Documentary - The Sinclair ZX80, ZX81, and Timex Sinclair 1000

[@jgrimsley2000]

The ZX81 was my first computer. I can remember losing hours of coding because the crappy card edge connector on the RAM expansion. A friend of mine and I spent weeks programming a Pacman clone (I use the term loosely. It was hackey and buggy) for it back in 1982. We gave everyone a copy of it at our ZX users croup. A few years ago, I was playing with a ZX emulator, and downloaded a ZIP file of a 100 programs. One of them was my Pacman clone. I was thrilled to see that it was passed around and survived.

[@subscriber6181]

Really? Wow!

[@markjstradling]

you needed to blutack the expansion on and then DON'T MOVE IT.

[@GeoNeilUK]

@@markjstradling "you needed to blutack the expansion on and then DON'T MOVE IT." I believe it has to be the length of a runner bean... ..I'll get me coat.

[@m.k.8158]

@@markjstradling Either that, or you bought the later version of the 16k pack that had the TIGHT connector-it had longer contacts-and they were thicker as well. when you plugged one in-it STAYED on without moving. No crashes with them!

[@CatWeazle21]

the dreaded rampack wobble!

[@bruceyboy7349]

My family couldn't afford much when I was young. I really wanted a computer for Christmas and the zx81 seemed the accessible choice. £50 was a shit load for my parents to pay. I opened my present on Christmas morning and was elated. Then my dad got up and opened a cupboard and pulled out another present. I instantly knew what it was. I pulled the wrapping paper off - it was a 16k ram pack. That cost them another 30 quid! I burst into tears because it was a lot of money for them. 40 years on and I've been working in software development my whole life and have developed software in a range of industries ranging from art to safety in nuclear systems This is all because of that cheap and not very useful zx81 ☺

[@vanhetgoor]

Wonderful parents.

[@bruceyboy7349]

@@vanhetgoor Indeed. Selfless people.

[@angeldejesussanchezgonzale9968]

Amen for your parents

[@medes5597]

What wonderful parents. I remember realising my mother had gone into considerable debt to afford me a computer that was capable enough for me to do photoshop work. I'm still hugely thankful to this day. I can't imagine how much she had to go without in order to pay it off. It must have been *a lot*.

[@bruceyboy7349]

@@medes5597 Let's hope we can be as good role models 🙂

Had to come here to pay my respects, as a tech enthusiast, to Sir Clive Sinclair, who died tonight at age 81. We lost a pioneer.

[@niko5008]

:(

[@samuel-rodriguez_]

F

[@littlebiggame6916]

F

[@danek_hren]

F

[@tradingjack1555]

F :(

[@martinalexander4777]

Like many in the U.K. I wrote my first program in basic on a Sinclair. It was Battle Ships and took me months and months of design and hard thinking. As a result I got my first job at 16 as a computer operator. A career in programming analysis and management lead me to becoming a Director of Information in the NHS. All because of a £99 investment. Simply fantastic machine.

[@bengineer8]

Nice!!!

[@kevinison5539]

Similar story here. This machine was responsible for my career as a avionics hardware design engineer.

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

Exactly. The decades of income count as your Return on Investment of £99. Good Choice ! :-)

[@Tom_YouTube_stole_my_handle]

I do feel the NHS should budget for the purchase of a second ZX81 in 2020 though.

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

@@Tom_KZbin_stole_my_handle Such gratuitous splurging !

[@ChrisJSetterington]

These machines made it possible for millions of children to get into computing in the UK. I was one of them. At the time I was 10 years old and made money delivering newspapers. I delivered enough newspapers to finally buy the 81 and learn basic. It's limitations meant you had to be 'creative' and not just go with the flow. I did it on my own without troubling my parents, although they did help me go to night-class to study Computer Science as it wasn't even in the school curriculum back then. I was qualified in Computer Science at the age of 12. Yes looking back they were "calculators you can plug into a TV", but at the time they were so much more than that and they helped to changed a lot of peoples paths in life. Enjoyed the video by the way, just had to add a point of view. Thanks!!

[@BCThunderthud]

I bought mine with paper route money too, in the US. It was $150 from the back of Popular Science magazine, I could have saved by buying the kit. I was 12 and it was mostly a negative experience for me, I was never able to successfully load a program from tape meaning I had to write down and reenter anything useful. Prior to this a friend and I had been sneaking into a local university computer lab and using the Commodore PETs so I knew a little BASIC and had slightly higher expectations for the experience. It didn't help that the cheaper and more powerful Timex version came out soon after, I didn't really ever regret it but I wouldn't own another computer until 1995.

[@mapesdhs597]

@@BCThunderthud You guys are the kind of people I'd love to talk to some day for content for my web site about home micros of that era. The web is awash with tech info sites, emulators & suchlike, but I'm more interested in peoples' stories, how these machines affected their lives and future careers, funny stories, memories, etc. I've owned a suitable domain for a while, just waiting for family matters to calm down so I can get started properly.

[@GrantMeStrength]

In the UK, you have to remember that not everyone could afford a computer - the ZX81 made it possible for almost every one to have one. It moved computing from a niche nerd activity, to an household pastime. They were sold in Boots and WHSmith! They introduced an entire generation to computers, and their impact cannot be overstated.

[@coriscotupi]

I had a ZX81 back in the day. And then when I wanted a real keyboard, none was to be found commercially. So I ordered individual keyboard modules from a manufacturer - who found it very odd that an end user should want to build a keyboard from scratch. So they did this: they lent me a full design manual for their keyboards and told me to design the thing, printed circuit board layout and all, conditioning the sale to my proving that I knew what I was doing. I not only designed the PCB but also built it myself, from a blank double-sided fiberglass PCB. When I showed them my design (and the shiny new PCB for the future keyboard) they were so well impressed that they offered me a job (I declined because I was already working) and they even engraved every single "Run", "Dim", "For", "Print", etc, comand on all the keys. I went straight from the ZX81 to an IBM 4341 mainframe at work, returning to microcomputers, as we called them on those days, only a few years later when I finally bought a 386 PC.

[@KairuHakubi]

god, what a different time. th at's amazing.

[@MrDuncl]

Back in December 1981 I was an Apprentice working in a department in an Aerospace company where they had a top of the range TRS80 system; disc drives, printer etc. That system cost as much as a cheap car back then. I took my ZX81 in to show the engineer I was working for and he was so impressed that he immediately decided that was what his kids were getting for Christmas. After phoning around various shops and finding one that had a ZX81 in stock he took the afternoon off and bought it. Then having acquired the circuit of a 16K RAM pack he had me build one on strip-board to go with his kids/his present ! I never did get a RAM pack for mine moving on to a Texas TI99/4A when they were being sold off cheap.

[@klskloss6459]

That like the zx81 ?? Duh

[@AcornElectron]

Well done 🥇

[@bsharpmajorscale]

Dude, you should make a video or hit up 8-Bit Guy. That's hardcore.

[@alexander3554]

3:30 Putting the power jack into the wrong port will NOT fry something. The MIC and EAR port circuits each contain caps that will block DC power entirely. In fact, the actual ZX80 manual itself puts you at ease: "if you do get it in the wrong jack socket you won't damage your ZX-80 even if you switch on the power. It won't work until you get the plug in the right socket, though!)"

[@jensdroessler3575]

Willem Alexander Hajenius Opposed to that, plugging in the power supply into any of those ports while already being plugged to the outlet will short out the supply.

[@scythal]

@@jensdroessler3575 Short out the outlet? Don't you Brits have a power switch next to your power outlets? You people are weird....

[@McTroyd]

The Timex variant says something similar. I wouldn't have believed it at the time, but now that I know something about diodes, it makes more sense they could do that. Wonder how much trouble the voltage drops caused with the tape recorder connections, though.

[@steviehope7718]

Whats with the "you people are weird" crap??​@scythal

[@davelister8244]

The ZX81 was my pathway into computers when I was 12, my father bought me one for Christmas with his redundancy money, he figured he'd give his kid a chance. Here I am approaching 50 and a computer engineer. Great move dad. I can't speak for other countries, but in the UK these are iconic computers, writ large in our childhood memories and brilliant because it meant ordinary people could finally afford a 'real' computer. Learning Z80 assembler, losing hours of work because you breathed too close to the RAM pack, listening to tapes screeching at high volume while you waited 15 minutes for a program to load, these are rights of passage into the world of computers that younger generations will never know.

[@harryjones5260]

the zx81 was the marketers dream back when everybody, especially us kids, knew we wanted a computer, but most of us knew precious little about them. We were sold on those pre christmas full page ads, promising things that looked so futuristic. But really it was the fischer price of computers, and even then we were aware how a future progression was eagerly anticipated. I spent a whole day back in 1982 fruitlessly hammering at that membrane keyboard to try and complete a 1k program, but my dads humble 'investment' (a rare occassion that he succumbed to the pressures of commercialisation) has at least resulted in my eventual proficiency in my chosen digital field. Thanks dad

[@raybun4003]

Thank fuck we didnt grow up with that lol, glad you managed to enjoy it thoufh

[@richbuilds_com]

I made a successful career as a software developer starting out on a ZX81. Astonishingly capable machines all things considered - especially given a bit more RAM. You got a lot closer understanding about how computers *worked*. It's held me in good stead for nearly 40 years :-) In the UK there were a plethora of add-ons (some even stacking on top of one another to get round the single expansion port - very arduino ;-) ). You *could* get up to a decent coding speed on those keyboards, thanks to the 1 key-press keywords, but you'd never write a novel on it! (even though there were word processors written for it).

[@KonoShunkan]

I also pretty much had a career in IT starting with my personal ZX80 and later a ZX81 at one of my first jobs. I programmed the 81 to output specifications for the manufacture of custom contact lenses based on the formulae of an optometrist. At the same time I put together a network of Apple II's to manage an inventory database that I'd programmed. I think I did actually break down in tears one evening with the frustration of getting that to work!

[@DKGCustom]

I found some of my work on Spectrum.org archives and found people talking about it on other forums. It wasnt anything special, but nice that early 40 years later I did leave a small smudge on computer history

[@zerobeat2020]

Richard, I totally get you. I too can say with confidence that if it was not for the ZX81, I would not have have had a career in computing. Also, because you had to work with the limitations of it, you really learned to be a very canny programmer and I still benefit from that. Even today, when I get a chance to design and write software, my code is lean and fast and all thanks to a secondhand ZX81 and 1K ram. Without a doubt my all-time favourite computer.

[@absinthedude]

It would be easy to underestimate the impact these had in the UK, especially the ZX81. Disposable income was lower than in the USA at the time and the increased costs of the Commodore, Tandy and Apple computers were prohibitive even for "middle class" families. With the ZX81 most families could afford to buy one not only because it was cheap, but it hooked up to the regular TV and a standard cassette recorder which many households already had - or could buy much cheaper than the Commodore Datasette dedicated units. There were over 1.5 million sold, and the ZX81 was the beginning for a lot of programmers who would become important figures in the industry. The ZX81 in the UK came with a full manual and tutorial for Sinclair BASIC with the intention that owners would learn to program. Try programming a VIC-20 without investing in extra tutorial material! And even then the Commodore BASIC was full of pokes just to place a character at a specific point on the screen whereas SInclair basic had recognisable commands. The average 8 year old could knock up a simple game themselves with the '81. Everyone had a RAM pack after a few months too. For kids it was common to get the '81 for Christmas and a RAM pack for their birthday. Though there was even a full implementation of chess for the 1K machine! And 1K Breakout. Those after market keyboards and centronics interfaces for business printers were very popular in the UK and there were probably thousands of software titles available. There's still new software and hardware being made today in 2020. My original ZX81 is approaching it's 40th birthday (March 2021)...and now sports a modern 32K RAM pack with SD card slot.

[@CooChewGames]

The ZX81 allowed a couple of kids on a council estate,myself and my older brother, to get a computer; there were no shortcomings from our point of view. It was something we could code games into from magazines and poster games (large fold-out posters with some BASIC and lots of HEX to enter). It was also something that could allow us to buy games for a few quid. Playing 3d Monster Maze and Mazogs was an experience that few people can ever relive. It cannot be downplayed the affect that the ZX81 and Spectrum had on the market and accessible to those of us who would otherwise never be able to own anything like it. Providing a long-term career in programming to boot :-)

[@ELSTERLING]

I think the best way to sum up the ZX80 and its kin is 'proof of concept'. They served as demonstrations that computing could be brought down to a level where any old family could afford one. They handily showed that whilst the technology and fabrication wasn't there *yet* it wouldn't be long before cheap computers could be making their way in to the homes of people who wanted but couldn't afford one or could afford one but wouldn't try at their current price point. The result was enormous too, they basically started the huge microcomputer boom in the UK and Europe and created an entire generation of coders and gamers. As I recall in the mid to late 80s more households in the UK owned computers than any other country, though the competitors it attracted were global. The battle was fought between Amstrad, Acorn, Sinclair, Coleco, Commodore, BBC, Oric, Dragon, Orange, Tandy, TI, etc. and was so fierce that giants like Apple, Atari, IBM and Nintendo barely got a mention. Granted, Sinclair Research drowned in the very wave they created not long afterwards and Microsoft, Intel and the Big Blue eventually came around to affordable, gamer-friendly computing and took over...

[@MrDuncl]

Very well put. I also remembered the "computers per capita" statistic. Lets not forget the BBC computer education series kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKWwiHifeMmmnMU which was popular prime time TV, or the fact that Acorn designed the ARM processor family as used in about 99% of all phones including those from Apple.

[@HighlandMike325]

These machines helped to create a generation of future programmers. Absolute educational gold dust.

[@SilverSergeant]

Agree. I first learned Basic on my Z81.....I loved that machine.

[@eekee6034]

Create or torture?! I'm joking, the tutorial I had was really cool.

[@SoapinTrucker]

@@SilverSergeant Me too! 1983, I bought the ZX81 for $100 used! Couldn't wait to get off work to mess around! :)

[@NotGuilty93950]

Funny that those kids who learned their first computer with this computer are now in their 50s and 60s. I remember a older version with a really rotten keyboard made on a printed plastic sheet. Worse than a chicklet keyboard.

[@stevemichael8458]

@@NotGuilty93950 60s in my case. That first ZX80 was a good investment - an investment which has paid my bills for 42 years now :)

[@andresmchesini-remic9758]

My first computer was a Timex Sinclair 2068 my dad bought for $100 when I was about 6. He was an electronic engineer, and he even made a RAM expansion for it himself. It's a pitty he passed away almost 20 years ago and I cannot him about that, because I now realize he was quite a hacker back then. I guess I'll have to dig around old boxes in my mother's house and plug back in the old silver machine and go through his notes.... It'll bring back memories and i'll probably learn a few things. I remember the 2068 was so much better than all the other computers my friends had, even if it had chiclet keyboard, it had a very high resolution in monocrome, an extended color pallette, and it even had joysticks and sound. And the case design was beautiful. I hope you'll make a video about it soon.

[@andresmchesini-remic9758]

Also, I learnt to code on that machine, and now I work as DevOps in a big company, so I guess in a way, I own my whole career to that 100 bucks investmentmy father made more than 30 years ago.

[@dminalba]

The reason Timex went into a partnership with Sinclair to bring the Sinclair machines to North America was Timex's factory in Dundee, Scotland built the ZX80 & ZX81, Timex even built the ZX Spectrum in Dundee until Amstrad bought Sinclair in 1986 and the Amstrad Spectrums were built in the far east. Timex Dundee closed in 1993 but the legacy continues. The game studio Rockstar North formerly DMA design created Lemmings and GTA began in Dundee and The University of Abertay in Dundee has a thriving range of Interactive & Video Game degree courses which began in 1997.

[@joshuarosen6242]

All of this is well-explained in the excellent McManus Museum and Gallery in Dundee. If you are ever in Dundee, I recommend a visit.

[@RandomSmith]

I remember having the ZX81 followed by several ZX Spectrum varieties and playing the Game Pub Crawl

[@almerian]

Now to put all this in (a European) perspective. Back in the 1970's and the early 1980's, computers were a new thing. Only a very limited part of the population had any idea what you could do with a computer. The idea of having something like that in your house was at first a dream to that small part of the population, and the others did not even think about it. Then came the time that you could build you own computer, this was very expensive and required knowledge. Then came some kit computers, even more expensive. Followed by the big three (Commodore PET, TRS-80, Apple II), these were also very expensive. Followed by the Atari 400/800 with revolutionary sound and colour graphics capabilities, equally expensive. There were others, also expensive. Then came the Sinclair ZX80/81 offering capabilities equal to earlier kit computers and with BASIC and a proper manual at 1/20th to 1/10th of the price of other contemporary computers. Now that was a REVOLUTION. Sinclair put programmable computers in to the hands of curious ordinary people who could have never dreamed of owning one otherwise. And it set an example and brought prices down across the line by opening up a huge market. Followed by the ZX Spectrum and VIC 20 and later the Commodore 64, cheaper and price reduced Atari's, Acorn Electron, MSX, Tandy's Coco and the Amstrad/Schneider CPC.

[@cerveraoliver]

Great analysis!

[@crawfb]

Agreed. The ZX81 was my first 'real' computer and was a huge deal in the UK at the time. I remember going to a computer mart/fair in London almost wholely based around the ZX81 and it was packed with people and with a huge queue outside the building too. For my sins I worked on a computer magazine at the time and we printed program listings that readers could type into their Sinclair home computers. Happy, innocent days. :)

[@speedbird737]

Well said and spot on (I’m in the UK) and was wowed when I first saw the zx81 and Sinclair spectrum in use. This got me into computing! However I wanted a proper keyboard and was fortunate to be bought a VIC20 for Christmas (later a 64). By the way the 8 bit guy will ignore your comment and not even bother to respond.

[@soupdragon151]

Its true that the ZX80/81 were the first to begin the home computing revolution in the UK at least it was still a specialist tool that appealed to enthusiasts (trying to avoid the word "nerd" at this point) but it was arguably the ZX Spectrum that was the game changer to almost every household having one or at least wanting one.

[@collectivesartori]

Yes, it was nothing short of a revolution and the sense of excitement these primitive machines generated in those people who had never used a computer before but were intensely curious about them is a feeling that will stay with one forever. The real difference is between those who discovered a passion for computing through such simple, but programmable machines, and those that simply bought the early Atari game platforms, that plugged one into far more sophisticated game experiences, but none of the joy of programming.

[@robertooropezagamarra1428]

The ZX timex sinclair 1000 was a gift from my uncle to my father, from the USA to Bolivia, I was 9 by the time and made my first program in it, enjoyed it a lot, now I'm a senior software developer. Thanks uncle Hector and the cheap-o ZX!

[@DaveF.]

While you're not wrong about the criticism of their failings, I think it should be pointed out this is the context of their competitor products in the same price range. Of which there were none. You simply couldn't buy a computer as cheap as this. So, regardless of the limitations - these were absolutely the best machines in their class - and did help kick-start the home computer revolution in the UK. BTW _ I really do hope you manage to do a thorough look at the BBC micro range of computers - these were, perhaps, the UK equivalent of the Apple II - and were ubiquitous in UK schools throughout the eighties. - they're amazing machines in terms of their capabilities and expansion potential and deserve much recognition.

[@katharakis]

You are so right, I cannot agree more. But then it is understandable this kind of opinion from an American guy. The Sinclair computers did not succeed in the American market where Commodore ruled.

[@Nikku4211]

I think people were still not willing to buy a cheaper ZX81 over a VIC-20 or C64 because they thought they were a good deal for their price, especially with the C64's 64k.

[@AiOinc1]

Unless you bought something like a used pocket calculator which would have been dozens of times faster and actually been of use to literally anyone for even a single task

[@dunebasher1971]

By the time the C64 came out the ZX81 had already been replaced by the ZX Spectrum, which offered 48k, colour and sound. Indeed, the home computer market in the UK was dominated by the Spectrum and the C64.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Dave F The BBC computer by Acorn has had a huge legacy. Typing this on an upgrade of their custom CPU, now dominating in smaller computers.

[@sanctanox]

This brings back memories. The ZX81 was my first home computer in 1982. I learned to program Basic and 10 years later I became a software developer.

[@ianofliverpool7701]

You should remember Sinclair designed the ZX80 with introducing children from poor family`s during a bad recession to computing and it did that

[@nickfifteen]

I was born in 1982, and my family... well, I won't say we were POOR, but rather my parents tried their best to be as efficient with what little money they had. That said, we didn't get a computer until 1993. .... I would've KILLED for something like the TIMEX Sinclair 1000 back when I was a kid, I can't imagine how different my life would've been if we even had something as simple as that.

[@alankingvideo]

I was one of those young adults not children who owe their entire career, and very comfortable livelyhood to the ZX80 and then the ZX81.

[@AlexeyFilippenkoPlummet]

Looking at how limited technology has been at that era - having measly 200 bytes for your whole programs - I can't help but appreciate how good and cheap computing technology we have today. In fact, I have a fantasy of someone developing a super-efficient operating system for like cheapest Androids that would run at light speeds. I mean, if a computer in 1980s could boot the second you plug it in and do so many tasks, I'm sure a 10000x more powerful computer inside some crappy ultra budget phone could do so much more, if the operating system and software was created carefully enough. It's kinda like writing demos - they push the hardware to its limits, and I want such operating system that can turn a crappy cheapest 2023 computing devices into a space rocket, because it is possible.

[@timwilcox5158]

These two computers had a huge impact in the UK. My first computer was a ZX81 ( i still own one). This was a really interesting video. Extra credit for calling it the ZED-X-80.

[@miniroll32]

The ZX computers were what Ford Fiestas are to the car industry. Cheap, reliable, and often a first-time purchase. They're legendary here in the U.K.

[@PHSPictures]

The early ZXs were not reliable mate.

[@jonhall3151]

@@PHSPictures Neither were Fiestas LOL

[@PHSPictures]

@@jonhall3151 Hah. So true.

[@Halbared]

More like the Beetle I think!

[@bluebull399]

reliable?

[@MartinSidgreaves]

The Sinclair line were massively important in the UK in the early 80s. They were great machines for the time and opened up computing to so many of us. Personally, I learnt to code on the ZX81 and subsequently moved to the Spectrum. 40+ years later I am a professional developer who owes it all to Sir Clive Sinclair's vision and passion.

[@bborkzilla]

That board was laid out by hand on a mylar sheet using thin sticky black tape for the traces and black dots for the pads. It was usually laid out at 2x or 4x scale in order to make it easier for the board designer, then reduced to create the PCB negative.

[@vcv6560]

Quite common at the time, board layout systems (Futurenet comes to mind) we waaay beyond expensive.

[@singechamberlain2967]

Very good. I spent my whole summer working in a strawberry field to save up for a ZX81. It was amazingly exciting at the time, and taught me about computing. I later went to work on IBM mainframes and ended up owning my own ISP!

[@xTerminatorAndy]

I'm always amazed at seeing people actually downvote his videos. Why on earth would you do that. He's one of the few creators I really admire and produces top quality content

[@goodnightkiwi]

I owe a great deal to gratitude to the Sinclair ZX81. This little computer was my very first programming experience I had - which lead to my software engineering career that I have today.

[@bucketlung61]

I was really surprised to see the ZX81 compared to a cheap shopping cart. As a successful IT professional I can say that the ZX81 was where it all started for me. The fact that you did spend hours typing in programs and learning the basic language and machine code should be recognised as something positive. Yes, I had a Vic-20 and C64 eventually, but then it became too easy to load other people’s software and many of my friends never got beyond printing hello 20 times. They were glorified consoles with a keyboard which few people took advantage of. If you typed in pages of code and the program didn’t work, half the fun was in the debugging challenge. I didn’t care about sprites, colour and sound. Programming a game of Snakes from scratch using special characters was more rewarding. Coming from a low income family back in the day I will be forever grateful to Sinclair for enabling me to own a computer which put me on the career path which I love. One final point, when you had pages of code to type in, the shortcuts for the commands were really useful and saved hours of typing.

[@gonzalo1972]

Ian Osborne i still treasure those Sinclair User mags with the walls of text to type in (basic or even machine code programs).

[@bucketlung61]

Gonzalo Rasines I also used to spend bad weather lunch breaks at school in the library copying out programs to try at home. However, you are right, I kept the magazines and actually the ZX81 with its wobbly 16k RAM pack. It has a stick on raised keyboard and works as well now as it’s did when I got it for Christmas 36 years ago (I had to get it from the attic earlier to the amusement of my kids). My daughter - “Dad, what are they?” me - “cassette tapes” daughter “where do they plug in to ?” I’ll leave it there. ;)

[@joinedupjon]

Very superficial measures of 'goodness' are being used The assumption underlying these early home computers was that people were buying them in order to learn to code in BASIC and for that they were suitable- you're not really learning anything better by teaching yourself to sort an array of pseudo random numbers efficiently on a VIC 20 instead of a ZX81. back in the day it was a choice between ZX or nothing for most kids who's dads weren't in highly paying jobs.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

What the ZX81 taught me was that every bit counts. The limitations was very real and though a particular program could be simple to write on paper you often had to get very inventive in order to make it all fit in the available memory, especially if you wanted more than one or two rows of text output. Something that wasn't mentioned in the video was how basic programs were stored in memory. Instead of being stored as text the commands were given a single byte value. So a "Print" command was stored as one byte instead of five. So having the commands mapped to individual keys wasn't to make writing a program easy, it was to save memory. There were a whole lot of other tricks you could use to conserve memory. I remember using strings to store small integer values instead of numerical variables as any numerical value was stored as a floating point value taking at least 4 bytes, probably more. It's been so long I don't remember exactly. Once you had been thoroughly indoctrinated saving every single byte or bit became second nature. The modern way of programming being to just throw more memory and CPU power on it still strokes me the wrong way. The last holdouts are probably to be found in the Demo scene. I'm not sure how much of the scene is still there, but some years ago they were going strong and making some pretty impressive stuff. What I'm most impressed by is the 4K demo competitions. In 4096 bytes they manage to create some very impressive graphical demos. I remember one group who had their competition demo disqualified as by the rules they were not allowed to include music in their 4K demo. Now just remember that they did include a 3D engine, a lot of textured surfaces, lava effects and I think bump mapping. And still they found the memory to include music in a program of less than 4096 bytes...

[@speedbird737]

Well said but your comments will be ignored by the 8 bit guy

[@edhewitt2835]

I don't post too often, but this made me smile. I paused the video to go down to the basement to retrieve my Timex Sinclair 1000. It was my first computer, and yes it was pretty "basic" (I was struggling for a nice word). However it lead to computer science courses, a used XT and later 286, etc. I have for some reason, after multiple moves refused to part with the old Timex Sinclair. Sometimes it's nice to remember where you started.

[@mr-meek]

Last night my son picked up the Sinclair 1000 I have sitting in my office in a heap of old collectibles and he said, "What is this?!?!" Perfect timing! We're both big fans of yours. Keep up the great work :D

[@kevinstrade2752]

Any mature computer guy who knows about these computers and would acknowledge that it wasn't a joke. These computers were vital for putting computers in millions of Brits homes.thousands of British programmers started out on these machines. Britain didn't have the standard of living as most Americans back In the 80's. They couldn't afford expensive computers. Most working class Americans couldn't either ealry on. I think the zx81 is an ingenious device and amazed at what has been done with it. It was what it was and deserves respect for having an impact on the world computing stage.

[@Spookspear]

👏🏻

[@joeganbogan270]

british people have no rights

[@NaokisRC]

@@joeganbogan270 Americans have less rights than us. If you want to play that game. Or we could, y'know, be civil and not just insult others for no reason

[@NaokisRC]

@@SimonWoodburyForget The point wasnt that they were great, just accessable to many and even at the bare bones, it could let you program BASIC or machine code like better computers, which is far more usefull and career changing than sticking with toys. They did move on yes, but they may not have continued or even started if it wasn't for that initial kick start

[@Tahngarthor]

You all seem to be missing the credit that David indeed gave the machine for making computing more accessible. by all technical angles, the ZX80 was terrible, even for the time. But that wasn't the point, the point was, it was a computer and it was within reach of the common person.

[@terrycorbett]

The ZX81 was my first computer. It set me up for a life in IT hardware and infrastructure. I did some assembly language programming, a submarine game that was a little buggy but fun to play. The computer ignited my interest in memory, CPU and interfaces at the core. Yes, like everyone else, fiddle with memory packs, joysticks, a keyboard and even their crazy printer. It was fun and simple compared to the IT world today.

[@RedSkyHorizon]

The ZX81 was my first computer. I was 13 and dream't of having the 16k RAM expansion as all the cool games required it. Traveled alone down to Brighton some 50 miles by train to search the only computer shop in my area that stocked games for it. Unfortunately all required 16k. Needless to say I came home empty handed. :(

[@canadiansaabfreak6530]

My father had an US model ZX81 (still have it to this day). That's what started his computing career!

[@urbanagoge7598]

As a machine that made it even remotely possible for a poor family to own a computer in the UK, It was amazingly important - for a while the UK had the highest computer literacy in the world, all thanks to one man thinking about affordability for normal people rather than marketing it as a middle class toy. It was a game changer, despite it's many, many shortcomings - great video!

[@j0hnf_uk]

A case of something being better than nothing. And, the novelty of being able to make your own programs/games and load/save them on a cassette made it feel quite special. It also introduced a lot of us to BASIC programming. It didn't have sound or colour, but we could write our own programs!

[@johnd6487]

And now the UK presents the world with the Raspberry Pi.. we’ve always been a bit more about the bang for your buck than the glitz and the padding

[@Phenom98]

I'm a computer enthusiast and I have to say I'm not sure if I would want a zx80 better than nothing even back then to be honest... It is fucking terrible. It makes me wonder if it scared more people away from computers compared to introducing new computer users. While I do recognize it helped pave the way for newer, more advanced computers, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't adopt a technology so early, especially if I was broke or with not much money to spend.

[@henryokeeffe5835]

@@Phenom98 Exactly, you're a computer enthusiast, as a computer enthusiast you (and I) want better, but to someone who has never seen a computer before this was a revolution. Either you were interested in programming, "got it" and had the patience to use it or you didn't. If you didn't you waited 10+ years until they were user friendly. At then end of the day: (people who could afford to buy this over other systems)/(people who couldn't) > (people who could program on this)/(people who could *only* stand to program on the better machines)

[@BananaTV1978]

@@Phenom98 I can answer that... It didn't (not overall, maybe a handful of people). But look, I'll grant you that the Z80 had many quirks and faults and for sure if you had the extra money available then absolutely you would have gone for a PET or TRS-80. Similarly with the ZX81, there was the Acorn Atom which was more of a "typical" micro.

[@canaldapoeira]

Clones of these were the most popular home computer in Brazil. They where made by a company called "Microdigital Eletrônica". They where the "TK" family. There were many models, most of them were the same computer, but with a different case, keyboard, or more ram...

[@musashigundoh]

Russia had a massive amount of ZX Spectrum clones, with the most advanced of them sporting 512K or more of memory, advanced sound synthesizers, high-density disk drives and so on.

[@mtrivelin]

TK is the initial of Thomas Kovari, if i remember correctly. The founder / director of Microdigital company.

[@ronnylucas8857]

You can see one at 18:15...

[@wmoecke]

Indeed, but he is incorrectly showing a TK-85 as an "aftermarket case / keyboard). Somebody should give Mr. 8-bit Guy a nudge.

[@nosferadu]

Same in Romania, as a kid I had a ZX Spectrum clone called the HC'91 (made by ICE Felix)

[@nmosfet5797]

I think these were *THE* most influential computers in history - not only did they introduce a lot of people to programming, but the designers soon left Sinclair and founded Acorn. There they used their Sinclair minimalistic mindset and designed the Acorn Risc Machine: ARM which is now in your mobile phone.

[@mapesdhs597]

Interesting to ponder just how many people from that era, because of Clive's machines and others, went on to careers which were a direct path to the globally influential UK games companies that came later.

[@BOYD1981]

You're missing something else important Acorn did: design the BBC Micro which paved the way for a generation of children in schools for computer literacy and most likely gave many children their first experience with a micro which would have then lead to more sales of computers like the Spectrum and VIC-20 (as the Acorn machine was a lot more expensive) for "homework" and birthed the bedroom coders that would go on to form a major part of UK game development. But yeh, what was started with these simple little machines in the UK was hugely influential and important and the echoes of the micro explosion can still be heard today.

[@mapesdhs597]

@@BOYD1981 Of course the Atom and Beeb A came first, the Beeb model B being the main one used in schools, but yes it was expensive. Btw, re programming, the book that came with the Electron was very good, I went right through it. S'funny, I own about Beebs now. :D It's a preference contradiction that although I'm glad it was the Beeb that ended up in schools (far better for programming, interfacing, etc.), the govt subsidies kept the pricing high for an insanely long time, it just didn't deviate from 400 UKP for years, long after normal competition would have knocked it down a peg or two, but with the edu market largely sewn up, Acorn didn't have to. I think this worked against them eventually though, as they priced the Arc too high, nowhere near as many sold to schools as the Beeb. Before a classroom might have 20 or 30 Beebs, but with the Arc typically a school would only have 2 or 3. The supply of affordable newer machines moved to Amiga and Atari, especially the Amiga 500 and lesser ST. I have about 70 Acorn machines total. Main thing I want to do though is repair my original Electron. Surprisingly the ULA is fine, probably a dud RAM IC. Prize Acorn item is an Electron with Plus 3, Plus 5 and the Music 500 addon.

[@smorrisby]

@NMOS FET I totally agree.

[@MrDuncl]

@@mapesdhs597 I don't think it was just subsidies that kept it expensive. The people I knew who did buy them (like my boss at the time) seemed to think getting one would guarantee their kids a place at Oxbridge. Therefore, Acorn had no need to reduce the price. History shows they got it wrong with the Electron though. By the time that came out most kids would prefer a Spectrum due to the huge range of games available for it.

[@Harfinou]

Nowadays, I'm a computer addict. Because several years ago, a co-worker said he has "something like a calculator, but it's not a calculator" : I was o_O. He said more "you can do programming too" : I didn't even understand what's that... Then, we came to his home, he showed me the ZX80. Wow I was amazed, my eyes jumping out of my head ! It was evening, my friend went to bed, and I spent the whole night, trying to make programs... A few months later, I bought a ZX81, the "you have to make the solders yourself" model (less expensive). Since then, my mom became desperate because I spent hours and hours on my computer... Oh, we were in France, not UK neither USA ^^

[@doodemog]

Sinclair is why Britain has such a good computer game industry millions of kids learning to program on there machines

[@Cole-ek7fh]

Spamfitters learn to program, still can't pronounce words correctly.

[@BenjiMordino]

@@Cole-ek7fh Eh? They are the only nation that pronounces English correctly.

[@sundhaug92]

I think the BBC Micro is more the reason than the Sinclair, that was what was in the schools

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

@@sundhaug92 the bbc micro was used more for science, the spectrum's low cost and the ease of selling the ip of your game to a publisher at the time inspired millions of aspiring programmers to create really inspired and brilliant games

[@macnerd93]

sundhaug92 i have to agree the only good thing about the ZX Spectrum was its price. £125 for the Spectrum Vs £350 for the Cheapest BBC Micro. The BBC Micro had games like Elite which actually had 3D graphics. The Spectrums keyboard is pretty awful too compared to the Beebs. I love my BBC B, got one last week with the matching CUB Monitor and I couldn’t be happier with it. The spectrum only sold well because it was cheap that is all. Obviously, because of this it became a more popular choice for game developers. Reliability was an issue too, BBC Micros had a return rate of about 4%. The ZX Spectrum was significantly higher way into double digits of faulty units. Family members who were around at the time (I’m only 25 myself) all used the BBC at school and really liked it. If you had a BBC Micro instead of a Spectrum you were also seen as upper class apparently lol.

[@Xoferif]

Yeah, Americans don't get the Sinclair computers... The low price was the difference between a kid having a computer under the Christmas tree or a plastic rocket. "Proper" computers were simply beyond the means of all but the well-off minority in the UK at the time.

[@davefiddes]

Yep. The early 80s were pretty rough for a lot of people in the UK. The US seemed to be a massively richer country by comparison.

[@mapesdhs597]

@@davefiddes The ZX81 and others were a critical head start for many. Although I was an Acorn guy, the first machine I ever used was a Spectrum (well, technically a Pet, but that was a bit earlier and I was too young to grasp what it was). My brother had a ZX81, he did some amazing things with it, worked a lot with machine code later on. I had an Electron, ended up writing programs for my school, games, etc. The US market became dominated by the console wars, but the UK didn't really go down that route at all, it was much more about the battle of the home micro, where ordinary tapes were the main storage format. I only knew one person who had a floppy drive (a Cumana unit for his Beeb) because his parents were fairly wealthy. Everyone else had a mono tape deck (priced hiked of course with those stupid stickers that said, "Data Recorder", as if that somehow made them special). Price was king in the UK, that and not being released late or out of date compared to the other guy (which is what killed off what would otherwise have been the very awesome Enterprise 64/128). The strange part is I never really understood what people meant over the years by the 8bit crash of 1984, but from what people say it seems it was more a US phenomenon, I don't remember it being that bad in the UK in general. I think overall the video undersells these early Sinclair models somewhat, but I don't think one could really appreciate how important they were unless one was in the UK at the time and involved with it all. Schools may have had the expensive BBC Micro (ironic hurrah for idiotic govt subsidies stifling competition, though I'm still glad it was Acorn and not Sinclair that was chosen), but everyone I knew had a Spectrum, ZX81, C64, Dragon, Oric or various others. The range was etxraordinary. When I see articles/vids about the US market, the choice doesn't seem to have been as broad, and the console battle squeezed out what might otherwise have been a more interesting market. But then, maybe economies of scale in the US meant it was inevitable that choice would be narrowed much more rapidly than in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe it was similar to the UK but not quite the same, specific countries often had a certain brand that took off for whatever reason, eg. Amstrad in France did well IIRC.

[@davefiddes]

@@mapesdhs597 The video game crash of 83 does seem to have been more of a US thing. That said I had some experience of it. My uncle worked for Mattel building the electronics and games for the Mattel Intellivision in Nice. One day in the summer of 83 he showed up on the family doorstep in Edinburgh having been made redundant along with everyone else at that office.

[@mapesdhs597]

@@davefiddes Yikes!! Btw, I live in Edinburgh. :D

[@DanaTheInsane]

@@davefiddes Back in the 80's, we were.

[@JohnArnoldUK]

This was my first computer. Like the ZX80 the ZX81 was sold in the UK as either a bag of parts or a complete built machine. My dad bought the kit and I spent an agonizing 2 weeks waiting while he soldered parts to the mainboard, sticking my head around the door each night asking if he was nearly done. Eventually he finished and very quickly we realized that the 16k RAM pack was essential. So we bought one of those and like many others we struggled with wobbly RAM pack lockups. My dad's solution was to screw the ZX81 and the RAM pack to a piece of wood to hold them both still, which worked perfectly.

[@B3tanTyronne]

From the British perspective, the importance of Sinclair on the home computer market was huge - not only for what Sinclair research were producing but also for time they were producing them as the miners strike was ripping UK society apart (plans were actually in place should a revolution have started to move the PM into a nuclear bunker at Kelvedon Hatch- which is just down the road from me) let alone the employment shift from a manufacturing to a service employment market had started due to the Conservative Government at the time and the birth of the Yuppies. I received a ZX81 during Christmas 1983 and as much as I loved having a computer, I really wanted a Speccy and over the year I got increasingly frustrated with the bloody thing as the ram pack needed blu tack to hold the thing in place, if you typed too hard the thing would reset and mine was eventually thrown from my bedroom window into the garden, where it sank to the bottom of my brothers paddling pool - tad harsh maybe but it was soon forgotten when I finally got the system of my 11yr old dreams that Christmas - a Spectrum 48k and my love affair with home computers began with that speccy.

[@kaminutter]

The expansion port on the ZX machines allowed access to the CPU bus so you could expand it to 64K, add a sound module etc. And allowed the user to control all sorts of devices. A british retailer Maplins sold expansion cards which included speech, sound and input/output. With an adaptor all devices could be used on a Jupiter Ace.

[@mapesdhs597]

Ah the Jupiter Ace! That's a rare item. Good condition units in the UK can sell for many hundreds of UKP.

[@BlooMule]

Ah, 1981. I was 20 years old, working as a TV repairman and drove a custom van. I had built a tv into a cabinet with an icebox, and mounted the tuner controls back by thd bed. I put my Timex/Sinclair 1000 under the bed, and wrote a program that put a checkerboard border on the screen with my van's name, alternating with the van club name. People were amazed! I still have the TS 1000, as well as a TS 1500 "educational package" with special programs, docs, tape deck all in a custom case.

[@MarcKloos]

I have that 1500 educational briefcase too: beta.collectorsbridge.com/collections/sinclair-computers-and-clones/article/timex-sinclair-1500-2

[@Brookspirit]

The BBC film 'Micro Men' (2009) is worth watching. It covers Sinclair of this period.

[@AcornElectron]

Definitely, it dramatises quite a bit and its timeline is a bit skewed but it gives a real feel for the era.

[@RolanTheBrave]

Great film - Bilbo baggins before the Hobbit.

[@crimsonlion100]

can vouch, its a stellar film

[@MrDuncl]

Definitely. After watching this the bit that spring to mind is Clive Sinclair looking at the adverts for American computers and asking "Why so expensive ?". The infamous $£ didn't help. In 1981 a ZX81 was actually less money than an Atari 2600 which was £100 (source 1981 Argos catalogue), and that was before you started adding cartridges at £20 each.

[@GeoNeilUK]

@@RolanTheBrave "Great film - Bilbo baggins before the Hobbit." And the balding bloke out of _Pointless_ before he was a game show host. I believe he's from Alnwick.

[@Brookspirit]

A friend of mine had a ZX81 when they were new. They are basic but back in the day it was amazing to be able to make things you created appear on your own TV screen. We were just kids and spent ages making a really simple picture. Before this you only saw things on your TV that were broadcast by TV stations, or if you were lucky you had a VCR.

[@MrDuncl]

You would have been really lucky to have a VCR back in 1981. Even in 1984 £300 was considered to be a bargain price.

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

Yeah VCR prices were immense in the early 80s! Sinclair really broke the glass ceiling, allowing kids to be creative without limiting to the more well-off people in England, the only thing in the way was the skill needed to take advantage of the low specs of the Sinclair.

[@dotproductgames2771]

Thats the key thing. Until pong consoles, you only WATCHED a TV, and never did anything interactive. Then with something like a Z80, you could actually define what happened, however crap it might appear by todays standards. That was the leap of these machines, first just watch, then interact and finally actually take control and CREATE

[@jackryan152]

ZX-81 was my first computer. I assembled it from a kit. I learned how to solder as well as program with it. I grafted 96K on to it and I wrote a pseudo multi tasking OS for it. I had a Disk Drive as well as an Exatron stringy floppy for it. I had a 300 baud modem and both a full size printer using the memotech centronics interface and the ts2040 thermal printer. Mine lived in a suntronics keyboard and I had a real crt hooked up to it. I loved that machine. I have never felt that I knew as much about any other machine I have worked on since.

[@MarcKloos]

You spent quite a bit of money upgrading that thing! 👍🏼

[@bsvenss2]

I remember building my ZX81 as it was yesterday. I remember the late nights, tuning in BBC on the radio and record the programs they where sending for the ZX81 over AM. I remember the hundred of hours typing in assembler and then lying in my bed letting the speech synth I've built read all hex codes while I validated to see if I've made some typos. ZX81 was my first true "computer love".

[@valley_robot]

Infinite loop fucking hell mate, you were a genius back then

[@exidy-yt]

The Beeb broadcast programs for the ZX81 over the air!!?!?! That's absolute genius forward thinking for the time! Even more impressive is that the BBC had their own PC, the BBC Micro I believe it was called? And they didn't stream programs for their own machine over the air, they did it for the far more popular Sinclar. THAT is more impressive then the entire Sinclair computer lineup.

[@bsvenss2]

Exidy YT Well, I bought my ZX81 kit in February 1981 directly from Sinclair in UK. The BBC Micro wasn’t released until December the same year.

[@exidy-yt]

@@bsvenss2 aaah, cool. Thanks for clarifying. Not being from the U.K. I don't have the system release times down pat. I wasn't sure if the ZX 81 came to market before the BBC Micro or not. Here in Canada our choices (from department stores like K-Mart and Woolco, or else Radio Shack) were pretty much the Atari 400, Texas Instruments TI 99/4a (which had the biggest, most badass floppy drive you've ever seen), TRS-80, Apple II (from more upmarket computer stores) or Commodore VIC-20 pre-1982, and add the C-64 and Atari 800 after that until the 16-bit era began.

[@Stintfang]

I started with the Sinclair ZX 81 when I finished my military service and had my final salary in the pockets. It was a demanding task to program it and then save a program to cassette recorder. You forgot to mention in your video that it took ages to load or save a program. Unfortunately the 16-K expansion was not very stable. When you pushed too hard on the keys it bent the "motherboard" for a second meaning that your program immediately got lost. My brother just tried to type a chess program in that was printed in assembler code in a magazine. He spend hours before he could save it, a push too hard and his work for one hour got lost.... you will never forget your first computer. Before I could afford a Commodore C64 I used the ZX81 a lot, buying cassettes with commercial software, expanded it with a external keyboard. And of course I owned that strange "printer" which burned my listings and grafics on special metallic paper... However, this tiny little thing brought me into the addiction to approaching private computeering and paved my way into future professions.

[@smigusdyngus3579]

Awesome. I was one of those people you mentioned who got into computing because of this machine. I got to teach myself BASIC, etc. It was the "gateway" PC! Thanks for making this. Lots of memories.

[@stephenrogers7886]

Please don't be too hard on the ZX computers, back in the late 70s early 80s the UK was not in a good place just getting them manufactured was a big deal and it did help a lot of people get into computing in the UK. And the ZX80 in kit form was trying to get people into electronics as well. When my weekly take home pay was just £30, the price ZX80 was just affordable.

[@gonzalo1972]

Stephen Rogers i didnt enjoy this video. He was complaining and making fun of this piece of art, all the time.. He didnt realize the important role of sinclair products in home computing history

[@brookewestonctc]

My first computer was a 48k spectrum, later I got a 128k +2A. It was an excellent computer, but was scuppered by not having hardware sprites, meaning the graphics were always worse on a spectrum than a C64 or Amstrad (the main 8-bit competition). The ZX81 was a very poor computer and was not up to the standard of its competition in any respect. I have no doubt that the video on the spectrum will be a lot more positive than this one.

[@dlarge6502]

@@gonzalo1972 I dont think the Timex machines had much the same effect in the US as the Sinclair ones in the UK. The US was totally hooked on games and consoles and the cooler (possibly richer) kids had the much more capable computers. In the UK the Sinclair machines started a whole revolution of average adults being able to afford a computer and younger kids jumped eagerly into the pool. Personally I wouldnt call the ZX80 a piece of art by itself. Its really pretty basic and nobody that bought one had any clue what it really was for, but the real achievement is in how the desire for computers was seeded by the ZX80/81 due to how cheap they were. It was made so cheap so that people on the street wouldnt need to think too hard about having one just because they have been told it will be good for them, even though it really didnt do much at all till the upgraded versions came out.

[@MrDuncl]

Apart from the Pong Type games, Games consoles didn't catch on in the UK because they were too expensive for what was thought to be nothing but a toy. As I have put in a different post at launch the ZX80 cost the same, or as a kit less than, an Atari 2600 which would then need £20 cartridges to be of any use. Looking at some 1980 adverts the next cheapest fully built computer I could find was a bottom of the range 4K TRS80 at £288. I don't recall the Vic20 being soid here until a around the time of the Spectrum. Later the C64 then the Amiga were a big success in the UK, for exactly the same reasons as the Sinclair Computers "Computing for the masses not the classes" as Jack Tramiel once said.

[@makers_lab]

@@gonzalo1972 Exactly, but 8BG presumably wasn't a kid in the 80's so can't appreciate how huge a deal the machines were at the time. I remember going with my mum to take out £80 from my TSB savings account to buy the ZX80 as a kit and learnt loads. Was soon writing Z80 code, non-flicker games, a stock control system for my neighbour to manage his business with on a ZX81, and lots more. Progressed to a BBC B a while later, but ZX80 was instrumental in getting me started and satisfying the passion to code.

[@sambrown9494]

Lovely video. Its worth mentioning perhaps that the whole experience at the time was far different to ours looking back from the 21st century. You made the machines do far more because its all there was (for many of us) - and it took you into a world of "what if". Spectrum was the same - the culture and atmosphere around it was as rich if not richer than the machine itself. A bit like box art on old games - it fired off the imagination and that was half the battle won. We didn't know they were "cheap". We only knew they were magic boxes of infinite possibilities!

[@Aaron628318]

I remember when one of my school teachers started a computer club because he'd come across the ZX81. I wasn't quite sure what it meant, but somehow I knew it was my kind of thing. That moment when I saw that you could type in instructions and see the computer follow them was one I'll never forget. Needless to say, I work with code.

[@wobblyrampack9655]

Does highlight how the US and UK (and Europe) had different experiences in the 80's regarding 8-bit computing. Early 80's US computers were WAY too pricey in the UK for 99% of families. Even Atari VCS consoles were too expensive for the vast majority. Sinclair with their ZX81 (and most people went for the RAM pack I think) allowed UK kids to get a computer, learn coding, and play/write games if they wanted too (mail order games from individuals/small companies were big even then). Many of those kids are still coding now and making money at it, thanks to Sir Clive and his incredible focus on making a computer that was finally affordable to the masses in the UK.

[@ab8jeh]

@Nigel Cam yikes. Well there's a good reason many games companies are still based in the uk.

[@DeepspaceHorizon]

ZX81 was my first computer, programmed it mostly in assembler for speed reasons. Had no assembler, just a small program pokeing hex values into memory. That was big fun... Many thanks for posting this great video!

[@jaysinha0]

My first computer too. Debugging assembly programs was a nightmare because of the lack of an assembler. Typing just one wrong character while POKEing would cause failure.

[@zUltra3D]

"People realized they could buy the Sinclair unit for 50 bucks and then trade it in for a $100 credit on a Commodore" *s t o n k s*

[@AllGamingStarred]

so...they downgraded from a machine that has passable graphics to a machine that has no built in commands for said graphics,a slow disk drive and a shit ton of poke commands? Give me a speccy 128

[@audiodood]

stonccs

[@Tahngarthor]

@@AllGamingStarred I mean the units in question didn't have disk drives at all. And even the VIC-20 had more RAM than a stock ZX 80 or 81.

[@jason50146]

I recall Bil Herd saying there were Sinclairs all over the C= office. He pulled Z80 CPU's from them for the 128 prototype boards.

[@AndrewHalliwell]

@@Tahngarthor ah, but it only had 3.5k and cost 3x as much. Added to that, the 6502 was more memory hungry... Meanwhile, the spectrum had 16 or 48K and even the 48k model was cheaper than a Vic and a hell of a lot cheaper than the commode 64 on release. A year later it was even cheaper.

[@lordmikethegreat]

One correction... there was a thriving 3rd party software market for these machines, but only in the UK. American users were stuck with Timex titles or games ordered from the very few magazines available.

[@hansoak3664]

I am a Timex Sinclair 1000 (with 16K RAM module) user from back in the day. Awesome video, 8-bit Guy.

[@Sighman]

I started with the ZX81 in 1983. Almost 40 years later, I'm still a programmer by trade (amongst other things.) Most vivid memory was typing in a 16 page hex listing for ZX81 defender style game. Took me about 3 days I think. I still have all my old Sinclair Programs and Crash magazines too ;-)

[@petercarlsson6606]

ZX80 was a revelation when I saw the advertising in a magazine. That's when the dream of a real computer became more than just a dream. It had a really good manual, and you could learn to program on it. You could focus on that without the distraction of games and graphics. It was magic, so please don't dismiss it.

[@brianlee2878]

Peter Carlsson . Glad that you mention the good instruction manual. I got a really good grounding in BASIC on a ZX 81 and I think that enabled me to understand machine coding more easily. I shudder to imagine how far I wouldn’t have got if the manual had been a Chinese translation!

[@AllGamingStarred]

@@brianlee2878 Did any of them make it to china?

[@vanhetgoor]

The Sinclair ZX80 is a real computer, I lost my original one, but I bought another back.

[@AndrewBoundy]

I had an ZX81 in 82. A very important and fun piece of tech you had to be there for to appreciate. It started my "abilities" with computers which have helped me massively throughout my career. Computing skill is ubiquitous now I suppose but since 87 I have been promoted because I "knew computers" more than once. Thanks Mum and Dad! Oh and the 16K Ram Pack was a freaking nightmare - look at it and you loose your code!!

[@JanBruunAndersen]

I echo the sentiment of many of the people here. You are too dismissive of what these small wonders meant to early European computer geeks. I still remember the evening when the teacher of our electronics class brought his newly assembled ZX-80 machine with him and showed what it could do. Not much by today's standard, but plenty enough to make me dream of a career in computer science.

[@zerobeat2020]

Jan, I totally agree. My first computer was a second hand ZX81, which I could by from my pocket money. It was brilliant. I ended up studying computing and I am now a senior IT professional and I love my job. If it wasn't for the ZX81 I probably would never have considered a career in computing.

[@AndreiNeacsu]

The official and unofficial Spectrum clones in all of Europe are responsible for half the software industry we have today. That is a FACT! Software companies were made, computer science classes were created, and programmers were trained on those computers and their clones. I started programming on a more advanced ZX Spectrum clone and it was interesting to discover and use the capabilities beyond the original machine. Many others did the same. Due to Sinclair and their line-up of machines, people were building their own computers and ROMs in their house or workplace together with their colleagues and children. The importance of Sinclair and Acorn computers can not be understated.

[@lepidotos]

From the American perspective, these things are utter junk. I'm sure that the (from the sound of some of these comments, Tijuana-level) economic state that the UK was in made it an attractive option *over there*, but the US was doing pretty good for itself in 1982, when the Timex S1000 launched. In 1982, if you wanted a home computer, you *could* get a ZX80 for $149.99... *ooooor* you could get a VIC-20 for $299.99, which would be maybe a few more months' worth of saving up. Or a TRS PC-1 for $230, with 8K RAM preinstalled that *wouldn't* fall off the back of the unit. Or someone's old PET or Apple II for less than they were new.

[@markrichardson1177]

For computer camp in 1984- yes, I went to a serious nerd cred camp instead of traditional summer camp - my parents had to buy a Timex Sinclair 1000 bundled with the ram expansion, printer and cassette player. I remember the bright sticker on the package read "16k More Ram than you will ever need!"

[@s.patricktoman8301]

My father, back in 1982 took a mail order course on how to use a computer for business and was sent the study materials and a Timex Sinclair to work on. Afer his course was done I inherited the machine and used it to type in those long basic programs in the back of the magazines that were out at the time. I was amazed at the time what you could do. Now I look back fondly!

[@peterfielden-weston7560]

Good episode, though I think you made light of the impact the the ZX80 & ZX81 actually made on the home computer market in the UK. In schools the Research Machines computers held sway until the BBC micro took over, but, most households didn't have the disposable income to afford these much more expensive machines. The ZX80 / ZX81 sparked a bedroom industry coding games and utilities, starting many on their IT careers. I haven't heard of any ones career being harmed by starting off with either of these machines, but, given the attitude of the BCS at the time, it is certainly possible.

[@needlesandsonics5819]

My first computer was a Timex Sinclair 1000. Got it in a yard sale for 10 bucks with memory cart and some cassette games. I learned to program BASIC on it and while I never went into IT, I kept up with programming to understand how things were made. The Sinclair brought computing and programming to so many people that otherwise would have never been able to afford it. It’s that little machine that changed so many lives. We could look back now and say say bad things because of our obsession with bigger, better, faster but how many things were created by people who started out dirt poor with something like this? That makes this not a joke, but revolutionary. I’d like to get my hands on another one because it opened a whole new world to me.

[@WeeInnovate-uk]

RIP Sir Clive Sinclair, a fantastic engineer. He was (despite the C5 failure), also a resourceful businessman, and I can happily relay a story I heard from a former lecturer in the early 90’s. Back in the early days of the zx series, he bought faulty memory chips at a bargain price and printed circuit boards to take advantage of the working parts of the chips. This was done as they had 4 banks of memory per chip and several chips could be utilised making use of only banks 1 & 2, banks 3 & 4, and so on. Very impressive and quite an inspiring engineer… we need more of them.

[@longago4049]

The Timex Sinclair was my first computer, and it changed my life. It was a great learning tool.

[@Robert-nz2qw]

I started on a ZX80 that a friend of the family loaned me when he got tired of it and had updated to a ZX81. This was in 1981, I was 11

[@IraQNid]

I still have my Timex Sinclair 1000, 1500, the 16 K RAM module for the 1000, several program tapes. I loved how I could type in the programs found in computer magazines to run them. Go over to my friend's houses where they would have an Apple or a an Atari or even a Commodore. We could learn from each other, try out our software on each other's computers, play some games, try to work out some programs of our own. There was a floppy drive developed for the Timex Sinclair but I don't know if it was for the 1000 or 1500 model. I also remember there was a pass through port design allowing people to stack different modules end-to-end vs being stuck choosing one expansion module or peripheral over another. I do have to wonder if your bias for the Commodore 64 hasn't colored your review of these marvelous little computers. I noticed how you spoke more favorably of the C-64 when using it in comparison to the Sinclairs. They are real computers. Just not the sort you obviously prefer.

[@daishi5571]

ZX81 was my introduction to computers. I saw it in an electronics store in the window and when I asked the guy how it worked he tried (poorly) to explain programming. I looked at him and said, so I do something on this (pointing at the keyboard) and it appears on the screen, he nodded and said yep and I was sold. I made a ZX81 from a kit (on my parents kitchen table) you could order because It was a bit cheaper (I was a kid)

[@richardkelsch3640]

The important thing for me with the ZX81, was that it was sold as a kit. It was my first computer, and I built it myself.

[@StephenSE9]

ZX81 was my first computer. My parents bought me it in 1981. They bought me the expansion pack too. Had to use a Ferguson Thorn tape recorder to save my files. It all began with a magazine advertisement for the ZX81. I cut it out and imagined I was using it. Then I joined the school's computer club and have been interested in computers ever since, sadly I couldn't take it up as a career as I chose to go down the finance route. All I have is fond memories of the Sinclair ZX81 and the school's computer club. Incidentally, I have fallen in love with your theme tune, Morning Dew (Anders Enger Jensen). Thumbs up for this video. You said there would be one on The Spectrum... I'm going to end now by asking if you saw the BBC docupic about Sir Clive Sinclair, played by Alexander Armstrong, on how he tried to win the bid against The Electron team to bring computers to schools? It's called Micro Men (kzbin.info/www/bejne/jomlqYlsYt-Uo68).

[@MadMorgie6318]

"You might think 'slow mode' sounds like a disadvantage over something that's fast, at least in the world of computers." I see what you did there, David.

[@paulsmith3583]

You weren't there man.... You wouldn't understand! Learning to code something meaningful in only 1k of RAM is the most frustrating, challenging and joyful things I ever did.

[@mapesdhs597]

My older brother had a ZX81, then somewhat later our Dad bought me an Electron. For all that the latter was a far more powerful and capable machine, I was amazed at what my brother was able to do with machine code on his ZX81 (he had to learn Z80 in order to be able to create anything significant), and as others have said the discipline of the limited RAM did enforce efficienct coding (though he did have the RAM pack, sans the occasional shout from his bedroom when a wobble would wreck what he was working on. :D) I did learn 6502 later and it led to my going to uni to do computer science, which led to the world of SGIs, but I can certainly understand why the ZX81 and its ancestor kick started the careers of thousands in equivalent ways. I remember my brother once wrote a game which had a simple sideways-view cityscape skyline, ie. columns of different height for the buildings. An "aircraft" graphic would come from the right and move across the screen, getting lower on each pass. I recall him working on how to detect when it would collide with a building. Something we did frequently was discuss and share ideas on how to solve problems like this, despite having different systems. And 3D Monster Maze on the ZX81 is awesome. :)

[@whitesands928]

paul smith I agree Paul, back then the hunger to be able to have a computer no matter what it could do or not was like needing another fix. 😂

[@FormulaFanboy]

I personally think restrictions/limitations are a blessing in disguise.

[@pametnaradionica]

ZX80 was my first computer, bought right away as it came out. When I laid my hands upon it`s majestic white casing I was EIGHT years old! I did not have a suitable cassette recorder at hand and I`ve jacked upt the family TV, coded in "brickout" from a computer magazine AND DID NOT LET ANYONE SWITCH THE BLOODY THING OFF for two days. While I played. I even slept keeping sentry over it. This immediatelly led to a "family decision" to purchase a small TV and a small, secretary type, cassete recorder, since no one could use a family HiFi too. (I`ve also jacked up a cassette deck too. For azimuth mismatch reasons, it did not work well, and my dad went ballistic whem I`ve approached the deck with a small adjusting screwdriver.) Two years later I got a 48K Spectrum, and the rest is history. I`m an EE now and I daily work with various laboratory test and measurement equipment, here in Belgrade, Serbia, what then was Yugoslavia. I pity my nine year old kid for not having that kind of challenge, so he`ll have to find another. :)

[@thescreemregular5168]

Comment

[@ianedmonds9191]

The ZX81 was the first computer I used. My dad worked for Timex Dundee where they were making them. He brought home an engineering sample and spent a bit of time trying to program it. I was fascinated. I eventually learnt to program on a spectrum engineering sample and I'm now a professional software developer. Spectrums and even ZX81s made Britain a beacon in programming and computing since the 80s. Tons of kids had a career laid out for them as a result of exposure to these cheap computers in the 80s. They were fantastic. Luv and Peace.

[@MarcKloos]

For some reason when I think of the workers at Timex Dundee, I always think of women assembling them, never men. Must've been the photos that I've seen, dotted around the internet.

[@yereverluvinuncleber]

ZX80 was a superb system for its time. Taught me everything I needed to know.

[@wesleymays1931]

Such as what to look for in a computer, how to not get ripped off, etc.

[@streetsafari0]

My grandfather bought the zx80 when it first came out and proceeded to write his ownwage roll program for his factory.

[@danaeckel5523]

I wonder how many other companies had computers like the ZX-80/81 for part of their daily operations.

[@spamcrud5639]

I was doing my first job as a newly qualified NHS doctor at Christmas 1980 when the ZX80 came out. It was the only computer I could buy without going into debt. It showed me and many friends and family what a computer and programming actually were and gave me a welcome relief from the hell of 1980s NHS 80 hour weeks.

[@chaos.corner]

The ram pack was standard (I had a 64K one). Make no mistake, these were simpler computers but they were no joke. Many people got their start on these, including many who would go on to be players in the industry. Affordable computing was a game-changer. It's also important to bear in mind asymmetry in the US/UK system. Although the exchange rate was around 2:1, US computers in the UK would cost a lot more than the exchange rate would suggest (currently still the same for games, I believe). An affordable computer in the UK was thus a pretty significant thing.

[@pinback667]

The RAM pack wasn’t standard, the base machine was 1K, for £69.99, and the 16K RAM expansion was £49.99, as was the little thermal printer. I recall trooping to W.H.Smiths to buy them!

[@MrDuncl]

@@pinback667 And at the same time an Atari VCS was £99.99 and the Space Invaders cartridge £27.99 in the 1981 Argos Catalogue. You could have bought an awful lot of ZX81 games for that.

[@MontieMongoose]

4:41 - Chip? I believe they call them Crisps in the UK.

[@IBrianrish]

Yes they do mate and that's why I am commenting on this becasue I am from around that way :-)

[@BertGrink]

hahaha

[@Cole-ek7fh]

MontieMongoose we call them chips in the land of victory.

[@MontieMongoose]

@@Cole-ek7fh For sure.

[@sentry4944]

Microcrisps.

[@sivagurumudaliar1246]

ZX81 was my second computer and it was awesome at that time. I assembled it from a kit ordered from UK. It was easy to enter Basic instructions and files were kept in cassette tape. I had many hours of programming on it. It was a good intro to computing on a small budget. Those were the days when you learnt hex, machine code on the Z80.

[@DavidBrown-in3oj]

My first PC was a Sinclair 1000 with the 16k expander. I remember playing bowling on it off a cassette tape.

[@OriginalGateKeeper]

Mine first one also. The expander didn't fit tight and the slightest motion would cause it to crash.

[@mjmdiver1137]

I'm in the US and my dad bought me a ZX81 kit for Christmas one year (I guess in '81). It must have been before Timex did the branded version because it definitely was the ZX81. I can remember doing a little assembly to get it all put together. I think there was a little bit of soldering involved, but mostly it was assembling the board into the case, etc. I recall coding a flight simulator landing approach simulation game into it. It was a lot of work for very little actual gaming!

[@LERobbo]

Well, this video is now in a whole different perspective. R.I.P. Sir Clive Sinclair (1940 - 2021).

[@Azavar_Kul]

Я не знал......жаль Сэра Клайва, мир ему пухом....

[@immrchris]

ZX81 started me coding in 1983, i'm still doing it as a living 36 years later :) great video

[@wobblyrampack9655]

Terrific to hear! Me too, just the same - started with a ZX81 and still coding for a living! :)

[@martinhughes2549]

@@wobblyrampack9655 Love the name, remember the problem, remember the solution...blutac!

[@wobblyrampack9655]

@@martinhughes2549 Haha! Yes blutac, and plenty of it!! Combined with a Ferguson cassette recorder that rarely saved programs successfully, it all resulted in plenty of retyping! :)

[@ChurchOfTheHolyMho]

Yup! I started with a ZX80 my uncle (electrical engineer) purchased as a kit to assemble for fun. It was great to learn programming on.

[@wobblyrampack9655]

@@ChurchOfTheHolyMho Wonderful! That must have been amazing!!

[@Wastelandman]

The Timex/Sinclair 1000 was indeed my first home computer when I was about 13 years old. Learned to code basic with it.

[@juniorsamples623]

ME TOO

[@boydlewis8747]

I bought the ZX80 in kit form in early 1981, spent one weekend soldering the board, and Sunday afternoon hooked it up to a small B&W TV, pluggen in the power wart, and it worked! I was amazed! Later on I bought the ROM for the ZX81, it had floating point, wired in a full size keyboard and added the printer. When I was taking Differential Equations in college, I wrote a program to use the Runge-Kutte method of solving the slope of a point of an equation. I printed out the program and the intermediate results and the final answer. Staple the flimsy thermal printout to a sheet of engineering paper and showed my professor, he was impressed that I had a computer that could do that.

[@cyboticIndustries]

BLASPHEMY! ... You , Sir - Have insulted a NATION and a GENERATION.. Even the posh kids who had a Beeb would be outraged by the impertinent contempt exhibited against ths ZX's in this video... SIR Clive Sinclair is Knight of the realm and an inspiration to millions. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

[@scottbreon9448]

The Queen is an old bag who had Diana killed. FUCK THE ROYAL FAMILY PRINCE CHARLES WAS AL;SO GOOD FRIENDS WITH THAT SICK FUCK JIMMY SAVILE

[@soupdragon151]

Cut it out with the satire.

[@Tahngarthor]

I think you're overreacting a bit. From a technical standpoint it's completely true, the ZX80 was awful in terms of functional usefulness. However, as he said in the video, he recognized its important role in making computing more accessible to the everyday person and t hat was the system's entire goal. It isn't a great computer, but it's an affordable one and created opportunities to learn about technology that didn't exist before.

[@mikejb2009a]

SIR Clive Sinclair buttered both sides of the bread. He brought affordable computing to millions and made millions for himself. The closest thing we have today other than micro-controllers like the Arduino is Chromebook. I was in Cambridge a while back and the lady who worked in the bank said her kids were provided a Chromebook by their school. With discount probably in the $150 range. I have no idea if they had to pay for it but over four years it's 37.5 a year. By the way that was Cambridge in Canada.

[@jeddis92]

You're right about one thing, he has insulted a nation, by referring to it as a Z(ed) X 80, it's a Z(ee) X 80.

[@0xc0ffea]

I think you're understating how much people wanted to get a foot in the door with home computing when the ZX80 & 81 came out, they really helped to scratch an itch while people waited for "real computers" to become more affordable. They are also excellent case studies in simple computer system design and a lot of the engineers who later would build "real computers" certainly would have learn't a lot from sinclair's cheap offerings.

[@sma7530]

Great video. I've just bought a ZX80 and have 2 ZX81s (1 boxed with a boxed RAM pack) and 2 additional keyboards. Am from the UK and really enjoyed how you put the historical perspective (even the US perspective was interesting); the practical limitations that you actually demonstrated; the amazing homebrew games and demos, and Red Dwarf and IT Crowd parts. Very well rounded and will give context to my missus or anyone in relation to those machines (especially as the ZX80 was quite expensive)

[@markwhalebone751]

The Raspberry Pi was produced to bring back the essence of the Sincliars. Kids coding again.

[@psycosoft1]

And the raspberry is fantastic to integrate into things. I've added then to cars, a motorcycle, home security systems, and even into a ps3 to improve its speed for online play.

[@psycosoft1]

@JonnySpeed what makes you think anyone stopped at basic? And cobalt has been around for years. Most started just typing basic, then advanced to writing basic, then went on to other programming languages. Same thing happens today. I know a lot of people, kids actually, that are learning to code today, and coming to us old farts for help. I know at least half a dozen kids programming for stacked raspberry pi's. That isn't all easy, but the kids love them.. our home automation system is on a quad raspberry and a six pack raspberry, and half the actions have been programmed for me by kids. (Under 25's).

[@timhaskett1733]

My first was a Sinclair 1000 and it changed my life. The 16k flight simulator was amazing at the time

[@S1lentJoy]

I owe my career to the ZX81!

[@captainchaos3667]

Me too. It was my first computer and it kickstarted my interest in computers and programming and my career in IT.

[@BertGrink]

@The 8-Bit Guy The reason for the 5 ICs in the Sinclair ZX81 vs. the 4 in the Timex Sinclair 1000 is that the ZX81 typically used two 1024x4-bit RAM ICs, whereas the TS1000 would normally have one 2048x8-bit IC. The PCB was laid out in such a fashion that either option was available to be populated with whichever type of RAM chips were cheapest at any given time. Many tinkerers have since upgraded these machines with 2, 4 or even more, Kilobytes of RAM internally. On a different note, I wholly agree with you about the horrible keyboard on these machines (excepting the TS1500 of course). As you mention in the video, many aftermarket upgrades were available, but one of the cheapest solutions was simply to have a piece of plastic on top of the keyboard with holes cut out where the keys are located - yes, these things were actually sold through mail order. The BEST* keyboard upgrade, however, was from a company called Dean Electronics, which made a board with actual, moving keys, and which had 6 extra keys which weren't connected to anything; the idea was that the end user could solder these extra keys to perform any number of other functions. Here's a link to it: www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/hardwarefiles/d/DeanElectronicsKeyboard.Front.jpg *Best in my opinion, of course.

[@cigmorfil4101]

A rubber tipped pencil made a great "typing" stylus - use the rubber on the "touch sensitive" keys (which were actually two conducting layers separated and forced together by touch - there was a small amount of movement.

[@howard81]

Comparing the ZX81 to a shopping cart? Surely it would be the Sinclair C5!

[@gonzalo1972]

Howard Rose what did you expect from a Commodore fan? And comparing zx81 to C64 is totally unfair

[@grantvergottini3974]

I wrote an assembly code version of Defender on my TS1000 in 1983 -- it was my start to programming. I've been writing software ever since. The TS1000 started my career.

[@mynewschannel3100]

I cut my teeth on Z80 assembler code on the ZX81, thank you, Clive Sinclair and Rodney Zaks. Happy days :)

[@twincamspit]

Same here. I moved onto 808x, 6502, 6809, 68000 etc. and ended up writing time-critical drivers for devices (UARTs, PICs, network drivers etc) mainly in C but occasionally having to revert back to assembler for when the optimising C compiler couldn't quite deliver. And there's not a chance I could have done it so efficiently without the excellent grounding that the Z80 gave me from the ZX81 as a teenager. So many guys I've worked with over the last 40+ years in I.T. are doing what they love because they discovered the joy of coding on a Sinclair ZX.

[@HammerheadHal]

Did you write it out by hand and input the hex or did it have an assembler?

[@englishrupe01]

@@HammerheadHal I did both....but the assemblers were not great in those days.