Timex Sinclair 1000

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Timex Sinclair 1000

Type	Home computer
Released	July, 1982
Discontinued	1983
Processor	Zilog Z80A @ 3.25 MHz
Memory	2KB
OS	Sinclair BASIC

The Timex Sinclair 1000 (TS1000) was the first computer produced by Timex Sinclair, a joint-venture between Timex Corporation and Sinclair Research. It was launched in July 1982.

The TS1000 was a slightly modified Sinclair ZX81 with an NTSC RF modulator instead of a UK PAL (Units sold in Portugal have a PAL RF modulator) device and the onboard RAM doubled to two kilobytes. The TS1000's casing had slightly more internal shielding but remained the same as Sinclair's, including the much-reviled membrane keyboard. It had no sound and black and white graphics. It was followed by an improved version, the Timex Sinclair 1500.

Like the Sinclair ZX81, the TS1000 used a form of BASIC as its primary interface and programming language. To make the membrane keyboard less obnoxious for program entry, the TS1000 used a shortcut system of one-letter "keywords" for most commands (i.e. pressing "P" would generate the keyword "PRINT"). Some keywords required a short sequence of keystrokes (e.g. SHIFT-ENTER S would generate the keyword "LPRINT"). The TS1000 clued the user in on what to expect by changing the cursor to reflect the current input mode.

Displays were limited to black and white displays with 32 columns and 24 lines (22 of which were normally accessible for display and 2 reserved for data entry and error messages). The limited graphics were based on geometric shapes contained within the operating system's non-ASCII character set.

The TS1000 sold for $99.95 in the US when it debuted, making it the cheapest home computer to date at the time of its launch. Its initial sales were very high, but the system was not popular with users. Reliability was very low and the only form of long term storage was through an (often unreliable) tape cassette recorder interface built into the unit. The 16K memory expansion sold from $50 to over $250.^{[citation needed]} A shortage of the memory expansions coupled with a lack of software which ran within 2K meant that the system had little use for anything other than an introduction to programming. Home computer magazines such as Compute! of the era showed enthusiasts how to interface the computer with various kinds of equipment, providing the opportunity of learning about early speech synthesis technology through a Speak & Spell, robotics control through the memory port, and scrolling text displays for advertising.

Over time, the TS1000 spawned an enormous cottage industry of third-party add-ons designed to help remedy its limitations. Full-size keyboards, speech synthesizers, sound generators, disk drives, and memory expansions (up to 64K) were a few of the options available. Languages like Forth and Pascal as well as BASIC compilers, and assemblers augmented the TS1000's programming possibilities.

[edit] Timex Sinclair 1500

The TS1500 was a slightly-upgraded development of the TS1000. It replaced the earlier machine's ZX81-like case with a ZX Spectrum-like case (in Silver), the same ZX Spectrum rubber keyboard, a custom ULA (it does not have the Ferranti ULA) and increased the onboard RAM to 16 kB. In spite of this, it was not a commercial success because it was launched too late when the ZX 81/TS1000's successors, the ZX Spectrum/TS2068, were already available.

The TS1500 was manufactured by Timex of Portugal and sold in the USA and Portugal.

[edit] Bugs

There are two little-known software differences between the TS1000 and TS1500.

On the TS1000 and ZX81, the command:

LPRINT 0.00001

results in the Timex printer outputting 0.0XYZ1. This well-known fault is corrected on the TS1500.

The TS1000 runs the following loop correctly, but the TS1500 does not; making one less iteration than it should.

10 FOR I = 0 TO 1 STEP .25
20 PRINT I
30 NEXT I

[edit] Peripherals

Timex Computer Corporation made an interface to use cartridge software with the TS1500. It was called the Timex Sinclair 1510 Command Cartridge Player. Only 4 Cartridges Titles were made. The TS1510 can be used with a TS1000 and a 16K RAMPack.

Sinclair computers, derivatives, and clones (ZX80/81, ZX Spectrum, and QL clones)