The Brazilian Sinclair
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 9:03 pm
I don't know if some member from Brazil has had the interest of start such thread, so please forgive me if I am digging an old subject up. I started my computer life with a Sinclair computer as many of us here BUT I did not this with the original stuff. The reason is because in the 1980s we had a Brazilian company that brought those machines to here. The company name was Microdigital. Between 1981 and 1986 we got a complete line of those small gems:
The "TK-82c" - the clone of the ZX-81... I had my first contact with personal computers at the house of my daddy's buddy. He was an old fart that enjoyed play radio operation, telegraph and happened to buy one of these computers. When we arrived at his place I stuck to the table where it was and didn't left until my dad drags me out back to home. That day I decided that I had to have one of those things. Around one year later I sold my bike and used the money to buy a TK-85 (the next computer you will see).
A few time later they released a face lifted version of the TK-82c named as "TK-83". I know that it existed but I never have seen one of these.
The "TK-85" - the clone of the TS-1500 - It was my very first computer bought with the cash I got selling my bike... the reason was because I asked to my parents to buy me one and they said 'nah it will be one of those expensive useless stuff that you will end abandoning along with your crap'. Well, they didn't tell exactly this but you got the message. So my only option was to buy one myself, something not too much easy for a fifteen years old boy. Anyway, because this computers became my professional life.
The "TK-90x" - the clone of the ZX-Spectrum... I never had one but my second computer was a Timex Sinclair 2068, quite alike this...
The "TK-95" - a kind of "compact" clone of the ZX-Spectrum 2 without the cassette section. It's major improvement was in the keyboard... I never had the opportunity of seeing one up close.
As far as I know the versions were legit copies allowed through an agreement between Microdigital and Sinclair. Enjoy!
EDIT: A few time BEFORE Microdigital start producing and selling the "TK" line, a magazine about electronics for hobbyists called "Nova Eletrônica" (New Electronics) released a version of ZX-80 in kit version (just like the ZX-80). It was named here as "NE-Z8000"... A friend of mine had one of these but by the time I still didn't have any interest in the subject. I remember to watch him demonstrating it to me in his home but it really didn't hook me up by then. It may have been around one year before I fall in love with the TK-82c.
The "TK-82c" - the clone of the ZX-81... I had my first contact with personal computers at the house of my daddy's buddy. He was an old fart that enjoyed play radio operation, telegraph and happened to buy one of these computers. When we arrived at his place I stuck to the table where it was and didn't left until my dad drags me out back to home. That day I decided that I had to have one of those things. Around one year later I sold my bike and used the money to buy a TK-85 (the next computer you will see).
A few time later they released a face lifted version of the TK-82c named as "TK-83". I know that it existed but I never have seen one of these.
The "TK-85" - the clone of the TS-1500 - It was my very first computer bought with the cash I got selling my bike... the reason was because I asked to my parents to buy me one and they said 'nah it will be one of those expensive useless stuff that you will end abandoning along with your crap'. Well, they didn't tell exactly this but you got the message. So my only option was to buy one myself, something not too much easy for a fifteen years old boy. Anyway, because this computers became my professional life.
The "TK-90x" - the clone of the ZX-Spectrum... I never had one but my second computer was a Timex Sinclair 2068, quite alike this...
The "TK-95" - a kind of "compact" clone of the ZX-Spectrum 2 without the cassette section. It's major improvement was in the keyboard... I never had the opportunity of seeing one up close.
As far as I know the versions were legit copies allowed through an agreement between Microdigital and Sinclair. Enjoy!
EDIT: A few time BEFORE Microdigital start producing and selling the "TK" line, a magazine about electronics for hobbyists called "Nova Eletrônica" (New Electronics) released a version of ZX-80 in kit version (just like the ZX-80). It was named here as "NE-Z8000"... A friend of mine had one of these but by the time I still didn't have any interest in the subject. I remember to watch him demonstrating it to me in his home but it really didn't hook me up by then. It may have been around one year before I fall in love with the TK-82c.