Tim Swenson described differences between Boreal ZX Basic and Sinclair Basic, noting that Boreal ZX Basic is a super set of Sinclair Basic and has features like structured programming and nested loops. He shared his process of replacing Spectrum ROM calls with 2068 ROM calls in the compiler.
Carl demonstrated improvements he made to the Timex 1510 cartridge system for the TS-1000, TS-1500, and ZX81 computers. He redesigned the cartridge and interface boards to fix issues, increase capacity to 16K programs, and add features like a rotary switch and LED display to select from 32 programs on a single cartridge using larger memory chips. He also worked on an external ROM replacement cartridge to allow booting different ROM versions like Tree Forth or enhanced ZX81 ROMs on the ZX81 without internal modifications. Ryan discussed his program converter utilities on GitHub that can convert programs to the 1510 cartridge format using different loading methods.
New member Tim shared his early experiences with computers, starting with a ZX81, an S100 system with compiled BASIC and a Vic-20.
In the meeting, David, Tim, Mowgli, Joe, Adam, Paul, Carl, and Gustavo discussed various topics related to old computers and hardware. They talked about the Wespi device, which adds a fast loader to the ZX81 and has a VGA output.
The team discussed their experiences with vintage computers, particularly the Timex Sinclair. Tim shared a story about a weather station connected to a TS 2068 that was used by the National Weather Service. David mentioned that he had read a similar story in a CATS newsletter. Mowgli shared his experience at the Vintage Computer Fest Berlin, where he saw a variety of computers and met people from different countries. He also mentioned that he would create a webpage with pictures from the event.
David announced that a guest will join the next meeting to discuss using the ZX81 for computer art projects in college.