This technical manual was OCR'ed for the

Sinclair world by Andy Dansby.

andydansby@yahoo.com All intellicial
information contained inside this technical
manual is the property of Amstrad.
 IMPORTANT:
Read through the
instructions before you
start assembly.
If anything seems unclear or difficult, contact us for advice before
going ahead.

1. PREPARATION
You will need a clean, dry and well lit workspace in which to assemble your kit. If possible, try to find
somewhere where the parts can stay undisturbed in case you do not finish the kit all at once. It is a
good idea in any case to split the work up - say assemble the circuit board one eueninn_tben.tffst jt. and
put the case together the next evening You will need these tools
(a) A light electric soldering iron, say 15 to 25 watts with a fine tip
{b} Fine gauge solder with resin flux core; NOT acid flux.
(c) A pair of sharp sidecutters.
(d) A 'Pozidriv' screwdriver with a No. 1 point.
(e) A medium size ordinary screwdriver and/or a 4B A spanner.
The following items are optional, but useful -
(a) A magnifying glass for examining solder joints and looking for short circuits,
(b) Some desoldenng braid or other solder removing tool. Better still, take care that you put the
components in right the first time - removing them can be very difficult.
(c) A piece of foam is useful to stop components falling out when you turn the board over to solder
them

2. PRECAUTIONS
There are not many integrated circuits (I C s) in the kit, but they are all fairly expensive items and most
of them are susceptible to damage from static electricity. There is no cause for worry if a few
precautions are taken:-
(a) Use the sockets supplied with the k i t - never solder the I.C.s direct to the board - and keep the
I.C.s in their protective packing until you are ready to plug them in.
(b) Never insert or remove the ! C s or do any soldering with power applied to the computer.
(c) Use a soldering iron with a properly earthed bit.
<d) Carpets and clothing of man-made fibres, and synthetic soles on shoes, are prone to building up a
static charge. Earth yourself by touching a large object, preferably metallic, priorto touching the I.C.s If
you do get a shock, try changing your clothes or going barefoot (seriously'}

3. COMPONENT EDENTIFICATION
Before you start assembly, check the components against the component list (section 8) and make
sure you know what each part is. We have tried to cover all different markings of the components, but
variations are possible.
Note in particular that the computer's memory maybe supplied either as two 18 pin I.C.s (IC4a & IC4b)
or as one 24 pin device (IC4), and that assembly is necessarily different for each version.
Some components need to go in one particular way round -
(a) The I C s have one end identified by a notch, and/or a spot or dimpfe next to pin 1 (See fig. 1) Note
that all the ! C s face the same way on the board, i.e. with their notches towards the edge connector.

1
Although the I C. sockets do not need to go any particular way round, you may like to put the bevelled
corner at the notch end of the I.C. position as a reminder, since the semicircie printed on the board will
be covered by the socket in some cases.
(b) The diodes (prefix D) have their + end identified by the band painted on the body - or in the case of
components with several bands, the + end will be the widest band. This corresponds to the flat bar of
the symbol printed on the board. (See fig. 2).
(c) The electrolytic capacitors (C3 & C5}will have a + or - symbol printed on them, and the + wire is
usually longer. (See fig. 3).
(d) The transistors (prefix TR) go in the board as shown by the picture printed at their positions - i.e.
with their rounded corners facing the edge connector.
(e) The jack sockets and modulator need to have their business ends (i.e. where the plug goes in)
facing outwards, away from the components. This should be obvious by inspection of the board and
case.

(f) The regulator (REG) and heatsink need to go in a particular way round -just follow fig. 4.
(g) The keyboard connectors KB1 & KB2 have their pins offset from their centre line, and KB1 goes
the opposite way round to KB2. Make sure that in each case the body of the connector covers up the
component number on the board. (See fig. 5). . , . ... ... . . - , . . . . ,. . ..
(h) The resistor packs (prefix RP) have a 'common' end marked wltn a whlte dot Thls snould 9° at tne
end marked with a 'C' on the board.
(i) The single resistors, the rest of the capacitors, and the filter X1 may be put in either way round.
 4. CIRCUIT BOARD ASSEMBLY
The circuit board will be supplied with one side printed with all the component locations - this is the
side the components go. This printing is reproduced as fig. 6 (See reverse side of sheet) since some of
the markings will be covered by components. All soldering is done on the other side which is coated
with a green solder resist - this keeps the solder away from where it is not needed. The exception is
the edge connector area which should be kept free of solder to ensure reliable connection to the RAM
pack or printer if they are used, We suggest you assemble the components in the following order,
although it is not compulsory -
(i) Resistors, capacitors and 1C sockets - do not plug the I C.s in yet.
(ii) The diodes and transistors.
(iii) The 'large' components: the sockets, keyboard connectors, modulator, the regulator and
heatsink.
(iv) Finally plug the ! C s into their sockets.
The general procedure for each component:-
(a) Identify the part and its position on the board and insert it into the appropriate holes, bending the
leads if necessary. (But see later). In the case of components with a number of pins, make sure that
they have all gone through their holes.
(b) Hold the part in position - if you bend its leads to do this, do not press them fiat onto the board as
this will make them difficult to cut and will encourage short circuits.
{c) Solder all the wires on the 'green side' of the board and, if they are long, trim them with the side
cutters. No lead should stick out more than about 3mm or V^'from the solder side.

Some components need more detailed explanation:-

(a) The capacitors are represented by a capacitor symbol on the board, rather than a box as the rest of
the components are. Fig, 7 explains how they fit in the board relative to the symbol.

(b) There are four oblong boxes labelled R7-R10, R11-R14, R18-R22and R23-R26. These all contain a
row of resistors standing 'on end' as in fig. 8. Take care when mounting these: the length of bare wire
up the side should not be allowed to short against anything else
(c) IC2 and IC4 have two different sized boxes printed on the board1 use only the holes corresponding
to the smaller box.
(d) As previously mentioned, IC4 may be in either one or two packages, Only the appropriate 1C
sockets will be supplied, so make absolutely sure you know which version you have got before
proceeding.

IMPORTANT:- If you have the 24 pin 4118 in your kit, a short wire link should be inserted in the holes
at position L1 Use a component lead off-cut for this. DO NOT do this if you have two 18 pin 2114s, and
do not put anything in position L2.
(e) When mounting the regulator, do not bend its leads too close to the plastic. Bolt it down firmly with
its heatsink before soldering.
(f) Put the modulator's wires through the holes marked "Fr/UK1" and "UK2" Put each lead through
the hole it is nearest to: do not cross them over Do not try to bend the thick pins on the modulator:
hold it in place by hand whilst soldering. The black card trim is a push fit over the aerial socket.
(g) The I.C.s will have their pins splayed out slightly and you may need to push them inwards slightly,
e.g. by pressing against a flat surface, before they will fit the sockets. Make sure that each pin has in
fact gone into its respective socket and that none are curled up under the I C.

3
5. TESTING
The completed board should now be checked very thoroughly for stray blobs of solder, dry joints, leads
not trimmed, etc. Also make doubly sure that all components are in the right place and the right way
round, and that the "stand up" resistors are not touching anything else. If everything seems in order,
the board may be tested before you put it in the case. Rest the completed assembly on an insulating
surface (e g these instructions) making sure there are no wire offcuts or similar trapped underneath.
The keyboard's "tails" may now be plugged carefully into their connectors: the one with 5 stripes goes
into KB1, the one with 8 stripes goes into KB2 These "tails" are quite fragile, so handle them gently.
The keyboard itself should sit (the right way up) just in front of the circuit board- Do not remove the
backing paper from the keyboard at this point.
You may now connect the computer to the T.V. and power supply and try it o u t - s e e the main
instruction manual for details
Once you are sure the computer is working correctly, put it in its case - see section 7. Do not strain the
keyboard connections unnecessarily by using it uncased.

6. FAULTFINDING
Experience with the ZX80 has revealed that the majority of faults on kits are due to bad soldering. If your
computer does not work, switch it off and CHECK IT AGAIN. If you find a bad joint or short, shame on
you i You should have checked more closely the first time. If you are sure the fault is in the circuitry, try
these tests--
(a) If the computer does not work at all, leave it on for a couple of minutes and feel the regulator - it
should be getting warm. If not, check the power supply, and that the plug is in the right socket (the one
nearest the keyboard). Otherwise, look at the connection to the T.V. and make sure it is tuned in
properly-try between channels 33 and 39 UHF.
(b) If the computer works and then goes off, and the regulator gets very hot, it isn't bolted to the
heatsink properly.
(c) If the cursor appears on the screen, but the keyboard will not enter, check firstly that the keyboard
"tails" are properly in their connectors, and not twisted in anyway Also make certain that the diodes
and the keyboard connectors are all the right way round.
(d) If the screen goes clear but there is not a cursor, try disconnecting the power supply and waiting a
few seconds before trying again.
(e) If horizontal black and white stripes pass through the picture, suspect the power supply. If you are
using your own supply, it may need to be better smoothed (if the computer is otherwise working) or of
a slightly higher output. See the power supply specification (section 9).

7 CASE ASSEMBLY
(i) Take the case top - the part with the raised "Sinclair" logo and "ZX81" printed on it - and feed
the "tails" of the keyboard through the slot at the top right hand corner of the keyboard recess. Do not
remove the backing paper form the keyboard yet, just locate it in the recess: see fig. 9. Hold the
keyboard temporarily in place with a rubber band or a little sticky tape.
(ii) Hold the circuit board as in fig. 10 with the keyboard connectors next to the slot with the "tails"
poking through, Plug the "tails" into their respective connectors as shown in the diagram, and turn the
board over so that the components face into the case top behind the keyboard.
NOTE. Special attention must be made to ensure that the correct length of screw is used in the correct
hole. The short screws are yellow in colour, the long screws are black in colour. Fig, 11 shows where

4
these locate Serious damage will result if the long screws are inserted in the wrong holes.
(iii) Locate the board on the pillars in the case, make sure the jack sockets are behind the holes in the
side, and screw it into the case. Only two holes need screws in them at this point - Fig. 11 tells you
which two; the others are for the case bottom fixing. Since the screws will have to form their own
threads in the plastic, they may be a bit stiff to turn the first time therefore it is essential that the proper
screwdriver should be used. An ordinary flat screwdriver will almost certainly slip, and may cause
damage to the circuitry when it does. See the list of tools given in section 1
(iv) Turn the case the right way up again, peel the protective paper off the back of the keyboard and stick
it into its recess in the moulding (the keyboard is self adhesive - no extra glue is necessary). It would be
as well to position the'keyboard correctly the first time, to avoid damaging it by continual relocating.
Locate the top edge of the keyboard against the top edge of the recess, and stick it down carefully,
working gradually towards the lower edge. Have a dry run first if you are in any doubt. Do not try to stick
the whole surface down in one go.
(v) After checking that the keyboard connections are still securely in place, locate the bottom half of the
case and screw it to the top with the remaining five screws. Finally the rubber feet plug into four of the
recesses, over the screw heads. Fig. 11 shows the location of screws and feet.
(vi) Give the computer a final check, and start using it. . . .

8. COMPONENT LIST
Note that some components are marked on the circuit board, but shown as "not used" in this list. Do
not put anything in these positions.
(a) Resistors.
All resistors have four colour bands: the fourth may be gold or silver.

No. Value Markings Comments

R1 10K Brown Black Orange
R2 680 Q Blue Grey Brown
R3 Not used
R4 18K Brown Grey Orange
R5 330 Q Orange Orange Brown
R6 2K2 Red Red Red
R7 470 Q Yellow Purple Brown
R8 470 Q
R9 470 Q

5
R10 470 Q
R11 470 Q
R12 470 fi
R13 470 £2
R14 470 £2
R15 220K Red Red Yellow
R16 IK Brown Black Red
R17 1K
R18 1K
R19 1K
R20 1K
R21 1K
R22 K
R<
" IK
R24 IK
R25 1K
R26 1K
R27 1K
R28 680Q Blue Grey Brown
R29 1M Brown Black Green Fourth band may be yellow
R30 Not used
R31 Not used
R32 Not used
R33 4K7 Yellow Purple Red
R34 220Q Red Red Brown

(b) Resistor Packs

No. Value Markings Comments
RP1 8 x 10K 10KQ 9 leads '
RP2 Not used
RP3 5 x 10K 10KQ 6 leads

(c) Capacitors
No. Values Markings Comments
C1 47pF 47 Ceramic disc
C2 47nF 473 Z
C3 22uF 22 H Electrolytic 16V mm
C4 47nF 473 Z Ceramic disc
C5 1uF 1[i Electrolytic 5V min.
C6 100pF 100, 101, n l O Ceramic disc
C7 47pF 47
C8 47nF 473 Z
C9 47nF 473 Z
CIO lOnF l O n , 103
Cll 47nF 473 Z
C12 47pF 47

(d) Semiconductors
No. Type Comment
IC1 Sinclair
Logic 1C 40 pins 158 printed underside
!C2 2364 24 pins
IC3 Z80A or D780C-1 40 pins
IC4 MK4118 24 pins
or
IC4a uPD2114LC
or as IC4b 18 pins

6
!C4b uPD2114LC-1 18 pins
REG 7805 5 Volt regulator
TR1 ZTX313
TR2 ZTX313
D1-D8 * 1N4448 Colours: Yellow, yellow, yellow, grey
or 1N4148 Yellow, brown, yellow, grey
or 1S44 2 Yellow bands
Some diodes may have their number printed on them instead.
D9 Not used
X1 CDA 6 BMC 3 lead ceramic filter

(e) Other components

Modulator type UM1233
3 off 3 5rnm jack sockets for power, ear and mic.
2 eff 40 pin 1C sockets
Eitae"r. 2 off 24 pin 1C sqckeis. „ . . .
or • T off 24 pin and Z off 18 pin | C sockets

KB1 5:\way keyboard connector

KB2 8~Way keyboard connector
Modulator trim (black card)
Ready made flat keyboard
Aluminium heatsink
4BA nut, bolt and washer for fixing regulator and heatsink
Printed circuit board
2 Case halves
4 Rubber feet
7 Self tapping Pozidriv screws - 3 Black (long), 4 Yellow (short)

9. POWER SUPPLY
If you wish to use your own power supply with the ZX81, it should conform to these specifications -
D.C. only -positive to the tip of the 3.5mm jack plug. Need not be regulated, but should be well
smoothed.
Voltage - between 12 volts maximum and about 8 volts minimum (depending on smoothing) when on
load.
Current - not less than 600mA, or 1 2A of the printer is to work from the same supply.

10. SERVICE
We will repair your completed ZX81 kit f o r a fixed fee of £10 00 We cannot assemble your kit for you,
nor can we start work until the fee is received. In exceptional cases, say if the t.C.s have been
damaged by being put in the wrong way round, we may ask for an additional payment.
On the other hand, if the trouble was due to faulty components supplied by us we will reiui.j the full
service fee. We strongly advise you, therefore, to be very certain that you have checked the computer
thoroughly \oi mistakes before returning it: see also the hints in section 6.
If you do return your ZX81, pack it well and enclose a note giving your name and address, and
explaining the symptoms of the trouble and any tests you may have done. Please return to this
address:

Sinclair Research Service Dept.

Chesterton Mill
French's Road
Cambridge
CB4 3NP

® Sinclair Research Limited 1981

 COMPGIli£ITS & ACCESSORIES

i'OF TKS SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS FOR USER FORT

f

7416 2Sp ' HID 507 (Single Digit Display) 11 Op

74LS47 40p 16 pin DIL Header Plug 60p
OA 91 diode 9p 16 pin Header with 24" Cable
Open ended 180p
0.2" LED RED 13p Low current Solid State Buzzer lOOp
0.2" LED GREEN 15p 6 Volt Relay (Single pole change-
over) contact rating 1A 120V AC/241K I60p

Mounting Clip for Single pole push button ' 15p

Round Led Jp
»

Rectangular Led Loud Speaker 64R - 80R 80pu (

(T.edYellow or Green) 30p ^
Mounting Clip 7p
 INCREMENTAL SERIES PLUG & SOCKET SWITCH SETTINGS APPENDIX B

General ITotes:

ITote the positions of the plug—and-socket switches (see Appendix A) and the numbering of
the possible positions of the 5 connector plugs. Five distinct ranges of positions
correspond to different selection functions described in detail below. There should normall
be one plug in each of these ranges.
-• i: L.I- _ i- -.-'.- v' •
MBSA (MemoryBoard §tart Address 1 0 (Start address of ZX81 8K ROM)
select; 2 RK _ fUt f r £ Q locatlon above 8K RCM j
Selects the position in the 64K address ^ , Alr /„ , ... _ . . „ '<.
. space oT the rZXBl microprocessor of the ^ ^ <fcrmal position of start of W _
mera0
^° n TT he set
Normally ™\> oard
; . memory
to ,27.30 +that -5 :I
3?r
,„„. (1st Tree'location Shove~15K pack)
f
runs from address ^upwards. ? 4 g K ( l g t f r e e locatlon above 32K pack)

8 56K
9 Nowhere! (re memory board disabled)

10 MBSA ( Set if no memory on memory board)

11 MBSA+2K (Set for 2K (re 1 chip) on m boar<
ZES (ZX81 (IK) RAM select) , 12 MB3A+4K (2 chips on memory board)
13 MBSA-r6K (3 chips...
14 MBSAT8K (4 chijs...
Selects distance above MBSA of the 15 MBSA+10K (5 chips...
IK RAM on the ZX81 board thus allowing 16 MBSA+12K (6 chips...
it to be placed diately above 17 MESA+14K (? chips...
the memory on the memory board without 18 Ecohere! (le 2X81 RAM disabled)
any gaps and used normally.
19 Unused
20 Unused

BSS ((Memory) Board Block Size daloct) 21 Must be set if more than 8K on memory bn-r
22 Set if 8K or less on memory board.
If you wish the memory board to 23 Set if more than 8K on memory board.
occupy only 8K of address space must 24 Set if 8K or less on memory board.
set positions 22 and 24. Normal setting
is 21 and 23(f or 16K block size) .
TRS (Total RAM Select) 25 Set if total RAM not more than 16K.
_Enables
, , or -„. ,, Adress
Disables „, „.
line .15
.. 26 Set if total RAM is more than 16K.
to MBSA decoder,
27 Unused

Examples; Switch settings

Sa«4ware_Configuration MSA_^_52£__™5
1. ZX81 with original 1KRAM still on ZX81 board with Incremental
containing one 2K RAM chip. No external memory. 3 11 2^>23 25
2. ZX81 with original IK RAM still on ZX81 board with .r.cremental
containing full 16K of RAM. No external memory. 3 18 21,23 25
3. ZX81 with 16K add-on pack and original IK RAM still 5.1 ZX81 board {£.
with Incremental containing 2K of RAM. 5 2^ 21,23 26
4. ZX81 with . ' IK RAM still on ZX81 board and 48l external
add-on memory with Incremental containing 8K of memory to give
the maximum possible directly addressed RAM (56K = 6*. C - 8K ROM) 2 18 22,24 26
 INCREMENTAL SERIES RUMIWG ALONGSIDE OTHER MEMORIES 3

General Notes;

All 5AM pack add-ons of 16K or over known to us (except for our own) have a built-
in disable of the original IK RAM on tho ZX81 board. Henoe it is not possible to use
the IK RAM on the ZX81 board if such- an external memory is in use. As well as this it is
necessary to roake the Incremental RAM selection agre* wdth the •ea-Uiriial fIwyaas^c - ie the ZE
plug must be set for dibble (see Appendix B).
Also, it should be understoods that the decoding for the IK and 16K RAMS that exist
in the ZX81 is only partial and ignores bit 15 of tho address. If the total RAM is not mor<
than 16K it is as a result of this necessary to mask bit 15 of the address to the Tp^rsTnTr
decoding and this is the purpose of positions 25 and 26 on the plug-and-sookei switches.
Clearly, if more than 16K RAM exists on the system it will be necessary to usa bit 15 to •
differentiate "between 16K blocks. Please refer to Appendix B for Jaoatiiogs «£. suujjjzh. setting
abbreviations.

Note - In the following table of switch settings NCroeand- No eh-iage from the correct
setting for Incremental memory running on its own,

MBSA ZRS BBS TRS

6K KAM packs
e.g. Sinclair, Audio Computers etc. 5 18 NG 2$

32K RAM packs,

e.g. Audio Computers. Pins 3 and 14 Of 1C3 " cn
Audio Computer board should be directly connected to
place second (16K$ half of 32K at top of memory (ie
from address * "'\ to 64K so that Incremental memory can be
placed in between the halves giving 48K of continuous memory. 5 ' 18 U\ 26

48K RAM p_acks.

e.g. Jfefflo-t&sli.. The remaining- 8K of tho ^-1^ =^A»aao CTIw«>» J-js4jo.s
between th« 6K -fi©M snri ti»« 4GK KAH can bo occupied by the
Ino3reni©fital board with the following switch settings to give
the majtimuB possible directly addresacsd EAL. of 56K, 2 18 22,^4 £$

6K RAM packs.
Sinclair? Others? The Incremental can be placed iramGdiately
above as follows. 4 18 2£ } 24 ?5

Others
Please call us for advice on any other packs th-it vnn ^*r
rrm*. a-»~--- -- " - i —• «v/i^cj.-iJii]g- bnu pactcs mentioned above.
INCREMENTAL SERIES HINTS and TIPS

Extracting chips from their sockets.

Take your time. The danger is that you are exerting a lot of force and suddenly ons gj_r
end of the chip comes away bending the remaining pins drastically. For this reason it :
a good idea to lever the chip out with a screwdriver or pencil thus avoiding sudden men
Care should he takeb when levering not to damage the tracks under the socket (if the $oc
is of the open window type), it is usually possible to actually lever on the socket.
Note that the chip "body is GTctremely rugged - it is the pins which are fragile and v;hicl
will stand only so much bending back and forth*

Insertion of chips into their sockets.

This is more difficult than extraction. Again, do not hurry.
It is possible to align the pins to the socket holes (ie getting then^ straight in line
with the rigtfa distance "between the rows) by grasping the chip firmly by the ends botwe
thumb and forefinger and pressing a row of pins flat down on the table being careful to
avoid sudden slips. Once the pins are reasonably ;veil aligned the chip should be placed
in the socket (the right way round!) with the pins located in the holes in the socket
plastic (but not yet in the connectors) . It can then be jiggled into place keeping a
close eye for caught pins which are starting to bend.

Pin numbers of chips.

By convention, with the chip on the table before you standing on its pins with
the indentation at the end of the chip body away from you, the pins are numbered
starting at J at the far corner on the left, down the left side and back up the
right side to the far right hand corner. It is frequently disastrous to insert
chips the wrong way round in their socket iadd apply power.
 IllCHEMEHTAL SERIES . — FITTING ' 1.1

You will require a small conventional screwdriver, a small phillips (cross headed screw
screwdriver and the ZX81 manual.

Refer to Appendix A for description of board layout.

Remove all leads and attachments from your ZX81.
Place ZX8l on table before you as for normal use.
Turn ZX81 over as though it were the front cover of a 'book,
Peel off the footpads located at the HI, SW, and SE corners of the bottom of the 2X81J
Completely loosen the five small recessed bolts which are now visible and lightly replact
footpads to avoid losing the three corner screws.
Lift of the bottom of 2X81 case and put it aside.
Remove the two additional bolts now visible, remembering thai* position.
Note that the ZX81 board is now attached to the keyboard half of the case by just a thin
ribbon cable which you must take care not to damage. We do not recommend that the ribbon
be removed from its socket on the ZX8l board and there is no necessity to do this if thes
instructions are followed.
taking care not to strain the ribbon ca"ble, turn the ZX81 board (not the case) over as
though it were the top card on a deck (ie. the heat sink (big rectangle of metal) goes
under the board and away from you).
Turn to the chapter in the 2X81 manual entitled 'How the computer works' which contains a
picture of what now lies before you. Note the positions of the CPU and the IK HAM,
Take the memory board and find the positions of the ROM CS and the RAM CS depicted thereon
With these depictionsuppermost and towards you, position the memory board over the ZX81
board with the 40 protruding pins lying directly over the CPU on the ZX81. This is the
position of fitting which you should now remember.
If the Sinclair IK RAM is socketed (rather than soldered to the ZX81 board) then remove
it and put it aside, (see section entitled 'Hints and Tips' for advice on removal and
insertion of chips)
Remove CPU from ZX81 and insert it into memory boardbemng sure to match indentation at end
of CPU body with paint spot on memory board.
Remove the 14BA. bolts (there are 4) and washers from their guides on the memory board.
Note - you could fit the memory board directly in this position but this would necessitate
the removal of the ribbon cable from its socket in order to turn the board assembly back
on its tummy for reassembly of the case. - Instead make sure you know the poistion of
fitting before going on to next step.
Swivel the ZX81 heat sink to the extreme right to be sure of clearing thsraemory board
when fitting. Do not forget to move it back later!
Turn 2X81 board back on its tummy (ie components downward) .
Turn ZX81 (including ca.se) round 180 degrees so that heat sink is away from you.
Lift ZX81 board with left hand slipping memory board underneath it and around the ribbon cab.
and into poition with the other hand (ie so that pins are directly under ZX81 CPU socket) .
Carefully insert pins into ZX81 CPU socket with even pressure from thumbs on CPU body -
Be extremely careful to be sure that all 40 pins are going in straight and are not bending.
Do not insert too far into the socket - the correct depth of insertion will be automatically
attained on fitting the four bolts.
PTO
 INCREMENTAL SERIES ' ' ! TESTING 2«]

Having fitted the memory beard to your ZXSl, now remove anything you may have p
in to the expansion port. Then -
(i) Turn on your ZXSl and ",rait a few seconds for the cursor to appear,
i IF the cursor came up as normal THEN GOTO (iv).
(111) The cursor hasn't come up so try turning on ZXSl a couple more times. If still
unsuccessful the problem is almost certainly a bad connection between the memory I
and the ZX81 board. So -
IP you have a multitestcr TfiElT
Test all 40 pins of the GPU connect through to the ZXSl board.
Test all 4 bolt guides connect to track on 2X81 board.
Check that washers are not causing shorts on 2X81 board.
IF all connections seem OK tlun it 13 likely that there is a fault in the
memory board <:o GOTO end - testing failed,
IF you do not have a circuit tester then removs the memory board and check that no
pins are bent over. If they are it ray "b possible to straighten it again without
breakage. If one breaks then there is nothing for it but the soldeeing iron1

*,iv) Find out the contents of RAMTOP (s^e ZX8l manual if interested) as follows -
Type in
PHIHT PEEK 16389
the result will come up on ths screen and should be checked against
ths table "below. Note that if the original IK RAM has been removed from the ZXSl
board that the RAMTOP value should be 4 less than the figure in the table. If this is
the case and RAMTOP is correct then you may plug in the removed IK chip (if it is IK
of course) to the first available socket on the memory board - at the same time you
ought to move the plug selecting the IK PJLHI to disable (position 18) to avoid the 2X81
decoding fighting ths memory board decoding and consuming unnecessary current*

TABLE of correct HAAiTO? values.

$fp, of 2K chips fitted to memory board. Corresponding value of RAMTOP
0 68
1 76
2 84
3 92
4 100
5 108
6 116
7 124
8 . 128

IF RAMTOP does not correspond to the number of memory chips then

Jfote tie actual value obtained
Obtain the value of location 16388 (type in PRINT PEEK 16388 to get this) and note
Call us.

end.
 -1*2 INCREMENTAL SERIES PITTING

(Continued)
Position the four bolts and washers back into their original positions except that now
of course they pass through corresponding holes in the ZX81 board. Note that if they do
not push in freely they may be lightly screwed in.
Engage the bolts in the nuts soldered to the ends of the bolt guides to take the memory i
firmly up to the ZX81 board establishing a rigid structure and firm electrical connectior
between the bolt guides and the ZX81 board track. Check that the washers are nbt causing
shorts on the ZX81 board (this can happen if the ZX8l board coatings are worn away - the
washers are there to prevent such \vear from the bolt heads.)
(Note that it is possible in this situation to fit the top three memory chips next to the
CPU (ie it is not necessary to separate the memory board from the ZX81 board in order to
them))»

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!I !!!!!!!!
IMPORTANTF MM!!! ! ! ! !F ! ii ' f!
DO NOT FORGET TO KOVE THE HEAT SINK BACK as follows - Swivel the heat sink hard up againai
the protecting pin on the memory board - Failure to do this can cause a disastrous short
on the ZX81 board!
Position the board assembly snug into the ZX81 case top ensuring that the fourcase lugs
have cleared the holes provided for them in the memory board.
Refit the two bolts securing the ZX81 board to the keyboard half of case (in the correct
positions).
(Note that in this situation the first five memory sockets are accessible as we&l as
all 26 positions of the plug-and-socket switches) .
Replace the bottom half of ZX81 case - the securing of the five bolts can be postponed
till testing is successfully completed).
Test (see section on testing) .

REMOVING
Remove all leads from ZX81.
Remove bottom of ZX81 case (see 'Fitting').
Remove the two bolts securing board assembly to keyboard half of case.
Remove the four 15BA. bolts & washers securing the memory board to the ZX81 board.
Place a medium size screwdriver between memory board and ZX81 CPU socket and carefully
Lever the boards apart being- sure not to bend pins as they come out of CPU socket. Make
sure that the point of the screwdriver pushes on the ZX81 CPU socket and not on board
tracks which might bo so damaged,

FITTING OF ADDITIONAL MEMORY CHIPS,

Remove ^11 leads and attachments from ZX81 and remove bottom of case (See 'Fitting')•
Note that the memory sockets are numbered from 1 to 8 (see Appendix A) and will normally
be filled in that order.
IF the sockets 1 to 5n are already filled THEN n n n n , , -, ^ ^
v .^ two bolts securing Doard assembly to keyboard half of case.
Carefully place whole assembly with keyboard uppermost and move keyboard to expose
memory sockets (do not strain the ribbon cable) . Support the board with fingers as
you plug in the memory chip to the first available socket (see Hints and Tips) .
ELSE IF sockets 1 to 5 are not all filled then sir-rfv -i"~ ^ -v-4- *-- *-- "
 • B»«_»r-iiAi%_MVIA*l ll~» R-IIVH I fc=l I .^
Vhen all la well, Insert the diode and transistor the correct way around
17 BURNLEY ROAD
as indicated in fig 1 . Finally insert the 4 ICs, again consult fig 1 for
polarity ICQ Inserted the Wrong way LONDON NWIO IED
artpund will almost certainly ba destroyed when the board IB plugged m so be
particularly careful here
Telephone OI-452 I5OO OI-45O 6597

Vhen construction ifl complete, plug in the board, and apply power to the
ZX Again the machine should operate as normal if not, check that the ICa
arq correctly inserted, and that there are no board shorts. IBS 2X80/61 Pom - KOTES TO ACCOHPAHY KIT
Once the board la functioning there are many tests and experiments that
The following is provideds-
Bay be performed including full freo^jency range" audio output See arti
clSB m Personal Computer World (October and November 1981), But here are BOme
1 Double Bided FOB
introductory notes!
4 IOB labelled 1 - 4
1 Diode (IN9-14) (glassy)
Output Fort
1 Heslstor (IK)
2 Capacitors (lOOn?) (round and flat)
Connection to the port are shown in fig 2 There are 8 separate output
2 14 Pin Dil Sockets
channels, and they may be controlled with a single poke statement! POKE 25000,
2 16 Pin Dil Sockets
X for the ZXBQ or POKE 11000,X for the 81. X may be any integer between 0 and
2 20 Pin Dil Sockets
255 With £=Q all output linaa are eet to logic lov, whilst 255 Bate them all
high To set any one channel high while leaving the remainder low, the follow- 1 23 x 2 0 1" edge connector
2 16 Pin Header Plugs
ing valuaa should be used: 1 2S2926 (green) Translator
1 HAH pack extender card (ZX81 only)
POKE VALUE (X) CHANNEL ACTIVATED

1 0 Confltraction
2 1
4 2
8 3 Begin construction as follows! Insert and Bolder in the 6 1C Sockets,
putting in the largest ones first Next Bolder in the 2 3 way edge connec-
16 4 tor, but if the board is for use with the ZXS1 do not trim short, the wires
32 5 protruding through the underside of theboard, because these will be used for
64 6 connecting the RAM pack extender card, (this is not possible on the ZX80)
128 7 Hot* that the edge connector whould have a plaatio plug at pin }. Be very
Thus the command POKE 25000, 16 (or POKE 11000, 16 on the 81) will set channel careful not to bridge adjacent tracks when soldering this socket. To reduce
4 high, leaving the others low Setting a high output on a number of channels the risk of this you can leave unsoldered any pins that don't appeal to Join
ia achieved by combining the data Thus POKEing the value 12 (=9+4) will set up to a track on the underside of the board Insert the two capacitors and
resistors, and Bolder these
channels 2 and 3 high

When a channel goes high it may be used to trigger a variety of devices.

Fig 3 shows LED indicator lamps attached to channels zero and one To light Next solder the through connections at all the remaining holes that have solder
pads on the upper side of the board except
these, execute POKE 25000, 3 (or POKE 11000, 3 on the ZX81)
EITHER the three marked «A" if the board is for use with a
Belaya may be controlled from each channel as shown in the application
ZX81 (note that the third 'A' le somewhat obscured by the
notes, and sound output may be produced by connecting a high impendence (eg 65 edge connector)
ohm) loudspeaker to the ouput plug aa In fig 4 The following programs will
produce blips on the loudspeaker
OH the two marked B if it la for a ZX60. The through connec-
tions require a piece of wire to be passed through the board,
10 EB« ZX80 BLEEP 10 HEM ZXB1 BLEEP
end carefully soldered both sides before clipping off.
20 FOR A = 1 TO 100 15 FAST
30 POKE 25000,1 20 Kffl A = 1 TO 100
At this point, and before inserting the ICs or the diode and transistor,
40 POKE 25000,0 30 POKE 11000,1
plug the board into the ZX80/81, and plug the power plug into the computer
50 HBCT A 40 POKE 11000,0
The cursor should appear, and the ZX should work normally If it does not,
50 NEXT A
there is a short circuit eomewhere on the board - probably between a pair of
adjacent tracks The short can be traced (after unplugging the board) using
To produce a higher frequencies and more interesting effects it ia necessary a multimeter on the ohms range, or other continuity tester (eg battery and bulb)
to uee a machine code subroutine, and complete programs for this on both 2X60 - or you can Bsarcb. visually. If it io a solder bridge then you must reaolder
and 81 are given in tha applications notes, and in PCW. the point, but you Day find that you can ole.ir tha short by passing & small
screwdriver bl*-^ between the offending tracks.
( \
Input Port
2, In all applications of the solid state buzzer, this should be connected
Connections to the input port are shown in tig 5. Again there are 8 sep- between the particular channel that it la used with, and the positive
arate channels, and they may be read with a single PEEK statement. The comm- supply (pin 16), rather than earth (pin 9). The polarity of the buzzer should
and PHIHT PEEK (25000) on the 2X80, or PBIST PEEK 11000 on the 81 will print also be reversed, so that its red lead la on the positive supply. It will
a value between 0 AND 255 representing the state of the 8 lines. If any line function aa connected in the applications circuit, but it works more effectively
la held at logic low it vill contribute a zero to this figure. If it is at as described here.
logic high it vlll contributs a value corresponding to the data on the POKE
table above. Thus if channels zero and 7 are high, bat the rest low, the value Loudspeaker
printed by the PEEK statement will ba 129 (=128+1), and BO on.
A suitable loudspeaker for audio output may be obtained from Technomatio
The circuit of fig.6 shows a single push button eonneated to channel 7. Limited at SOp + P4P + TAT.
When the button Is pressed, channel 7 will go high - otherwise it is kept low
by the resistor to ground.
To test the stats of the switch, use an expression such B.BJ
IP PEEK (25000)>127 TEHH GO TO 100 (ZX80)
or IP PEEK 11000 T 127 THHS GO TO 100 (zxai)
This will cause a jump to line 100 if the switch is closed. Note that if
nothing ia connected to any channel, it will resume a Jjigh state BO that PEEK-
ing the port with nothing connected should produce a value of 255. If it
does not, then all board connections should be checked.
Further applications detaila are given in the applications booklet.
BAM Pack Extender Card
Once the port is working satisfactorily on both Input and output, the
extender card should be soldered in. Shis allows the simultaneous use of
the RAM pack and port boaid on the ZX81, though this IB not possible on the ZX80.
The extender card solders to the rear of the edge connector to effectively
extend the extension plug at the rear of the 2X81. See Figs 7 t 8. to wire
up the card, first bend the edga connector pins towards each other so that the
card Just fits between them. Then position the card between them as in Figa
7 and 8. The card should he positioned with notch outwards (i.e away from the
main port board), and exactly at ri^at angles to the port board. How care-
fully solder the 22 upper and 22 lover pins to the extender card, keeping the
card at right angles to the main board.
When you have checked that there are no solder bridges, you should be
able to plug the RAH pack into the extender card, and the port onto the ZX81.
To use this tandem arrangement satisfactorily, the ZX01 and extensions should
be kept on a flat surface to avoid poor contacts through flexing of the board.
If the system fails to operate with the HAM connected, try flexing the arrange-
ment and reinserting the paver plug. All boards should be inserted as far as
they will go.
Hote when using the RAM pack aa well aa the port board you will not be able
to drive so many external devices (lamps, relays eto) with the output port.
If in doubt, check that the ZX81 ia not getting too hot.
Errata
There are two rranor corrections to the circuits issued In the applications
booklet and in PCW.
1. In all applications using ths high impedance loudspeaker, this should
be connected via a 10 mfd capacitor to earth as shown in fig 4 of the
attached sheet, and not directly to the positive supply as in PCW.
INCREMENTAL SERIES - DOCUMLHTATI ON

PLEASE NOTE ! - the position of the 40 protruding pins protected by the clock of
polystyrene foam. We suggest that this protection be retained until actual
fitting. Also we strongly recommend the fitting and testing of the memory
board as supplied before carrying out any adjustment to switch settings,
plugging- in extra chips etc.. Finally, from "bitter experience, we think
it aorth reading the instructions right through before doing anything
else.

Supplied by: EAST LONDON ROBOTICS,

Finlandia House,
14, Darwell Close,
East Ham,
LONDOS E6 4BT .

CONTENTS^

1. FITTING
FITTING
REMOVING
FITTING OF ADDITIONAL MEMORY CHIPS

2. TESTING
TESTING

3. RUNNING ALONGSIDE OTHER MEMORIES

General Notes
16K RAM packs
32K SAM packs
48K RAM packs
8K RAM packs
Others
4. HINTS and TIPS
Extracting chips from their sockets
Insertion of chips into their sockets
Pin numbers of chips.

APPENDIX A - Incremental Board Layout - Side 1

Incremental Board Layout - Side 2
APPENDIX B - PLUG & SOCKET SWITCH SETTINGS
General Notes
Table of socket positions.
Examples
 £ i l l i i i J S 2 i l ° B 2 7
Q 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 U 14 15
1 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 2J 24 25 26 27 28 29 50 51
2 52 33 J4 55 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
1 48 49 50 51 52 55 54 55 56 57 56 • 59 60 61 62 65
4 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
5 80 61 62 85 64 95 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95
6 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 no 111
7 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127
8 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 136 159 140 141 142 145
2 144 145 146 147 146 149 150 151 152 155 154 155 156 157 158 159
A 160 161 Ifi2 163 l6i) 165 166 167 l6e 169 170 171 172 173 174 175
B 176 177 178 179 ISO 181 182 16J 184 135 .06 187 188 169 190 191
C 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 20} 204 205 206 207
D 508 209 210 211 212 51} 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223
K 2J4 2:5 226 227 226 229 230 231 232 233 2J4 235 236 237 2?8 239
T 240 241 272 243 244 2<J5 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255
21 F E R N E Y HILL AVENUE REDDITCH WORCESTERSHIRE B97 4RU
TEL REDD1TCH (.0527) 61240 PROPRIETOR C. C. L O C K r E R

RE7.7 KEYBOARD CONSTRUCTION NOTES.

FireU check the contents of your kit, which should contain the
following:-
Quantity Description Quantity Description
1 RE77 FOB 26" Link wire
40 Keyawitchss 8" Sleeving
40 White keytops 18" 20 way ribbon cable
40 Clear key* covers 1 Legend Set

Fit sixteen short wire links a9 shown on fig 1, then fit two
long wire links which should have sleeving. Put the 40
keyawitches into place. Note that the pins in the switches are
offset from the centre, and if you try to put the switches in
the wrong way round the switch body will foul the wire links.
Having placed the switches, putt a sheet of card over them,
turn the irinted circuit board over and solder the switches.
Check that all the switches are resting firntlj; on the P.C.B.
and are straight.
Fit the 40 white keytops and push on firmly. Take the legend
set and place it on a firm card. Using a Steel rule and a
sharp knife, cut out the letters using the edge markers as
guides. You may prefer to draw faint lines and use scissors.
Using your computer or handbook as a guide, place the legends
one at a time on the keytop and push on the clear plastic top.
If you have purchased the RE77B connector solder the ribbon,
cable to it (4 of the wires are unused and may be removed).
If you do not wish to use a connector the cable may be soldered
to the PCB. The completed keyboard may now be fitted to your
2X80 or ZX81. First study the connection details for your
computer. (Fig 2 and fig 3) (More details on figs 4 and 5)
Carefully solder the ribbon cable to the computer PCB as indicated.
The ribbon cable may now be run out of the case underneath the
PJYM pack connector. Recheck all your soldering, then test your
computer and new keyboard.
Fold your keyboard cable under your ZX80/81. Push the computer
bo the back of your desk with your new keyboard in front. This
way you have no untidy twists in your cable.
K10 4/0 ii
Rll 470 iJ
FH2 170 £2
Rl3 470 £2
R14 470 £2
R15 220K -eel F=-j Velio//
R15 1K =!rowr ;5;<jC< pjsjd
R17 IK
313 IK
R1? IK
R20 IK '
R21 1K -
R22 IK
R23 1K .
R24 1K
R25 1K
P26 1K
P27 IK
R23 6801> .Blue Giey Brown ,-Fourth
tu
R29 IM Brown BlacK Green band rr3\ be yellow
f^Q Writ u=;Pd
331 - . Mot used
P32 . . . . - -- Not used
R33 4K7 Yelic.-. Purple Red
•T;J 220Q Had ^d Brown

(bl Resistor Packs

No Value Markings Comments
RP1 8 x 1QK I OK£2 , 9 isads
RD2 Not iispd
RP3 5 x 10K 10KS 6 leads

(c) Cdpacitors
No. Values Markings Comments
Cl 47pF ' 47 ' Ceramic disc
C2 47nf 473 Z
C3 22(iF 22 t< Electrolytic 16V mm
C4 47nF 473 Z Ceramic disc
C5 I)UF 1u Electrolytic 5V mm
C6 100pF 100 101, n10 Ceramic disc
C7 47pF 47
CS 47nF 473 2 , •
C9 47nF 473 Z
CIO 10nF 10n 103
C11 47nF 473 Z
C12 47pF 47

(d) Semiconductors
No Type Comment
IC1 Sinclair
Logic 1C 40 pir.s 158 printed underside
IC2 2364 24 pins
IC3 Z80A or D780C-1 40 pins
IC4 MK4118 24 pins
or
IC4a |iPD2114LC
or as IC4b 18 pins