. , , SYNTAX ZX80' A PUBLICATION OF THE HARVARD GROUP VOL. 1 NO.1 REPRINT ISSN 0273-2696 1980 NEW ZX80 ROM AND RAM SOON FROM SINCLAIR RESEARCH Soon you will be able to The personal computer will be upgrade your ZX80 to competitive the most exciting product of the high level computing power. Eighties. Its expandability and Sinclair Research, Ltd. , has flexibility make the computer developed a new 8K BASIC ROM. You unique. With the right hardware simply pull out your present 4K and software, the applications of ROM chip and drop in the new 8K your computer are unlimited. chip. When it becomes available, The Sinclair ZX80 is the it will cost $40 and come with a first of a new generation of keyboard template showing the 37 personal computers — affordable yet additional functions and a powerful. And if you want to make supplemental operating manual. See the most of that power, you're the comparison chart, center pages, going to need some help —hardware, for a list of features. software, information, and ideas. Additionally, the new ROM That's where SYNTAX ZX80 provides .graph plotting comes in. We at Sinclair Research capability, animated displays, and recognize SYNTAX ZX80 as the named, programs on cassette. newsletter for the ZX80 personal Although Sinclair announced computer. You'll read here first the new ROM in England in about Sinclair's expanding range September, no chips have been of ZX80 personal computer manufactured. Backlogged orders products and all the ZX80 , news in England for the ZX80 have from independent manufacturers caused delays in production of the software publishers and users. 8K ROM, according to Katie We can't succeed without a Manchester of Sinclair. When the strong network of people to units are available, they will be support the ZX80. We welcome the sold exclusively at first to ZX80 contribution that SYNTAX ZX80 — and owners by mail from Sinclair. you the readers —will make, However, US owners may have to % wait longer than UK customers. Nigel H. Searle We are also expecting a new 16K dynamic RAM memory expansion BATTERY PACK CASE to plug into the wide connector on % the ZX80. Although you already Check Herbach & Rademan's have IK inside the ZX80, the 16K summer bulletin (Vol. 46 No. 5). RAM disables the IK, giving you Stock # 21K731 C$4.50) holds 8 C 16K effective memory. Again, size cells and needs rewiring and production is delayed, this time a new output connector. H&R is in by., the FCC, but new RAMs should be Philadelphia (215/^26-1700). available first quarter, 1981. If you use alkaline C cells They will run under $100. Eveready E-93 or equal, you can operate 2% to 6 hours 1 . - DIFFERENT STROKES OUR- POLICY ON CONTRIBUTED MATERIAL Prestodigitizer , an 8-bit SYNTAX ZX80 invites you to input graphics tablet available express opinions related to the for several micros , will soon be ZX80 apd the newsletter. We will ready for your ZX80. According to print, as space allows, letters Dave Thornburg, president of discussing items of general Innovision, you can expect the new interest. Of course, we reserve peripheral almost simultaneously the right to edit letters to a with Sinclair's 8K BASIC ROM. suitable length and to refuse Using this device, you write publication of any material. on the pad and standard characters We welcome program listings appear on the screen. You can for all levels of expertise. also do simple stroke graphics on Programs can be for any fun or the screen. Handicapped users and useful purpose. We will test run children find this input mode each one before publishing it, but especially useful. we will not debug programs; please For printed character input, send only workable listings. you'll need at least a 3K memory In return for your listing, expansion to contain the learning, we will pay you a token fee of recognition and stroke dictionary $2.00 per program we use. This routines. Straight graphics input payment gives us the nonexclusive will work with only IK. right to use that program in any Thornburg expects to offer form, world-wide. This means you the ZX80 tablet with a parallel can still use it, sell it, or give input card for about $70. He it away, and so can we. plans to offer the card— capable We will consider submissions of recognizing any 8 switch of news and hardware or software closures — separately for $20, reviews. Please keep articles but these prices are not firm. short C50-100 words). Again, we reserve the right to edit .accepted EXHIBITIONS—A listing of shows articles to a suitable length. We feauring personal computers and will pay 7 cents per 6 characters, Z-80 based hardware and software including spaces and punctuation, for accepted articles. 30 October- 1 November 1980- If you want us to return your National Small Computer Show, New original program listing or York Coliseum, New York City. article, please include a 20-23 November 1980 —Northeast self-addressed, stamped envelope. Computer Show, Hynes Audi tor ium, Otherwise, we cannot return Boston. submitted material. 8-11 January 1981—Winter Consumer Electronics Show, Jockey Club, Las Vegas SYNTAX ZX80 is published monthly by Sinclair Research will attend the The Harvard Group, RD 2, Box 457, Bolton Road, Boston and Las Vegas shows, Harvard, MA 01451. Telephone 617 / 456-3661. Subscription rates : 1 2 issues, $25. Nigel Searle will talk to The Single issues, $4 each. of New Amateur Computer Group Publisher: Kirtland H. Olson 12 December 1980, Tha Jersey on Editor: Ann L. Zevnik set, Here's a location is not Technical consultant: Eric K. Olson good chance .for Jersey area ZX80 users to see and talk to the top © The Harvard Group, 1980. All rights reserved. US Sinclair representative. Photocopying prohibited. 2 . ; ; CRYPTOQUOTE—USE YOUR ZX80 TO HELP YOU SOLVE SUBSTITUTION CIPHERS "Cryptoquote" is a program for infinitely patient or just 6 DIM T(25) masochistic puzzle-solvers. It 7 LET K=1000 works just like cryptoquotes in 60 FOR X=0 TO 25 newspapers — you substitute letters 65 LET T(X)=220 for letters to decode the babble 70 NEXT X into a quotation. Your ZX80 will 100 CLS help you, though, by displaying 110 GO SUB 990 the frequency distribution of 120 PRINT T$ letters in your quotation. To 123 LET X=C0DE(T$) help you more, here's the order of 125 IF X<38 OR X>63 THEN GO TO most commonly used letters in the 170 English language: 130 PRINT CHR$ (T (X- 38) ) ETAONRI SHDLFCMUGYPWBVKXJQZ 140 LET T$=TL$(T$) Run the program, then answer 160 GO TO 123 command with F NEWLINE (NL) to see 170 IF X=1 THEN GO TO 200 frequency, X=L NL to substitute L 175 PRINT CHR$ (X) for X, NL BREAK (quickly) to stop. 180 GO TO 140 To change the quotation, 200 PRINT modify line 990 to contain the new 205 PRINT "COMMAND:"; cryptoquote (find new ones in your 210 INPUT F$ newspaper or a puzzle book) 220 IF CODE(TL$(F$))=227 THEN L This program just fits in' the ET T ( CODE (F $ ) - 3 8 ) =CODE (TL$ (TL$ (F IK RAM. Don't choose quotations $))) much longer than the one in line 222 IF F$="F" THEN GO TO 400 990. Otherwise, the display will, 240 GO TO 100 shrink as you add characters. This 400 CLS listing is identical to the ZX80 410 GO SUB 990 screen. In line 990 JQYGZKZ is 460 LET N=CODE(T$) -38 one word, as is JQPMBKBQPX, We 470 IF N=-37 THEN GO TO 500 would welcome ideas for shortening 480 IF N<0 OR N>25 THEN GO TO 4 or adding features to Cryptoquote. 85 483 LET T(N)=T(N) + K SPECIAL HANDLING 485 LET T$«TL$CT$) 490 GO TO 460 Most of you know about the 500 FOR X=0 TO 12 number in Boston for technical 505 LET S=T(X)-CT(X)/K)*K information (617/367-2555, 9-5 506 LET S2=T(X+13)-(T(X+13)/K)* EST) at Sinclair Research. Now K : SYNTAX subscribers can get special 510 PRINT CHR$ (X+38) " (" ; CHR$ (S " ; (" treatment from Sinclair if you ) ;") :";T(X)/K;" ; CHR$ (X+51) " write in with requests, problems, ;CHR$(S2) ;") j";T(X+13)/K or comments. Just write "SYNTAX 520 LET T(X)=S ZX80" in the bottom left corner of 525 LET T(X+13)=S2 the envelope. Nigel Searle 530 NEXT X promised us that these letters 540 GO TO 200 would receive immediate attention. 990 LET T$="UVQ JVQQXZX KQ JQYG Send letters to: ZKZ UBKV YWJVBPZX WJJZGKX KVZ JQ Sinclair Research Limited PMBKBQPX QC XFWDZLH" 50 Sfaniford Street 999 RETURN Boston, MA 02114 SYNTACTIC SUM = -1776 Do not write to the Yalesville, P.S. Answer to this one will CT, warehouse address. appear next issue. 3 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SINCLAIR ZX80 AND THE TRS-80 POCKET COMPUTER ITEM SINCLAIR ZX80 TRS-80 POCKET SINCLAIR W/8K ROM Max size of array mem- limit 204 mem- limit Max # of dimensions 1 1 mem- limit Digits of accuracy 5 integer 10 floating 9.5 floating Range of numbers +/- 32767 +/- 1E+99 9E-44 to 1.1E+43 Max string length mem- limit 7 mem- limit Max s.ize str- array no string arrays 204 mem- limit # of str dimensions no string arrays 1 mem- limit # unique var names mem- limit 26 mem- limit Output line width 32 24 32 Comma spacing 8 12 16 # of comma fields 4 2 2 M, Str data req s no data stmnt no data stmnt yes Filenames no yes yes Display size 25 x 32 1 X 24 22 x 32 Editor type 1 line scrn & list 1 line screen 1 line scrn & list Use DEG/RAD/GRAD none any rad String concat no no yes (+) Cassette data I/O no yes no Immediate mode yes calculator mode yes Mult stmnts/line no yes (.:) no Uses ASCII no unknown no Display w/o stop no yes yes Kbd readable no no yes Protectable memory no no yes ARE THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS INCLUDED? PEEK & POKE X X USR/ SYS /CALL X X RND X X ASC/CODE & CHR$ X X STR$ X X ABS & INT & SGN ABS only X X NOT & AND & OR X math.