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Looks fantastic! Just FYI there was a full travel keyboard for the ZX81 back in the day (and I own one): http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/hardware/dkTronicsKe

by rwmj 3y ago

Looks fantastic! Just FYI there was a full travel keyboard for the ZX81 back in the day (and I own one): http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/hardware/dkTronicsKeyboard http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/hardware/dkTronicsKeyboard https://t-lcarchive.org/dktronics-keyboard/ https://t-lcarchive.org/dktronics-keyboard/ I should get it out and take some good photos ...

pmontra 3y ago
Does it enclose the ZX81 or is it connected to the expansion bus, the one we used for the extra RAM card?
- rwmj 3y ago
  It entirely encloses the ZX81 and the RAM pack. Which is an issue because when myself and my father originally fitted it (back in probably 1982) we threw away the original "doorstop" shell of the ZX81 designed by Rick Dickenson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Dickinson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Dickinson).
buescher 3y ago
Nice. In the US, I definitely remember seeing kits (perhaps loosely defined) of surplus keyboards and instructions for adapting them to the ZX81. A friend's dad who had built his ZX81 from a kit added a keyboard that way. Just little later on I think surplus TI/99 keyboards became the go to mod for anyone who was still running a ZX81/TS1000.
kjs3 3y ago
I recall seeing an Eastern Block manufactured ZX81 clone with a mechanical keyboard back in the day, and a couple of different Soviet era ZX81s with not-mechanical-but-vastly-improved keyboards. Seems like they really liked to clone the ZX81 behind the Iron Curtain. That said, really isn't new. Lots of people took ZX's and modded them with new keyboards, bigger cases (better thermals & PS), better mechanical connection for expansion ports, etc.
tpmx 3y ago
I had this one piece "keyboard upgrade": https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/36030/Sinclair-ZX81-with-keyboard-upgrade/ https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/36030/Sinclair-ZX81-... It's debatable if it improved things or not. Must have been really cheap to manufacture though.

by rwmj 3y ago

pmontra 3y ago

Does it enclose the ZX81 or is it connected to the expansion bus, the one we used for the extra RAM card?

rwmj 3y ago
It entirely encloses the ZX81 and the RAM pack. Which is an issue because when myself and my father originally fitted it (back in probably 1982) we threw away the original "doorstop" shell of the ZX81 designed by Rick Dickenson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Dickinson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Dickinson).

buescher 3y ago

Nice. In the US, I definitely remember seeing kits (perhaps loosely defined) of surplus keyboards and instructions for adapting them to the ZX81. A friend's dad who had built his ZX81 from a kit added a keyboard that way. Just little later on I think surplus TI/99 keyboards became the go to mod for anyone who was still running a ZX81/TS1000.

kjs3 3y ago

I recall seeing an Eastern Block manufactured ZX81 clone with a mechanical keyboard back in the day, and a couple of different Soviet era ZX81s with not-mechanical-but-vastly-improved keyboards. Seems like they really liked to clone the ZX81 behind the Iron Curtain. That said, really isn't new. Lots of people took ZX's and modded them with new keyboards, bigger cases (better thermals & PS), better mechanical connection for expansion ports, etc.

tpmx 3y ago

I had this one piece "keyboard upgrade": https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/36030/Sinclair-ZX81-with-keyboard-upgrade/ https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/36030/Sinclair-ZX81-... It's debatable if it improved things or not. Must have been really cheap to manufacture though.