Do you still have a 2068 and addons for it?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Hartman" <alhartman_at_yahoo.com>
To: <cctalk_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 9:56 AM
Subject: Timex/Sinclair 2068
> > From: "TeoZ" <teoz_at_neo.rr.com>
> >
> > Their improvements included more memory, a sound
> > chip (yamaha?) that was incorperated into the later
> > spectrums anyway (just different location) and
> > built in joystick ports.
>
> Yes, as well as Composite Video Out available on the
> expansion port.
>
> And don't forget the Cartridge slot!
>
> > It was more bang for the buck compared to what the
> > c64 costs during the same time. Timex also was
> > going to make a disk system addon, did make a 1200
> > baud modem, and some other stuff before they pulled
> > the plug. No software meant a dead system.
>
> The Spectrum was actually a bigger system in Britain
> than anywhere else, being a home-grown system.
>
> A disk system WAS made, but Timex in the U.S. never
> marketed it.
>
> We got a number of them from Timex in Portugal at
> Zebra Systems and sold them for awhile. They were very
> nice, and styled just like the 2068.
>
> Timex Portugal sold 2068's a while longer (as they had
> a lot of them in stock).
>
> I really wanted us to sell them with 5.25 or 3.5
> drives. But Timex was stuck with tons of 3" Amdek
> drives and made it so attractive for us that we went
> with those.
>
> The bad thing for our users was that media was scarce
> and expensive. Though nothing stopped them from adding
> on their own external drives of any type. (not 1.2 or
> 1.44mb)
>
> > Even if they didnt make the 2068 non compatible with
> > the spectrum the british market and US market were 2
> different thing.
>
> Yes, but there was so much more cool software for the
> Spectrum, and as you note... Very little for the 2068.
>
> A Spectrum emulator solved that, however.
>
> And people would call us constantly about the Twister
> card so they could run ZX-Spectrum Microdrives. The
> Interface One for the Spectrum also added serial
> ports, which helped people run faster modems than the
> 1200 baud Timex Modem.
>
> > Not having a disk drive available, and limited
> > graphics and sound limited how usefull the machine
> > was for games.
>
> Yes. And not having a standard parallel port for
> printers other than the 4" thermal printer wasn't so
> good either. But, who really wanted to type long
> documents on that keyboard anyway..
>
> > I think they only made 20,000 units or so, and they
> > get close to $100 on ebay for one. Mine is here
> > somewhere and I did keep the original box (20
> > years of dust and all)
>
> I don't know how many were made. Your number sounds
> like a good ballpark. Though Timex Portugal kept
> making them. The made a 2048 and a TX-2068 which was
> more like a Spectrum.
>
> We were working on our own "Twister Card" at Zebra
> Systems. It would have incorporated the Spectrum
> expansion bus, a Spectrum Emulator, a Kempston
> compatible Joystick port, Composite Interface, and an
> RGB Interface.
>
> We never got it to work properly though.
>
> Which was a shame. If we had completed it, I think it
> would have been the best expansion item in the US
> market.
>
>
> Regards,
> Al Hartman
Received on Thu Feb 27 2003 - 09:42:00 GMT