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Sinclair QL

T

tezza

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
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Location
New Zealand
Hi,

Thanks to a replacement keyboard membrane, I can now add this to my working collection. I've written some impressions of it, for those that might be interested.

It probably wasn't hyped in the US as much as it was here. From what I've read it was even more hyped in the UK. Anyway, it's an interesting example of something that fell well short of its initial promise. Like the IBM PC Junior in North America perhaps ?

Tez
 
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Hehe, good review! My initial impression of the TS-1000 was even worse. The membrane keyboard is tough to learn and, as we see in the other thread, dies a horrible death. Surprise!! If you get a TS-2068 like I did, the way to use the 2068 keyboard is different than the 1000, both non-standard. I knew they were cheaply made and boy, are they ever. Still, it is true they were not $2795.00.
 
Same here -- regardless of how awful the QL might be in certain ways, I'd still like to have one. But then again, I'm STILL looking for a T/S 2068 with the Speccy module -- I have a lot of original Spectrum software that is on cassette that is collecting dust, figuratively speaking. One of these days hopefully I'll find one . . . .
 
willowmoon93 said:
Same here -- regardless of how awful the QL might be in certain ways, I'd still like to have one. .
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Indeed. It's eccentric and unique, and interesting to play with.

willowmoon93 said:
But then again, I'm STILL looking for a T/S 2068 with the Speccy module -- I have a lot of original Spectrum software that is on cassette that is collecting dust, figuratively speaking. One of these days hopefully I'll find one . . . .
Click to expand...

I'd never heard of that computer until now. Some Google research, and I now know a lot more. Although heavily disguised, the ghost of the ZX-Spectrum even stalks North America!

Tez
 
I think the 2068 (perhaps even the 2048 models?) comes with a built-in cartridge slot, unlike the European ZX Spectrum which only has an expansion bus. While the Speccy can fit ROM cartridges too through an Interface 2, supposedly they're not compatible.

Tezza, just a small correction: the name of the CPU company is and has always been Motorola with only one L. I know a lot of people misspell it Motorolla, perhaps based on how you pronouce it, but it is as much wrong as writing Intell, which I'm sure nobody does.
 
carlsson said:
Tezza, just a small correction: the name of the CPU company is and has always been Motorola with only one L. I know a lot of people misspell it Motorolla, perhaps based on how you pronouce it, but it is as much wrong as writing Intell, which I'm sure nobody does.
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Opps, I shall correct it. Thanks.

Tez
 
Oh, I didn't know the 2068 is so far from a ZX Spectrum that you need a software emulator to run Spectrum software. If I recall correctly there are two 2048 models, of which one is identical to a 48K Spectrum and the other isn't?
 
In North America the only TS machine sold after the TS1000 was the TS2068. The cartridge port was meant for instant-loading games, but could also be used to run the Spectrum rom instead of its own, thus giving a certain compatibility with Spectrum software (not 100%).

Timex in Portugal decided to create two computers on their own, the TC2048 and the TC2068. While the TC2068 was very similar to the TS2068, it had more similarities with the Spectrum (expansion port, for example), but still needed the ZX Spectrum emulator cartridge (which increased the compatibility to 98%). The TC2048 was completely different. Although not 100% compatible, it was the almost a ZX Spectrum. It didn't had a cartridge port and didn't need an emulator.

If you investigate this subject you'll see that Timex Portugal continued to create and innovate long after Timex in the U.S. abandoned the computer market.

Nowadays these computers are rare. I have the TC2048, TC2068 and TS2068. And although I'm Portuguese, it was difficult to find these machines in the country where they were made.
 
Interesting, I didn't realize the QL wasn't released here. It was certainly advertised in NA-centric magazines of the time. I recall drooling over them in a few of my favorite publications. No wonder I've never actually run across one.

--T
 
Terry Yager said:
Interesting, I didn't realize the QL wasn't released here. It was certainly advertised in NA-centric magazines of the time. I recall drooling over them in a few of my favorite publications. No wonder I've never actually run across one.

--T
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It was definitely released here, though not widely. I have an NTSC version of the QL. Timex didn't release it though, which is what I believe he meant. All Timex ever released was the 1000, the 1500 and the 2068. Sinclair released the ZX80, ZX81 and QL...
 
Terry Yager said:
Kewl, you mean I still might find one, without having to stoop to buying one off e<choke>Bay?

--T
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It took me what seemed like forever to track one down and it required asking a lot of people and some false leads. I did eventually get it outside of eBay from a reseller who got out of the business. I don't have his contact info any more. Unless you want to adapt a PAL unit, I don't see a great deal of hope finding an NTSC machine, but they do pop up (very) sporadically on eBay (often untested). It's an undeniably cool machine, but frankly for all of the effort it takes to get one and minimal amounts of "fun" software, it's not one I recommend on a casual basis. Mine has both a refurbished keyboard and refurbished micro drives and is heavily upgraded. In fact, it seems to me that most of the QL community (which is outside the US of course) today has advanced well beyond the stock QL many moons ago and often enjoy the system via emulation or via boxes that no longer resemble the original hardware.
 
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