Hi,
The ZX81 was my first computer, I bought the kit form which made it even
cheaper, I got the 1K version and used it for something like 4 years. In the
last two it had been placed in a big keyboard with real keys, the fun part
was cuting up the membrane and gluing the legends to the new keys.
The ZX has the full bus available at the rear and this allowed for a lot of
expansions to be built. I think I still have a folder full of project from
magazines of the time: color display, led display, rom "cartridges",
joysticks, memory expasions, keyboards and more.
It was one of the most interesting computers of it's time since it lended
itself to hack. pretty much every computer magazine had software listings
for it and most electronic magazines had hardware hacks. Even some magazines
like popular science (yes science, actually Science et Vie in France) had
listings and hacks for it almost every month.
Come to think of it I have a picture in mind from the first start trek movie
V'ger the space probe that has been expanded to point of being intelligent,
The ZX81 had that potential: expandable to the max.
It used to be the #1 on my wanted list (I have two now).
Long live the ZX81...
Francois
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