American Speccy: Timex Sinclair 2068

[@simber71]

I was screaming at the screen where the BREAK key was and couldn't stop laughing at the tape load error. That took me back to the 80's. Great video

[@fractalMD]

You weren't loud enough, we couldn't hear you!

[@elyuw]

The Break Key discovery was such a funny moment. Great video as ever you two 😀

[@fractalMD]

The Great Break Key Discovery of 2023.

[@markgbeckett]

Loading tapes: There is no space between quotes in LOAD ""; that will try to load first program it finds on the cassette. Volume should be high, turn tone low, and turn off any equaliser effects (like Bass Boost). Good luck!

[@SteveInScotland]

This!

[@mondrus72]

You won't get any prompts to play cassettes, once you press enter after LOAD "" your Merican Speccy will be listening for a BASIC program and you should press play on tape. This is will be the BASIC program will most likely be a loader program that controls how the rest of the program loads. It is possible that the program may be one big block of BASIC that loads and runs.

[@fractalMD]

We do definitely need luck.

[@VintageVolts]

Back in the early 80s, my Uncle got one of those, brand new. It was an upgrade to his Timex/Sinclair 1000. I was a Commodore guy, owning a VIC-20 at the time, but still found his "color Sinclair" rather fascinating. Over a decade later, when I was developing an interest in "vintage computers", I got permission from my Uncle to have his Sinclair 2068. I just had to get it from his Mom's house. Turns out, she threw it away, along with his Timex/Sinclair 1000 and also an Atari 400 setup, boxes and all. ☹ Then FINALLY, just a year or so ago at a VCF East swapmeet event, I was finally able to acquire a SInclair 2068 of my own. Brings back memories of using one so long ago. It even came with a modern ROM adapter of some sort that someday I'll play around with and see what it can do.

[@fractalMD]

Good things come to those who wait, eh?

[@Alex-jb5tb]

I stood with the original ZX Spectrum 48K, still remembering the scaring fabrication issues with the ZX Spectrum+ at my Vobis Computer Seller in Düsseldorf, Germany. Still, the ZX Spectrum in my mind is the best machine I worked with in my youth. Because Raubkopien were non-available at this time, I had to explore this marvellous computer myself, or save my pocket money for months for a new game. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is educational in every sense, being just half as expensive as the C64 with its weird BASIC.

[@bobtherieau6086]

Best Timex Sinclair accountancy episode ever!

[@fractalMD]

EVER!!!

[@wimwiddershins]

The tape loading bit was great. "It's doing the thing, it's doing the thing..."

[@fractalMD]

We are completely new to tapes! It's like, wow! 😅

[@zh84]

The Spectrum (British version) was my first computer, and "R Tape loading error, 0:1" was the most dreaded error message.

[@fractalMD]

It's a sharp looking little guy

[@geekwithsocialskills]

Agreed!

[@RetroComparisons]

I don't know if this is a rumor or real but supposedly on Christmas in '83 Santa ran out of coal due to an energy crisis. Instead, all of the bad little boys and girls who were asking for a Colecovision or Atari 5200 with Congo Bongo & Zaxxon instead got this with only Budgeter.

[@fractalMD]

Ha!

[@mogwaay]

Loved the jump cut to R Tape loading Error - there was nothing more horrifying that getting that message after waiting 20mins for a tape to load!

[@fractalMD]

OH THE HUMANITY

[@quickcheck9671]

"American Spectrum, stay away from me-eee! American Spectrum, we say zed not zee-eeeee!"

[@fractalMD]

Hahaha

[@DJTI99]

5:57 That eye roll. LOL!

[@fractalMD]

I mean, for the love!!!

[@IsaacKuo]

Yes. The correct time to find the "break" key is after you have started an infinite loop.

[@fractalMD]

I mean, clearly. We only follow best practices.

[@sandrojosesilvett]

Bravo !

[@fractalMD]

😃

[@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACs]

New In the Box Thats Great You can have A lot of fun that nice pick up

[@fractalMD]

We love it!

[@CurtisBoyle]

I never tried a Sinclair 2068 (they didn't last long here in North America, as you stated), but both volume and play speed of a tape deck may affect loading. On the Coco, usually a volume of 6-8 worked best for me (scale of 0 to 9), not sure if the Speccy was the same. On your cassette deck, does it have EQ or tone controls? You may need to fiddle with those as well so that you aren't dropping frequencies that the computer cassettes require.

[@fractalMD]

This was the second of two random tape players Taylor magicked out of the room of requirement. There is no telling!

[@floydjohnson7888]

I stand impressed, bowled over, and intrigued

[@fractalMD]

The hattrick!

[@mccanm]

Be careful with the expansion port. It is wired differently from a Spectrum. You can get a Timex Sinclair 2068 Twister adapter to make the expansion port Spectrum compatible.

[@fractalMD]

Now I'm picturing playing twister with this in hand. Right hand red!

[@timothyp8947]

Did I hear, 'out of cheese error, reboot universe'? Very 'Hex' 😊 Great video, ladies. Was surprised about needing a space between the quotes in a LOAD - thought most just used two sets of double quotes with nothing in between for first program on tape… although it’s about 40 years since seeing a class-mate's Spectrum in action during A-Level Computer Science back when I was a sixth-former at school. Of all the things to miss about the 8-bit days, loading from cassette might be bottom of the list 😂

[@fractalMD]

Teri Prachett references are always appropriate.

[@PatrickDunn13078]

Had that brand new in 1984, it was fantastic and I learned so much on that. Also sold software for it back in the 1984-85.

[@fractalMD]

Isn't it weird how it seems like just yesterday?

[@anjanettepetty-kountz3785]

That Budgeting Games is riveting! I’m on the edge of my seat!! Who won though? 😂

[@fractalMD]

You and Tim should play!

[@anjanettepetty-kountz3785]

@@fractalMD haha … he’d win for sure

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Strangely enough, the Spectrum had a cartridge slot but only if you had the ZX Interface 2. Six games on cartridge! Scroll? can be got rid of by pressing N for No. Break is shift + space. Looks a bit like a TI99/4A, very fancy!

[@fractalMD]

Nothing but fancy for us!

[@chrissimpson1183]

The critter is a warm fuzzy....

[@fractalMD]

Throw in dusty

[@ByteDelight]

Sorry we got so used to, well, actually love sexy black with rubber here in Europe, with our ZX Spectrums. We're bad. Though I just uploaded the working proto of my USB keyboard interface, so we can all pass on to sexy black Cherry Red keys now. Maybe with a rubber casing..

[@fractalMD]

You bad!

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

The computer doesn't have floating point unlike the TMS99110A

[@fractalMD]

👍🏻

[@mickaka]

The most entertainment anyone has ever had out of budgeting software 😂

[@fractalMD]

We like to set the bar, low.

[@mickaka]

@@fractalMD you are both tremendous, never stop.

[@fractalMD]

@@mickaka 👍🏻👍🏻

[@GarthBeagle]

That's some Price is Right level of $$$ 😂

[@geekwithsocialskills]

C'mon on down Garth, you're the next contestant on the Taylor and Amy Show is right! 🙂

[@fractalMD]

$1

[@geekwithsocialskills]

@@fractalMD you have won a lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni 🙂

[@fractalMD]

@@geekwithsocialskills delicious

[@Fredthefat]

Another fun video. Looks like a cool machine, I guess there were just too many established bases for an interloper from the UK to have an impact. Yeah, tapes could be a bit of a pain. Turn off any embellishments the player has (like bass boost) and don't have the volume set too high. Also fast forward fully and rewind the tape to make sure it's evenly wound. Also clean the tape head. You can use isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab.

[@fractalMD]

Oh, and this tape player was in rough shape. There is no telling.

[@davidhunter9896]

Hey, you may need to use a player that is mono. the tapes are recorded in mono and a stereo player has two heads so you are getting less of a signal when you play a mono tape on it. BTW, Noel's Retro Lab had a video about cassette tapes I believe. Keep having fun!

[@fractalMD]

Oooh, will have to check that out. Thx!

[@LukeAGuest]

On the spectrum, break was on the space key. The command is LOAD "" (no space). I'm fairly sure that the border should change colour and sort of waver in colour once you press return (if it works the same way as speccy). Because the speccy was sooo problematic with tapes, everyone had very specific tape decks and each would be set to specific volumes (and tone's if they had that) and we didn't change it once it worked. There were specific datacorders made for spectrum and other machines who could use any old tape deck. So, it'll be trial and error really. I would definitely clean the tape head though.

[@EviesRevue]

Cool!

[@fractalMD]

❤❤❤

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

set the volume control at 5 and 7 and that should work.

[@fractalMD]

Cool

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

The TS-2068 was the only one of the three Timex Sinclairs we had to have both color graphics as well as sound.

[@drrev40]

Soooo it's like a UK Spectrum with the plus 2 interface built in or are the carts a different format?. Very cool! Tape loading on the speccy was all about VOLUME and also making sure the tape is running at the right speed if using an old cassette player. Good Luck

[@fractalMD]

We definitely need luck!!!

[@marksuper4920]

The KZbin algorithm decided to stop putting your videos into my feed. This comment is to try to show KZbin that i want to see your videos. Also, that is an awesome computer!

[@fractalMD]

HOOK HIM UP ALGORITHM!

[@8BitRetroJournal]

If its format is compatible with the Spectrum, use the OTLA fast loader through your PC. It load audio files in seconds and converts tap files to OTLA audio files.

[@fractalMD]

Nice. I don't think that is one of the 8 we tried.

[@8BitRetroJournal]

@@fractalMD Let's see if I can sneak a link in here that otherwise KZbin would remove (next comment)

[@8BitRetroJournal]

@@fractalMD Wow, I've tried various ways, some very generic and it gets deleted. Type in "otla fast loader" and a top choice should be OTLA.

[@Alibm80]

ZX Spectrum's American cousin

[@fractalMD]

Indeed!

[@jeriellsworth6233]

You all can even make accounting software look fun!

[@fractalMD]

I just want to know how we lost at something that isn't a game.

[@jeriellsworth6233]

@@fractalMD Ooof!!!

[@RobertoBaca]

I had the Timex Sinclair 1000 (still do, it's somewhere around here) and wanted the 2068, but I never saw one in the flesh. I got an Amiga instead.

[@fractalMD]

I hadn't till this one!

[@drjohnfisher]

Just another slow Tuesday with cassette tapes.

[@fractalMD]

❤

[@Alex_Valentine]

How did you get a Game Over in a budget program?

[@fractalMD]

Give it to us? 😅

[@JohnWeedon-u9h]

great stuff girls luv your content

[@explorer648]

So I have to ask how long have you guys been together for???

[@fractalMD]

We have been beat friends since 2nd grade. :)

[@fractalMD]

We have been beat friends since 2nd grade. :)

[@thenormanfair]

Two weeks later: if the previous suggestions did not help, it might be the belt or belts on the cassette mechanism need to be replaced.

[@fractalMD]

We are still at it!

[@commodorechronicles]

Who doesn't need a Kempston?! An American Spectrum... Too bad it propped people's doors open instead being used for its intended purpose. Thank you for the divine comedy!

[@fractalMD]

Don't forget kept papers from blowing away.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

She says: "So we don't have to mod it. 😀" I heard: " So we don't have to mod it. 😪"

[@fractalMD]

Lol. We will prolly still figure out a way to mod it. Cause, you know, will it laptop?

[@djnak7856]

Haha! Only Taylor and Amy can turn a boring old budget program into something fun and exciting

[@fractalMD]

I still can't believe we managed to trigger an alarm. 😂

[@shireoryx6153]

I always thought that computer was cool looking 👍 🎉

[@fractalMD]

Right?

[@tom_forsyth]

You got the flashy-flashy, but it didn't last as long as it should, and it should have said something like "Found: THE PROGRAM NAME", even if it then decided it didn't want to load that. So usually that was because the volume isn't high enough, or some other problem. I think someone else suggested a mono tape deck as well - or you can use a stereo->mono jack converter to combine the channels. Although as a (stupid) kid I would economise on my tapes by recording a different program on the L and R channels. This works well enough to be possible, but not well enough to actually be reliable, but I was a dumb kid, so I did it anyway.

[@fractalMD]

Now we are dumb adults, tho. 😂

[@PatrickDunn13078]

To really see how neat that machine was you needed Fighter Pilot or Tomahawk from Digital Integration. You could use both joysticks to control the aircraft, something unheard of back then! Budgeter was not exactly a great game LOL

[@fractalMD]

Yeah. Not gonna see the pro gamers playing Budgeter any time soon. Maybe we can find those games!

[@alanreader4815]

hey taylor Can we buy it and Ship to uk. I'm interested wow a US Edition of the Spectrum.....

[@MattSiegel]

BUDGET ALERT!! XD

[@fractalMD]

Like, if excel sometimes just screamed at you.

[@andrewchristiansen8311]

Eric Cartman Voice : *_Scanning for Hippies_* _Beep Beep Beep Boo-Boo-Boo-Boop_ "No Hippies Detected" I enjoyed this. I was waiting for someone to say some hippy non sense. Thanks for not doing that.

[@fractalMD]

**eats granola**

[@MQsto]

Apparently Spectrums just were/are extremely flaky tape loaders. So your devices, settings and/or media may have no problems, your Speccy - I mean Timey - just wants you to try a couple more times.

[@fractalMD]

So finicky!

[@evikone]

I always, RTFM :)

[@dirkcrossi6574]

even with a good keyboard ,..Programming in Basic on that thing is HORRIBLE .....