David started off the meeting with updates on the progress of various projects, including his work on a program to convert a tape for the ZX81/Ts 1000 into a file for a ROM and the expansion of a special interest group to tackle hardware challenges, 3D developments, and user interface software. He also shared his ongoing projects, including a circuit board emulating the General Instruments SPO-256 speech synthesizer chip, and developing a device similar to the 2050 modem. David provided an update on the TS-Pico, revealing plans for a mid-summer firmware upgrade for the software.
David and Joe Vandezande discussed the 3D printed cases Joe has been creating for the TS-Pico and PicoVideo devices. They also collaborated on a project to adapt a design for holding 8K ROM images in a single cartridge for the TC 2068.
David presented a keyboard designed by K2 Electronics Corporation, featuring a custom keyboard with various function, graphics, and edit keys.
Jim March joined us and we updated him on progress with the hardware, software and other items he donated for preservation. Jim shared his experience with early microcomputers and programming.
The group discussed the complexities of recovering old software and the physical differences between older and newer audio cassette tapes. The group also explored the production and sale of magnetic tape, with a focus on identifying and filtering out bad signals.
David led a discussion about the works of Johan Koelman, a prolific author and game designer, focusing on his book “81 High Res Games for the 1K ZX81”. The team examined some of his games, such as “World Cafe” and “Trainspotter”, designed for the 1K ZX81, and discussed the challenges of programming high-resolution games with limited resources.