The Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81

Welcome to the Floppy Days Podcast with myself, Randy Kindig, and a whole host of vintage computers surrounding me, each one wanting their time in the limelight.  This will be part 2 of the 2-part series on the Sinclair ZX80 & 81 computer line. Once again, I will have one of the grand-daddy’s of vintage computer podcasting, Earl Evans, co-hosting with me as we complete the journey through one of the historically significant computers from across the pond.  We will be covering the normal topics from where we left off the last show, so we’ll be talking about peripherals, software, books & magazines, ads, emulators, Web sites and whatever else comes to mind. Before we do that, though, I do want to talk a bit about my new acquisitions and projects, let you know about upcoming shows so you can make your plans, and I might even have a little feedback.

I want to thank Ian Bucknell for providing his thoughts and memories of the ZX81.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Memories

• Ian Bucknell’s Frankensteined ZX81 and other retro-computers - https://imgur.com/a/dD4xq

New Acquisitions/Projects

• REX for Tandy Model 100/102 - http://bitchin100.com/wiki/index.php?title=REX
• Atari ST RGB to SCART cable - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-ST-High-Quality-RGB-Scart-Lead-Video-Cable-TV-AV-Lead-2mtr/250978089310
• High Resolution VGA Cable for Atari ST - https://www.ebay.com/itm/142767407804
• Sofia Atari 8-bit video board - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/274004-sophia-revc-dvi-board/

Upcoming Shows

• VCF West - https://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/ , August 4-5, 2018 - Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA
• Commodore Vegas Expo v14 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12676 , Aug. 11-12, 2018, Las Vegas, NV
• VCF Midwest - http://www.vcfmw.org/ - September 15-16, 2018, Elk Grove Village, IL
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo - http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/ - Oregon Convention Center on October 19-21, 2018
• Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com , Nov. 10-11, Springfield, OH
• TI International World’s Faire - http://ctiug.sdf.org/ - Nov. 10, Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL
• World of Commodore - https://www.tpug.ca/category/woc/ - December, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Peripherals and Expansion

• list of ZX81 Peripherals in the Centre for Computing History collection - http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi/archive.pl?type=Peripherals&platform=ZX81
• Early Sinclair ZX81 peripheral adverts - http://www.retrogamescollector.com/early-sinclair-zx81-peripheral-adverts/
• Cheetah 32K RAM Expansion
• Memopak 16K
• Memopak 64K
• Memotech 48k Ram Expansion
• ZX Panda 16K Expandable RAM for ZX81
• Fuller FD System for ZX80/81
• Mapsoft Keyboard for ZX81
• Memotech ZX81 Keyboard and Buffer
• ZX81 Keyboard Upgrade
• ZX81 Push-Button Keyboard
• ZX81 I/O Board
• Sinclair ZX81 QS-Sound
• ZX81 QS-Mother Board
• ZON X-81
• BASICARE Micro Systems

Magazines and Newsletters

• Syntax ZX80 - https://archive.org/details/syntaxvol1no2
• ZX Computing - http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/ZX_Computing
• Sync - Jan/Feb ‘81 - https://archive.org/details/syncmagazine
• Sinclair Programs
• Sinclair User - http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/Sinclair_User
• Timex/Sinclair User - https://archive.org/details/TimexSinclairUser
• ZX91 Newsletter - http://zx81.de/andre/zx91/_frame_e.htm

Books

• Mastering machine code on your ZX81 Paperback – 1982 by Toni Baker - https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-machine-code-your-ZX81/dp/0835942619/
• The ZX-81 Pocket Book by Trevor Toms - https://www.amazon.com/ZX81-pocket-book-Trevor-Toms/dp/0835995259/
• 49 Explosive Games for the ZX-81 by Tim Hartnell - https://www.amazon.com/explosive-games-ZX-81-Reward-book/dp/0835920860/
• Making the Most of Your ZX-81 by Tim Hartnell - https://www.amazon.com/Making-Most-Your-Zx-81-Hartnell/dp/0835941884/
• Timex Ts1000 Computer/Sinclair Zx-81 Computer (Sams Computerfacts) Paperback – November, 1986 - https://www.amazon.com/Timex-Ts1000-Computer-Sinclair-Computerfacts/dp/0672089696/
• Ins and Outs of the Timex T.S.1000/Z. X. 81 Paperback – April, 1983 by Don Thomasson (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Ins-Outs-Timex-T-S-1000-Z/dp/0861611187/
• Fifty 1K/2K Games for the Zx 81 and Timex Sinclair 1000 by Alastair; Walsh, James and Holmes, Paul Gourlay (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Games-Timex-Sinclair-1000/dp/0835919781/
• Understanding Your Z. X. 81 ROM Paperback – December, 1981 by Ian Logan - https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Your-Z-X-ROM/dp/0861611039/
• Aerospace and Communication Satellite Applications of the Z. X. 81/Spectrum Computers: Programs for Cruise Missile Trajectory Simulation and Communication Satellites Orbital Position, with GraphicsPaperback – Import, November 1, 1983 by H.S. Bluston (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Aerospace-Communication-Satellite-Applications-Computers/dp/0907350089/
• Turing Criterion: Machine Intelligent Programs for the 16K Z. X. 81 Paperback – November, 1982 by Dilwyn Jones (Author), etc. (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Turing-Criterion-Machine-Intelligent-Programs/dp/0907563201/

Software

• 3D Monster Maze
• ZX81 Software Catalogs - http://www.retrogamescollector.com/sinclair-zx81-software-catalogues/
• 1K ZX Chess - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/tape/1KZXChess
• Revival Studios (modern games) - http://www.revival-studios.com/sinclair.php
• ZX-80 Programs site - http://zx80programs.yolasite.com/
• TOSEC at archive.org - https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_ZX81_TOSEC_2012_04_23
• This webiste has a very good start on creating a definitive list of ZX81 software - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/
• ZX81 Download Page - http://www.zx81.nl/dload/

User Groups and Shows

• ZX-TEAM: THE active user group for the legendary Sinclair ZX81- http://www.zx81.de/zxcms/ , next international meeting March 29-31, 2019

Modern Upgrades

• The Tynemouth Software Minstrel ZX80 clone - https://www.tindie.com/products/tynemouthsw/minstrel-zx80-clone/
• Andy Rea’s ULA Replacement - https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2928
• ZX-TEAM mod for 16 or 32K on the ZX81 motherboard - http://www.zx81.de/english/_frame_e.htm
• ZXMore Complete Z80 System - https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=1696
• ZXBlast - https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/zxblast-512k-(ready-to-use)--_-ram-pack-and-usb-flash-drive-support-22781
• ZX8-CCB for new and modern TVs like Plasma and LCD. - https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/zx8-_ccb--_-video-output-for-zx81-3712
• Chroma81 Adds Color to ZX81 - http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX81/Chroma/ChromaInterface.htm
• ZXpand, a combined SD card interface, 32K configurable memory expansion, and optional joystick port and AY sound interface

Emulation

• XTender - https://web.archive.org/web/20141207130136/http://www.delhez.demon.nl/  
• EightyOne
• • Current - https://sourceforge.net/projects/eightyone-sinclair-emulator/
  • Original - https://web.archive.org/web/20180320020429/http://www.chuntey.com
• ZEsarUX - https://github.com/chernandezba/zesarux/releases
• NO$Z81 - http://problemkaputt.de/zx.htm
• SZ81
• • Main site: http://sz81.sourceforge.net
  • macOS - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8RnV5G0TZFZRTlJbzdWemtkRm8/view
• Spud81 - https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AM71r6k8oPHndJs&cid=4A4ECC65657FDA53&id=4A4ECC65657FDA53%21357&parId=root&action=locate
• Clock Signal - https://github.com/TomHarte/CLK/releases
• JTYone - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/jtyone.html
• jszeddy - http://rullf2.xs4all.nl/jszeddy/jszeddy.html
• iOS ZX81 - https://zx81-ios.weebly.com
• Other links mentioned by Kevin:
• • http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX81/Chroma/ChromaInterface_Software_ZXFileConverter.htm
  • http://problemkaputt.de/zxdocs.txt

Community

• Facebook
• • Keeping the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 Alive - https://www.facebook.com/groups/133345396703664/
• Forums
• • https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/index.php
  • http://forum.tlienhard.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2 (German)
• User Groups
• • Timex Sinclair North American User Group - http://ncmedals.com/tsnug/index.html

Current Web Sites

• Article in Kilobaud Microcomputing, Dec. 1980 - https://archive.org/stream/kilobaudmagazine-1980-12/Kilobaud_Microcomputing_1980_December#page/n169/mode/1up
• ZX-80 at Planet Sinclair - http://rk.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/computers/zx80/zx80.htm
• ZX-80 at OldComputers.net - http://oldcomputers.net/zx80.html
• Paul Farrow’s ZX-80 Software - http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX80/
• ZX-80 at old-computers.com - http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=262
• Sinclair ZX81 FAQ - https://www.landley.net/history/mirror/8bits/zx81faq.html
• http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/index.html
• The Sinclair ZX81: As seen in Tezza's classic computer collection - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KsuTg1qHIE
• Sell My Retro - https://www.sellmyretro.com/category/retro-computers/sinclair/sinclair-zx81 - has many ZX80/81 upgrades/replacement parts
• ZX81 Forever - http://zx81.de/andre/
• ZX81 The Archive - http://www.imarshall.karoo.net/zx81/

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX80
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81