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ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 3

mechanical keyboard

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 3

In this third post in the series, the mechanical keyboard gets updated from wired switches on a laser cut acrylic plate to an actual printed circuit board (PCB), and not just switches soldered directly to the PCB, but a hot-swappable mechanical keyboard! How many kids on your street have hot

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 3D Printed Case - Part 2

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 3D Printed Case - Part 2

This is the second post in a series on designing & prototyping a ZX81/TS-1000 enlarged case, code named "Kilo-Zed". It covers the changes & improvements from version 1.0 to version 2.0. If you haven't already read Part 1 of this series, you may

Minimalist Recording Studio

digital recording

Minimalist Recording Studio

This post is about a DIY minimalist digital music station that I designed and built. Feel free to use this post as a step by step guide to building one for yourself, or take inspiration from this to build something entirely different. Space Is a Premium I have commandeered one

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 3D Printed Case - Part 1

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 3D Printed Case - Part 1

This post covers a collaboration between my brother and I to right a wrong that goes back over forty years! We join forces to develop a scaled up prototype ZX81 computer case that is large enough to fit a mechanical keyboard I built in two previous posts to replace the

Atari 800 - Part 2

Atari 800 - Part 2

This second installation of the series will cover one way to perform in-circuit testing of the electrolytic capacitors of the Atari 800 (or any electronics circuit board) and how to connect the computer to an LCD monitor using the "MONITOR" port rather than the RF cable intended to

DIY 8 Bit Computer Series - Part 2

Digital Electronics Featured

DIY 8 Bit Computer Series - Part 2

In this second post chronicling the design and build of an 8 bit microcomputer from scratch, the resistors that were previously being used to simulate a memory are replaced with an actual memory chip. Although there are modern options available for programmable memories that are much easier to program and

PLD Series - Part 2 - External ZX81 Keyboard Interface GAL

PLD Series - Part 2 - External ZX81 Keyboard Interface GAL

This post chronicles the design, programming, and testing of an external keyboard interface for my TS-1000, using only a single ATF22V10C GAL IC (Generic Array Logic Integrated Circuit chip)! The same interface will work on a ZX81, and a similar principle can be utilized on an interface for the ZX

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 - DIY Breakout Board

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 - DIY Breakout Board

This post covers how I made my own breakout board for prototyping new circuits for my TS-1000. The end result plugs into the expansion port/card edge of a ZX81/TS-1000, has female headers for jumper wires that can be connected to a breadboard, and allows for prototyping and testing

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 2

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 2

This is the second part of a two part post in which I share every step of designing and building a prototype mechanical keyboard for my TS-1000, or with some adaptation, could be applied to other models of retro computers. Part 1 covers the design and manufacture of the acrylic

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 1

retro computing

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Custom Mechanical Keyboard Prototype - Part 1

In this two part post I will share every step of designing and building a prototype mechanical keyboard for my TS-1000. There are two free online tools mentioned in this part that will help you design and build your own custom keyboards. Part 1 will cover the design and manufacture

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Composite Video Mod Part 2 - Plus Troubleshooting

Digital Electronics Featured

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Composite Video Mod Part 2 - Plus Troubleshooting

Part 1 of this two part series documents one possible way to perform a DIY composite video mod on a ZX81/TS1000 with the newer ULA 2C210E, as opposed to the older ULA 2C184E. The main difference between the two versions of the ULAs as far as video output goes

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Composite Video Mod Part 1

ZX81/TIMEX-SINCLAIR 1000 Composite Video Mod Part 1

This is the first of a two part post that will start a series on modding the Sinclair ZX81 and the Timex-Sinclair 1000. The first mod being RF to composite video.

Atari 800 - Part 1

Atari 800 - Part 1

This is the first post in a series that I plan to publish chronicling a revival of my very first experiences programming in BASIC on an 8 bit Atari 800 computer. I plan to share what resources are available to anyone interested in getting started with Atari retro computing, or

DIY 8 Bit Computer Series - Part 1

Digital Electronics

DIY 8 Bit Computer Series - Part 1

This is the first post in a series that I plan to publish chronicling my ongoing experiences developing a retro 8 bit computer from scratch. My hope is that others will follow this series and realize that with all the information available on the Internet these days, they can do

PLD Series - Part 1 - Programmed My First GAL

Digital Electronics

PLD Series - Part 1 - Programmed My First GAL

This is the first post in a series I plan to write on Programmable Logic Devices (PLD). By following this series the reader should get a basic understanding of the different types of PLDs and how to start using them in their own projects. This post will cover the basics