Sinclair ZX81 Spruce Up (Composite, 16K, Keyboard & More!)

Рет қаралды 561

Күн бұрын

Thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video!
Check out their KiCad Open Source Design Contest!
www.pcbway.com/activity/kicad...
In this video I finally get a chance to play around with the ZX81 I picked up back in September 2023 at VCFMidwest. In my younger days I may have chuckled at this thing but as I've gotten older I understand and appreciate the role this little computer had in computing history. I think for many folks this was their first computing experience just as mine was with a hand me down VIC-20.
I didn't even know if this thing worked when I bought it. Watch and see how things go!
Huge thanks to Lee from More Fun Making It! Check out his channels!
‪@MoreFunMakingIt‬
‪@morefunmakingit2‬
Resources
Wave conversion software:
www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/tap...
Tetris (click show all files to see the .p file)
archive.org/details/ZX-81_Tet...
3D Monster Maze
www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/tap...)
MP3 Player I used
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansa_Fuze
3.5mm stereo to RCA male breakout cable similar to mine.
www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1006...
Ram related stuff
ZX81-Internal-16K-Expansion 'No Wobbly Edition' (project page)
github.com/redhawk668/ZX81-In...
The one I got from ebay is no longer listed but here is a Tindie seller link.
www.tindie.com/products/redha...
First 32K SOPs
www.ebay.com/itm/372247259274
Second 32K SOPs
www.ebay.com/itm/121113915913
32K DIP-28 that worked
www.ebay.com/itm/263959049103
Blog post with the DIP chip mod that ended up working for me.
blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2...
Keyboard Membrane I bought
www.ebay.com/itm/304989279583
Composite Mod I bought
www.ebay.com/itm/124844441452
As I always say, if you've not already, go check out my awesome neighbor-in-retro, ‪@retroCombs‬! He's got good stuff!
If you have actually read this far down and would like a HackShack sticker, figure out a way to get in touch with me and I'll see what I can do to get one to you! :-D
Music: ‪@WhiteBatAudio‬ Thanks for the tunes!
00:00 Intro
00:52 Surprise Special Guest!
04:42 PCBWay Spot
05:07 Initial ZX81 Testing
06:55 Replacements/Upgrades Planned
07:46 Power Supply
08:26 Open Sesame
08:50 Composite Mod
09:44 Internal 16K Upgrade
14:47 Loading Games
16:43 Keyboard Membrane Replacement
20:00 Reassembly & Final Test
21:48 Wrap-up

Пікірлер: 38

@CubicleNate 2 ай бұрын

I haven't ever been inspired to get a ZX81 but watching you go through this, the struggles and victories has really changed my mind about whether or not it's worth getting. I think this is pretty dang cool, especially when you look at its place in computing history.

@JamiesHackShack 2 ай бұрын

Right on. Yeah, back in the day I had zero interest but that certainly changed as I've gotten a little older and interested in how we all got to where we are now. Especially in hearing stories of others. I really love hearing stories of how others got their first machines and what those experiences were like for them. Maybe a spectrum is next. Perhaps an og one but I really also like that mechtrum case Lee Smith has designed!

@retroCombs 3 ай бұрын

Love the display tent at the end and the quote by Lee. Once again. Great video!

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

Thx! I sought approval just to be clear! 😂

@rick_. Күн бұрын

I'm inspired to dig out my ZX81. I had a lot of fun with it, including modding it to 2K.

@JamiesHackShack Күн бұрын

Go for it! Thanks for watching!

@retroCombs 3 ай бұрын

Fabulous video and a whole lot of Z-X…err…Zed X fun. And by the way, great shirt!

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

One of my favorite shirts! 😄 Thx!

@GarthBeagle 3 ай бұрын

Such a quirky computer! I love reading about the games for it from folks like Ashens

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

💯. Ashens rocks!

@adamt3912 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Appreciate the patience on this, especially without a desoldering station! I too wonder about mixing the power and audio jacks...it's a potential accident waiting to happen for me 😂

@JamiesHackShack 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yeah I need to get bite the bullet and get a proper desoldering setup. Maybe some others will chime in about the power/audio jack question.

@RudysRetroIntel 3 ай бұрын

Cool video qnd great work! Was laughing so hard when I saw Lee. He's a great guy! Too bad I didn't know you needed the RF to composite output. I would have sent you one for free. They are selling on Joe's Computer Museum site. Nice to that tiny computer working. Thanks for sharing

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! Yeah Lee is awesome! I remember you saying that about the composite out now! Doh! I know the version of ula this one has didn't do the back porch thing. Don't know if that matters or not for yours. Thx again!

@RudysRetroIntel 3 ай бұрын

@JamiesHackShack Next, you should get a ZX Spectrum :)

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

@@RudysRetroIntel If there is a deal to be had I would not mind that at all! 😄

@Rendell001 17 күн бұрын

Jamie if you're interested in quirky ZX81 games you should check out a game called "Merchant of Venus" by Crystal software. I think Crystal had gotten the idea from "Elite" on the BBC micro and tried a similar theme set on a single planet. The player would have to pilot his "lander" over the landscape to various trading posts and mining instalations to conduct business. This was easier said than done as it was VERY hard to land at destination without (A) crashing or (B) landing so hard that your ship was effectively wrecked. The graphics weren't hi res but they were lovingly crafted and if it wasn't for the difficulty curve in piloting the ship, it would be a pretty compelling game...

@JamiesHackShack 16 күн бұрын

Hey thanks for watching and commenting. I will put that on my list of things to try next time I get the ZX81 out. Thanks for the recommendation.

@Brfff 3 ай бұрын

That's a pretty nice image after the composite mod! /Brett

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

It really is. However, whatever magic it does... does NOT agree with my little cheap composite capture. Its like super blink/flash city. :)

@BrfffTravels 3 ай бұрын

@@JamiesHackShack Yeah, I've noticed that with some machines as well. I've got an Elgato USB device that I've had for ages ... composite and S-video in, designed for simply digitising video tapes I guess ... my latest VIC-20 doesn't like it either (making me think, initially that the VIC chip was NOK). I'm thinking I might use my Sony DVD/HDD recorder instead ... started using it for the SCART input needed on the Thomsons ... just record onto the HDD and then playback/capture via the Elgato afterwards ... basically let the Sony figure out the weird inputs ... and knowing the Sony will output a proper S-video signal.

@MrWaalkman 3 ай бұрын

Still a doorstop though...

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

@@MrWaalkman 😂

@MichaelDoornbos 3 ай бұрын

Fun video! Dave aka Tynemouth has a keyboard overlay for your spare membrane with the US keyboard for a few bucks.

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching sir!

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

I remember you saying that on X/twitter but in the moment when I realized I'd killed mine I just used the one I had. I may try to get the US overlay again. That tactile one you have looks pretty nice too.

@Alex_Valentine Ай бұрын

Wish I could have all this done with my Timex Sinclair 1000.

@JamiesHackShack Ай бұрын

Composite mod isn't too bad. There are some modern devices you can get for the expansion port that gives extra memory and tons of other features that requires no soldering. I briefly had a Timex branded one years ago. Wish I'd have held onto it. Thanks for watching.

@TheBoyMechanic 3 ай бұрын

I bought this in Canada as a "Timex Sinclair 1000" - I think the ZX-81 was the UK release. Bonus was the Timex had a whopping 2K of RAM.

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

That's why I was surprised by this being a US specific zx81. I originally thought all NA ones were the Timex branded ones. This was I guess perhaps one of the mail order ones before the TS1000s started here.

@retroCombs 3 ай бұрын

The Americans Indeed! 😆

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

😂

@MrStevetmq 3 ай бұрын

It is from the UK so it is not "zee" but "Zed"

@desiv1170 2 ай бұрын

Yep, and as the CPU isn't from the UK, I call it a ZedX81 with a Zee80 CPU. :-)

@AndersCandell 3 ай бұрын

Not using the official 16k RAM expansion module is cheating! Nothing like loosing 2 hours of typing after you accidentally bump the computer slightly.

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

I've heard those stories. That had to be both sad and maddening!

@AndersCandell 3 ай бұрын

@@JamiesHackShack It was infuriating, but I insisted, and (true story) one day as a 13 yr old or something with a severe cold, I sat there pushing the buttons. Too busy to manage my sneeze that I must have felt was coming, it all went out and hit the gap between the RAM expansion and the ZX81. From that day there was no ZX81, but I'm happy to say I got a Spectrum short thereafter.

@JamiesHackShack 3 ай бұрын

@@AndersCandell Wow!