ZX Spectrum USA Edition - The Timex Sinclair TS2068 Review, Teardown and Comparison !!

[@ModernVintageGamer]

Notes: at 7:25 i suggested using a Phillips Head screwdriver to remove a chip from its socket. This was an error - use a Flathead instead please!

[@ModernVintageGamer]

lmao !!!

[@brandonupchurch7628]

That explains why you said phillips but the sub titles said Flathead.

[@emmettturner9452]

Modern Vintage Gamer I was just about to say something. :)

[@JohnGotts]

You can get an el cheapo computer repair kit with a chip puller. I'd recommend not using a screwdriver.

[@emmettturner9452]

John Gotts I end up having to use a screwdriver, razor, or metal spudger most of the time even though I have a chip puller. That's because there's either no clearance on the sides of the chip or it has one of those stupid sockets that has no gap for the puller. By the time I carefully make a gap with something else I've already pretty much removed the chip without the puller.

[@abirwait5636]

Great memories! TS2068 was discontinued the moment it came out. I was a member of the Timex-Sinclair computer club in Toronto. They brought some improvements to this computer. Both ROMs - TS2068 and ZX Spectrum - were installed on a little printed board, that was plugged in instead of the ROM. With a switch on the back of the computer you could select a mode. The colour adjustment you mentioned could be done with a screw driver via a drilled hole in the top cover. Interface for a floppy disk drive 180K!!!! (ten 5 1/4" floppies for $10 was a great price in those days!) Interface for a dot matrix printer. "Magic button" was the best thing. It dumped the entire memory to a floppy disk, great for saving a loaded program or a game progress. After loading from the disk the game continued from that point on. Modem before the internet was just an amusement for Bulletin Boards. The real practicality it served was transferring my data to a PC, when I finally gave in to IBM PC. I remember that the club also provided a printed board that was plugged into the cartridge port. I can't recall the purpose, expanded memory?

[@zh84]

Very interesting! As a Scot the ZX Spectrum was my first computer (the Timex factory which made many Sinclair machines was in Dundee, and quite a landmark.) I read about the Timex Sinclair 2068 in one of my computer magazines in 1983. One thing that stuck in my mind was that when British journalists tried out an example machine at a computer show they found that the new keywords printed on the case didn't work - they just produced the symbols that were in the same position on the original Spectrum keyboard, such as { and }. From your teardown I can infer that this meant the machine just had a regular Spectrum ROM in it, not the special ROM, and so was functioning as your machine did after you put the original ROM in it!

[@m9078jk3]

I have two Timex Sinclair 2068 microcomputers but with their original boxes ,manuals and software and I have the printer too. All still working and in good condition. I wrote a multi stage ballistic missile flight simulator on it in BASIC to back in 1984.

[@Aeroman66]

Three important informations abou this machine: -The rear connector is not a RS232, but an expansion bus -The original Speccy has no sound chip, but the Timex uses the same one used on the newer 128k Speccy. It is mapped to different IO ports however, so it is incompatible - The Timex has 2 extra video modes, one with one attribute per line, like MSX's screen 2, and a monocrome hi resolution in 512 x 256 pixels. The Speccy has only a single video mode

[@martinparker6536]

haha !! no way !! 8:20 you loaded my mates game up ! Starfarce programmed by Laurent Noel (aka Log as we called him for short !) PS (note my name and a thanks on the title screen for the hours and hours i sat around at his house watching/helping?? him with this ! )

[@RMCRetro]

I found my KZbin happy place

[@randybutternubs4647]

I have one of these. It was passed down from my grand father when he passed away. I looked into how it worked and everything. It came with two command stcks and a few games such as Flight Simulator, VU-3D, Quadra Chart, and Casino. But for some reason none of them had their cartiges in their packages but they DID have their tapes. Luckily, I had a workaround. Me and my father searched online for an old cassette player. When it arrived, I hooked it up to the system. Then I put a cassette adapter into the player (The kind used in car radios to play music from any mobile device.) I plugged that into my phone, played some of the original .tap files that were made for the system. To my surprise, it worked. I was able to play the tape recording on my phone and simulate the original through the player. Sadly, we never got around to finding that chip to modify it for compatability.

[@DamienGuard]

Great to see this machine. A few notes; Sound: Same sound chip as the 128Ks but being on a different IO port means software has to be adjusted to be able to use it. Expansion: Is not RS-232, it's actually a system bus although incompatible with the 48Ks. Screen modes: The TS2068 has additional screen modes according to the docs - how bad do they look on that video output? Joysticks: Mapped to the IO ports on the AY-3-8912 so not compatible with any Spectrum software without modification.

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

TS1500 was Timex's upgrade of the ZX81 - 16K RAM built in so no more wobble crashes, the rubber keys easy on the fingers, and basically the same size and shape as the ZX Spectrum. Timex Sinclair 1500 is still my favorite computer, the perfect size and shape. Some modern Chromebooks come close, with 11" - 12" screens and tiny but fully functional keyboards.

[@jorgemtds]

I'm portuguese and I had one of these machines. I had the emulator cartridge (made in Portugal) that allowed me to run all Spectrum games. Thanks for bringing the past back :) .

[@MsMadLemon]

Niiice! I was always curious about the Timex and what the differences were from a Sinclair Spectrum! It seems a neat and well built computer.

[@vherostar]

Had a 48K and a 128K growing up living in England. Nothing but fantastic memories of them. Also lucky to have a commodore 64 too.

[@EddieG1888]

I live five minutes from what used to be the Timex factory in Harrison Road, Dundee. They assembled Sinclair computers at this location, and we were always checking the skips for any discarded hardware or Sinclair stuff, and we came across a lot of binned stuff like Microdrives, and software cassettes. A friend of mine found a prototype 128k which was missing the toastrack, but bolted a piece of steel tubing to it and it worked out fine.

[@1973Washu]

The Timex is notable because Commodore offered $100 trade in value for them while they were being liquidated for $49 in bargain bins in some stores.

[@Patchuchan]

I heard they got used as door stops at Commodore and when they needed a Z80 for the C128 prototype they took one out of one of the door stops.

[@TheRealMentat001]

I have an American Sinclair footnote for you, but it's a little sad. In 1983 Commodore was engaged in a price war with Texas Instruments. Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel had his engineers pull apart a TI-99/4A to find out how TI was selling them so cheaply. Turned out they couldn’t, they were selling them at a loss and profits were coming from software and peripheral sales. That year at the summer CES, Tramiel announced he was cutting Commodore’s software and peripheral prices by half. TI was out of the home computer market before the year was out. A consequence of this was TI dumping its entire stock of TI-99/4As on an already over saturated market. In an attempt to remedy this, Jack Tramiel offered a $100 rebate on the C64 on the trade-in of any other computer product. Since the Sinclair was only about $50 by this time, people would buy a new $50 Sinclair just to get the $100 rebate on a C64. When interviewed, former Commodore employees said the Commodore offices were so full of new Sinclairs they were using them as doorstops.

[@SouthwesternEagle]

........the early '80s must have been CRAZY! :O I can't believe that. That's just insane!

[@spinnetti]

I got a new TI-99 at that time for like $20. It was a very well built machine, but I couldn't do anything with it and couldn't afford any add ons... deserved to die that one.

[@davidspencer7254]

The tradeins were not kept in offices.

[@StephenBlower]

True, I've read that before. Good strategy gone wrong. Then Tramel left and went to screw up Atari. lol. OK not at the same time, but he didn't help.

[@shrubbie1]

Fascinating stuff, never seen the US machine before, I had a 48k rubber keyboard speccy and a plus back when they were new in the 80's (I am 47 now) great video, I think the US machine looks great.

[@soviet9922]

The bus in the back is not an rs232 interface. its a expansion connector like the one in the speccy but they changed the signals to different pins. original zx spectrum expansion can be use if you get a "twister board" that swap the signals back to the same order as the speccy.

[@BertGrink]

Yes that is correct, in fact the expansion port is like a cross between the one in the ZX81 and the one in the Speccy.

[@Patchuchan]

I was going to say the same thing didn't see any uart or similar and looked like all the Z80 signals are connected to it.

[@NunoFragoso]

The ZX Spectrum emulation cartdridges you mention as rare were very common here in Portugal. All the new 2068 machines were sold with one included. It's a shame if those aren't as common anymore.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Nuno Fragoso I did notice that particular cartridge had "Made in Portugal" written on the label, so I guess that made sense for it to be common there.

[@NunoFragoso]

I'll keep my eyes open for any of those in our 2nd hand and thrift shops.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

please do - id be interested in something like that

[@FarmRanchHomestead]

The "official" Spectrum emulation cartridge wasn't available in the U.S., and those from Portugal would not work because they were too tall for the cartridge slot. They were a product introduced and produced by Timex of Portugal. There was a U.S. product that was similar and was made by Zebra systems (not Timex), as I recall.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Interesting.

[@penfold7800]

Don't know anything about the 2068, but I do know that VU3D was originally written for the 48k specify cos I have it. I remember that there was a peripheral available that plugged in to the expansion slot and sat underneath the rubber keyed specify. The device was a graphical upgrade that allowed RGB output. I think VU3D was one of the few software packages that took advantage of it. It didn't really take off, VIC20 owners upgraded to the C64, and Sinclair put more effort in to the QL (and a QL type super fast computer that would have been much faster and more diverse than anything Comodore was developing at the time, but it never happened due I think to not enough sales of the QL). Sinclair Z80 BASIC Still holds a dear place in my heart. It was a fine achievement and marked a cornerstone in computer history.

[@The8BitGuy]

I wasn't familiar with this one. While certainly a HUGE improvement over the ZX81, it was still obviously a weak machine compared to Commodore and Atari machines. That sound chip was also used in a variety of other machines of the era.

[@amigahouse3151]

Well well well... Talking about animation/scroling and sound, the C64 is really better. But it was twice the price of a Speccy in that days... Talking to graphics, most of the time i prefer the loading screens of the Speccy (an incredible "art tradition" on this machine with talended people notably spanish guys...). And there is so much good games on the speccy, even now (take a look at the Castlevania remake for 128k Spectrum...). Despite a good hardware, there is not so much good games on the Atari 8bit range of computer (there is some exceptions of course). With more than 24000 software titles (around the same for the C64), the Speccy got lot of gems and can be easily compared to the C64. Power is not everything...

[@rambledogs2012]

Jesus, are we still arguing over which was better, the Speccy or the Commodore? ;-)

[@daishi5571]

No we are not! The Dragon was the best! :-P

[@redlinetelevision]

Chase HQ was sooooo much better on the speccy

[@scottbreon9448]

The 8-Bit Guy I agree, however, One advantage the Spectrum had over the C64 was in the area of vector graphics. The C64 could not handle vectors very well at all.

[@Colldan09]

Good review of the Timex-Sinclair computer. You can still find Spectrum emulator carts., on Ebay! I just bought one last year! I do have my original Timex-2068 which has both a Timex 2068 chip and a Spectrum chip, which is switchable on the outside of the computer. Good machines!

[@blackterminal]

How is that wired inside

[@Zadster]

There is no separate metal shielding, but it does look like the inside of the case is sprayed with conductive zinc paint.

[@stickybandit2346]

I had one of these and learned programming on it. I wrote a pac-man game and an Indiana Jones and the lost diamonds of Tibet when I was in 7th grade. They are still saved on cassette somewhere in my storage.

[@dragonstarstudio2009]

Awesome review! I found one for 20 bucks at a flea market in Houston, TX. Just the system, no cable or nothing but happy to own one and have have next to my ZX Spectrum. I'm hunting for ZXSpectrum +2. Cheers.

[@borzak101]

Bought a new one in the day. From Montgomery Ward, neither around today. Had a cartridge that ran Forth/Fortran programming language on it.

[@TzOk]

As far as I know, the latter units had the emulator cartridge supplied with it as a bundle... The European version was TC2068, and it was also manufactured (or assembled) in Poland as an Unipolbrit 2068. There were some differences between TS and TC - latter one had 9V power supply, and a ZX Spectrum compatible expansion port.

[@amigahouse3151]

I think (but not sure), that the wires etc... and this feeling of a amateur modification, are a consequence of modifications for the States. I think it's a machine made by Timex Portugal and sold in Portugal and Poland as Pal machines. The Timex/Sinclair range of machines were also available in Portugal at that time. The TC 2048 (more compatible with the Speccy) was really popular there.

[@mikedench1110]

I had one and loved it. Not everybody is a gamer and if you were more interested in what YOU could do with it, the advantage lay with the TS2068, I wanted to explore more of the potential of that cartridge port but at the time wasn't able to. Nowadays with all the stuff thats out there, it would be easier and cheaper. One thing I wanted to do was control a model railway with it via software, ah well, a missed opportunity.

[@ingoschmied6811]

Thank you for your time and effort to make this video on the TS-2068. I would like to mention that at 03:22 you incorrectly mention that the expansion port is an RS-232 port. The expansion port brings out the system's address bus, data bus, various control signals, and supply voltages. For anyone familiar with the TS-1000/ZX81, the middle of the 2068's expansion port is pin compatible with the TS-1000/ZX81's expansion port. There are no contacts on the expansion port that provide an RS-232 port.

[@loganjorgensen]

You can't say they didn't do a decent job adapting it to the NA market but I guess the competition was too much, doubt they could have made it any cheaper however coming out after the C64 probably didn't make it look attractive. Wonder what the cartridge cost was like, maybe a disk drive would have been a better price point for NA games on this system since we weren't keen for tape loading limitations. That bank switch incompatibility, really needed something that ran in parallel to the tape drive functionality instead of bypassing it.

[@CaptLeChuck_]

I have the European version, made in Timex Portugal, the TC2068. Great machine. :')

[@jorgemtds]

Do you still have yours? I have no idea what happened to mine :) .

[@amigahouse3151]

I think (but not sure), that the wires etc... and this feeling of a amateur modification, are a consequence of modifications for the States. I think it's a machine made by Timex Portugal and sold in Portugal and Poland as Pal machines. The Timex/Sinclair range of machines were also available in Portugal at that time. The TC 2048 (more compatible with the Speccy) was really popular there.

[@JasperJanssen]

Amiga House a modification from pal to ntsc would totally make sense for that modboard - that would require signals from all over the machine, and it would totally be a thing companies would do back in the day. And I think I remember that NTSC had a signal that really required a specialized chip to generate, and couldn’t really be done in a CPLD/ULA/PAL/etc. Presumably they also had to install an NTSC version of RF modulator. I wonder whether the CPLD would have a different programming/mask, though. Or for that matter whether the ROM would be modified - presumably the resolutions offered would be different.

[@subg9165]

wouldnt the european version be the sinclair zx81?

[@williamsteele]

No... the ZX81 was also available here in the States... until the Timex Sinclair 1000, which was a ZX81 with 2K of memory.

[@TheTurnipKing]

It's an interesting design: Basically it integrated some of the things that were originally implemented in the ZX Interface 1&2

[@FaSMaN]

You should be able to run both roms if you toggle the enable line on both with a external switch , could be useful :)

[@ModernVintageGamer]

thats a great idea - ill look into it

[@DarioRuellan]

I have that modification made on one of my computers. It was made back in the day to provide full compatibility without the ZX Spectrum cartidge

[@mibnsharpals]

@@ModernVintageGamer and you can build in a small microswitch, for the upperadressline of that new rom and activate it, while you insert the cardrige. Without cardrige, original ZX-rom, with cardrige in, Timex rom.

[@benoit1335]

must have looked really good next to hifi equipment from back then! silver was the color back then.

[@gregryan7761]

I still have three of these machines. What struck me is that with the sound chip and added basic commands, this machine was better (in my opinion) than the Speccy. Its too bad that this platform didn't catch on and become popular. It is a great machine to learn basic on. On a side note, it struck me as odd that the expansion connector is "flipped" when compared to the Speccy. You would think they would keep the port the same, a selling point could have been that peripherals already on the market would work with this machine. Strange.

[@diegoj.richmond428]

Thanks for your video ! I modified my TS2068 in 1987 or 1988 to run ZX spectrum software by soldering pin to pin an UVEPROM on top of its original ROM but switching the vccpin with an external switch. This mod was published in an Argentiinian home computers magazine : K64 . This way you could run both ROMs ¡ Gracias por tu video ! Modifiqué mi TS2068 en 1987 o 1988 para que corriera el software de la ZX Spectrum soldándole pin a pin una UVEPROM sobre la ROM original y conmutando la alimentación con una llave externa. Esta modificación se publicó en la revista argentina para computadoras hogareñas K64. De esta manera se podían ambas ROMs

[@laser31415]

There was also a external ROM switch sold by a 3rd party at the time. It plugs into the expansion port in the back and still allows the printer to be plugged in.

[@kellerkind6169]

I cant even fathom why they would make it incompatible to the original Spectrum , as the game catalogue was the major selling point for this machine. Even more so as it was sacrificed for a cartridge port that had hardly any support/software.

[@jasejj]

Gaming was a fortunate accident for Sinclair, who considered his baby to be a more serious machine than that. The Spectrum would have been a much better games machine if not for this. The Timex redesign spectacularly missed the point of why the Spectrum became successful -- it was very cheap, and yet its specs (and simple, flexible design) allowed it to keep up with more expensive competition. The Timex ruined all that.

[@kellerkind6169]

I know Sir Clive thought of the ZX Spectrum as a business machine more than as of a gaming machine, but most of the customers up unti lthe point when the Timex clone was released had probably established the Speccy as the gaming machine that he -in fact- (other than what its creator had in mind) was. That being said I do agree with everything you wrote :-)

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Kellerkind Sometimes things just don't go the way you plan. I suppose had Timex simply brought over the ZX Spectrum as-is, it might've been a different story, assuming had the games shipped over as well (America of course was more for floppies than cassettes at the time).

[@emmettturner9452]

Christopher Sobieniak That was the time when such preferences were not fully established and open to be redefined. I used a cassette drive on my TI-99/4A "TI BASIC" machine. It wasn't actually that the USA had a preference for floppies. It was that the more "business" type computers emerged from the American videogame market crash unscathed (the lines between console and microcomputer weren't blurred like they were in the U.K.). Computers that connected to your TV just weren't considered computers by anyone serious about them.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I suppose, yet my family had a C64 my brother never let me use much at all, and that had floppies for a lot of things (and carts). I know we had the tape player for it, but I don't remember my brother getting much out of that.

[@franknash749]

There was a gentleman who made blank expansion port PCBs among other things for the 2068. I used one with a ZIF (zero-insertion-force) socket. I had a Spectrum ROM on EPROM for the Brit games. But I also had a Z80 assembly language monitor ROM. I would use this to analyze where and how a game loaded itself. These older machines all used fixed addressing. This allowed using an EPROM and programming it with BASIC POKE loops. Then loading a game was as quick and easy as switching EPROM chips in the ZIF.

[@JasperJanssen]

Those modwires may be factory installed, but they definitely seem to be going to that little mod board next to the expansion port, which strongly suggests a significant mod - if they ever respun the board they would presumably have incorporated that directly. What is on that little modboard?

[@alexabadi7458]

Great review! There is an RGB signal on the mother that can be use to get a much better video signal, I am working on it (with HD1080p upscale!)

[@xxycom8963]

@Alex, The edge connector of TS2068 has 3 pads designated as RGB, but nothing is connected to the pads. There is RGB signal on the SCLD. Ages ago I connected that to a DIN connector to the outside, using a Taxan B210 (analogue input) monitor. It will overdrive the monitor. I solved the problem by putting low value resistors in series with the RGB line. The Portuguese version TC2068 had RGB on the motherboard, which could be brought out and used. The TK90x was the Brazilian “clone” of Spectrum, which had RGB available on the back.

[@spinnetti]

Technically its not a clone. I bought one new. Better than the Speccy, but wouldn't run much of the speccy library unless you used a rom cart. My buddy still has it I think, including the speccy rom cart. Good times.The spark that Sinclair started in me, first with the TS1000, then this gave me a good life today.

[@MarcKloos]

The colours on the TS2068 can be adjusted by tweaking some trimmers. Have a look at the before and after pics here: beta.collectorsbridge.com/collections/sinclair-computers-and-clones/article/timex-sinclair-2068-2 (it's still not exactly the same, rather a bit pastel coloured and you have Bright Black which is an eye-sore when playing Manic Miner) As for the noise, mine is perfectly alright. I had a slightly noisier 2068, but I swapped it for a Brazilian Spectrum-clone. Have a peek: beta.collectorsbridge.com/collections/sinclair-computers-and-clones/article/timex-sinclair-2068-cartridges The Spectrum emulation cartridge isn't really that rare, but it was not sold or published in the USA. Instead it was bundled with the Portuguese _Timex Computer 2068_ ("TC" instead of "TS"). It even doesn't fit in a TS2068 as the height of the cartridge is too high to fit a TS (the TC cartridge port is ever so slightly different). I have one but forgot to take a pic. The Polish clones of the TC2068, the UK2086 (not a typo) had these cartridges too. Yes, a clone of a clone beta.collectorsbridge.com/collections/sinclair-computers-and-clones/article/polbrit-unipolbrit-komputer-2086-version-2 Alternatively you could modify the 2068 to have a switch inside: www.atkinsoft.com/ts2068.html or plug in a alternative ROM from the back: beta.collectorsbridge.com/collections/sinclair-computers-and-clones/article/twister-board-for-ts-2068 These are still newly made and sold on ebay once under a blue moon. This add-on can both engage 64 column text (the 2068 and its smaller sibling the TC2048 have two additional video modes over the Spectrum) or switch to a Spectrum ROM. As an added bonus, it will rewire the edge connector to take Spectrum add-ons as the edge connector of a 2068 is more similar to a ZX81 than a Spectrum. Otherwise your video is brilliant :D

[@ModernVintageGamer]

this is fantastic information - thank you very much. I will look into this!

[@blackterminal]

Those links no longer work. :(

[@MarcKloos]

@@blackterminal yes, the site is down, but I moved everything to a new site run by myself. The link is in my About page as KZbin doesn't allow links to outside sites. (Edit: yep tried it, and the comment magically disappears after a reload of this page 🫤)

[@bastianfromkwhbsn8498]

The case design of that machine is so sleek, just like 80s hifi stuff, love it!

[@PaulojnPereira]

I have one of those still functional with the 48k Emulator cartridge, a couple years ago i was wondering in which dumpster i was going to put it. Then i decided to hold on to it, for some reason, still fell some remorse for throwing an Amiga 600 away in 2001

[@LeeBondo]

Awesome, I have heard of th Timex once or twice but didn't know anything about it. Very interesting to me being as after the Atari woody in the early 80's the zx spectrum +2 was my first and main computer right through to the early 90's.I used that thing so much I broke the play button on the tape deck and had to wedge a pen under it to get cassettes to play!

[@ericmin6055]

ZX spectrum(clone) review but wears a Commodore shirt. An absolute mad lad.

[@TheDomdabomb]

Another great video, I was always interested to see more info on the US specky

[@adrianlambert7130]

Spectrum 48K was the first computer in my household (I live in the UK)!

[@nunyabiznez4408]

I always wondered why Clive got into business with a watch company. Back then Timex made very cheap digital watches but not computers. So I never got a timex computer, even when it had the sinclair name added to it. I got all my sinclairs (ZX80, ZX81, ZXSpectrum) straight from Clives warehouse. There was always a love for sincair products, but in my mind, it had to be a pure sinclair machine for the love to occur. I really didnt trust timex as a computer maker and laughed my ass off the first time I saw a timex branded sinclair. Yes I'm an american, but I followed the sinclair brand for a long time, due to some inside knowledge of their products. Did you know that the Astronauts that america sent up in the 1970's all had a sinclair calculator with them? It's one of those little details they never talked about because it was a 'non american' product, but the smithsonian library has all the details and even displays the sinclair calculator as part of the 'what they carried' display.

[@BertGrink]

In the early years, i.e. before the Amstrad takeover, most, if not all, ZX machines (80, 81, and Spectrum), were actually made in Timex's factory in Dundee, Scotland, That's how they were connected.

[@daishi5571]

Sinclair was never known for its quality. But it was a driving force in lowering the ownership cost of whatever it made.

[@nunyabiznez4408]

@daishi5571 ... nice try, but sinclair wasn't known for a lack of quality as your "passive aggressive" comments suggests. I dare any other p.c. company to produce $100 box that still works 30 years later.

[@BertGrink]

Not to mention making a computer that people still WANT to use after 30 years!

[@daishi5571]

+nunya biznez Sinclair was known for a lack of quality/quality control. Every early release system from the ZX80 to the QL was known for having issues (funniest one was when the Spectrum + was 1st released a friend of mine tipped it over while connecting it up and the keys fell out). My point wasn't to bash Sinclair (I have owned many Sinclair products- watch, ZX81built from kit form, Spectrum 48K, Spectrum +, QL) but just to point out that they weren't known for premium quality products, but they made products that were within the price reach of many more ppl than before. If I came off as passive aggressive it was because I was being curt,I get a little wordy.

[@DarioRuellan]

Not sure if someone mentioned this on the comments, but besides the AY-3 sound synthesizer included, this machine was also able to avoid the color clash using a mode 2 video. Sadly, the only game I know that make use of that mode is the official Frogger conversion, but the graphics are so poor that the enhancement is very difficult to spot.

[@QuasarRedshift]

Very nice surprise: I actually have this computer myself and have been snooping around the Internet looking for information on it - just found some - bingo! - thanks!

[@DeLorean4]

I have an early 2068 with the same hack job factory reworks as yours. I've seen a Portuguese PAL one without any of those reworks present, I believe these were at the tail end of production. The messed up colour palette is a problem that can be corrected by adjusting the pots on the PCB. Back in the day, I'd just turn the tint all the way up on my TV. I'm in the process of fixing the computer properly now.

[@robintst]

Not entirely sure Timex knew what they had and what to do with it. I think the emphasis should have been on targeting the much younger entry level enthusiast with a focus on games and learning BASIC. The price point was perfect for those kids to convince their parents to buy it for them. It also probably would have been smarter to either nix the cartridge port to forego the bank switching changes, or get that Spectrum emulator cart out there in higher volume sooner and allow owners to buy real Spectrum tape games through mail order for the same comparable low prices as UK owners did at the shops. At the very least, they might have still garnered a healthy cult following for much longer here in the US and we'd be talking about some of the best Spectrum games to this day in the same light as fans in the UK still do. Hindsight is 20-20 of course and I could just be completely wrong. :)

[@dolst]

I grew up learning to code on one of these.

[@SkuldChan42]

I have one of these - worth noting if you need to build your own powersupply it uses a center negative plug. Mine still has problems loading tapes :(.

[@curiousottman]

In Canada thanksgiving is in October BTW. From your North American friend.

[@CanuckGod]

Just watched this now, yeah, ours up here is October, but with his living in Kansas, he might not know know we do it differently in Canada (or possibly misspoke).

[@SouthwesternEagle]

He mentioned the USA, not Canada. Why is that a separate country from us anyway?

[@curiousottman]

SouthwesternEagle : Canada repelled America’s attack successfully. July 1812.

[@SouthwesternEagle]

Canada is nearly identical to the USA though. I think all of the USA should join Canada, or all of Canada join the USA, and then we'd be a nation with 63 states or 63 provinces. Wouldn't that be nice? :'3 A national border between the USA and Canada (identical people with the same accents and living standards in the same continent) would make about as much sense as having a national border in the city of Vancouver. Oh wait. Let's all recognize the Queen, all be in the Commonwealth together, and all have real freedom together! I wish that was a thing.

[@scottbreon9448]

Yeah, but Thanksgiving here in Canada is not as historically significant as it is in the US.

[@marcelofrau8818]

Great video! Can't wait to see the other mods to make color look better.. :D

[@williamsteele]

I think a cool modification would be to have a second rom with the Chip Enable pin selectable by a microswitch in the cartridge slot. So, with no cartridge, it is normal Spectrum rom and with a cart inserted, you get the TS2068 rom.

[@BertGrink]

That's actually a pretty good idea! I wonder why no one else have thought of that - including myself! haha.

[@cubdukat]

I think the smaller one was also released by Timex over here. I had a TS1000 with the RAM expander pack. Unfortunately, I ended up breaking off the edge connector, so the entire system didn't work. Not that it mattered; I could only use it for about 20 minutes before it overheated and started misbehaving...

[@AnimalFacts]

I had one older friend that had one of those. He always tried to convince me that it was better than my Commodore 64. T'wasn't.

[@Aeroman66]

Nice review, but I was expecting a demonstration of the 2 exclusive extra video modes...

[@pedroataun6428]

Tengo una sinclair 2068 y todavía funciona de maravilla

[@mspenrice]

Man, that bank switch thing is so boneheaded. Did they not think that it might be a good idea to only do that if a cartridge was inserted and/or running software that made use of the additional 8kb Timex ROM? Does it still break compatibility with 16k software, or just 48k? I guess the best answer would be to mod in a daughterboard that sat in the left hand ROM socket (or was even soldered in place of it) with the US ROM and the original one, which could be flicked between using a switch on the back. Also somewhat odd that it got the AY chip but only 48k (and the name is totally crazy... what does the 2068 even stand for?), so basically any actual Spectrum game you can play on it won't be able to use the expanded sound, except for the few "128k" games that used less than 48kb memory but used the soundchip etc... By the way, no coverage of its additional screen mode(s) over that of the spectrum? ISTR it had either a 512x192 hi-rez (and entirely monochrome) and/or a higher colour resolution one (where each line, rather than character row, had a set of colour attributes - so each 8x1 pixel strip could have two colours, not just each 8x8 block)... NB is that actually a second joyport? The Spectrum NeXt has a DE9 on the back that's apparently for Sinclair Interface networking or something like that. Or more likely it might be an RS232. Seems rather odd and unlikely that the entire bus connector (which that board-edge is in the exact same position as, on both the 16/48k and the 128k/Plus series) would be given over solely to a regular serial connection after all. I also wonder how cross compatible the cartridges for each machine might be. There's about as many for each after all, though they look rather different...

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

That's a great looking computer! Thanks for a very interesting video 😊

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Woh I have never heard of that version of the Speccy.

[@mrpositronia]

Great stuff as usual. No such thing as too much Speccy!

[@ModernVintageGamer]

indeed !

[@BertGrink]

I can only agree with my whole being :D

[@SuperColdLemonade]

This is really good stuff =) Entertaining, not too deep, could be deeper though, but it is catchy and authentic. I like this very much =)

[@TheForcedinductn]

Awesome video, haven't seen one of these.

[@cassette_50]

I live for videos like this

[@cbmeeks]

Awesome video. Thanks for the happy Thanksgiving wishes. :-) Oh, did you have any issue with the NTSC vs PAL standard? IIRC, that computer is NTSC right? I thought most Speccy games are PAL?

[@penfold7800]

Specify=speccy. Damn modern predictive nonsense. At least in the 80s, computers actually did exactly what you told them to and nothing else. I miss that

[@chrislozaga4942]

I watched the video but missed if you mentioned that the 2068 had a 512x192 high resolution mode? I have CAD software for the 2068 that uses this mode. It also had the sound chip from the Spectrum 128+ but little software used it.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

i did discuss the sound chip and i knew about the resolution but i didn't think there was any software that supported it. fascinating - ill need to check it out

[@chrislozaga4942]

Modern Vintage Gamer ...it was a great video btw. I was happy to see the Timex. The CAD software was called VU-3D. If I find my copy I’ll see if I can get it running.

[@hvgeeee]

That sound chip was very popular in central europe. A huge amount of demos from Poland, Slovakia, Czechia or Russia can play music on AY :) The 128k machines were still very expensive and rare, so the 48k with AY was a pretty common here :)

[@pmsrodrigues]

The sound chip was the same, but used different ports. At the time used to hack the 48k games that would play the 128k music without any check to play on my TC2068, even trading these tweaked copies with a local software seller (at the time the Portuguese law was oblivious of things such as software copyright). Due to the different clock speeds of the machine it would play at a slightly different pitch but you wouldn't know unless you compared with the original.

[@domiriel]

I had one of those cartridges that had a word processor in it that also used this high res mode.

[@paulgascoigne5343]

Could you use a double memory sized ROM chip chip and flash both the standard and timex images, then use a switch to set the start address of the ROM? People have done a similar thing to allow different ROMs in the UK. (Sorry. I see HPzeta has said the exact same thing below!)

[@vitorpereira2163]

I have one Timex 2068 made in Portugal , and actually , i have the super rare cartridge you refered on the vídeo , the zx spectrum cartridge emulator , i didnt know It was rare 😅😂

[@NeroMC]

I have the cartdridge that makes it compatible with spectrum

[@pnvgordinho]

4:55 Made in Portugal :) Note that it says Timex Computer that was a subsidiary company of Sinclair and it made the TC2068. Hey MVG, I don't know if the cartridge that you speak about is the one on the link that Im going to post, but check it out. www.olx.pt/anuncio/timex-tc2068-completo-cartuxo-spectrum-timeword-interfsce-rs232-IDFA2Gd.html#0a72a60cfe It translates to: Complet Timex TC2068 + Spectrum cartridge + Timeword cartridge + RS232 interface.

[@MichaelOglesby]

Great video MVG! I didn't know there was an official clone of the ZX Spectrum for the North American market. But what a cock up on that cartridge ROM chip! 2-5% compatibility on that massive games library! Also, not the correct colours and noisy screen! If I bought this computer, I would had been pissed. No wonder the system failed. @Modern Vintage Gamer: Please ID the computer music at 7:07 onwards.

[@jersu7306]

it is according to a quick search for "zx spectrum ay music" the title music for Typhoon.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

They need to make a modern version like they are with the VIc-20

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

I have 4 ZX models and only one Timex 1000 with expansion ram. The problem is that I never tried it as it has a US psu :-D Neat vid as always. Was that chiptune sigma 7?

[@ModernVintageGamer]

Typhoon 128k version - by Jonathan Dunn

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

5:27

[@FarmRanchHomestead]

I believe the Timex Sinclair 1000 and ZX-81 have the same power plug. If you have a ZX-81 power supply that works where you are, it should work on the TS-1000 as well. If all you have are ZX Spectrum power supplies, well, then, you're out of luck.

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Yeap, only Spectrums :-)

[@MrCOPYPASTE]

if you use the emulation cartridge the 2068 will have all zx colors... I had one in 1985

[@supernovagamer929]

someone else owns one of these! also fun fact: there was another type of motherboard for this computer, i know this because it's on mine.

[@xtreamerpt7775]

Those emulation cartridges came with most of them in Portugal.

[@scottbreon9448]

I wish we still had more options these days....Nowadays all we have is IBM-PC Compatibles, and Macs. Sure we have OS options like various Linux distros, but actual computer options are very limited these days. Kind of makes me wish Commodore didn't go under. They had the ideal Computer with the Amiga line, and they ended up fucking up and started making IBM Compatibles instead of focusing on the fucking Amiga. What a waste.

[@luisluiscunha]

Very cool and complete video: thank you :)

[@tamphex]

The keyboard reminds of the VZ200/300

[@stickybandit2346]

Will the ZX spectrum games be able to utilize the SOUND AY chip in the 2068 or do we need to add that after a twister board?

[@fcf8269]

I am surprised how nobody was able to make a cartridge interface with a rom that is programmable :) I guess nobody even cared to make this machine usable, since you can just get a regular speccy

[@bepowerification]

it looks a little bit like the teenage engineering op-1. now I know what inspired them.

[@adamcorreia5302]

I have One made in Portugal ! I have the emolator carteidge for zx Spectrum software!

[@zxspectrum16KB]

Can run most of the speccys 33k software what a pity there isnt a 128k compatible version ! Ula+ ulax vdac2 vdp9990?

[@CoolDudeClem]

What's the song at around 7:06? Sounds like something from a Dizzy game.

[@joerhorton]

I recognise the tune around 7:50, but what game is it from?

[@randybutternubs4647]

It is from the game "Typhoon" for the ZX Spectrum.

[@abirwait5636]

After reminiscing about my happy days some 35 years ago with the TS 2068, I found out that the Toronto Club Newsletters are available. There was a memory expansion board plugged into the cartridge port. archive.org/stream/ts-2068-update/Update%20Oct%201988#page/n33/mode/1up

[@dlkhills]

you can create cart with Speccy Rom

[@bamdadkhan]

are you aware of the spectrum next? i would very much enjoy you reviewing it when it ships, but outside of the (now long closed) kickstarter, it is unobtainable..

[@ModernVintageGamer]

yes i am aware - but its likely impossible to acquire - if someone wants to send me one to review/teardown. please contact me :)

[@bamdadkhan]

i would send you mine, but it would be a risky and expensive journey from central europe.. :(

[@ModernVintageGamer]

i dont blame you, how do you like yours?

[@bamdadkhan]

it's only supposed to ship in january next year..

[@ModernVintageGamer]

cool - it looks to be a solid piece of kit. hopefully its everything they promised

[@tomlee80]

Were the Timex Cartridges related to the ill fated Microdrive system released for the original rubber key ZX Spectrum here in the UK?

[@BertGrink]

I don't think so, since they were completely different media. As you may remember, the Microdrives required the Interface 1 to function, whereas the Timex/Sinclair cartridges would work "as is", being essentially just a ROM chip in a plastic box. The Interface 2 offered a similar experience on the UK Spectrums though. This solution was even more unsuccessful than the IF1/Microdrive combo, though.

[@jessragan6714]

Kind of frustrating for Americans like myself... this machine is better than a ZX Spectrum, but very little software can take advantage of the improvements, and it can't run Spectrum software natively. I'll probably wind up ordering a Spectrum ROM cart; someone is making them fairly cheaply. Hey, is there a way to skip the cassette recorder and, say, use a smartphone instead for faster downloads?

[@johneygd]

Cool design trough.