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To convert the teletype's tape reader to not require pulses on the control line in Line mode, move the brown wire on Molex 4 (upper right in this view) from pin 7 to pin 11.
Recently, I found the time to ‘clean up’ (it's still dirty. It's always dirty!), maintain and test the Cambridge Z88.
This is Sir Clive Sinclair's first computer after Sinclair Research was bought by Amstrad. He didn't have the right to use his name in the company name, hence ‘Cambridge’. But it's a Sinclair through and through, down to the horrible power supply and ‘novel’ keyboard. This one isn't the worst keyboard I've used, but it does have a knack for collecting all the dust in a five-mile radius. It also has the classic Sinclair cock-up: the expansion connector caused more trouble than it was worth, so in newer versions of the computer (mine included) the opening is blocked. The edge connector is still there on the board, of course.
But it was an interesting design with very interesting software and some unusual features. It has 32K of built-in RAM but takes up to 3MB of various types of memory cartridges (static RAM, flash RAM, and EPROM cards—there was no built-in storage). It also has the only implementation of BBC Basic for the Z80 I'm aware of.
I actually used this little notebook as recently as 2003 or 2004 when I switched to a Palm device.
The observatory clock complete with 30 year old nixie tubes.
There was a UTC clock and a sidereal clock, both driven by quite accurate temperature controlled crystals.
The tubes disappeared in early 2009 when the interdata model 70 was decommissioned - the new computer doesn't know how to drive them, and we use a GPS clock now. I've taken the nixie tube javascript clock and hacked it up with photos of these (and the nimos we had in the observatory clock), and they are now on the controlroom mimic. (the javascript clock part of the mimick looks like this).
Above left: The row of tape drives for the UNIVAC I computer. Above right: The IBM 3410 Magnetic Tape Subsystem, introduced in 1971.
My home made Covox Speech Thing Digital-to-Analog LPT (parallel port) stereo sound card. Fairly easy to build. The sound is not perfect but it plays stereo, 44kHz!
1200/75 modem as supplied with the Open University Hektor III. No autodial here, you had to dial the number on a phone and flick the switch to 1200 or 75 when the machine at the other end answered.
We also used this with our BBC Micro until upgrading to a Watford Le Modem.
Recently, I found the time to ‘clean up’ (it's still dirty. It's always dirty!), maintain and test the Cambridge Z88.
This is Sir Clive Sinclair's first computer after Sinclair Research was bought by Amstrad. He didn't have the right to use his name in the company name, hence ‘Cambridge’. But it's a Sinclair through and through, down to the horrible power supply and ‘novel’ keyboard. This one isn't the worst keyboard I've used, but it does have a knack for collecting all the dust in a five-mile radius. It also has the classic Sinclair cock-up: the expansion connector caused more trouble than it was worth, so in newer versions of the computer (mine included) the opening is blocked. The edge connector is still there on the board, of course.
But it was an interesting design with very interesting software and some unusual features. It has 32K of built-in RAM but takes up to 3MB of various types of memory cartridges (static RAM, flash RAM, and EPROM cards—there was no built-in storage). It also has the only implementation of BBC Basic for the Z80 I'm aware of.
I actually used this little notebook as recently as 2003 or 2004 when I switched to a Palm device.
First computer
After viewing the ITCrowd website and seeing their Sinclair ZX81 I had to let out a snigger. My machines better than theirs.
Here's a back shot. Note the 10V DC power supply.
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