visual handicap. Since it also allows fast moving screen displays; it is useful for any number of programs where a flashy screen is desired. You may want to consider […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Software Lo-Res for TS 1000 | Machine language utility to create large characters on the screen. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Sorting Through The TS2068 Sorts | This article compares the sorting speed of three routines on randomized, inverted and ordered data. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Sound Approach | This trainer incorporates the following features: | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Spectrum Compatibility & the 2068 Romswitch | As most 2068 owners know by now, you can gain access to the hundreds of Sinclair Spectrum software titles available in the U.K., by changing your 2068 ROM (Read Only Memory). This can be done in a number of ways, and one quite elegant method is by the use of the Russell Electronics’ Romswitch. | Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Spectrum Software | There is just a ton of excellent Spectrum software from games to a floating point compiler. You can get this software from any number of suppliers in this country. With the Pound slipping in price, the cost of Spectrum programs is, relatively speaking, very low. This differential may help justify the acquistion of a Romswitch […] | Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Stalking the Lost RAM | Paul Hunter of 1630 Forest Hills Dr., Okemos, Mi, 48864, with whom I’ve had the pleasure to converse, is a very congenial chap (English accent and all). He has designed an unique add-on board (written up in various magazines), in particular, the Nonvolatile RAM Board, Based on the 2K 6116-P3 chip (low power CMOS) and […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Stitches in Time | A programmer I am not, but a knitter I am. One of the routines in knitting has been reduced to a minimum with the help of a knitting machine. Now what takes longer than the actual knitting of an article is figuring out the pattern and adjusting it to the specific measurements of the individual. […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Straight Line Subroutine | This subroutine draws an unbroken line segment between pixel (X1,Y1) and (X2,Y2). It is based on the equation for a straight line, Y=M*X+B where M is the slope and B is the Y-intercept. First the slope is evaluated in line 1020, after making sure that (X2-X1) is non-zero (division by zero is a no-no). If […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Stringy Floppy | ||
| Structured Basic Tree Programs | Structured BASIC is BASIC which is organized so that each module or section of a program has ONE entry point and ONE exit point. The opposite of this, so-called “spaghetti” BASIC, is programming that has multiple entry and/or exit points in its modules. | |
| SWN and Users’ Groups | This is a drum that we are going to beat loud and long. We want to help UGs to survive and prosper. Anyone who has suggestions as to how we can do this, please let us know. We’ve made a couple of offers already. Here are a couple more, that grew out of the Columbus […] | |
| SWN Merger Announced | This is the last issue of SyncWare News that will be issued under that name. With this issue, we complete 5 years. We believe that we have performed a service for users of the Sinclair line of computers, and we believe that our readers have appreciated that service. For our part, we certainly appreciate your […] | |
| SWN On Line | SWN editors join Compuserve. | |
| SyncWare Examines the IBM PC | OK, already I can hear you ask, “Why are you writing about the IBM PC in a Timex publication?” The short answer is that we are trying a little experiment to see what your reaction will be. The long answer is that for the past couple years, we have witnessed a slow but steady decline […] | |
| SyncWare Examines the IBM PC, Part 2: A Bit About the PC | ||
| SyncWare Meets QL | Sinclair Research has been promising the North American arrival of their new QL computer for so long, it’s hard to remember just when the first mention of it was made. Were it not for the fact that this machine is being sold in the U.K., one might well wonder if it is just the figment […] | Sinclair QL |
| SyncWare News Pioneers IFWARE | For some time, we have been considering the publication of an index to back copies of SyncWare News, as well as reprints of material we have published over the years. That is, IF there is enough demand to justify printing them. | |
| Syntactic Sum | The ’SYNTACTIC SUM’ shown after the programs is a convenient parity check which was required by the editors of the now defunct Sinclair oriented newsletter SYNTAX ZX80, a publication of the Harvard Group. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| T/S On Line | TS2050 modems are still relatively easy to come by. Several manufacturers are offering modems and software of equal or better quality than the ‘officially’ supported Timex equipment. A source like Fischer and Ishii’s “THE GUIDE TO T/S TELECOMMUNICATIONS” is all you need to tie it all together. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Tasman + Quadra Chart | This program addition will allow you to make full size printer copies from Quadra-Chart. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Telecomm Update | The ZX81/TS1000 family has traditionally been relegated to the “backwaters” of various BBS’s and communications services. Not any more! We now have a sub-board solely devoted to ZX programs and other files. The SYSOP of the Nicolson Nightime Network has allowed me to set up the “ZX-TERM Exchange” within the framework of his BBS. The […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The ‘Old Gents’ Flowcharter | Program for the T/S 2068 that will draw a flowchart of another program, which is loaded from tape. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| The Amazing 2068 Pix Fix | Pix Fix is a program designed as an artists aid in creating computer art work. This program resembles MacDraw (for a lesser computer-ed.) to some degree. Pix Fix gives you the ability to zoom in on small sections of the screen and set or reset (Plot and Unplot) the individual bits in the screen display […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| The Cassette Connection | In Volume 1, I ran a series on improving cassette reliability on the ZX81. Well, now that the TS2068 has arrived, that’s all obsolete, right? Wrong! If anything, in my experience the 2068 needs even more “outside help” in getting reliable loads. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The Cassette Connection | With this issue, we start a “mini-series” on improving cassette reliability. I’m sure you’ll agree that unreliable LOADs are perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of personal computing. With a little knowledge about the SAVE/LOAD process, we can take steps to save ourselves a lot of grief. We’ll start the series with a discussion […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The CATS Meow | One of the souvenirs I brought back from the WINTERFEST was a copy of the CATS library of public domain programs. In case you don’t know, CATS is the Capital area (Washington DC) users’ group. The library now consists of 11 volumes, on 5 cassettes. The list is growing. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The Custom Cooler | It’s sad but true that the ZX81/TS1000 machines tend to be sensitive to overheating in the summer. With a solderless mod, you can in most cases cure the “summertime blues.” No, there’s no drilling and carving involved either. Most overheating problems can be attributed to the “workhorse” chip, or ULA (Uncommitted Logic Array) that co-ordinates […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Custom T/S | Let’s start our series on T/S reliability improvement with some simple but effective ways to make your basic machine virtually crashproof. If you’ve been using your machine for a while you’ve probably had times when the computer suddenly dies and nothing short of starting over will bring it back. I won’t belabor how annoying this […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Fame & The Glory | And now, here are a few more words about the last contest. First, we would like to thank all of the contributors who donated prizes for this contest. I’m sure that all of you will agree that this is indeed a formidable list of prizes for a TS based contest and we would like to […] | |
| The Fame and Glory | After much deliberation, the winners of The SyncWare News 2nd (sort of) Annual Programmers’ Competition have been decided. The winning programs are presented in this issue for your use and amusement, First place in the TS1000/1500 category goes to Alex R. Sweitzer for his program “Multsteps” which teaches students to multiply a 3 digit X […] | |
| The Old Order Changeth | This is the first issue for which Basil wears the mantle, Not, fortunately, the mantel, as issue V:1 reported. (Jocelyn remarked that cleaning and pressing a mantel sounds like something out of the gymnasium.) | |
| The Owner’s Manual: What it is… | ||
| The Re-chargeable BBU | Now we’ll make some changes and additions to “El Cheapo BBU” that will allow us to use rechargeable “NiCad” cells to provide back-up protection and short-term (up to an hour or so) portable use of your ZX81/TS1000 machine. This approach uses your good old T/S wall-plug supply to power the computer WHILE KEEPING THE BATTERIES […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| The Ripples Spread | Time Designs Magazine, a TS-oriented periodical that would be a fine addition to your library (AFTER SyneWare News, of course), has also been getting comments that were provoked by our reference to PC’s. | |
| The SyncWare News Story | Three years ago, I received my first ZX81 computer kit in the mail. Only three short years ago, I considered myself a computer illiterate. Since then, things have changed somewhat; but before I tell you about that, let me backtrack a little. I hope that in doing so I might help encourage some of you […] | |
| The TS2192 Computer | The greatest part of this announcement is that if you own a 2068, then you don’t have to buy another computer! However, nothing is for free. It does require converting a 1000 64K RAM pack, of which we show the conversion for one. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| The Winterfest | Hats off to the T/S User Groups of Florida, for their great job in staging the Orlando show. The production was a joint effort by four users’ groups, under the spectacularly able management of Mary Lynn Johnson, with Mel Nathanson as co-pilot. (More detailed comment on succeeding pages.) | |
| They Like the Z88 | The September 1987 issue of Great Britain’s prestigious Personal Computer World magazine contains a very favorable review of the Cambridge Computer Z88 Laptop Computer. | Cambridge Z88 |
| TI99 Keyboard | So, you got one of those TI99 keyboards from Radio Shack for $2.95 and still have not wired it up to your 1000 or 2068, right? I was going to write this up a while ago, but I learned that so many different companies made the circuit boards that it would be difficult to give […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| TIMACHINE Review | From its animated title screen to its ability to locate compiled code anywhere in memory, TIMACHINE is just what every BASIC programmer who lacks extensive assembly language fluency has been dreaming of. You should see the wonderful things it does to graphics programs written in BASIC. Compiling any BASIC program is as easy as adding […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Time Bomb | This classroom project teaches the students to tell time–assuming that there will still be a need for this archaic skill in the era of digital watches. The student is confronted with a series of clock faces, with the hands at randomly-selected positions. The complexity of the time indicated by the clock depends on the difficulty […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Timex 6820 Computer | Timex announces their return with a 68020 computer, running Timex Unix (TUNIX) and other operating systems. Note the issue date. | |
| TMS9918A Video Upgrade For The TS1000 | As can be expected with any major hardware upgrade, there are a few conflicts when the Oliger video system is used in conjunction with other equipment. Summarizes the fixes we and others have come up with to date. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TMS9918A Video Upgrade: Part 1 | The TMS9918A video project consists of two PC boards, a small modification/addition to the main computer board, and a +5, +12, -5 VDC power supply (an expansion board of some type is necessary). Video board “A” contains the TMS9918 VDP chip, 16K video ram and one support chip for I/O interfacing. Board “B” contains the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TMS9918A Video Upgrade: Part 2 | This second installment involves some explanation of the changes to the operating system and how they have been implemented. By actually placing the contents of the ROM on EPROM, you can change any routine, implement extra commands outside of the 8K ROM and have BASIC control of your new routines. It is only necessary to […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Tom’s Soapbox: Sink or Swim, We’re All In This Together | Editorial about copying versus supporting individuals/companies directly. | |
| Translations: Memotext in RAM | Here is how to make a copy of the “Memotext” word-processor, which you can save to tape and reload later into RAM or NVM (non-volatile memory) in the 8-16K range. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| Translations: Memotext to ZX Pro/File | If you have a Memotext word-processor module and 64K RAM, you undoubtedly have already made use of its powerful “text” files mode. Memotext also supports “data” files, organized in six fields per file, up to 31 characters per field. Entering data files is just as easy and fast as text, thanks to the re-defined keyboard, […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| Tri-Base Arithmetic | Turns your TS 1000 into a multi-base arithmetic calculator and number converter. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Advanced Calculator Program | These programs convert the TS-1000/1500 computer (with 16 col., 32 col. or an 80 col. printer) into a superior printing scientific calculator which saves the last 25 formulas and 900 variables for reference and/or use in future expressions. The enhanced version, CALPR-1, provides for labeling of all expressions and variables for improved calculation notes. Poking […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Banner | This program actually comes as an addendum and application to the LPRINT Hints given in Vol. 1. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Error Reports: Basic & Advanced | Article explores how error reports work on the TS1000/ZX81 computer, and furthermore, how to use “custom” error reports in your own programs. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Move It! | One of the nice features of the Z80 is that it has a number of commands which actually are a whole subroutine in a single op-code or machine-language instruction. Quite probably the most powerful of these are the “block-transfer” group of commands. These allow you to easily transfer blocks of memory anywhere you wish, at […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Mystery Program | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program | |
| TS1000 Mystery Program II | Here is where we let the cat out of the bag. Load back the program you saved to tape last issue, and enter the following BASIC lines. You will end up with a completely self-documenting arcade-style game program, For those of you who figured out how the game works, congratulations! For those of you who […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1000 Review: Stock Plot | If the terms “Dow Jones Industrial Average”, “Price Earnings Ratio”, “shares”, “Current Dollar Profit”, and “Portfolio” mean anything special to you, buying this program might just be the kind of “investment” you’d like to look into. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TS1000 Visible Sort | This listing is a great way to get a handle on how sorting routines actually sort. Since the program has been designed to be friendly, it guarantees that the code is difficult to follow. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| TS1500 Fix | A bug in the LOAD command that puts the stack pointer at the address where the bad load occurred. The listings (done with Hot Z) show the original ROM and the fix for an EPROM. | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| TS1500 HI-RES | Software-only high resolution routines for the TS 1500. | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| TS1500 Is More Than Meets the Eye | Demonstration program from Greg Harder how the TS1500 is improved over the 1000, allowing for software-only high-resolution graphics. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| TS1500 Video Topics | How would you like reverse video on your TV screen when using your TS1500? Not only is it possible, but it’s also ridiculously simple. All it involves is installing an SPST switch, and soldering two wires. Yes, you can use the TS1500 with John Oliger’s TMS9918A video upgrade. The required modification to the computer’s NMI […] | Timex/Sinclair 1500 |
| TYB*BYTS | 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 […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD BITS | Probably most of you have received notice of the bankruptcy of QUANTUM COMPUTING. Apparently, the notices were sent to everyone on the company’s customer list. I doubt that there is much hope of collecting anything from the company, as the notice listed unsecured debts as over $60,000, with total assets of $0.01 (that’s one cent). […] | |
| TYD BYTS | Take Care of Those 2040 Printouts As we all have discovered, to our sorrow, those printouts produced by the TS2040 printer are pretty fragile stuff. No paper has an unlimited life, of course, as witness the incredible lengths to which libraries go to try to protect their most valuable books, But your printer’s paper reminds […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD BYTS | Don’t Clog Your Memory With GOSUBs Perhaps you didn’t know that you can exhaust the memory of your TS 2068 in a surprisingly short time, if you repeatedly use a GOSUB without a corresponding RETURN. Try the following: and RUN the program. You’ll get an OUT OF MEMORY report when N-78. What happens, of course, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD BYTS | Tips on adapting Fred Nachbaur’s universal printer driver to the two types (B and C) of the Tasman CPI (Centronics Parallel Interface). Bob Swoger recommends mineral oil for edge connector and other contacts. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Tyd-Bits | Poking MODE; Help for Tasword. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Tyd-Bits: Fun with Hot-Z II | Hot Z II uses a fascinating “trick” for getting back into itself if you should stumble into the error restart, RST 08. This is done by jimmying the ER_SP system variable. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Tyd-Byts | Several suggestions have been made in the past to prevent the mysterious crashes in our computers. Here’s another. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| TYD*BYTS | OS64 Bug I recently discovered a latent catastrophe in my OS64 cartridge version 1.72. The cart. sets RAMTOP at 65255. This is ABOVE the machine stack and RAM-resident code. If a long program overwrites the machine stack, it’s BYE-BYE! The normal place for RAMTOP in double display file modes is 63255, the first byte below […] | Timex/Sinclair 1500, Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD*BYTS | 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 […] | Lambda 8300 |
| TYD*BYTS | MScript/Oliger Printer Port Compatibility. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD*BYTS | PRO/FILE TO MSCRIPT When you don’t know any better, anything might be possible, Operating on that theory I said, “Why not?”. I loaded version 5 of Jack Doheny’s Mscript and then stuck a tape in my recorder that contained a file saved by the cartridge version of Tom Wood’s PRO/FILE. Using the BASIC operating system […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD*BYTS | If you’re using tape for mass storage, you may be neglecting a very valuable resource. It’s awfully easy to forget that the tape was designed for audio signals. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TYD*BYTS: 2068 REM Generator | Here is a REM generator USR routine that I would like to share with other avid TS2068 fans. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Tyd*Byts: Oliger Printer Port/Mscript Compatibility | If you have a slight amount of hardware expertise, here is a simple, no-extra-parts-required, modification for the JLO parallel port which provides support for the Centronics port PAPER EMPTY Status bit. This also eliminates the diode-ORed pull-down, which is, theoretically, a marginal technique (although it’s cheap and seems to work finе!). I don’t know if […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Tyd/Byts | This first little “ditty,” (UFO 2068) creates a UFO that you can add to your games and play around with. Bits will print out all of the possible bit patterns (0 to 255). | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Un-interruptable Power Supply | Onward to replacing our good old wall-plug power supply with something more substantial. You have several ways to go, and I’ll try to touch on some of them here. BE CAREFUL as in this project we’ll be dealing with “raw electricity.” Not to scare you off, but “follow the rules” about insulating connections, observing polarities, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Universal Printer Driver | In Volume 1, I ran a series on getting the most out of your ZX/TS with full-size printer and Memotech Centronics interface. Since then, this CIF has become unavailable. Fortunately, several other printer interfaces (both parallel and serial) are available. These include Centronics Parallel IF’s by Aerco, Byte-Back, John Oliger, and Tasman, and serial IF’s […] | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| UPD Modifications | “Print an ASCII character” routine for Centronics interface from EPROM Services. Patch for the “Universal Printer Driver“. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| UPD Modifications | Thanks to Peter McMullin, we now have a “Print an ASCII character” routine for the Centronics interface from EPROM Services in England. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Upgrade to Hi-res Chess | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program | |
| Upgrading Mterm | Add printer output routine to Mterm that supports the Gemini 10X and 80 column printing. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Upgrading VU-Calc 1000 | VU-CALC for the ZX81/TS1000-1500 is a good program, but it has some limitations. Fortunately, modifications can easily be made which overcome these three limitations. | Sinclair ZX81, Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 1500, Type-in program |
| Uploader 2000 | Almost any program you have in BASIC for the ZX81/TS1000 can now be used on the TS2068 with the use of UPLOAD2000. This is a program that allows you to convert most BASIC 1000 programs into working versions for the 2068. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| US & UK Versions Different | ||
| Using 2068 Report Codes | This may sound like just another dry ROM article to some 2068 owners, But I promise you it is not. Now to prove this to you, type in and run the short program called “Fun Report Codes” (Listing 1). Instead of the old “0 , OK”, you will see a smiley face in front of […] | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| VDAQ – A Data Acquisition Development Program | Here is a program that demonstrates a simple yet effective way to get analog information (data) into your ZX81/TS1000/TS1500 computer, with a minimum of additional hardware. Also included are various plot and display routines so you can get visual and printed output of your acquired data. Along the way it will show you various “tricks” […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Veni, Vidi Video, Vici | So far in “The Custom T/S,” I’ve shown you how to overcome problems with all three of the little inline jacks on the left side of your computer, with fixes that handle trouble with power input and tape-recorder functions. There’s only one other connection (other than the rear edge-connector) left to cause any grief; the […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Vive Le Z88 | Lawrence (Larry) Chavarie of Ottawa sends us his masterly translation of an article from the French publication “Science et Vie” (Science and Life). The review describes the 288 as embodying technical features that stun (“etonne”), being loaded with gadgets (“l’ensemble est truffe d’astuces”), and incorporating “une memoire d’elephant”. | Cambridge Z88 |
| Volume No.1 of SyncWare | We are presently reconstructing and re-editing volume one of SyncWare News. We appreciate your patience. We are hoping to have Volume one out by the end of November. I’m sure that the original subscribers can comprehend the magnitude of this task. The original five issues amounted to 190 pages of 5 “by 8.5”, reduced type! | |
| Votem Cassette Controller | If you have a VOTEM, or if this article talks you into buying one, here is a simple modification which will extend the board’s utility further, and allow you to start LOADing a program from tape, flip a switch when the loading bars appear on the screen, and walk away; when the program has loaded, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| VU-3D and the Tasman I/F | With some simple modifications you can get full size printer copies from the popular TS2068 ” VU-3D” program, using the TASMAN parallel printer interface. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| VU-Calc and the Tasman I/F | Here is a short program which will allow you to use your “80 Column” Printer to print a real spread sheet for presenting data (including tables you’ve already SAVEd) from the Psion Software program VU-CALC. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Watch Out For RFI | How to manage radio frequency interference with your computer. | |
| Welcome Back Memotech | Oxford Data is supplying Memotech hardware add-ons and Memotech MTX computer. | |
| What, We Worry? | For those of you who thought that we were just a couple of non-existent characters beyond your end-of-line marker, we decided to trip your NMI and create a full display file. Of course that’s quite easy to do from a Bent ROOM. Anyway, this should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are […] | |
| What’s in a Name? | We also talked abut the term COMPUTERFEST. Gary Ganger pointed out that the term is owned by the Dayton Microcomputer Association, Inc. Owned and protected by copyright. Gary went on to announce that the Association would let other groups use the term occasionally. He did not say how often, or on what terms, but I […] | |
| Wheatstone Bridge Circuit Using S.E. in Electronics | Unlocking the complexities of electrical circuits, this analysis uses simultaneous equations to untangle the mysterious world of currents and resistances in a Wheatstone Bridge. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Who Won? | Gregory Harder, Denver, CO, came in first with Software LO-Res and John Byrne of Cookeville, TN, took second place with GET input program. In the 2068 corner, first prize went to John Nguyen of Louisville, KY, for submitting PIX FIX, and second prize went to Wes Brzozowski of Endicott, NY for his fully implemented 64 […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| WINKJET1 Review | Review of William Pedersen’s printer driver for the Olivetti PR2300 inkjet. | Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Word Sinc II.5 & Wordfont: TS1000 Review | If you’re looking for a general use word processor program for home use, WORD SINC II.5 might just be for you. Although several people who have used the earlier versions of WORD SINC, including myself, did not care for the program, this adaptation has several features that make it worth buying. | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| Wordsearch: A Comparison between the ZX80 and TS1000 | The differences as to how the two machines handle relational operators turned out to be the key to making the WORDSEARCH program operate successfully on the TS1000. In the process of translating from ZX80 Basic to TS1000 Basic, a number of “tricks” were discovered that allow successful conversion of programs between the two computers. | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| World Geography | This program embodies a very elegant graphics routine, The program offers you two categories of study: Countries/Islands or Continents/Oceans/Seas; whichever category is chosen, you have the option of Review/Identify. If you choose the Identify option, you are asked to give the names of various geographical entities within the category you chose. If you choose Review, […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| WRX 16 Hi-Res for the 1000 | For several years, ZX81/TS1000 owners have dreamed of a simple bit-mapped high-resolution system for their machines. The quest began with the appearance of “software-only” high-resolution packages, which offered an improvement over the crude 44×64 block pixels, but left much to be desired regarding precision and ease of use. Several manufacturers came out with hardware add-ons […] | Timex/Sinclair 1000, Type-in program |
| Yahtzee | Yahtzee is a poker-style dice game where each player tries to roll combinations to match the categories on the scorecard, The program is set up for 4 players, There are 5 dice. All are automatically rolled on each first roll, Each player is allowed 3 rolls per category. There are 13 categories. | Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| Yet Another ZX-TS Fix | Do you have any of the following problems with your ZX81 or TS1000? | Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
| ZX81 & QL Regulator Bug | Suggested solutions to power regulation problems in the ZX81/TS1000 and QL: add capacitors. | Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 1000 |
Last updated: October 18, 2025