Posts by LOAD ZX Spectrum Museum

A last look at the Living Computers museum before collection heads to auction

I've set up a small niche computing museum dedicated to the creations of Sir Clive Sinclair and companies that worked with him such as TIMEX and several others. During the process we realised we were the first museum dedicated to the ZX Spectrum computer (as such computer was Sir Clive Sinclair's most recognised invention).

Many people from my generation (I was born in the 70s) in Europe consider the Speccy a symbol of our generation as many of us went to careers in IT because of it.

I'm no Paul Allen and this all started as a private collection that I decided to make available to the public in collaboration with a city hall in Portugal.

We avoid as much as possible loans. It's a nightmare to manage them so we explain that to our donors and only accept loans of unique things that we cannot find and buy.

We do not - at least for now - sell objects. We can exchange them with others to enrich our collection though - it has happened two or three times.

I do think a lot on how to find a way for the museum to survive me. The first key thing is to find a business model. We are a free entrance museum so we had to find ways to do activities using our collection to generate funds that we can reinvest. I am not sure if this will work, but we are trying really hard.

Our museum is called LOAD ZX, it's located in the centre of Portugal in a city called Cantanhede, close to Coimbra.

http://loadzx.com/en .

You have lots and lots of information on our work online.

Drop us a visit when you are in the country.

Where the computer industry went wrong – the early hits

Re: The Speccy global phenomenon and TIMEX involvement on it

ahaha, thank you.

The Speccy global phenomenon and TIMEX involvement on it

Hi Liam.

As you mention TIMEX and the TS2068 spectrum alternative, I believe it makes sense to bring some additional information to the table.

TIMEX adventures in the computer business did not stop with the TS2068 and its compatibility issues. In 1984 the US team decided to leave the business and Timex Computer Corporation folded. But, as most of the computers to sell outside of the UK were already being assembled by the unit in Portugal (many TS1000, all TS1500s, the Czwerny's computers in Argentina that were initially produced by TIMEX Portugal...), the Portuguese unit kept going for 3 or 4 more years with the computing business.

It was TIMEX Portugal who adapted the concept of the TS2068 to the more compatible TC2068 which was much similar to a Speccy when using an emulator cartridge easily available here. They developed also other software such as Timeword (basically a rip off of word star) for that computer. That same computer was the one exported to Poland and became the Unipolbrit UK2086 adapted and sold there.

TIMEX Portugal also came up with the FDD3 and FDD3000 systems that you could connect to any spectrum (like I had back in the days). These were also sold in Poland with success, for example. They also developed the TC3000, a "keyboard" allowing you to run CP/M when connected to the FDD3000.

Much more interesting in terms of features and compatibility with the Speccy was the simplified version of the TC2068 which became the TC2048. It had already a kempston joystick port, it used the spectrum ROM (making it 99.9% compatible) and with the added features that you mention of the Timex computers.

And then we can even enter into the less known information of the Spectrum with 256K of memory that never passed from prototype (but working) stage - the TC3256, or the computer network called TENET, that was not really commercialised due to the sale of Sinclair to Amstrad. This last project even involved former key people from Sinclair in the team and we will have big news during this year about it.

We have finished a video documentary for the Portuguese national TV that should be aired "at any moment". It depicts all that happened in the TIMEX Portugal unit, with lots of information on the Speccy era, but it is not yet available online.

Finally, let me take the opportunity to:

a) invite you to visit us in Portugal.

b) invite you to take a look at the Timex Computer World website that is now part of our museum and has lots of information about this.

I am not putting the links here as I don't know if I can.

Thanks for sharing and keeping these memories alive.

Warm regards.

Yours,

João.

ZX Spectrum, the 8-bit home computer that turned Europe on to PCs, is 40

World’s first ZX Spectrum museum

Did you know that there is a museum focused around the spectrum and all other Sir Clive Sinclair inventions? It is based in Portugal and called LOAD ZX SPECTRUM Museum.

We just had the 40th anniversary celebrations, a two-days event, with Crispin Sinclair, Oliver Twins, Grant Sinclair, Steve Vickers, Jim Bagley and Clive Townsend among many others.

Stay tuned.

www.loadzx.com/en/