website/content/museum/microace.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
MicroAce	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1980	Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs photos hardware emulators links docs comments related oc_id source MicroAce /media/museum/photos/microace_system_s1.jpg /companies/microace MICROACE label value NAME MicroAce label value MANUFACTURER Microace label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1980 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1981 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Sinclair Basic label value KEYBOARD Membrane keyboard, 40 keys, 1 SHIFT key label value CPU Z80 label value SPEED 3.25 MHz label value RAM 1 KB, 901 bytes available (up to 2 KB on board) label value ROM 4 KB label value TEXT MODES 32 chars. x 22 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 64 x 44 dots label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND None label value I/O PORTS Z80 Bus, tape, TV/RF video label value POWER SUPPLY 9v DC, external PSU label value PERIPHERALS 16 KB RAM extension label value PRICE Unknown photos hardware emulators links docs title subtitle text image MICROACE Picture from www.1000bit.net /media/museum/photos/microace_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image CIRCUIT DIAGRAM Thanks to **Ivan Andrews** /media/museum/photos/microace_diagram_s1.jpg title subtitle text image 64 KB from Suntroncis Suntronics T/S 1000 & ZX81 64K Memory Pack (Male Socket on Back, Female Socket on Front). /media/museum/hardware/timex_1000-suntronics-64k_1.jpg title subtitle text image TIMEX SINCLAIR 1016 16k RAM extension /media/museum/hardware/timex_sinclair-1000_16kram-1016.jpg title url platform text EightyOne http://www.chuntey.com/eightyone/ Windows Excellent emulator emulating nearly all ZX computers (80, 81, Spectrums, Timex, etc.). As well as emulating the machines themselves, numerous addon cards are supported, including hi-res graphics, custom character sets, sound and colour cards. title url platform text VB81 http://freestuff.grok.co.uk/vb81/ Windows Sinclair ZX81 Emulator (with Visual Basic sources). Excellent emulator title url platform text X-Tender http://www.delhez.demon.nl/ Windows The best ZX emulator for PC compatibles title url platform text ZX 81 Homepage http://www.maxon.de/homes/r_kurz/ Windows title url platform text ZX81 http://www.w-4.de/~kurz/ Apple title url platform text XZ81 http://www.zx81.nl/ Unix / Linux And other ZX-81 emulators there... title url platform text ZX-81 Emulator 2.1 http://www.hh.schule.de/hhs/mjaap/ftp/zx81_v21.zip Atari title url platform text Java ZX81 Emulator http://home.clara.net/rsergeant/ Other platform Java emulator title url platform text Timex/Sinclair 1000 Emulator (Java) http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html#ts1000 Other platform With this JAVA emulator, you'll be able to run a Timex/Sinclair 1000 in your browser window title url platform text zx81emu http://www.tlienhard.com/ap800.shtml Other platform ZX-81 Emulator for the SonyEricsson P800 Smart Phone title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org Multiplatform MESS emulates the ZX-81, Lambda 8300, Power 3000 and other clones ! title url text Achromic's ZX81 Site http://zx81.achromic.co.uk/ A small, ZX81 fan site. With games and links to some emulators title url text DOCUMENTATION http://www.8bit.ht.st/ The Lil Old Sinclair Computer Technical Information Repository title url text DOCUMENTATION http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sinclair.zx81/ ZX-81 on-line manual. Great work ! title url text Jame's Sinclair ZX-81 Page http://james.istop.com/zx81/ Some technical infos and links title url text Planet Sinclair http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/computers/zx81/zx81.htm Planet Sinclair has very interesting information on the ZX-81 title url text Sinclair ZX Hardware Website http://www.xs4all.nl/~echorod/zx/index.htm Features designs to build your own Sinclair computer title url text The ZX81 Hardware and Software Collection http://zx81.atspace.com/ Online museum for ZX81 hardware, software and literature title url text TS1000.US http://www.ts1000.us/ Documentation, software, hardware tips and more title url text Zebra Systems, Inc. http://www.zebrasystems.com/zebrasystems/zx81/index.html Website where you can buy Timex/Sinclair products including ZX-81 kits ! title url text ZX81 Collection http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/ Online collection of ZX81 tapes, books and hardware title url text ZX-81 forum http://zx81.tlienhard.com/ A new ZX-81 forum. cool. title url text ZX81 Home Page http://www.honneamise.u-net.com/zx81/ FAQ and ZX81 Charts. title url text ZX-81 The Archive http://www.imarshall.karoo.net/zx81/zx81technical.htm Lot of info here title url text ZX-81 webring http://www.zx81.de/webring/index.htm Very useful to explore other ZX-81 related sites title url text ZX-Team Homepage http://www.zx81.de/ Quite a reference for the ZX-80, ZX-81, TS1000-1500, PC8300, Lambda and Jupiter Ace ! title url text ZX-TEAM-homepage & ZX-81 Web-Ring http://www.zx81.de/ Logically useful title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com Sinclair computers title url cover text SINCLAIR ZX-81 BASIC PROGRAMMING ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/books/ZX81BASICProgramming.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx81_basic-programming.jpg [**SINCLAIR ZX-81 BASIC PROGRAMMING**](ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/books/ZX81BASICProgramming.pdf)written by Sinclair Research Limited / Steven Vickers  compiled/archived by Robin Stuart\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5,2 MB\  source : [www.worldofspectrum.org](http://www.worldofspectrum.org/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** title url cover text TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000 - USER MANUAL http://www.ts1000.us/usermanuals.htm /media/museum/docs/couvs/timex-sinclair_1000_user-manual.jpg [**TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000 - USER MANUAL**](http://www.ts1000.us/usermanuals.htm)written by Timex / Sinclair / Steven Vickers  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks\  type of document : PDF\  size : 3.5 MB\  source : [www.ts1000.us](http://www.ts1000.us/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** title url cover text THE COMPLETE TIMEX TS1000 & SINCLAIR ZX81 ROM DISASSEMBLY null /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx81_rom-disasembly.jpg **THE COMPLETE TIMEX TS1000 & SINCLAIR ZX81 ROM DISASSEMBLY**\ written by Dr. Ian Logan & Dr. Frank O'Hara  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5 MB\  source : [www.ts1000.us](http://www.ts1000.us/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** title url cover text TIMEX SINCLAIR 2020 COMPUTER PROGRAM RECORDER null /media/museum/docs/couvs/ts2020_tape-recorder_manual.jpg **TIMEX SINCLAIR 2020 COMPUTER PROGRAM RECORDER**\ written by Timex Computer Corporation  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks / www.ts1000.us\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** author date text Joe Batchelor (USA) Friday 3rd April 2015 The early one had 4 K Internet Basic. Later there was an 8 K Basic. My kit was missing a zero ohm resistor and I did not install it. When switching from watching TV to the computer, the vertical hold had to be adjusted. It was running at 50 cycles and in the US it syncs with 60 cycles. I added a jumper wire in place of the resistor and all worked well. I added a surplus keyboard and tapped the video going to the modulator to drive a video monitor. The video was very much better without going through the TV tuner. author date text Jim Schwartz (USA) Friday 19th December 2014 This, too, was my first computer. I remember building it from a kit. I learned to program in BASIC using this computer. I have since made programming my career, all self-taught. author date text Joe Sangemino Tuesday 16th August 2011 My first computer, built it from the kit. lot of soldering of chip sockets, resistors, etc. When I first connected it to my TV and turned it on WOW! I was in the computer age! Type in a basic program, save it to cassette tape and you could play it again and again. Hamurabi was one of my early favorites. Great memories! author date text John Mullen (USA) Monday 12th March 2007 My first computer was a Microace. The keyboard was always trouble. I built it into a homemade case using an Atari 800 keyboard. I also added the flicker free board and upgraded the ROM. That made it essentially a ZX-81 or Timex 1000. /museum/czerweny-cz-1000 /museum/czerweny-cz-1000-plus /museum/lambda-electronics-ltd-pc-8300 /museum/sinclair-zx-80 /museum/sinclair-zx-81 /museum/timex-sinclair-1000 /museum/tonel-pc 1179 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230610134728/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1179 2023-06-10

A few months after Sinclair released its ZX-80, Microace of Santa Ana, California launched a clone of this computer.

It was exactly the same machine, but a minor modification made that it could be expanded to 2 KB of RAM.
The internal ROM was also a pure copy of the Sinclair's original. Sinclair thus sued Microace but met with large difficulties because the judge couldn't seee the ROM content!
Sinclair eventually won because the Microace keyboard was also identical to the ZX-80's and the judge could see it...

Microace then ceased the production of the 4 KB ROM machine but made later an agreement with Sinclair for a licenced version of the ZX-81 to be put on sale only in kit form and only in the USA. Microace also made a 'flicker-free board' for the ZX-80.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.