EEPROM eraser

[RGV250]

Hi,
I have been doing a bit of a sort out in my woodturning room and came across an old EEPROM eraser, what on earth it was doing there I don't know.
Anyway, going free (not sure about the postage though) if anyone wants to give it a new home or it is off to the tip.

I will give Les first shout if he wants it.

Regards,
Bob

[CPR]

It'd be a shame to toss it into the tip if it's still working? I'm not after one, so I can't help. Perhaps CharlieCoutas or some place like this -

https://www.retrocollective.co.uk/

May be interested? Just a thought.

[RGV250]

Hi,
It was working last time I used it (the plug shows when that was). I am not changing the plug just to find out.
A good call for Charlies place, I am planning to go past/maybe have another visit in November if they wanted it.

Bob

[top204]

Many thanks Bob.

If you are coming up to Linc, later this year, I would be very pleased to accept it, and many thanks Bob.

I have a few EPROM devices, and need to erase some of them and place a ZX81 ROM OS on them, for some boards I have, given to me by my good friend Tony.

Which reminds me. Does anyone have any ULA chips from a Sinclair ZX81 computer, that they do not want? I have the Z80, and the RAM, and the EPROM for its OS, but do not have the ULA for them. I know it sounds silly, but I adore the Sinclair ZX81 computer. :-) Probably because it was my very first computer, and I learned to code on one of them, in BASIC, then in Z80 assembler code.

Best regards
Les

[RGV250]

Hi Les,
I am passing that way in November but I am under orders to tidy the place up so I will look at getting it posted later in the week. To be honest it needed doing, I have already found a couple of things on my "I know I have one but where the hell is it" list so it is worth doing.
It could do with a new bit of conductive? foam for the IC in the drawer, I have some if you don't.

Bob

[kcsl]

Which reminds me. Does anyone have any ULA chips from a Sinclair ZX81 computer, that they do not want?

I still have my ZX80 and ZX81... and they work (last time I tried them anyway).

Needless to say you probably won't find any ULA's out there; and I'm not sure I'd trust a random ULA on Ebay.
There are some rather nice replacements however:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1032542314/vla81-sinclair-zx81-ula-replacement

Joe

[RGV250]

hi,
I have just realised it is not EEPROM eraser Too many eee's

Anyway Les, It is on it's way so you will probably get it sometime next week. I forgot the bit of conductive foam.

Bob

[top204]

Many, many thanks Bob. As always, you are welcome to our house when you come up to your meeting, and we will have a cuppa and a chat again.

Joe.... I am green with envy. I hope you have them on display, to show the uninitiated what wonderful, and remarkable, creations they were back in 1980 and 1981. They were innovations by the 'designers and engineers' of sinclair, to bring computers to the masses. Unlike the other companies that wanted many hundreds of pounds, if not thousands of pounds, for computers at that time.

It was these machines, and the later ZX Spectrum, that forced the american companies to bring the prices of their machines down into the real world. However, because the British Acorn machine was 'advertised' by the BBC, and partly financed by the government, its price remained stupidly high. It was still popular, but because of its silly price at the time, the BBC computer never really caught on with the masses. Unlike the Spectrum, Atari 800, and Commodore 64 machines.

[charliecoutas]

Just spotted the kind suggestion to take the eraser to us at Bletchley. I don't know anybody there who could use it, but Les is the obvious person. I remember erasing EPROM in the 1980's and having to look away for 20 minutes.

It sounds as though you're feeling better Les. That's very good news.

Charlie

[LeonJ]

Hey Les,
My first was also the Sinclair ZX81. I may have had the first one in SA since my Mom convinced the store (where she worked) to import 3 of them. I then also followed on with the ZX-Spectrum, Commodore VIC20, Commodore-64 and the BBC Micro. The latter was my favorite.

The ZX81 keyboard was a pain so I converted an old electric typewriter keyboard (using many 4N35 opto-couplers for the matrix) and fitted it to the ZX81. Made typing a lot faster.
Regards,
Leon

[John Lawton]

Sinclair's keyboards were always cr*p, even the QL wasn't very good.

John

[top204]

They were dreadful John, but many people, including me, had never used a keyboard before, so the membrane keypad worked well. Then the dreadful rubber keys of the Spectrum, but this type of thing, initially, kept the prices down.

The real show of busines short sightedness, and not bothering to listen to others, was the toast rack (spectrum+) and QL (both with the dreadful keyboards), and the truly dreadful microdrive. These should have been true keyboards as other machines had then, and five and a quarter or 3.5 inch floppies, that were also plentiful and inexpensive by then.

[top204]

Many thanks Bob.

That EPROM eraser would have been a top of the range type in its day. With it being an RS product.

I'll put a plug on it, and see if it is working. If not, I will get into it and get it working. :-)

Best regards
Les

[TimB]

Check if you have the Z88 eraser looks like this

[RGV250]

Hi Les,
Thanks for letting me know it has arrived, I took the plug off as it really was bad. It was working when I last used it but I think that was in 16C54 or 17C44 days which was 20? years ago.

Bob