Hola. New member, thought I would start here.
I was thinking back to the ZX81 I tinkered with in junior high. I acquired all kinds of add-ons for it. I know I had some sort of external drive that took a small magnetic tape.
I've been trying to find information about the drive online, but have had no luck. Does anyone know what the brand might have been, or maybe have a picture of one?
External tape drive
Re: External tape drive
Well, able to answer my own question after poking around here a little bit.
It was an Exatron "Stringy Floppy":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exatron_Stringy_Floppy
Anyway, I'm glad to see there are still people playing with the Sinclair machines. Mine may be still buried in a closet somewhere in my parents' house. And it looks like everyone who stumbles across one thinks they've found a small fortune to sell on eBay.
Ha!
It was an Exatron "Stringy Floppy":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exatron_Stringy_Floppy
Anyway, I'm glad to see there are still people playing with the Sinclair machines. Mine may be still buried in a closet somewhere in my parents' house. And it looks like everyone who stumbles across one thinks they've found a small fortune to sell on eBay.
Ha!
Re: External tape drive
I still can't believe I threw all my Timex stuff away, including my Exatrons. So much for being 18 at the time and knowing it all
5-TS1000,UK ZX81<-Sheelagh, US ZX81, 2-TS1500/KDLX , 3-TS2040 printer, 2-TS2020 cassette decks, ZXPAND+AY, ZeddyNET, ZXBlast, UDG, ZX8CCB, AERCO, BUILDS/REPAIRS ZX Spectrum, ZX80 Minstrel, ZXMAX48 v1 v2, 2-TS-2068, ROM, 16kRAM
- 1024MAK
- Posts: 5118
- Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:56 am
- Location: Looking forward to summer in Somerset, UK...
Re: External tape drive
Welcome on board Torrid!
Please do have a good look around. There is still plenty going on in the ZX World
Mark
Please do have a good look around. There is still plenty going on in the ZX World
Mark
ZX81 Variations
ZX81 Chip Pin-outs
ZX81 Video Transistor Buffer Amp
Standby alert
There are four lights!
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
ZX81 Chip Pin-outs
ZX81 Video Transistor Buffer Amp
Standby alert
There are four lights!
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
Re: External tape drive
Home visiting the folks at Christmas, and I dug out the box with all my old Sinclair stuff in it. I had forgotten all the stuff I had.
There's the ZX81 itself, which for some reason or another I had taken apart. I got it back together, though the keyboard ribbon was a pain. I'm going to have to figure out how to connect it to a modern TV to see if it still works.
Of course there is the infamous securely stable 16K RAM pack. There's a Timex Sinclair 2080 thermal printer. I still have four rolls of thermal paper, so I must not have done much printing with it.
Finally, there is my Exatron Stringy Floppy. The one wafer that had my programs on it has a broken ribbon. Even if I could get the drive to run, all that stuff is gone.
The Stringy Floppy runs through an I/O adapter from a company called CAI Instruments in Sanford, MI. It has a big "CAI/O" label on it. Anyone else have one of these? I can't seem to find any info online. Apparently you could also run a modem through it, though I never did.
There's the ZX81 itself, which for some reason or another I had taken apart. I got it back together, though the keyboard ribbon was a pain. I'm going to have to figure out how to connect it to a modern TV to see if it still works.
Of course there is the infamous securely stable 16K RAM pack. There's a Timex Sinclair 2080 thermal printer. I still have four rolls of thermal paper, so I must not have done much printing with it.
Finally, there is my Exatron Stringy Floppy. The one wafer that had my programs on it has a broken ribbon. Even if I could get the drive to run, all that stuff is gone.
The Stringy Floppy runs through an I/O adapter from a company called CAI Instruments in Sanford, MI. It has a big "CAI/O" label on it. Anyone else have one of these? I can't seem to find any info online. Apparently you could also run a modem through it, though I never did.
Re: External tape drive
It's alive!
When I got it first put back together, only 3/4 of the keyboard worked. I found this video, which shows how a tear can develop in the keyboard cable. Sure enough mine had that tear. I cut the cable back, re-attached it, and success!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO-m4W95h74
I tried a couple of short programs just to see that it was functional. Next, I wanted to verify that my 16K RAM module is still good. I found this thread on another forum that discusses that.
http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/show ... p?t=120165
I had re-attach it a couple times (some things don't change in thirty years), but the RAM module seems to be working too. Next I will try out my printer and tape drive.
When I got it first put back together, only 3/4 of the keyboard worked. I found this video, which shows how a tear can develop in the keyboard cable. Sure enough mine had that tear. I cut the cable back, re-attached it, and success!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO-m4W95h74
I tried a couple of short programs just to see that it was functional. Next, I wanted to verify that my 16K RAM module is still good. I found this thread on another forum that discusses that.
http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/show ... p?t=120165
I had re-attach it a couple times (some things don't change in thirty years), but the RAM module seems to be working too. Next I will try out my printer and tape drive.
Re: External tape drive
torrid wrote:Home visiting the folks at Christmas, and I dug out the box with all my old Sinclair stuff in it. I had forgotten all the stuff I had.
There's the ZX81 itself, which for some reason or another I had taken apart. I got it back together, though the keyboard ribbon was a pain. I'm going to have to figure out how to connect it to a modern TV to see if it still works.
Of course there is the infamous securely stable 16K RAM pack. There's a Timex Sinclair 2080 thermal printer. I still have four rolls of thermal paper, so I must not have done much printing with it.
Finally, there is my Exatron Stringy Floppy. The one wafer that had my programs on it has a broken ribbon. Even if I could get the drive to run, all that stuff is gone.
The Stringy Floppy runs through an I/O adapter from a company called CAI Instruments in Sanford, MI. It has a big "CAI/O" label on it. Anyone else have one of these? I can't seem to find any info online. Apparently you could also run a modem through it, though I never did.
Welcome also from me too, Torrid.
Great to see life being breathed into the old kit, (should that be 2040 for the printer not 2080)?
Lots of knowledgeable folk here always ready to help.
Regards.
Moggy.