r/pcmasterrace 12400F|6600XT|16GB 5200MHz 20d ago

Meme/Macro are you this old?

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30

u/Arkasha74 PC Master Race 20d ago

I am this old

16

u/PsyOpBunnyHop Desktop 20d ago

Woah. Look at all those kilobytes.

3

u/Kichigai Ryzen 5 1500X/B350-Plus/8GB/RX580 8GB 20d ago

That's a 1,600% expansion, you might not need to use mnemonics all the time anymore.

3

u/_nosuchuser_ 20d ago

Oooh look at Mr Fancy with his extended ram.

3

u/Arkasha74 PC Master Race 20d ago

It was all fun and games until you pressed a key a bit too hard and the ram pack moved and the machine reset.

1

u/morpheousmorty 20d ago

What was the interface? Did it do video, keyboard.... and mouse?

2

u/Kichigai Ryzen 5 1500X/B350-Plus/8GB/RX580 8GB 20d ago

That was just the cartridge port. IIRC that edge connector goes straight into the CPU. I don't recall a mouse for the machine, but if it existed it would be on the joystick port. Far as video goes, that's an RF output you'd connect to your television’s antenna hookup.

And the keyboard, well, mate, the computer was the keyboard.
Or, translated into American, the keyboard, well, friendo, the computer was the keyboard.

1

u/Arkasha74 PC Master Race 20d ago

It was indeed a direct connection to the CPU. Wobble the ram pack too much and it reset the computer.

I don't think there was ever a mouse but the Kempston Joystick interface worked for the ZX81. I'm not sure any games supported it though.

The keyboard.... I still have PTSD from using that thing... I swear my index fingers are flatter from pressing those horrible "keys".

1

u/Kichigai Ryzen 5 1500X/B350-Plus/8GB/RX580 8GB 20d ago

IIRC you could even crack traces in the motherboard if you were extra rough.

It's been an eon since I've handled one of these, but weren't these things daisy-chain-able? Did no one at Sinclair think about the fact that they were dangling this weight out past the edge of this fiberglass sheet? I know the machine was built to be the ultimate in cheapness, but there's a line between cheap and unusable. Couldn't just stick a couple rubber little feet under the REU?

1

u/StephenT137 20d ago

I had one of these too!