deskthority

I nearly forgot about this. Got it new and unused about 10 years ago. It's been moved from place to place so many times that it got a few scratches here and there. Serves me right for not packing it up!

Anyway, this is a ZX Spectrum 16k/48k enclosure which had a reset button, you could do a cutout to install a micro-drive but most important is the keyboard. To use it, you had to transplant the motherboard. Keys are not exactly Cherry compatible - the stem is a bit too big.

This was the first keyboard ever to be made by Tipro in limited quantities so I'm glad to have one Too bad Yugoslavia wasn't a Western country because I'm sure they could have sold many more of those to the UK.

That's quite nice, if a little bulky. I had a DK'Tronics which was also bulky, with read and grey keys - I'll see if I can dig it out later and post a pic or two. Likewise, the board was transplanted into the new shell, and it uses pseudo-Cherry switches.

A friend had a much sleeker model, something like a Saga if I remember. It was thin, white, had a pen try at the top... he always had better computer kit than I did, and I was perpetually slightly envious. I think I was better at programming though.

That table cloth is also nice, although it looks more like old wallpaper :)

I first had a DK'tronics and some other one which I can't remember, but couldn't keep my eye off the Saga so later (after delivering a lot of newspapers) I got that one. I can't remember the key feel of any of them, or how they coped with Daley Thompson's Decathlon (the Great Destroyer of Keyboards).

Don't tell me those are stickers?!?

That's just horrible. I'd rather have them custom engraved

Stickers were pretty common on those replacement cases from what I remember.

Here's my old DK'Tronics, which houses the raw power of a 48k ZX Spectrum, and a built-in amp for when you want it to really BEEP...



I also have an old Genius Mouse for it; the interface is in a box somewhere, no idea what happened to the software though. I think I used Artist Studio or something. Got fairly decent results, given the tech. Needs a little retrobrite though...



Here's detail of a switch and cap. I haven't tested for Cherry fit yet, they're pretty thick.

I had a Sinclair ZX Spectrum+, boy that was such a fun computer. Writing basic on it was so easy with all the shortkeys.

I agree. I used mine into the ground. I'm one of a generation who could look at bits of hex code and tell you what they did.

Kids these days, etc...

I like girls.

My first programming language was ZX Spectrum Basic. My second Z80 assembler

itlnstln wrote:I like girls.

That's the spirit.

This is why he is in mechanical keyboards... to meet girls.

[Account and posts deleted on request]

Your first programming language, or you got into that to meet girls?

I ran to the fort in '77 too