US-Released ZX81?

[jmetal88]

So, I thought I'd ask, has anyone here besides me heard of a US-released Sinclair ZX81?

 

Everything I've seen on the internet seems to suggest that the ZX81 was re-branded as the Timex/Sinclair 1000 in the USA and that there was never a US release of actual Sinclair ZX81 machines, but my dad has out in the garage an actual Sinclair ZX81 computer that both came with a 120v power supply and outputs NTSC video. If these were not supposed to have been released in the US, where did this one come from? As far as I know, it was purchased in a local store (Northeast Oklahoma), but what I've been reading online has me confused.

[akator]

Yes... my father assembled a ZX-81 from a kit. I know that he ordered it through the mail, but I have no idea from where. IIRC, there were ads in Popular Science and Popular Mechanics for mail order kits... but don't hold me to it

[jmetal88]

Yes... my father assembled a ZX-81 from a kit. I know that he ordered it through the mail, but I have no idea from where. IIRC, there were ads in Popular Science and Popular Mechanics for mail order kits... but don't hold me to it

 

Ah, OK. A mail-order kit might make sense, according to the information I've read. I wonder if my dad would let me add it to my own vintage computer collection; I'll have to ask sometime. My brother might object to that, though.

[BassGuitari]

The internet contains a great deal of misinformation, or at least misleading or incomplete information.

 

The ZX81 did indeed reach USA in its "ZX81" form. In fact, I own one. I only got it a few months ago, from its second owner, so I don't know whether it was preassembled or a kit.

 

The bottom of mine is marked "ZX81 USA" and outputs NTSC video.

 

It's a cool, fun little machine!

[jhd]

According to a contemporary article in Fortune magazine, the $149.95 Sinclair ZX81 was launched in the U.S. by mail order in October 1981. By May 1982, total sales were over 50,000 units, and they were then being sold at the brisk rate of 15,000 units per month. There was no indication in the article that they were sold as kits (rather than completed units).

 

Sinclair exited the (American) market in either late-1983 or early-1984 (I have been unable find a specific date reported in the business press).

 

Would examining the quality of the soldering on the motherboard help to determine if it was hand assembled from a kit, rather than produced in a factory?

[BassGuitari]

Would examining the quality of the soldering on the motherboard help to determine if it was hand assembled from a kit, rather than produced in a factory?

 

Possibly, but not necessarily. If a hobbyist was skilled with a solder iron (and if a person is going to hand-assemble a computer kit, chances are, he/she is), he/she could do a pretty convincing job of making it look professionally done.

 

Also -and I could be wrong on this- but weren't factory assembled Sinclairs soldered by hand by factory workers? I don't know if that was automated. That could confuse the issue.

 

FWIW, I opened up my Yankee ZX81 shortly after I got it (to -you guessed it!- fix the keyboard), and it looked the same inside as the Timex machines I've opened, apart from some markings on the board.

[ClausB]

Here's the ad I saw in BYTE in early 1982. Bought a kit and built it. Sweet machine! Expanded it later to 16K internal SRAM. Still got it.

http://www.crackajac...x81-diy-kit-ad/

http://pwp.att.net/p...geid=350962&ck=

[jmetal88]

Nice! Thank you for posting the ad, it's pretty neat for me to actually be able to see where this was available.