![Wayback Wednesday: Sinclair ZX80 (1980) [pic]](https://i0.wp.com/faildesk.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Sinclair-ZX80.jpg?fit=768%2C1059&ssl=1 "Wayback Wednesday: Sinclair ZX80 (1980) [pic]")
You know, what really does it for me is the JVC television it is hooked to. It makes this thing look like it is right out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Is that…an external memory pack?
In any case – I would totally use this today if I could.
| Firmware: | 3.25 MHz NEC 780-C CPU (copy of Zilog Z80A CPU) |
| 4K ROM, 1K RAM (externally expandable to 16K) | |
| Display: | 24 lines x 32 character text display |
| Monochrome only | |
| Sound: | None |
| I/O: | Z80 bus, 250 baud cassette interface, RF television out |
| Storage: | External cassette recorder |
via: [ComputingHistory.org.uk]
Specs: [Planet Sinclair]
I had one of those, and the next one ZX81. And you’re correct it’s a 16KB memory expansion. My ZX81 looked very odd, as I had sveral expansion modules hooked on the back, IIRC something like 20-30cm of squarish boxes making the computer look very odd…
The good old RAM Pak wobble. Watch 2 hours of typing some code from a magazine disappear right before your eyes. Right up there with “R: Tape loading error”. I used blu-tak (sic) to keep my external RAM in place.
ah newspaper fixed the RAM pack wobble a treat, going all misty-eyed here, also was priveledged to own a ZX81 and ZX Spectrum (48k)
I wish I still have the instruction sheet that came with the 16k expansion. It ended with some text along the lines of 16k is so large you will never be able to use all the memory but no prizes for trying! 🙂
I had (have) the Timex Sinclair 1000. Bought at a K-Mart in ’83, complete with the 16K memory pack. At one point I grafted a TI-994A keyboard to it in order to replace the membrane keyboard. Moved up to an XT with a monstrous 720K, thanks to the venerable 6-Pack Premium adapter card.