Modding a Sinclair ZX80. A New-To-Me Old Computer.
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- My first time working on this beautiful Sinclair ZX80 micro computer from 1980. This one is working and needs a composite mod to help it display a good picture on modern screens.
ZX81 composite mod:
github.com/red...
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The ZX80 was my first ever computer when I was 11. I was given the kit version as an xmas pressent by my folks. I spent 3 months putting it together, trying to make it work and finally succeeding. It taught me so much about computers, soldering and fault finding. Lovely to see one in receiving your skill and love.
Wow. What a present that must have been! Thank you for sharing!
Back in the day, I made a ZX80 from a kit (£50?), cus i could not afford the pre built one (£100?) I was poor at the time and lived in a one room bedsit in London (£15pw). The keyboard was connected to the mother board with a plastic laminated connector. (no video I have seen recently shows this.) I damaged the laminate connector when I inserted it. A few of the keys did not work. I was not able to "times" anything in my basic programs (2x4=8, for example, was not possible.) So in my programs, I divided by the reciprocal. (2/0.25 =8.) I was able to learn a lot about IT from the ground up. Latter in life I became a technical trainer and trained engineers all over the word how to install computer networks. Big bucks and happy days. Thank you ZX80
Great video thank you. I have a ZX80 which I rescued from a house clearance (on the Isle of Man where I live) of a deceased gentleman who actually worked for Cambridge research in the 70's and early 80's. Amongst all the piles of Computer magazines, boxes of discs and wires, I rescued several spectrums, Wafadrive, OPUS, tons of Spectrum software, all working and a zx81 working.
Then in a box of junk I found a PSU...ZX80 Power Supply it said on it...
Dug a bit deeper and found a Sinclair Poly box, taped up. Undid the tape and like Howard Carter in 1922, I found wonderful things.
A lovely ZX80 with manual, leads, and tapes. Couldn't believe it. Even better than that, I connected it up to my little 10" Bush B&W telly and it works perfectly.
So whilst I really appreciated your video, I won't be doing that to my zx80!
Cheers.
Oh thats a lovely story! Thank you for sharing Nick! What a find!!
I appreciate the micro computers of the 8 and 16 bit era cheers.
With the ZX81 being my first computer, I remember looking at the ZX80 as inferior and old news. These days, I can really appreciate it more for what it was, and the gorgeous aesthetic.
The ZX80 being made obsolete 1 year after release really didn't help us to value it back then.
Here in Canada, the ZX80 came as a kit!! My friend got one, back in the day, and we soldered one up, and it worked!! Loads of fun! Thanks for the memories and for sharing
Very cool! I dont know many people that actually had one back then and certainly none outside the UK! Cheers Rudy!
zx81s were also available as kits, i have 2 kit built ones, you can tell by the state of the soldering 😁
Both ZX80 and ZX81 came in kit form for (at the time) a reasonable saving.
Such a nice looking little machine
Puts the heat sink back in the way. Classic! Haha
Typical me! 😆
Great Video, One of my favorite electronic channels on UA-cam :)
Aww Merlin 😊
Brilliant - love this sort of content!
Thank you! Love these sorts of comments 😁
I can't speak for the C64's colour RAM, but when one of the RAM chips in my VIC20 decided to give up the ghost, the only 2114s I had lying around were the ones that came out of my ZX81 when I did the 16K upgrade, so replaced it with one of those as far as I can tell, it seems to work absolutely fine.
One day I'll test it when it's not as risky 😁
Nice job mate & have to say does look a lot better with the components fitting flat against the PCB, also where's the fun in taking the modulator casing off only once as it's not as if they're a pain lol.
On my ZX81 my cock up while putting it back together was accidently putting the top of the modulator case on the bottom, which fitted fine no worries. However the top cover has a small cut in it so it fits round the connector (not needed on the bottom as the connector doesn't foul the cover)
Cheers Lee!
This one had a cutout on both lids so I could have got away with that 😆
Nice one Lee 😂 reminds me of that human league song "were only human born to make mistakes"😂 glad you left that in makes a good video🎉🎉
They're always the best bits 🤣
Brilliant video Lee, even better with the mistakes kept in. I had to laugh at the end, we've all been there forgetting to put the bottom back on the modulator. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It went together so nicely! 😆
Nice work. Loved the end of the vid (very Tarantino) but not as much as the finangling 😁😉
You had me wondering if I'd filmed a scene where the camera is in the boot of my car looking up at me as I close the lid 😆
Nice video, I hated the screen blinking when pressing a key. I liked the zx81 more, my friends father bought one back from the uk on a trip as a kit and put it together, I bought magazines like Your Computer and Popular Computing Weekly and C&VG to type in the programs to play video games. The endless nights typing in z80 code POKED into REM Statements, you know what I mean. He bought back a dktronics programmable character generator so you could define characters and a version of Space Invaders! Before the speccy came out I remember someone doing 'Hi res' graphics on it. And my favourite game was PIMANIA! I worked as a paperboy to get the money! Clive Sinclair, thank you! RIP! Do an episode about the C5 ;)
Lovely video Lee. Loved the slideshow at the end.
Thanks Ross! I like that bit too. UA-cam will probably hate it though 😂
I remember making the zx81 back in the day. You could either buy it ready-made or buy a kit that you soldered together. I was cheap and did it myself. Nothing like modern-day electronics where you can't even see the parts you'r soldering.
I bet that was fun to build back then!
Oh Lee, you were a right "Pleb" this time :) proud of ya man.. all the same sh*t I do too lmao !🤣
Guilty! 😂
the board would be pink if Big Clive ordered it, because the pink ones work better lol.
Muy buen trabajo.👍
😍
Never had the pleasure of working on a ZX80, I have only ever seen pictures of them.
I dont remember seeing them back in 1980 either. Was first aware of these home micros when the 81 became popular.
zx80 is one of the nerdiest retro
Now, the question is am I brave enough to do this with my ZX80 :)
Its not too tricky. Just go easy on removing the modulator. I heated one leg at a time and levered a little out of each end in turn till it came free.
@@MoreFunMakingIt I'll give it a go - would be nice to get a clear picture...!!
Its a really nice looking thing. I wish I had picked one up years ago when they were cheaper. At todays prices well no
They are crazy money now. I cant wait for time travel!
@@MoreFunMakingIt must be all you time travellers that are making them so rare :D
When I saw you putting the board in place before soldering the wires to the pcb, I was like Oh No. I was also wondering as RF Modules that I have seen all seemed to have a bottom metal cover as well. Great seeing the work, and how it looks without the back porch. Is that silicone insulated wire that you were abled to strip it like you did in the video?
Yup! Super easy to work with
if you set the link in the zx80 for inverse video, white on black, a back porch mod isnt required ..😉
Clever!
@@MoreFunMakingItits a pity they didnt have similar link in the zx81, but there were many DIY video inverter circuits 'back in the day', i made one,
please dont 'gut'/remove modulators, you dont need to add composite/back porch, just fit it external to the modulator case, it wont be seen once the computer is cased up, the modulators are becoming rare and expensive to get 'new old stock', you can even rig them to feed composite and rf out simultaneously , so you can use the machine with either connection at will ...
This was my first ever computer. I bought the kit and soldered it myself. I must have been about 13?
19:09 Why did the screen flicker while typing on the keyboard?
The ZX80 was quite primitive and whenever the CPU was busy doing other things it couldnt update the screen so it then goes blank.
It was permanently in what was known as FAST mode on the ZX81.
That vice/pcb clamp thing looks useful! Where can I get that?
I picked it up at a car boot sale a couple of years ago. Sorry I can't help more.
@@MoreFunMakingIt which car boot sale? Just kidding
@@paszTube 🤣
I am just wondering why you did not use the ferrite bead that is built in to the modulator housing to pass the 5v through ?
The first hole? It's not a hole. Solid in that position. Plus the existing wire that went through there broke off when I removed the internals.
It is used to pass the 5v through for the original board that was in the modulator .
Interesting video. I have to admit that I cringed every time you waved soldering iron over the ZX80 case. If it was me there would be 100% probability that iron fell off my hand and melt the case. You were lucky, though.
Did I really hear you refer to an inductor as a variable capacitor?
I don't know, did you?