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a2...@hotmail.com
May 2, 2012, 12:27:18 PM5/2/12
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Hi - I'm mostly an Apple II buff, but have branched out into a few other platforms (KIM, Altair). I've recently stumbled upon a stash of ZX-81 gear and know very little about it. I was looking for some help, or advice on it as I'm trying to determine if this is something I want to dive deeper into. The last time I played with a Sinclair/Timex was decades ago, and apparently a lot has happened with the platform since then.
The weirdest thing is a floppy drive, interface and cable. I had no idea the ZX-81 could use 5.25 drives. This one has no markings on it, but it more or less looks like a generic full height drive in a DISK II style case, with a power supply bolted on the back of it. The controller doesn't have any brand info on it either.
There is also a Memotech keyboard in it's box. It has white keys and appears to be in really good to excellent condition. Another Memotech item is a 64K memory pack. It's also in the box, looks practically new.
The ZX-81 itself has some kind of device mounted near the video output, with a single chip on it and a switch. The card has a cable coming off it, with a male RCA jack. I guess it's video related. The ZX-81 didn't come with a power adapter so I haven't tested it yet.
Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack, thermal printer with LOTS of paper.
All that and no documentation. So, I'm looking for recommendations for the best places to get info on this gear, and how to use it, etc. My wife would prefer I come to my senses and sell it off. Any advice would be appreciated.
The weirdest thing is a floppy drive, interface and cable. I had no idea the ZX-81 could use 5.25 drives. This one has no markings on it, but it more or less looks like a generic full height drive in a DISK II style case, with a power supply bolted on the back of it. The controller doesn't have any brand info on it either.
There is also a Memotech keyboard in it's box. It has white keys and appears to be in really good to excellent condition. Another Memotech item is a 64K memory pack. It's also in the box, looks practically new.
The ZX-81 itself has some kind of device mounted near the video output, with a single chip on it and a switch. The card has a cable coming off it, with a male RCA jack. I guess it's video related. The ZX-81 didn't come with a power adapter so I haven't tested it yet.
Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack, thermal printer with LOTS of paper.
All that and no documentation. So, I'm looking for recommendations for the best places to get info on this gear, and how to use it, etc. My wife would prefer I come to my senses and sell it off. Any advice would be appreciated.
Chris Young
May 2, 2012, 1:41:50 PM5/2/12
to
On Wed, 2 May 2012 09:27:18 -0700 (PDT) da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair were rappin'
to MC a2fan:
> Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack
Ah, I can do this one. That slots into the edge connector at the
back. You'll need to deploy some Blu-Tac (other brands are available)
to keep it in place, as RAM pack wobble (resulting in a reset/crashed
ZX81) is notorious.
> thermal printer with LOTS of paper.
Which model is it? Either way, you should be able to connect it up to
the edge connector (I forget if the 16K RAM pack has a pass-through).
If you type:
LPRINT "Hello"
LPRINT is obtained by pressing SHIFT+S, double-quotes are on SHIFT+P.
The printer (if it works!) should print Hello.
There's a good ZX81 forum which I don't frequent and can't remember
the address of, but I'm sure somebody here will be able to help or
point you in the right direction better than I can.
Chris
--
+-------------------------------------------+
| Unsatisfactory Software - "because it is" |
| http://www.unsatisfactorysoftware.co.uk |
| Your Sinclair: A Celebration |
+- http://www.yoursinclair.co.uk -----------+
DISCLAIMER: I may be making all this stuff up again.
to MC a2fan:
> Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack
back. You'll need to deploy some Blu-Tac (other brands are available)
to keep it in place, as RAM pack wobble (resulting in a reset/crashed
ZX81) is notorious.
> thermal printer with LOTS of paper.
the edge connector (I forget if the 16K RAM pack has a pass-through).
If you type:
LPRINT "Hello"
LPRINT is obtained by pressing SHIFT+S, double-quotes are on SHIFT+P.
The printer (if it works!) should print Hello.
There's a good ZX81 forum which I don't frequent and can't remember
the address of, but I'm sure somebody here will be able to help or
point you in the right direction better than I can.
Chris
--
+-------------------------------------------+
| Unsatisfactory Software - "because it is" |
| http://www.unsatisfactorysoftware.co.uk |
| Your Sinclair: A Celebration |
+- http://www.yoursinclair.co.uk -----------+
DISCLAIMER: I may be making all this stuff up again.
Duncan Snowden
May 3, 2012, 4:45:05 PM5/3/12
to
On 2 May 2012 18:41:50 +0100
so... well, it's not hard to work out.
--
Duncan Snowden.
"Chris Young" <chris....@mail-filter.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 09:27:18 -0700 (PDT) da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair
> were rappin' to MC a2fan:
>
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 09:27:18 -0700 (PDT) da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair
> were rappin' to MC a2fan:
>
> > thermal printer with LOTS of paper.
>
> Which model is it? Either way, you should be able to connect it up to
> the edge connector (I forget if the 16K RAM pack has a pass-through).
I'm not sure the Sinclair one did. I think the printer had one, though,
>
> Which model is it? Either way, you should be able to connect it up to
> the edge connector (I forget if the 16K RAM pack has a pass-through).
so... well, it's not hard to work out.
--
Duncan Snowden.
rogerjowett
May 18, 2012, 8:05:05 AM5/18/12
to
sim coupe works a treat but doesnt use external ram to speed things up
a bit
Robert Newson
May 18, 2012, 4:18:25 PM5/18/12
to
On 02/05/12 18:41, Chris Young wrote:
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 09:27:18 -0700 (PDT) da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair were rappin'
> to MC a2fan:
>
>> Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack
>
> Ah, I can do this one. That slots into the edge connector at the
> back. You'll need to deploy some Blu-Tac (other brands are available)
> to keep it in place, as RAM pack wobble (resulting in a reset/crashed
> ZX81) is notorious.
As it stands, the RAM pack was slightly longer below the edge connector
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 09:27:18 -0700 (PDT) da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair were rappin'
> to MC a2fan:
>
>> Some other items, a Sinclair 16K pack
>
> Ah, I can do this one. That slots into the edge connector at the
> back. You'll need to deploy some Blu-Tac (other brands are available)
> to keep it in place, as RAM pack wobble (resulting in a reset/crashed
> ZX81) is notorious.
than the ZX81, so that the ZX81 didn't stand on its back feet, but
rather on the RAM pack connected by the edge connector, and pressing
"keys" (sic) caused the connection of the edge connector to flex - this
was a major cause of the notorious RAM Pack wobble (IIRC).
Putting the ZX81 on a book or some similar thin(ish) platform with the
RAM pack hanging off the back also helps cut down/prevent the RAM pack
connection being lost.
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