Those tiny '80s computers: Sinclair ZX81, Timex 1000 & 1500

[@blindlemon9]

When I was a kid, my parents sat through a whole day of timeshare sales pitches in order to score a “free home computer”. They came home with the Timex-Sinclair 1000. We goofed around with the dinky thing for a couple of hours and never touched it again. Thus, we entered the glamorous world of home computing.

[@JessicaFEREM]

I would assume the company got a really good deal on them, and Sinclair was trying to get rid of them.

[@JessicaFEREM]

or the company bought a whole load of them, realized they were crap, and then gave them away so they wouldn't have a whole load of them.

[@kae4466]

remember reading about these in popular electronics back in the day. a priest friend had one at one time. he gave it to a missionary person to write his sermons with . nice vid .

[@TimurTripp2]

"And due to their wedge-like shape, they make an excellent doorstop."

[@LoftBits]

Yeah, that was cruel... My ZX81 is in the display box.

[@Dedicatedtolivinginthepast]

I have heard that Commodore bought them for use as doorstops!

[@TechMaxWare]

“Your coffee maker probably has more computing power.” Well great, Ill be taking advantage of its timer and coffee making powers to fly myself too the moon.

[@williammielenz3752]

...And you could! Apollo 11 made it to the moon with the same degree of computer power.

[@williamsteele]

You could also buy the ZX80 in the US as a kit. It was my very first computer. I think the price for the kit version was $149. I still own mine and it still works flawlessly to this day.

[@erikzakis8764]

This is such a great video! I had a TS1000 in the early '80's! My uncle also gave me a number of related magazines that included gaming programs to use on it!

[@iana6713]

I love that advert for the Timex-Sinclair 1000. Marketing hyperbole never fails to make me laugh - speaking about how easy the T/S 1000 is to use.... I have never used a ZX81 though I'd like to, but having had plenty of experience of the later rubber-keyed ZX Spectrum 48K I bet programming on these things would rapidly become tedious with that tiny membrane keyboard. What programmers managed to achieve despite that and the limitations of 1K or 2K of memory was truly amazing. Fascinating video, really interesting to watch.

[@kriskroski9664]

"the print equivalent of click-bait" SAVAGE

[@williamrshirley]

I had heard about them but the first time I saw a Sinclair 1000 was when I bought my first Amiga computer. I was walking out the door and told the sales guy "oh someone dropped their computer" Sales guy replied "That's just our door stop" they literally did make a door stop from it.

[@gmcnewlook]

Loved the little dig at the Sinclair broadcasting company ;) cheeky!

[@System-1541]

When we had our TS1000 we only had a black and white tv to use it on so I had no idea it could only do black and white until the 8-bit guy did a special on it. It still looks cool and makes a great display piece.

[@davidbowie2046]

Clive Sinclair was a genius, problem was he was years ahead with his ideas.

[@lilorangefella]

Nice information. I heard about this computer before but I didn’t know specific things about it.

[@life5161]

I remember my Dad had one in attic back in the day. I never did see it actually do anything but take up space. 😆

[@sa3270]

One time probably in 1982 my dad asked me out of the blue if I wanted a ZX 81 kit, and I regret not taking him up on the offer. Of course, I doubt I would have had any luck assembling it properly so I would have had to give it to my dad and hope for the best. My dad got me a Commodore 64 the next year.

[@williammielenz3752]

I once succeeded in hard wireing a push button key board to a Timex Sinclair. Making the labels for the buttons was half the work!

[@jorgepais2876]

I had a TC2048 from Timex Portugal - They were sold also in Poland. It was a gift from my parents in the '86 Christmas, and the very first game to be played on it was Turbo Esprit. One concept that could be used again in today's computers is to build an entire PC on a keyboard. It would be very useful! It already exists but it is not very known.

[@ObligedTester]

One of the best videos yet! Thanks! :)

[@alexabadi7458]

Great review, thanks ! I own all of them (I have many doors in my house), except for the ZX80 really hard to find. You can improve a lot (a lot) the image on the ZX81-Timex 1000, Timex 1500 by replacing the TV modulator with a video chip. It is quite simple and not expensive, you get a nice and clear image and you can plug your Sinclair computer on a modern TV/monitor. I was doing the modification and selling them on Ebay USA a few years ago, I sold quite a lot of them, giving theses computers a second life. :o)

[@spinnetti]

To a kid with no money, these were magic boxes.

[@wildbilltexas]

I remember trying a Timex-Sinclair 1000 in the early 80's, maybe at a Sears. But I thought it was cheap and very toy-like compared to other USA computers. Now I've looked at videos and games of it from the UK and it was a impressive little PC. And the skills game designers had over there were very impressive at getting around the limitations of the hardware.

[@azoriusmage]

It is crazy that they ruined what was a hugely popular computer with a massive games library. I was a C64 person but most of my friends had the Spectrum so I used it a lot

[@20035079]

i've always been interested in the sinclair zx81, and i've always seen this type of channel as the one to do a video on it. thank you! edit: also, that joke at the beginning LMAO

[@salmonline]

Wish I still had mine. Thanks for the memories.

[@Labruskie]

I remember reading an overview of the long defunct 'BIG K' magazine where it was noted they used a review sample of an 8-bit computer as a doorstop... Not sure which one it was...

[@evoste]

My very firrst computer... with a 16k ram pack, and a year later a proper clicky keybord, I learnt early basic, happy days..

[@evoste]

I was 6 yrs old at the time..

[@evoste]

The early membrane keyboaurd was shit, I remember programing that from Sinclair User magazine back in the day and it was painful before the keyboard overlay... I remeber numb fingers during this time...

[@kimchee94112]

Two things that ruined the game and basic programming experience. One was the output to TV was very unstable, the other was the keyboard.

[@lazmotron]

You have a great channel

[@farajaraf]

We should all have to mail order KZbin videos on vhs, watch, send back in vhs with written comments. Wait till comments are compiled, have to order the comments and the video again so you can read the comments and watch the video and write comments back in. At this point if you want to continue, you can just send in further comments and wait for more compilment. Keep the vhs to the side. By the time this system really gets moving everyone in the world would have a great job and plenty of KZbin videos still.

[@Gregor7677]

Timex was my first computer. I was able to scroll a sentence across my TV screen. That’s about it. I think I had the first model, smaller than these.

[@JessHull]

I enjoy your videos very much

[@Nexfero]

Nice Doorstops

[@HomelessTechnology]

Could you not download MP3 copies of Spectrum software today and play them out through a desktop or laptop computer to the Spectrums cassette audio input? To be honest I haven't looked but I am sure I have seen them before. Would save buying those expensive cassettes.

[@codebeatr]

I think you can, although I'm not sure about .mp3, a lossless format like .wav or .flac sounds more appropriate.

[@HomelessTechnology]

With the amount of noise the old spectrum cassette drives had I don't think it would make too much difference. Yeah I looked since writing that there are loads of Spectrum MP3 recordings online.

[@infinitecanadian]

That's one of the good things about cassette software: it can use _any_ form of audio, even records if you want, because the computer only cares about getting the audio bits and not about the format.

[@BertGrink]

You can download a *LOT* of software for the ZX Spectrum from the site www.worldofspectrum.org - however, the programs are usually (zipped) .tap or .tzx format, but there are many utilities available for converting tap/tzx files to any of a number of audio formats.

[@paulyh4531]

Found memories for me had the zx80, zx81 then had the spectrum , spectrum 128 then jumped upto Amiga 500 until I got a PC .I'm in the UK . sad when he sold it all to amstrad

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Some people don't make good decisions with their businesses.

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Clive was an inventor, not a business man. He should let others to do the promotion and hear other opinions too.

[@xander1052]

Sinclair is an inventor, doesn't make the greatest business decisions, compared to Big Blue's eventual dominance once Commodore Shut down and Apple faltered in the 90s, Sinclair was not great when it came to making business decisions, even with the success of the Spectrum, which was a great budget computer, can't understand how he failed to make a great successor to that machine.

[@Zeebee1971]

"Timex TC2068 A PAL variant of the TS2068 introduced to European markets not controlled by Sinclair Research by Timex Portugal. Visually identical to the TS2068 (apart from the "PAL" flash on the lower left of the machine) the TC2068 is internally quite different from the US-developed machine. The significant differences between these designs are the introduction of the ZX Spectrum compatible edge connector from the TC2048, an "official" ZX Spectrum emulation cartridge - a TC2048 ROM, a PAL video output, and extensions to Sinclair BASIC that provide access to the additional screen modes available on the machine from within BASIC programs. The enhanced BASIC is known as BASIC 64. Versions of the TC2068 were exported to Poland (with black cases, rather than silver), and imported to the US by Zebra Systems directly." Source: www.worldofspectrum.org/faq/reference/hardware.htm "TMX Portugal also made a ZX Spectrum Emulator Cartridge (TC2068/TS2068) This was standard equipment and came with the TC2068 computer when purchased. A version planned for the TS computer by Timex, but never produced, was to be called the Chameleon. To use the TMX Emulator with the TS2068 you had to find one (they were not sold in the US) and then enlarge the dock port opening slightly by cutting away some of the plastic case so the cartridge would fit into the port (the TS2068 cartridges were much thinner, so the opening was not as tall). Third party suppliers in the US made various versions of the Spectrum ROM, mostly on dock port cartridges, that could be used to run Spectrum programs on the TS2068. Some of them were: EMU-1, EMU-2, and Omni-EMU. There was also a version installed directly on the TS2068 motherboard called the Romswitch, a version for the LarKen LKDOS cartridge (see the LarKen section below), and others." Source: www.worldofspectrum.org/timex/ Unipolbrit Komputer 2086: timex.comboios.info/ts2086.html

[@databloom70]

Don't forget the long U sound when you say the word 'popular' VWestlife. The way you pronounce it makes me think of the poplar genus of tree species! ;-)

[@vwestlife]

I'm from New Jersey. Instead of a long U ("yew") sound, we use a short U ("uh"). Thus I *was* pronouncing the U, just in a different way than what you're used to.

[@databloom70]

Ha, yes of course, was just yanking your chain a bit. No offense meant. Love your channel.

[@AllGamingStarred]

1980: Computer deliberately broken in kit form but buildable 2024: Completely broken, needs updates often

[@gamerdude0]

The sinclair c7 was a sort of robot cottage, the sinclair c8 was a type of liquid sausage, the sinclair c9 was his worst idea to date, it was a bee in a folder he slipped under your gate.

[@InsanePsychoRabbit]

13 years ago, my high school used a Mac Classic as a doorstop. Now I feel bad about not putting that poor Mac out of its misery.

[@johncloninger7454]

I'll have to juxtapose: "Nothing so simple was ever so smart!" I live not far from VWestlife...we should compare notes on the old TS1000.

[@bbishoppcm]

I have like three of these damn things!

[@N2tech]

The 1500 was head of it's time. It was future proofed with a Facebook Poke button.

[@100percentdutchbeef9]

Nicely engraved styrofoam there, very classy

[@geotechmore8855]

Awesomeness! Vintage classic computers! 😁.

[@twocvbloke]

I think Sinclair could have still been around today if he hadn't forced his computers to be so, erm, "unique", yeah they had a nice compact design, which for average british homes being so tiny was a boon when it came to putting the thing away, but, I think Sinclair just cheaped out too much... :\

[@another3997]

twocvbloke British homes are so tiny they couldn't fit sometimg like a C64 or Atari 800? I don't know where you live, but I've never seen a home in the UK so small it couldn't hold a computer and a TV screen or monitor. I'm certain that Sinclair wasn't worried about his computers not fitting in to normal British homes! Cost was his main consideration... smaller cases and keyboards are cheaper to produce. Had he built bigger, more expensive computers, Sinclair couldn't have competed in a flooded UK market.

[@another3997]

@@tarstarkusz And yet the opposite was true in the UK. The Vic 20 wasn't hugely popular and was vastly more expensive than a ZX81. Once the C64 made it's way to the UK, prices for the obsolete Vic 20 dropped... but the ZX Spectrum was better and cheaper.

[@AllGamingStarred]

let's not start a flame war @@tarstarkusz

[@miked4377]

great video...i wish you would show the demo tape for the 1500 .i really enjoy these computers regardless of what pepole think. ..i think i like hardware better than games sometimes....

[@CallardAndBowser]

I'm playing Battlefield 5 on my Texas 1000 using an emulator. The graphics settings have to be turned down to 1 bit and it can only display 1 single pixel on the screen per second, but it is playable. It takes over five months to load the game from cassette. 🤓

[@danmar007]

I still have my ZX81 with the optional RAM module.

[@theshadowman1398]

It's fun to watch the videos about the prehistoric computers, but I never want to get one and try it out.

[@moviebod]

You don't know what you missed. I can't believe how 1K kept me so amused for so long.

[@theshadowman1398]

I am allergic to text based interface.

[@moviebod]

That was all there was in 1982 :)

[@theshadowman1398]

moviebod I know :). 6 years before my birth.

[@joeytortice1965]

I never knew about this. I only knew about a device called Franklin, it was a talking educational product that would teach spelling and math, then it was Vtech.

[@Odessia-ij5ys]

Even the russians had thier clone of zx spectrum .....i have one of them produced in 1993

[@timuralmaev219]

learning computer history on this channel:)

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

I would Love to see one make a call to a BBS or computer allowing the Use of a Text Browser . :) QC

[@darkhelmet169]

I've got a Sinclair 1000 but I've never been able to get a stable picture out of it over RF. Maybe all of my TVs are too new. Probably needs a composite mod.

[@mspysu79]

The ZX81 and 1000 had an interesting design flaw, it only showed up when you used the memory module. The connection for the edge card connector was not very good, and if you where using the memory module it would looose connection (this could be caused by even just typing on the computer) the machine would crash and you would lose everything. A common "Fix" was to take a small piece of wood and glue it to the computer case and to the memory module filling the gap at the top and providing support.

[@herrfriberger5]

Well, "interesting" is perhaps not exactly the right word. It's more very bad mechanical design really... I soldered (static) RAM directly on the PCB instead. Used a 74LS138 for decoding.

[@andygozzo72]

well known problem, 'ram pack wobble crash' 😁

[@andygozzo72]

and you dont need any additional chips to fit 16k static ram internally, but you do for 32k, both are fairly easy to do

[@louise_8546]

In the UK we just used Blu-Tack on the RAM pack :D (though, I had a ZX Spectrum + 48K)

[@codecthelios]

Oh man. That opening joke. Har har har

[@SlyEcho]

Do the Timex machines still run in 50 Hz video output?

[@vwestlife]

No, there is a soldered jumper on the circuit board (on the ZX81 as well) to select either 50 or 60 Hz.

[@RichSzerman]

So are you opening the Sinclair museum some time soon?

[@moth.monster]

Fun, I have one of those! I couldn't get it to work though, because I don't have one of the RF box things in order to plug it in.

[@danieldaniels7571]

You don’t need it, just get an RCA to coax adaptor.

[@jonniefast]

i just got the timex & frogger on tape ❤

[@tyttuut]

I'd love to see an actual doorstop in the shape of a ZX Spectrum.

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

A computer with a rub out button, it foresaw pornhub . Had a spectrum myself, it was crap in many ways but it was all we had

[@urbanodagrippino8433]

Got a few models of Sinclair

[@stickybandit2346]

Do you still have the ts2068?

[@vwestlife]

No.

[@tonyhart904]

The tech book that they put out for the Spectrum ULA is actually pretty good. Random fact.

[@herrfriberger5]

More 1970s computers, in a way. The original ZX80 was designed in the 1970s, with a CPU from 1976.

[@martinhollyer7110]

Last week I was considering buying a ZX81 with 16K mem expansion and no power or cables for $40. Then I saw a few videos showing the software. Slow as molasses and I would have had to spend $60 or $70 for the power and cables. These things regularly sell on eBay for $120 to $150 dollars with $70 shipping. Some deal.

[@another3997]

Martin Hollyer If you don't want one, don't buy one. Yes, they were slow, partly due to the Z80 processor generating the TV picture. But they were cheap, in an era when home computers were a new idea and many parents didn't know enough to justify spending huge amounts of money on an expensive 'box' that had no specific purpose. Adding to the confusion, almost nothing was standardised across dozens of platforms. Price was everything. Buying old computers is always going to be an expensive hobby, and they're all going to be slow.

[@martinhollyer7110]

As an experiment in minimalism, the Sinclair computers were to be admired. They looked great and if you could get past the small and difficult keyboards plus the low memory, you could probably do some interesting things with them. I had access to the ZX80 and ZX81 when I was a kid but rarely used them because it was very difficult to type a program on them. Sinclair computers were more popular in Britain and parts of Europe. The Spectrum seems like the best of the lot. Teenagers programming in their bedrooms achieved great things with them. I never found my Commodore 64 to be slow. But watching the videos of the ZX81, it does seem to be in a category of own for slowness.

[@andygozzo72]

usa zx81s/ts1000/ts1500 are a fair bit slower than uk zx81s due to the usa tv system being 525 line instead of uk 625, the 'user' program is executed during blank lines at the top and bottom of the display, with 525 theres less 'free' lines available..also the higher frame rate means more interrupts per second for things like keyboard scan and decode

[@andygozzo72]

you can switch between 50hz and 60hz by removing or fitting a wire link in the machine.. so you could speed up a usa machine ,by modding it for 50hz, only thing is if your tv could handle it !

[@DaniRadioCat]

Heh, do you have any Sinclair owned TV or radio stations in your area? Albany does sadly (WRGB, WCWN and IIRC a few radio stations)

[@vwestlife]

Thankfully no.

[@iEuno1]

16K is quite a lot, they had the 1k version for add-on, which would be the max amount of upgrade on many.

[@nor4277]

I had some.sort of a Times Sincliar but it was much smaller then your 1000 ,it work with a cassette player ,I got one on sale for 19.99,if anyone remembers this one.

[@beebtv]

Worst Christmas present Santa ever gave me. Oh, I did give it a try...for a couple of weeks. Even ran/coded a program for a clock. It worked but it was a rather pitiful accomplishment.

[@Simcore999]

There was a competitor with a white version, only the keyboard size with the same key layout and I can not remember the name...

[@vwestlife]

Maybe you're thinking of the TRS-80 MC-10 Micro Color Computer?

[@Simcore999]

Yes that might be it but, I think I remember one smaller than that

[@robintst]

Chalk it up to bad timing, I suppose. Sinclair might have performed better here in the US had the VIC-20, Atari 400, and TI-99 not released so soon afterward. Hindsight is 20-20, of course. In another reality where the ZX81 and Spectrum proper had gained success here, the demand of an additional overseas market might have forced Sinclair to sooner introduce a proper keyboard on these things and maybe rethink the design of the ill-fated QL.

[@allanegleston4931]

a priest friend of mine ( now deceased ) used his to run his business. he later gave his to a missionary for him to write his sermons .

[@discotee]

Isn’t the Trs 80 model 100 considered a tiny computer for its time?

[@vwestlife]

It has a full-size, full-travel mechanical keyboard, unlike these.

[@discotee]

VWestlife thanks do you own a model 100? I actually just got one and love it. Neat little machine. Thanks for the recommendation on the pioneer ct-w606 deck, it works great.

[@AMDXplusplus]

do a video on the midland er210 radio

[@vwestlife]

I don't have one.

[@turbinegraphics16]

Commodore was so confident but barely lasted 10 years after that ad.

[@swingAE86]

New car video when????

[@vwestlife]

Soon!!!!

[@reginaldlawrence412]

Great video did you know that zenith made computers too.

[@richardhz-oi8px]

He made a video on the Zenith EZ PC a while back.

[@robertnussberger2028]

I doubt they had a comfortable keyboard. But they are kinda interesting.

[@unx74]

i live in nashua new hampshire what the fuck i never knew of this. i wanna find out where they were based out of, got any more info on it? id totally investigate this.

[@vwestlife]

The address is listed as "One Sinclair Plaza, Nashua, NH 03061". But either Sinclair Plaza doesn't exist anymore or it was renamed, because I can't find any information about its actual location.

[@unx74]

VWestlife yeah. ive asked about and heard it might have been where a BAE Systems building is (specifically on canal street) but im not entirely sure thats accurate.

[@therealfranklin]

Doorstop! Yes, yes indeed.

[@peach04166]

9:38 Heck, even my HP 12C financial calculator has more computing power than those machines.

[@ChrisPowa-]

Dammit vwestlife I had work to do, you should know better than to make a video about Sinclair machines.

[@sirmugman]

wonder how long until this youtuber gets his first sinclear c1 heh

[@TheDeeplyCynical]

C1? If you're referring to the electric tricycle it's the C5. I think most of those were cannibalised for Robot Wars parts.

[@RPKGameVids]

These are great asmr videos.

[@moviebod]

I used to like peeking and poking but I am a bit too old for that now.

[@ToxicVortex8]

me with a girlfriend from NZ... I just see ZX 81 and don't know the difference anymore. also, I'm in Nashua NH... don't look for me.

[@Jpk516]

Cool!

[@farajaraf]

There is still no point for computers. Even porn can be on a physical medium.

[@jackkraken3888]

I might be going out on a limb here and saying you might not be a fan of these.

[@xaer0knight]

hrmm. Sinclair Broadcasting? They own Ring of Honor and works with New Japan Pro Wrestling and just helped The Young Bucks sell out a 10,000 seat arena. First time in 20+ years an independent wrestling company has been in an arena that big and sold out! Well then the other side is monopoly that Sinclair will have after the purchased Tribune Media Group.. Didn't this happen with Turner Broadcasting and AOL and Time Warner? Turner did run World Championship Wrestling, well I am seeing a pattern here. And Sinclair's " journlist responsibility promos" well that backfired.. whoa did know how deep SBG goes that deep! Will I am not watching much RoH Wrestling these days, Comet TV hasn't been very good, etc...

[@leonciohernandez]

This wAS MY firat computer a sinclair 1000 but it did not performed well as a commodore 16 that i have much more fun,

[@nor4277]

I bought a Timex / Sinclair that has a cassette for downloads ,at a drug store for 19.99 piece of crap.thank goodness for commadore 64 kinda of you could go broke buying stuff for it.

[@rubusroo68]

"speed of light" lol or abot 3.5 mhz

[@urbanodagrippino8433]

1500 known as the spectrum

[@blooder81]

Portugal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@missgradenkoMC]

Any chance of getting a quality upgrade soon? No offense, but 720p is really old and low quality by today’s standards?

[@ChrisPowa-]

It took long enough for him to go to 720p, I can't help but appreciate it. 1080p is certainly not necessary.

[@gmcnewlook]

Up till last September my tv was a 720p, was fine, I did upgrade to a 4K set but most of the content I watch is 1080 at best.... but I couldn’t find a 1080 one in the size I wanted...(55 inch, yeah yeah I know big spender;))

[@vwestlife]

A few years ago I uploaded dozens of 720p videos that were actually just standard definition 480i video upscaled, and nobody ever noticed the difference. Congratulations on being the exception.

[@ChrisPowa-]

I'm not surprised by this at all, the bitrate youtube sets for these videos at different resolutions makes it worth upscaling sometimes if the original quality was good but the resolution happened to be low.

[@markm0000]

I watch in 144p. I have very low bandwidth and it also reminds me of the old VHS days and SD OTA television.

[@klskloss6459]

ZeeeX81 pmsl

[@vwestlife]

What's so funny about American English?

[@klskloss6459]

@@vwestlife try "Zed X 81"

[@RW-nr6bh]

​@@klskloss6459In fairness he only uses the American pronunciation for the American model to make it easy to tell which one he's talking about. Makes sense.

[@AAwArchie]

Last

[@hopydaddy]

This was the high-tech in the early 80’s. It’s laughable in 2018.