Thanks everyone for watching, I hope you enjoy the episode and we'd love to hear your ZX81 memories, suggestions for software to try and upgrades we should get hold of. Thanks as always to ua-cam.com/users/markfixesstuff for his talents. Neil - RMC
Mazogs, 3D Monster Maze... And I found out the other day that there was a version of Oregon Trail for it, based off one of the very early Mainframe versions of the game.
This was my first computer. One thing you can do, which will improve the lifetime of the keyboard, is get a replacement for the voltage regulator. The one with the aluminium plate for a heat sink. The original one is basically dumping voltage as heat to regulate it. A modern regulator will use less power and, more importantly, keep the inside of the ZX81 a lot cooler. Well worth the effort. There are also hires mods, and nice internal memory expansion mods. But that is heading into more advanced uses. The power mod is well worth it though.
Oh this brings back memories. I would purchase ZX81's in kit form form WH Smiths for £49.99, build them, and then sell them as new for £59.99, which was £10 less than the £69.99 WH Smiths were charging for the build versions.... Earnt enough for my first holiday the following year :)
@@CH4NNELZERO From memory around 60-90 minutes. I was an Electronics Technician at the time, working at British Aerospace Dynamics, so soldering PCs was quite natural. It started off building them for a few mates, but when word spread I was doing around a dozen a week, making more than I was earning at BAe at the time !
@@MalcolmCrabbe Nice. It's like scalping, but for a lower price and a good cause. I mean, building kits and selling them as built for the fraction of the price? I guess you've met customer demand for people that neither have the engineering skills to build a computer, nor to he money to buy it pre-built.
@@MalcolmCrabbe Which site was that ? I was an apprentice at Filton and during the same 8 week stint in Antenna Design I got one of the first ZX81 kits (which a more experienced engineer had to debug as there was an error in the build instructions) and watched the very first flight of the Space Shuttle on a half broken TV someone had brought in to fix in their lunch hours. By December I was in a different department and my boss was interested in the ZX81. I took mine in, hooked it up to the departments TRS80 monitor and he was so impressed he decided that was what his kids were getting for Christmas. After phoning around all the local W H Smiths to find one who had stock he took the afternoon off and drove to Weston-Super-Mare to get it. He then discovered there was a design for a 16K RAM pack that was circulating site. However, with no equivalent of PCBWay he couldn't get a PCB so gave me the job of building one on Veroboard ! So I spent the last week of work in 1981 building part of his kids Christmas present. One of the joys of being an Apprentice :-) I never did get a ZX81 RAM pack myself, as I soon moved on to a TI99-4A, but did spend £12 upgrading my ZX81 to 2K so I could type programs longer than the screen.
I had one for Christmas in 1981 at the age of 10. 40 years later I have a career in IT spanning a quarter of a century, and more importantly still a massive geek 😊
I had to buy my ZX81 myself. I got one when they were closing them out for $19.95. I had fun with it. Never turned into any career for me though. I think I might have been about 19 at the time? I can't remember it was so long ago.
First ever computing machine under my fingers (borrowed by a professional) and...oh boy those keys... moved to a zx16 soon after (it costed here in Italy one month salary of my beloved daddy) It was really the start of my IT lifetime
A friend of mine got one for Christmas way back when. He got into programming and got me inspired to learn. It lead me down the path of buying a Sinclair QL - not too many kids at the time wrote school work on computers back then...
This was my first computer, which i got for Christmas in 1981, and spent the next week hassling my parents to use the tv for the computer, I ended up using all my Christmas money, and help from my dad to purchase a second hand B&W portable tele so i could use ii in my room !
The ZX81 was my first computer and the only reason we could ever get a computer... an amazing piece of hardware that still really kicks in the nostalgia like nothing else does.
The ZX81 was my first home computer, it was actually a ZX80 that had been upgraded. Loved to use the 16k ram pack but always careful not to knock it as they always crashed easily. Lovely memories. Thanks Guys
Still have my model 😋 mint condition in the box, I bought mine when I was 10 with paper round money 💰 thats why I've looked after it so well, hard earned money
My first ever computer at the age of 4 (1981) and still have in my room today. Fond memories as I came home from playschool to play Space Invaders and an another side scrolling shooter game. In 1985 my brother and sister bought an Atari 800 XL which was an awesome machine I used for many years up until 1992 and still have today also.
I recently had a fairly big project restoring mine recently, I found it sans casing and keyboard in a box at my Parent's house when cleaning things up. Decided to make a 3D printed casing and a keyboard using MX cherry key switches, found some ZX81 keycap stickers. Replaced the 7805 regulator to a more efficient switching type which allowed me to lose the large heat-sink, Upgraded the memory to 16k internally using a hardware hack I found online, gave it Composite video with a slighty different mod than the one you guys used. I could have easily just bought one for cheaper than all the work I put into it, but this was literally the computer that sparked my interest in computers, so felt it needed a little love.
I saw someone claim that since the output of the regulator was just 5V, they replaced it with just a USB connector for power. I can't vouch for it though.
@@wmcbrine Suppose that would work and I know the current draw is not much. I'd only really be concerned if plugging it into USB AC adapter as those can be dodgy at times.
My first computer , tip for anyone that wants to use one with the 16k ram pack.... get a BIG block of blutack you will need it , stick a lump under the ram pack and a lump under the rear part of the ZX ( I rolled it out into a "sausage" so it didn't wobble the case ) and press fairly firmly into the blutack ( with the ram pack plugged in so its all secure ) it you don't do this you WILL be playing a game and you will touch the computer and it will wobble the ram pack and reset the entire machine......... been there done that got fed up with it and eventually bought a Spectrum lol
Great restoration and review. As I live in the US I had the Timex Sinclair 1000. It is basically the same machine with NTSC and 2 KB or RAM. There were two issues that I was able to fix: 1) It was famous for overheating so I went to a local metal shop and got a new heat sink created that is twice is long. There is plenty of space inside the computer and it made a significant improvement. 2) The RAM pack wobble was fixed by going to the same metal shop. I had the man cut down a sheet of stainless steel, not quite as wide as the expansion port. It was bent so that the stainless steel extended to the bottom of the chassis and was riveted on it. There was a small bent part that went inside the chassis about 0.5-1.0 inches that acted as a tension spring to hold the expansion module steady. I do not have the machine anymore. I hope that this explains what was done.
I got a ZX81 from a distant relative when I was a kid. It didn't work, and all I could do was peer at the components in amazement. Years later after all my engineering degrees, I remembered the ZX81 and realized I had the skills to fix it myself. But I could never find it at my parents' house. Watching this video brought back bittersweet memories :sigh:
ZX81 was the computer that got me into computers. I saved my $150 for computer, 16 KB RAM and some games. I ended using the computer mostly for programing in BASIC and machine language (yes, I poked numbers representing instructions into memory locations individually). I was a finalist in a science fair creating graphical represent of the gas laws (the user press keys to move a graphic of top of piston to increase or decrease the volume and the screen printed out the pressure in the piston) and simulation of a virus attacking cell. Thanks for an excellent video.
Way back in the 80's when I got my ZX-81, I opened the case and immediately modified the RF modulator turning the video output into composit. It worked great and it lasted for a very long time.
My dad started on a ZX81 before being instead offered a Spectrum from the store because the 81 kept failing. I remember one particular all-text adventure game I never managed to track down as to try on an emulator. The game name was a fictitious city where you had to escape over the city wall once you had acquired a ladder from a store. Before that something about a lamp in a sewer I think. To a rather young me it was amazing, like a book, creating the imagery while reading and typing those simple commands. That's how I learned to read English before we had it in school (not my native language). You already covered the most memorable games so I don't have anything else to add.
ZX81 started my interest in computers and a Software Engineering career to continues to this day. My Dad made a wooden clamp to hold the RAM pack still. RIP Sir Clive.
My First computer :) Bought it myself - Saved up for ages :) My Pals Dad had a Sharp MZ80K which was the first computer I used. BUT THE ZX81 WAS all mine !!! I cant wait to watch this... :)
My first computer. Dad bought it for my 5th birthday. Loved coding in Basic (started out following those guide books for animations and simple games). Gutted when it and the Ram pack melted for no reason a few months into owning it.
My first computer at age 21 was a ZX81 prebuilt. I “solved” my ram pack wobble with an elastic band. Incidentally I have a book-49 Explosive Games for the ZX81. My connection with the little machine continues as I have a ZX81 app on my IPad so I can have a bit of old style fun when I want to.
Enjoyed this one. The very first computer I had - I was given it as a Christmas present when I was 6. The fact that I've gone from Darlington, to Silicon Valley is down to this machine and the fascination with electronics it started for me. I was given a refurbished one for Christmas last year. I still love it.
I got mine for Christmas, too! I loved that little computer. It wasn't the first home computer I used (my brother had a TRS-80) but it was the first one *I* owned. I'm jealous that you got a refurb model! They're quite expensive now if you can locate them.
I got a TS-1000 for Christmas in 1985 when I was in 3rd grade. It was a fun little system and I spend hours typing in programs out of books. Fast forward to today it is amazing what the demo scene has done for this little computer.
Hello Gents - First computer was a Timex/Sinclair 1000 over here in the US. My Dad got it for me when I was 13 in a supermarket of all places in 1983! I still have two of them, not really a complete kit but I also have the 16K ram pack. It started it all for me. Also had a T/S 2068 that I wish I still had oh well. Gotta give a huge thumbs up. I learned BASIC and machine code on it. Made some software and played games of course too. Great little machine. I even tried my own keyboard mod by taping keys from an old kids typewriter I had to it (lots of sanding and filing) until I got an aftermarket keyboard for it.
This is arguably the first episode I watched that featured Mark, and I absolutely love him and the editing job done to make the video and banter flow. Wonderful work, as always.
Our first computer. Dad was the default computer teacher at his school so we did get e.g. a Commodore PET (portable) at home on loan for a while whilst he tried to stay one lesson ahead of the class, but this was the first one we owned. Yes we had the 16k ram pack.
My ZX81 is sitting on my bookshelf right next to a Raspberry Pi 400. I lived in Massachusetts at the time and purchased the kit out of the UK (of course). If I remember correctly the add was on the back page of an electronics magazine. I could have sworn that I ordered it in late 1980, though that was a long time ago and I'm getting old. I have 2 ZX81's, a Timex Sinclair 1000, a 1500, a Sinclair QL, a Timex Sinclair printer and a few RAM modules in my collection. Those were the days :-)
One simple hack on the ZX81 was to switch between FAST and SLOW mode multiple times. This would generate sounds on a machine that has no speaker. If you selected the sequence of FAST/SLOW changes correctly, you could play different notes.
With my grandparents' help, I bought one of these the summer of 1982. I used to have the 16k ram pack. I'm in the process of restoring it, as that keyboard ribbon tore, and I've lost the case screws. The guy at assembled it at the factory signed and dated the 7805 heat sink. It was assembled on Christmas Day, 1981.
Thanks for making me feel old, I was 25 in 1981. I bought the ZX81 kit for £79.99 directly from Sinclair and the wobbly 16k RAM pack and thermal printer from WH Smith. Soldering the chips to the board was pretty exacting work, I doubt I could do it now. Happy days.
When I was a kid, my dad and mom agreed to allow my father to purchase a Timex Sinclair shortly after they were released in the US. He was very excited and I remember when he hooked it up and loaded Flight Simulator, which I believe was the real reason he bought the system, just to play this sim. Between the RF and the old black and white TV we were using, I thought Load "Flight" said "Lord of Flight". It is great to see you get your model working and some games loaded, but you cannot really experience the Sinclair unless you program your own games from the Sinclair magazine. I would love to see you release a video of you trying to get a few of the games from the magazines programmed and working. I remember a version of Asteroids with square rocks which was still amazing because I personally keyed the program.
In the middle 80's I was at a concert where the lighting rig was controlled by a ZX81 through some kind of expansion pack. It was really fun to see the lighting engineer type the commands to load up the next sequence on the "horrible little keyboard" (his words, not mine!) A couple of months later at the same venue, a different band was using a BBC micro to play the kick drum parts because the drummer was still learning and couldn't work the hi-hat and the kick drum at the same time!
OMG that was my first computer!! I paid $99 for it from my job at McDonalds in 1982. Over the next year I spent most of my checks on it!!! First I got a flat black and silver cassette recorder from Radio Shack. Next I got a 16K add on but it wasn't Timex's 16K block. Mine was form fitted along the whole back side of the unit. Next I bought a full size real keyboard for it that was a bit heavy in a metal case and sat right in front of the unit with a thin cable from it into the unit right above the 5 & 6. Next I bought the Timex 2040 printer and the last thing I bought was an io device that was form fitting along the whole back behind the 16K pack. I can't even remember what I got the io thing for? Then it all came to a stop in September or October 1983 when I saw a full page add for the Commodore 64 in a home computer magazine. I had seen adds before but it had cost $595 and I thought Id never be able to buy it. This was the same full page add I had seen before but across the top was something about a price drop to $229!!! I had at least $400 into my Timex/Sinclair and it could never be as good as the C64!! I remember the two biggest things that the C64 had that I wanted was color and sound (Awesome sound chip!). That is my story of loving my Timex/Sinclair 1000 to being all in as a Commodore 64 lover and my Timex/Sinclair being all boxed back up (OCD about taking care of all my items boxes!!!) and sitting in the back of my closet.
Wow! There were very few of these in kit form here in the USA but I bought one (well my dad since I was twelve and didn't have the just over $150 USD purchase price for one) - it was my second kit I'd put together with my father and it was great fun. I don't know where that Sinclair ever went to but a couple years later after I'd gotten my first VIC-20 I'd been able to get a Timex Sinclair from a friend who didn't want his after he'd "upgraded" to an Atari 400. Great times. I think I only had a few pieces of software purchased - the majority was from BASIC books either from the library or computer magazines at the time. The membrane keyboard made any sort of game play a bit difficult but heck it was a computer and that was something until color and more advanced graphics became more obtainable...
First home computer - I used it to learn to program, play flight sim and yes, monster maze. I had the Memopak (16k) and I hated it when I sold it to finance an Oric. I still have the replacement I bought and it still works. Never programmed anything as much as I programmed my little ZX. Interested in Marks gadget though - I'd love to get the thing out and back in use
The ZX81 (or TS1000 as it's known here) is my favorite retro gaming computer. Especially with the ZXpand with its ram upgrade, reset button, and sdcard slot.
I had Timex 2048 ,loading games from polish tape recorder Kasprzak. Later upgrade to double floppy drive. It was in 1987. It was was my first computer..Beautiful times
Loved this episode, thanks guys! And love the ZX81, my first computer was a Spectrum later on but my friend's dad had a ZX81 and when I saw him play 3D Monster Maze my mind was blown.
My first ever computer followed up by a real keyboard and Ram pack, they used to run quite warm so I replaced the heatsink with a bigger piece of metal !!
Protip: there are dupont test cables with male and female connectors, they are excellent for testing and allow skipping the tedious part of cutting, stripping and tinning cables. Said that, nice restoration.
Proper, proper nostalgia! I was 7 in 1981 & a family friend had a ZX81 he'd built from kit form. It was all baffling and exciting, as I'd never had any exposure to computers before that. I remember thinking it was a similar thing to what an electronics or CB radio enthusiast would have been tinkering with. I eventually got my own ZX Spectrum a few years later.
Awesome video, guys! I *REALLY* enjoyed it! I had a ZX81 when I was a teenager, here in Canada. I believe my big brother gave it to me (bought it for me?). The years have NOT been kind to my memory, unfortunately. I didn't have the RAM expansion, but, boy, I LOVED that little computer to death! That was my FIRST 'PC,' and I was OVER THE MOON! Before that, my only experience with computers was 'computer camp' up at the university one summer, when I was 10 or 11 maybe (maybe a little older)? It was a mainframe, of course, and you inputted data using punch cards. It was SOOOOO EXCITING for a little, geeky kid!
You would be amazed how you can get used to typing on that keyboard. I used to have mine just sitting on carpet, never really had to worry about the wobble for whatever reason. I would just swipe my finger back and forth over the surface, just briefly stopping and pressing slightly to get keys to activate. I could code surprisingly fast that way. You can get used to anything I suppose is the message there.
Cool man ! Just going to mention wildly exaggerated "things" : ZX81 Wobble thing "Bag of cement stopped the Ford Capri arsing out" "Spectrum games took an hour to load then crashed" Mostly said by non owners of all 3 :) They just wanted to "join in" on something they were never part of
You can tell what I thought of my ZX81 (which was my first proper computer after using my Grandfathers Tandy Scorecard) which I received as a Christmas present in 1983 (I was 10) as its final resting place was in the swimming pool in the garden (sounds grander than it was, it was a 5ft tall circular metal ring with a thick plastic inner which was dug into the garden, took ages to fill from the hose pipe) after I threw it from my bedroom window.... I hated it and thankfully Christmas 1984 resulted in the spangly new ZX spectrum which I still love to this day.
I bought one of these in 1981 after having a ZX80 the main difference for me was the ZX81 did fractions and the screen had a none blanking feature so you could see your program running.
This was my first computer, I did get the 16K RAM PACK, I was a very young lad and my parents got it for me from Debenhams, back then they had a computer sections. Had 3D maze and flight simulator and the chess game most of the time I spent typing in games from books. Actually sold it to a chap that was going to use it for accounting for his business, then I moved to Vic20 that gathered dust as I didn't like it much then I went ATARI 8-bit and never looked back. Had almost all the machines ATARI made. But I did like the simple ZX81, will get one again one day just to hang on the wall.
my dad made me a wooden board that my zx81 and 16k ram pack clicked into when i was 11 (1981), thing is i never heard of ram wobble until i was in my 40s so my dads idea fixed a problem we never knew about.
3D monster maze was the first game we ever played, but I’d completely forgotten about mazogs. Ido remember we also had a star trek game too. Amazing memories
Back in the day the old RS Catalogue sold kits for the ZX81. A sound board and a Hi-Res board. Worth a look if you can still find an old 80's RS Catalogue.
Like many others, the ZX81 was my first computer. RAM pack wobble - arghhh. Luckily you're not trying to load and save games on tape - even more arghhh. But partly because it lacked colour and sound, it was easier to program than the Spectrum. As for games to play - I expect many of us typed in games from the magazines. And even worked out how to debug them. I used mine to write simple statistical analysis progs for my OU courses. The Spectrum was used nearly entirely for playing shop or mail order games, never did much programming on it.
I remember my first view of one on a school fair. Was instantly swooned i then became obsessed with news of the soon to come spectrum. The style of that case though I really thought it was the future. Thanks
The Timex-Sinclair 1000 was my first computer. I dabbled in machine language back then and had a piggyback device that allowed you to connect an Atari 2600 joystick with a little bit of code to use it in homebrew games. BTW, I found this for your TZXDUINO. I can probably print one up for you if you like.
I was going to say this... as long as the cable's not already too short (or maybe brittle with age), you can trim it repeatedly and reinsert it. At some point, it does get too short (ask me how I know).
I fixed the keyboard by grafting a surplus keyboard from Radio Shack onto my ZX81. I replaced that flat ribbon with a rainbow ribbon cable. It all worked great but spewed out RF interference. So it was not exactly an approved mod.
If you can lay your hands on a sound expansion unit, you can have a lot of fun making sounds. I did, with my ZX80. (I actually was a teenager then, but please don't tell anyone :-)
Even though it was older than me by a few years, this was my first computer. I don't remember any games for it, as we didn't have a RAM pack or a tape deck. But we did have a chunky manual filled with code and we had to type in our own games on the thing... every time we wanted to play. We didn't get much use out of it before we got an NES and Amiga, honestly.
What a lovely video. The ZX81 was our first computer, bought second-hand by my Mum. Type-ins on the ZX81 were fun... RAM Pack wobble was bad so I would just stick to the 1K games. But the games were fun. Dodgems was excellent. We loved Rocket Man with the AMAZING graphics... when we could get the bastard thing to load. And when it DID load it would crash. Loading on the ZX81 was SO SLOW....
My first computer (aged 13) and Christmas gift in 82/83 by which time the ZXSpectrum had emerged but money was tight so my parents could only afford the ZX81. While my friends in school showed off their Spectrum and Commodore games I decided to getting the best out of what I had. I learnt BASIC first but was still disappointed, it just felt too limiting but then progressed to Z80 machine code which was liberating. I loved it and wish I could revisit those exciting days when the user and the computer felt more connected without the GUI, drivers and software interpreter creating fog between the two. My only addition to your great video would be to say if you find a working ZX81, please, oh please add a heat sink with thermal paste to the top of the ULA. That chip runs HOTTER than it should and is a main reason most ZX81's died. Obv's it's a small case so a low profile heat sink is in order. Here's a link to the Micro Men video, it gives a feel of the excitement of the time surrounding computing. Also there's a point where Sir Clive (Alexander Armstrong) recommends a runner bean sized piece of blue tack to stop the ram pack wobble. ua-cam.com/video/XXBxV6-zamM/v-deo.html
Another excellent video and I was happy to see the ZX81 get some TLC. My ZX81 typically has a myriad of add-ons bolted onto it to the point where the only thing the machine is doing is running the ROM while everything else does the heavy lifting. The peripherals I use are the ZXpand SD Card reader, the Chroma 81 for RGB colour output, RAM and joystick port as well as the Quicksilva character set for their arcade games. One of which was featured on this video as it was wrongly described as a type in game of asteroids. Finally I do use a Memotech external keyboard to avoid using the dreaded touch panel thing that the ZX81 has as its primary interface.
i was born 10/17/80 and didnt have any computer till much later, windows 3.1 era. but now i have a vic 20, radioshack coco 2, ibm 5150, apple iie enhanced, trs 80 model 3 and a trs 80 mc-10 in its box.
My first computer I mail ordered from England. (came assembled). I wrote so many programs with that thing even with the glitchy 16k memory pack. I only had one program for it (a flight sim).
@RMC - The Cave Neil, I think you should have a look at the settings of the noise gate you’re using. I’ve been wearing headphones, and the first three minutes of audio has been very choppy. Raise the threshold, attack, and release a little. If you have the option for wet/dry mix at output; try 60/40 respectively 👍🏼
The ZX81 is oddly charming. Made way way before I was even born, so the closest childhood machine to it is Texas Instruments graphing calculators tbh. There's probably a lot of similarity between the two, like being monochrome and using very simple hardware.
Great to see. Got my TS1000 working a bit ago. The RAM pack is dead, but I got a chip to do the internal 16K mod. But at least I have a whole 2K to work with rather than 1K the ZX81 came with until I add the RAM. ;-) ;-) Have to admit I am a bit surprised there wasn't a standard audio expansion back in the day, kind of like there is for the original Commodore PET...
I got sick of RAM pack wobble, so about 20 years ago I upgraded the internal 1K RAM to 16K and built my own composite board that sits inside the RF module, (after removing the original PCB). :) Also, last week I bought a ZX81 clone, (Czerweny CZ 1500), from Argentina off ebay. It is in a Speccy style case with rubber keys and 16K as standard. It's a dream to program on. BTW, Subbed. Edit: You should play Seamines. It's very addictive.
ZX81 was my first computer here in the US (not the TS1000). What a great little machine. I got it mail order from Sinclair Research USA (I think they were in Nashua, NH). During the pandemic I wrote a ZX81 emulator: ZXSimulator (you can find a web version that runs in a browser...just google it).
As a teenager I almost published a game in 1983 with Gladstone Electronics (a US distributor of Sinclair stuff) but Timex pulled the plug that same year (I think they couldn't compete with Commodore giving $99 rebates for the C64 if you turned in your TS1000). I remember I was waiting for a contract in the mail and it never came. Game was Battleship which you can play on the ZXSimulator web page (batt_bas).
I had one of these back in 1982, being 12 then I was more interested in the atari vcs for games. Looking back now it was a bit of a mini marvel for what it was. There were so many home computers in the UK in the early 80's. I ended up with a Commodore 64 and later an Amiga. 👍
If you actually had an Atari VCS your parents must have been loaded. £27.99 for a Space Invaders cartridge in Argos back in 1981. I was earning about £35 a week at the time.
@@MrDuncl the Atari was second hand with a few games, later our local video shop started renting out cartridges Empire Strikes Back was a classic we would rent out
Nice vid. I have a beautiful 1 owner from new early issue one with no back porch, bugged rom, and the “piggy back” board that fixes the bug sitting over the CPU. It’s completely original and works perfectly. Also got a MemoPak 16k for it.
I bought a ZX81 in 1983 from (I think) Boots. I didn't have the RAM pack, but the wobble problem I had was with the power connector. Tapping the keyboard too hard interrupted the power supply, which wiped the memory and cleared the monitor screen. Intensely frustrating! Fortunately I changed job soon after and had access to a Commodore machine which lacked that idiosyncrasy.
Things you forgot to mention; 1. in the early 1980s even tuning the tele to pick-up the RF signal was a pain in itself. 2. The great programming guide that was supplied was a fantastic introduction to programming for so many. Regarding the colour ZX81. I guess it was done using the same technology as the original arcade Space Invaders machines, put coloured film over the screen.
![Enterprise 64 - Another Failed British Micro [Part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/e2ONq0DASqY/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks everyone for watching, I hope you enjoy the episode and we'd love to hear your ZX81 memories, suggestions for software to try and upgrades we should get hold of. Thanks as always to ua-cam.com/users/markfixesstuff for his talents. Neil - RMC
My very first computer 🖥 😍
Someone needs to come up with an acrylic display, showing that Spectrum kit in an exploded view.
Mazogs, 3D Monster Maze... And I found out the other day that there was a version of Oregon Trail for it, based off one of the very early Mainframe versions of the game.
@@TheTurnipKing I still have Mazogs somewhere in my storage closet with a bunch of other ZX81 programs. Cool game for its time! 👍👍
This was my first computer. One thing you can do, which will improve the lifetime of the keyboard, is get a replacement for the voltage regulator. The one with the aluminium plate for a heat sink. The original one is basically dumping voltage as heat to regulate it. A modern regulator will use less power and, more importantly, keep the inside of the ZX81 a lot cooler. Well worth the effort.
There are also hires mods, and nice internal memory expansion mods. But that is heading into more advanced uses. The power mod is well worth it though.
Oh this brings back memories. I would purchase ZX81's in kit form form WH Smiths for £49.99, build them, and then sell them as new for £59.99, which was £10 less than the £69.99 WH Smiths were charging for the build versions.... Earnt enough for my first holiday the following year :)
Amazing. How long would each one take you to build ?
@@CH4NNELZERO From memory around 60-90 minutes. I was an Electronics Technician at the time, working at British Aerospace Dynamics, so soldering PCs was quite natural. It started off building them for a few mates, but when word spread I was doing around a dozen a week, making more than I was earning at BAe at the time !
@@MalcolmCrabbe Nice. It's like scalping, but for a lower price and a good cause.
I mean, building kits and selling them as built for the fraction of the price? I guess you've met customer demand for people that neither have the engineering skills to build a computer, nor to he money to buy it pre-built.
@@MalcolmCrabbe - Nice hustle and it was great you were making more cash than your main job. 😅
@@MalcolmCrabbe Which site was that ? I was an apprentice at Filton and during the same 8 week stint in Antenna Design I got one of the first ZX81 kits (which a more experienced engineer had to debug as there was an error in the build instructions) and watched the very first flight of the Space Shuttle on a half broken TV someone had brought in to fix in their lunch hours.
By December I was in a different department and my boss was interested in the ZX81. I took mine in, hooked it up to the departments TRS80 monitor and he was so impressed he decided that was what his kids were getting for Christmas. After phoning around all the local W H Smiths to find one who had stock he took the afternoon off and drove to Weston-Super-Mare to get it. He then discovered there was a design for a 16K RAM pack that was circulating site. However, with no equivalent of PCBWay he couldn't get a PCB so gave me the job of building one on Veroboard ! So I spent the last week of work in 1981 building part of his kids Christmas present. One of the joys of being an Apprentice :-)
I never did get a ZX81 RAM pack myself, as I soon moved on to a TI99-4A, but did spend £12 upgrading my ZX81 to 2K so I could type programs longer than the screen.
I had one for Christmas in 1981 at the age of 10. 40 years later I have a career in IT spanning a quarter of a century, and more importantly still a massive geek 😊
OMG - I have a twin :-D
Same here!
I had to buy my ZX81 myself. I got one when they were closing them out for $19.95. I had fun with it. Never turned into any career for me though. I think I might have been about 19 at the time? I can't remember it was so long ago.
First ever computing machine under my fingers (borrowed by a professional) and...oh boy those keys... moved to a zx16 soon after (it costed here in Italy one month salary of my beloved daddy)
It was really the start of my IT lifetime
A friend of mine got one for Christmas way back when. He got into programming and got me inspired to learn. It lead me down the path of buying a Sinclair QL - not too many kids at the time wrote school work on computers back then...
This was my first computer, which i got for Christmas in 1981, and spent the next week hassling my parents to use the tv for the computer, I ended up using all my Christmas money, and help from my dad to purchase a second hand B&W portable tele so i could use ii in my room !
It's amazing how expensive electronics was back then (compared to average UK wages), even for basic stuff like 14" b&w TVs.
The ZX81 was my first computer and the only reason we could ever get a computer... an amazing piece of hardware that still really kicks in the nostalgia like nothing else does.
My good friend had a ZX81 and soon got himself a ZX Spectrum and these devices were my introduction to computers and programming.
The ZX81 was my first home computer, it was actually a ZX80 that had been upgraded. Loved to use the 16k ram pack but always careful not to knock it as they always crashed easily. Lovely memories. Thanks Guys
I know a few people are saying they didn't like the banter but I enjoyed it. Great video guys.
Agreed. Whilst I was an early skeptic I'm coming around to it, especially with the innuendo dialed back.
Still have my model 😋 mint condition in the box, I bought mine when I was 10 with paper round money 💰 thats why I've looked after it so well, hard earned money
My first ever computer at the age of 4 (1981) and still have in my room today. Fond memories as I came home from playschool to play Space Invaders and an another side scrolling shooter game. In 1985 my brother and sister bought an Atari 800 XL which was an awesome machine I used for many years up until 1992 and still have today also.
"They can go into storage for when the world switches back to RF."
Now I know what a true retro enthusiast dreams about at night.
I recently had a fairly big project restoring mine recently, I found it sans casing and keyboard in a box at my Parent's house when cleaning things up. Decided to make a 3D printed casing and a keyboard using MX cherry key switches, found some ZX81 keycap stickers. Replaced the 7805 regulator to a more efficient switching type which allowed me to lose the large heat-sink, Upgraded the memory to 16k internally using a hardware hack I found online, gave it Composite video with a slighty different mod than the one you guys used. I could have easily just bought one for cheaper than all the work I put into it, but this was literally the computer that sparked my interest in computers, so felt it needed a little love.
I saw someone claim that since the output of the regulator was just 5V, they replaced it with just a USB connector for power. I can't vouch for it though.
@@wmcbrine That's so clever! You could even run it off of a power bank or the USB port on the back of a modern TV if you wanted to.
@@wmcbrine Suppose that would work and I know the current draw is not much. I'd only really be concerned if plugging it into USB AC adapter as those can be dodgy at times.
That 7805 sure got hot. That scrap of aluminum was not a large heatsink either. Not for how hard that chip was working.
My first computer , tip for anyone that wants to use one with the 16k ram pack.... get a BIG block of blutack you will need it , stick a lump under the ram pack and a lump under the rear part of the ZX ( I rolled it out into a "sausage" so it didn't wobble the case ) and press fairly firmly into the blutack ( with the ram pack plugged in so its all secure ) it you don't do this you WILL be playing a game and you will touch the computer and it will wobble the ram pack and reset the entire machine......... been there done that got fed up with it and eventually bought a Spectrum lol
Great restoration and review. As I live in the US I had the Timex Sinclair 1000. It is basically the same machine with NTSC and 2 KB or RAM.
There were two issues that I was able to fix:
1) It was famous for overheating so I went to a local metal shop and got a new heat sink created that is twice is long. There is plenty of space inside the computer and it made a significant improvement.
2) The RAM pack wobble was fixed by going to the same metal shop. I had the man cut down a sheet of stainless steel, not quite as wide as the expansion port. It was bent so that the stainless steel extended to the bottom of the chassis and was riveted on it. There was a small bent part that went inside the chassis about 0.5-1.0 inches that acted as a tension spring to hold the expansion module steady. I do not have the machine anymore. I hope that this explains what was done.
I got a ZX81 from a distant relative when I was a kid. It didn't work, and all I could do was peer at the components in amazement. Years later after all my engineering degrees, I remembered the ZX81 and realized I had the skills to fix it myself. But I could never find it at my parents' house. Watching this video brought back bittersweet memories :sigh:
ZX81 was the computer that got me into computers. I saved my $150 for computer, 16 KB RAM and some games. I ended using the computer mostly for programing in BASIC and machine language (yes, I poked numbers representing instructions into memory locations individually). I was a finalist in a science fair creating graphical represent of the gas laws (the user press keys to move a graphic of top of piston to increase or decrease the volume and the screen printed out the pressure in the piston) and simulation of a virus attacking cell. Thanks for an excellent video.
Way back in the 80's when I got my ZX-81, I opened the case and immediately modified the RF modulator turning the video output into composit. It worked great and it lasted for a very long time.
My dad started on a ZX81 before being instead offered a Spectrum from the store because the 81 kept failing. I remember one particular all-text adventure game I never managed to track down as to try on an emulator. The game name was a fictitious city where you had to escape over the city wall once you had acquired a ladder from a store. Before that something about a lamp in a sewer I think. To a rather young me it was amazing, like a book, creating the imagery while reading and typing those simple commands. That's how I learned to read English before we had it in school (not my native language). You already covered the most memorable games so I don't have anything else to add.
ZX81 started my interest in computers and a Software Engineering career to continues to this day. My Dad made a wooden clamp to hold the RAM pack still. RIP Sir Clive.
My First computer :) Bought it myself - Saved up for ages :) My Pals Dad had a Sharp MZ80K which was the first computer I used. BUT THE ZX81 WAS all mine !!! I cant wait to watch this... :)
RIP Clive Sinclair. Thank you for all Sir !
My first computer. Dad bought it for my 5th birthday. Loved coding in Basic (started out following those guide books for animations and simple games). Gutted when it and the Ram pack melted for no reason a few months into owning it.
Ah computers. Bring dejection to users for decades now. So much disappointment with them.
My first computer at age 21 was a ZX81 prebuilt. I “solved” my ram pack wobble with an elastic band. Incidentally I have a book-49 Explosive Games for the ZX81. My connection with the little machine continues as I have a ZX81 app on my IPad so I can have a bit of old style fun when I want to.
Enjoyed this one. The very first computer I had - I was given it as a Christmas present when I was 6. The fact that I've gone from Darlington, to Silicon Valley is down to this machine and the fascination with electronics it started for me.
I was given a refurbished one for Christmas last year. I still love it.
I got mine for Christmas, too! I loved that little computer. It wasn't the first home computer I used (my brother had a TRS-80) but it was the first one *I* owned. I'm jealous that you got a refurb model! They're quite expensive now if you can locate them.
I got a TS-1000 for Christmas in 1985 when I was in 3rd grade. It was a fun little system and I spend hours typing in programs out of books. Fast forward to today it is amazing what the demo scene has done for this little computer.
Two top blokes with two great UA-cam channels working together to bring us amazing videos. THANK YOU!!!
Hello Gents - First computer was a Timex/Sinclair 1000 over here in the US. My Dad got it for me when I was 13 in a supermarket of all places in 1983! I still have two of them, not really a complete kit but I also have the 16K ram pack. It started it all for me. Also had a T/S 2068 that I wish I still had oh well. Gotta give a huge thumbs up. I learned BASIC and machine code on it. Made some software and played games of course too. Great little machine. I even tried my own keyboard mod by taping keys from an old kids typewriter I had to it (lots of sanding and filing) until I got an aftermarket keyboard for it.
Manufactured literally 10 minutes walk from my house, in the Timex factory in Dundee.
This is arguably the first episode I watched that featured Mark, and I absolutely love him and the editing job done to make the video and banter flow. Wonderful work, as always.
Our first computer. Dad was the default computer teacher at his school so we did get e.g. a Commodore PET (portable) at home on loan for a while whilst he tried to stay one lesson ahead of the class, but this was the first one we owned. Yes we had the 16k ram pack.
My ZX81 is sitting on my bookshelf right next to a Raspberry Pi 400. I lived in Massachusetts at the time and purchased the kit out of the UK (of course). If I remember correctly the add was on the back page of an electronics magazine. I could have sworn that I ordered it in late 1980, though that was a long time ago and I'm getting old. I have 2 ZX81's, a Timex Sinclair 1000, a 1500, a Sinclair QL, a Timex Sinclair printer and a few RAM modules in my collection. Those were the days :-)
One simple hack on the ZX81 was to switch between FAST and SLOW mode multiple times. This would generate sounds on a machine that has no speaker. If you selected the sequence of FAST/SLOW changes correctly, you could play different notes.
Would that still work on a modern TV though?
@@TheTurnipKing I didn't get the details on the replaced modulator, but I guess that will be a problem for this specific machine.
With my grandparents' help, I bought one of these the summer of 1982. I used to have the 16k ram pack. I'm in the process of restoring it, as that keyboard ribbon tore, and I've lost the case screws. The guy at assembled it at the factory signed and dated the 7805 heat sink. It was assembled on Christmas Day, 1981.
Thanks for making me feel old, I was 25 in 1981. I bought the ZX81 kit for £79.99 directly from Sinclair and the wobbly 16k RAM pack and thermal printer from WH Smith. Soldering the chips to the board was pretty exacting work, I doubt I could do it now. Happy days.
When I was a kid, my dad and mom agreed to allow my father to purchase a Timex Sinclair shortly after they were released in the US. He was very excited and I remember when he hooked it up and loaded Flight Simulator, which I believe was the real reason he bought the system, just to play this sim. Between the RF and the old black and white TV we were using, I thought Load "Flight" said "Lord of Flight". It is great to see you get your model working and some games loaded, but you cannot really experience the Sinclair unless you program your own games from the Sinclair magazine. I would love to see you release a video of you trying to get a few of the games from the magazines programmed and working. I remember a version of Asteroids with square rocks which was still amazing because I personally keyed the program.
RMC with a ZX81 thumbnail. Be still my heart
I really like the back and forth between you both as you describe the work on the board, keeps it interesting. Great job guys
In the middle 80's I was at a concert where the lighting rig was controlled by a ZX81 through some kind of expansion pack. It was really fun to see the lighting engineer type the commands to load up the next sequence on the "horrible little keyboard" (his words, not mine!)
A couple of months later at the same venue, a different band was using a BBC micro to play the kick drum parts because the drummer was still learning and couldn't work the hi-hat and the kick drum at the same time!
OMG that was my first computer!! I paid $99 for it from my job at McDonalds in 1982. Over the next year I spent most of my checks on it!!! First I got a flat black and silver cassette recorder from Radio Shack. Next I got a 16K add on but it wasn't Timex's 16K block. Mine was form fitted along the whole back side of the unit. Next I bought a full size real keyboard for it that was a bit heavy in a metal case and sat right in front of the unit with a thin cable from it into the unit right above the 5 & 6. Next I bought the Timex 2040 printer and the last thing I bought was an io device that was form fitting along the whole back behind the 16K pack. I can't even remember what I got the io thing for? Then it all came to a stop in September or October 1983 when I saw a full page add for the Commodore 64 in a home computer magazine. I had seen adds before but it had cost $595 and I thought Id never be able to buy it. This was the same full page add I had seen before but across the top was something about a price drop to $229!!! I had at least $400 into my Timex/Sinclair and it could never be as good as the C64!! I remember the two biggest things that the C64 had that I wanted was color and sound (Awesome sound chip!). That is my story of loving my Timex/Sinclair 1000 to being all in as a Commodore 64 lover and my Timex/Sinclair being all boxed back up (OCD about taking care of all my items boxes!!!) and sitting in the back of my closet.
Wow! There were very few of these in kit form here in the USA but I bought one (well my dad since I was twelve and didn't have the just over $150 USD purchase price for one) - it was my second kit I'd put together with my father and it was great fun. I don't know where that Sinclair ever went to but a couple years later after I'd gotten my first VIC-20 I'd been able to get a Timex Sinclair from a friend who didn't want his after he'd "upgraded" to an Atari 400. Great times. I think I only had a few pieces of software purchased - the majority was from BASIC books either from the library or computer magazines at the time. The membrane keyboard made any sort of game play a bit difficult but heck it was a computer and that was something until color and more advanced graphics became more obtainable...
Sports-Style commentary is spot on ;-)
Almost feels like hearing a cricket or snooker match on the radio!
The very first computer I ever used was this little beauty.
First home computer - I used it to learn to program, play flight sim and yes, monster maze. I had the Memopak (16k) and I hated it when I sold it to finance an Oric. I still have the replacement I bought and it still works. Never programmed anything as much as I programmed my little ZX. Interested in Marks gadget though - I'd love to get the thing out and back in use
The ZX81 (or TS1000 as it's known here) is my favorite retro gaming computer. Especially with the ZXpand with its ram upgrade, reset button, and sdcard slot.
I had Timex 2048 ,loading games from polish tape recorder Kasprzak. Later upgrade to double floppy drive. It was in 1987. It was was my first computer..Beautiful times
Loved this episode, thanks guys! And love the ZX81, my first computer was a Spectrum later on but my friend's dad had a ZX81 and when I saw him play 3D Monster Maze my mind was blown.
My first ever computer followed up by a real keyboard and Ram pack, they used to run quite warm so I replaced the heatsink with a bigger piece of metal !!
Protip: there are dupont test cables with male and female connectors, they are excellent for testing and allow skipping the tedious part of cutting, stripping and tinning cables.
Said that, nice restoration.
It is so satisfying to see how cautiously you make computers repairs. Thanks !
I had 2 x 16k Memotek RAMPAKs and a Memotek keyboard. Living the dream!
Proper, proper nostalgia! I was 7 in 1981 & a family friend had a ZX81 he'd built from kit form. It was all baffling and exciting, as I'd never had any exposure to computers before that. I remember thinking it was a similar thing to what an electronics or CB radio enthusiast would have been tinkering with. I eventually got my own ZX Spectrum a few years later.
Awesome video, guys! I *REALLY* enjoyed it! I had a ZX81 when I was a teenager, here in Canada. I believe my big brother gave it to me (bought it for me?). The years have NOT been kind to my memory, unfortunately. I didn't have the RAM expansion, but, boy, I LOVED that little computer to death! That was my FIRST 'PC,' and I was OVER THE MOON! Before that, my only experience with computers was 'computer camp' up at the university one summer, when I was 10 or 11 maybe (maybe a little older)? It was a mainframe, of course, and you inputted data using punch cards. It was SOOOOO EXCITING for a little, geeky kid!
You would be amazed how you can get used to typing on that keyboard. I used to have mine just sitting on carpet, never really had to worry about the wobble for whatever reason. I would just swipe my finger back and forth over the surface, just briefly stopping and pressing slightly to get keys to activate. I could code surprisingly fast that way.
You can get used to anything I suppose is the message there.
Cool man !
Just going to mention wildly exaggerated "things" :
ZX81 Wobble thing
"Bag of cement stopped the Ford Capri arsing out"
"Spectrum games took an hour to load then crashed"
Mostly said by non owners of all 3 :)
They just wanted to "join in" on something they were never part of
I remember my brother welded each key to a second hand Amstrad qwerty keyboard, that was pretty clever.
You can tell what I thought of my ZX81 (which was my first proper computer after using my Grandfathers Tandy Scorecard) which I received as a Christmas present in 1983 (I was 10) as its final resting place was in the swimming pool in the garden (sounds grander than it was, it was a 5ft tall circular metal ring with a thick plastic inner which was dug into the garden, took ages to fill from the hose pipe) after I threw it from my bedroom window.... I hated it and thankfully Christmas 1984 resulted in the spangly new ZX spectrum which I still love to this day.
I bought one of these in 1981 after having a ZX80 the main difference for me was the ZX81 did fractions and the screen had a none blanking feature so you could see your program running.
Yes it had its faults but it got me started on a computing/electronics career which I have to thank it and Sinclair for.
This was my first computer, I did get the 16K RAM PACK, I was a very young lad and my parents got it for me from Debenhams, back then they had a computer sections. Had 3D maze and flight simulator and the chess game most of the time I spent typing in games from books. Actually sold it to a chap that was going to use it for accounting for his business, then I moved to Vic20 that gathered dust as I didn't like it much then I went ATARI 8-bit and never looked back. Had almost all the machines ATARI made. But I did like the simple ZX81, will get one again one day just to hang on the wall.
Never had a 81, somehow it makes me want to pick one up and restore it.
my dad made me a wooden board that my zx81 and 16k ram pack clicked into when i was 11 (1981), thing is i never heard of ram wobble until i was in my 40s so my dads idea fixed a problem we never knew about.
your show has gotten to the point where my scalp tingles when i watch you guys!
Blimey...I hope that's a good thing!?
@@RMCRetro it is i love your show!
3D monster maze was the first game we ever played, but I’d completely forgotten about mazogs. Ido remember we also had a star trek game too. Amazing memories
Back in the day the old RS Catalogue sold kits for the ZX81. A sound board and a Hi-Res board. Worth a look if you can still find an old 80's RS Catalogue.
Brill vid …..it’s the first home computer I ever used and it blew my mind back then …I’d love to own one now if I’m honest …beautiful design
Like many others, the ZX81 was my first computer. RAM pack wobble - arghhh. Luckily you're not trying to load and save games on tape - even more arghhh. But partly because it lacked colour and sound, it was easier to program than the Spectrum. As for games to play - I expect many of us typed in games from the magazines. And even worked out how to debug them. I used mine to write simple statistical analysis progs for my OU courses. The Spectrum was used nearly entirely for playing shop or mail order games, never did much programming on it.
I remember my first view of one on a school fair. Was instantly swooned i then became obsessed with news of the soon to come spectrum. The style of that case though I really thought it was the future. Thanks
The Timex-Sinclair 1000 was my first computer. I dabbled in machine language back then and had a piggyback device that allowed you to connect an Atari 2600 joystick with a little bit of code to use it in homebrew games.
BTW, I found this for your TZXDUINO. I can probably print one up for you if you like.
You can fix the keyboard membrane connection by trimming it with scissors, I've had to do it multiple times on the Spectrum.
I was going to say this... as long as the cable's not already too short (or maybe brittle with age), you can trim it repeatedly and reinsert it. At some point, it does get too short (ask me how I know).
I fixed the keyboard by grafting a surplus keyboard from Radio Shack onto my ZX81. I replaced that flat ribbon with a rainbow ribbon cable. It all worked great but spewed out RF interference. So it was not exactly an approved mod.
Neil is settling into the new cave quite nicely thankyou
The exterior colour scheme of red, white and black and flat touch sensitive keys is iconic.
I remember getting one of these for Chrismas, my first computer, classic, I also had a 16k memopak
If you can lay your hands on a sound expansion unit, you can have a lot of fun making sounds. I did, with my ZX80. (I actually was a teenager then, but please don't tell anyone :-)
Even though it was older than me by a few years, this was my first computer. I don't remember any games for it, as we didn't have a RAM pack or a tape deck. But we did have a chunky manual filled with code and we had to type in our own games on the thing... every time we wanted to play. We didn't get much use out of it before we got an NES and Amiga, honestly.
You two are always a delight to watch
Wow, I still have my one, somewhere in the garage with a thermal printer and paper! And a few accounting programs. Loved the episode, thanks guys.
What a lovely video. The ZX81 was our first computer, bought second-hand by my Mum. Type-ins on the ZX81 were fun... RAM Pack wobble was bad so I would just stick to the 1K games.
But the games were fun. Dodgems was excellent. We loved Rocket Man with the AMAZING graphics... when we could get the bastard thing to load. And when it DID load it would crash. Loading on the ZX81 was SO SLOW....
My first computer (aged 13) and Christmas gift in 82/83 by which time the ZXSpectrum had emerged but money was tight so my parents could only afford the ZX81. While my friends in school showed off their Spectrum and Commodore games I decided to getting the best out of what I had. I learnt BASIC first but was still disappointed, it just felt too limiting but then progressed to Z80 machine code which was liberating. I loved it and wish I could revisit those exciting days when the user and the computer felt more connected without the GUI, drivers and software interpreter creating fog between the two.
My only addition to your great video would be to say if you find a working ZX81, please, oh please add a heat sink with thermal paste to the top of the ULA. That chip runs HOTTER than it should and is a main reason most ZX81's died. Obv's it's a small case so a low profile heat sink is in order.
Here's a link to the Micro Men video, it gives a feel of the excitement of the time surrounding computing. Also there's a point where Sir Clive (Alexander Armstrong) recommends a runner bean sized piece of blue tack to stop the ram pack wobble.
ua-cam.com/video/XXBxV6-zamM/v-deo.html
Another great video. Thanks Neil.
Thank YOU!
Another excellent video and I was happy to see the ZX81 get some TLC. My ZX81 typically has a myriad of add-ons bolted onto it to the point where the only thing the machine is doing is running the ROM while everything else does the heavy lifting. The peripherals I use are the ZXpand SD Card reader, the Chroma 81 for RGB colour output, RAM and joystick port as well as the Quicksilva character set for their arcade games. One of which was featured on this video as it was wrongly described as a type in game of asteroids. Finally I do use a Memotech external keyboard to avoid using the dreaded touch panel thing that the ZX81 has as its primary interface.
i was born 10/17/80 and didnt have any computer till much later, windows 3.1 era. but now i have a vic 20, radioshack coco 2, ibm 5150, apple iie enhanced, trs 80 model 3 and a trs 80 mc-10 in its box.
My first computer I mail ordered from England. (came assembled). I wrote so many programs with that thing even with the glitchy 16k memory pack. I only had one program for it (a flight sim).
@RMC - The Cave
Neil, I think you should have a look at the settings of the noise gate you’re using.
I’ve been wearing headphones, and the first three minutes of audio has been very choppy.
Raise the threshold, attack, and release a little.
If you have the option for wet/dry mix at output; try 60/40 respectively 👍🏼
This reminds me of the TV show This Old House, but with computers.
Zx81 was my first machine. Exchanged for a Spectrum. Rampack wobble memories...
ZX sinclair spectrum and BBC Micro both are my favourite computers.
The ZX81 is oddly charming. Made way way before I was even born, so the closest childhood machine to it is Texas Instruments graphing calculators tbh. There's probably a lot of similarity between the two, like being monochrome and using very simple hardware.
Awesome episode guys… these repair to play vids are the best
Great to see. Got my TS1000 working a bit ago. The RAM pack is dead, but I got a chip to do the internal 16K mod. But at least I have a whole 2K to work with rather than 1K the ZX81 came with until I add the RAM. ;-) ;-)
Have to admit I am a bit surprised there wasn't a standard audio expansion back in the day, kind of like there is for the original Commodore PET...
"It belongs in a museum!"
I *knew* someone would get here before me! Curse my metal body. I wasn't fast enough.
My first computer.
I got sick of RAM pack wobble, so about 20 years ago I upgraded the internal 1K RAM to 16K and built my own composite board that sits inside the RF module, (after removing the original PCB). :)
Also, last week I bought a ZX81 clone, (Czerweny CZ 1500), from Argentina off ebay. It is in a Speccy style case with rubber keys and 16K as standard. It's a dream to program on.
BTW, Subbed.
Edit: You should play Seamines. It's very addictive.
ZX81 was my first computer here in the US (not the TS1000). What a great little machine. I got it mail order from Sinclair Research USA (I think they were in Nashua, NH). During the pandemic I wrote a ZX81 emulator: ZXSimulator (you can find a web version that runs in a browser...just google it).
As a teenager I almost published a game in 1983 with Gladstone Electronics (a US distributor of Sinclair stuff) but Timex pulled the plug that same year (I think they couldn't compete with Commodore giving $99 rebates for the C64 if you turned in your TS1000). I remember I was waiting for a contract in the mail and it never came. Game was Battleship which you can play on the ZXSimulator web page (batt_bas).
I also swapped out the old linear 7805 for a modern cool running DC-DC converter.
I had one of these back in 1982, being 12 then I was more interested in the atari vcs for games. Looking back now it was a bit of a mini marvel for what it was. There were so many home computers in the UK in the early 80's. I ended up with a Commodore 64 and later an Amiga. 👍
If you actually had an Atari VCS your parents must have been loaded. £27.99 for a Space Invaders cartridge in Argos back in 1981. I was earning about £35 a week at the time.
@@MrDuncl the Atari was second hand with a few games, later our local video shop started renting out cartridges Empire Strikes Back was a classic we would rent out
Nice vid. I have a beautiful 1 owner from new early issue one with no back porch, bugged rom, and the “piggy back” board that fixes the bug sitting over the CPU. It’s completely original and works perfectly. Also got a MemoPak 16k for it.
@14:08 I used to have that exact version of Space Invaders on my ZX81 along with a game called Bomber on the same cassette. Oh the memories! :)
wow zx81 was my fist delve into computers when i was 13
excellent video!
I bought a ZX81 in 1983 from (I think) Boots. I didn't have the RAM pack, but the wobble problem I had was with the power connector. Tapping the keyboard too hard interrupted the power supply, which wiped the memory and cleared the monitor screen. Intensely frustrating! Fortunately I changed job soon after and had access to a Commodore machine which lacked that idiosyncrasy.
Things you forgot to mention; 1. in the early 1980s even tuning the tele to pick-up the RF signal was a pain in itself. 2. The great programming guide that was supplied was a fantastic introduction to programming for so many.
Regarding the colour ZX81. I guess it was done using the same technology as the original arcade Space Invaders machines, put coloured film over the screen.
Actually no, it's done using the Chroma81 add on. www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX81/Chroma/ChromaInterface.htm