I have recently been passed a couple of Dragon 32 computers and quite a bit of software for sale and this proved to be my first ever look at this machine.

Reminiscent of the TRS-80, but with 4 colour support, it runs an early Microsoft BASIC and oddly lacks lower case characters!  However, bearing in mind that it was first sold in 1983, it was probably one of the first home computers to have a built in rom cartridge socket, as well as being able to load programs from tape.

The games are not too bad for it - although they do suffer from lack of colours - and the sound is quite good (based on the AY-8192 chip).

Overall, the main downside is the lack of memory (only 24K available once it is running) and you wonder why the case has to be so big for the computer (maybe to suggest that the computer was a lot more complicated than it was in reality).  At least they used a Motorola 6809 chip, which is faster than the Z80 in common use at the time.

I guess it was a shame that the company, Dragon Data Limited went out of business all too soon, as the computer shows that they had some very good ideas.

I have now started to list these items on the retro trading website - SellMyRetro.com if anyone is looking for items.

An update to the DivIDE Plus Manual

I have now released an updated version of the DivIDE Plus manual which incorporates several pages of information about the MDOS3 firmware and how to use.  The manual should also apply to the standard DivIDE.

The DivIDE Plus remains one of the best selling modern interfaces for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum - allowing instantaneous loading of games from compact flash card.

At last - a real gem of a ZX80 on eBay - I would guess it is worth £250-£300 and wish it were mine - compare that to the standard of the some of the ZX80s listed on ebay.

New ways of Keeping up to date with auctions on SellMyRetro.com

You can now get up to date listings of new auctions which have been added to the SellMyRetro.com vintage/retro electronics and computers trading website, through Twitter and Facebook. 

This facility is as the result of an added enhancement to the Enuuk PHPAuction platform through the work of RWAP Services.

Updates to the Sinclair QL Wiki

I have now re-launched the Sinclair QL Wiki with a new theme and added background information on even more software - I have a stack of software still to preserve and add details to the Wiki, but for anyone who was not aware of the wealth and quality of the games published for the Sinclair QL, it is worth a visit.

See the Sinclair QL Wiki for more information

Sinclair ZX81 Graphics in 256 x192 pixels and even 320x240 pixels !!

 

I have been doing some research into hi-res graphics on the ZX81 and was amazed by the amount of software written to use  this - it was not just limited to Rocket Man and Forty-Niner by Software Farm.

I have yet to find any written to use the hardware solutions - but have listed all that I know about at the Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 Forums

Does anyone know of any others

Sinclair ZX Spectrum News
We have now arranged to take on marketing of two new products for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, both built in the Netherlands to a high standard, and fully compatible with the DivIDE Plus Compact Flash Interface.  We have re-written the manuals to be more user friendly and these products will be listed for sale soon on our new retro computer website - SellMyRetro.com

ZX Spectrum PC Keyboard Interface
The first of these products is the PC Keyboard Interface.  This allows you to connect a UK/US English or Spanish PS/2 keyboard to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and this then replaces the Spectrum's own keyboard.  You can even use a USB keyboard if you have an adaptor. 

The PC Keyboard Interface works perfectly together with the following:

• ZX Spectrum 16K / 48K / 48K+ / 128K / +2
• DivIDE / DivIDE Plus
• MB02 / MB02+IDE – solving compatibility issues at the moment (updated 14 dec 2008)
• Kempston Mouse Turbo (first version)
• ZX-MMC+

There are, however, known compatibility issues with the ZX Spectrum +2A / +2B / +3 - if you wish to use the PC Keyboard Interface with these computers, you will need to make some modifications inside your ZX Spectrum.

The interface even provides you additional function, including the ability to record macros which are retained for when you switch on the Spectrum.

ZX Spectrum K-Mouse 2008 Interface

The second product is the K-Mouse 2008 Interface.  This enables you to connect a PS/2 mouse (or USB version with adaptor) to your ZX Spectrum for use with software - several games have been converted to work with the interface by Velesoft.

This interface also incorporates a Kempston compatible joystick interface, with automatic switching between the two types of control (you cannot use them both at the same time, but pressing a mouse button or moving the joystick diverts control to that peripheral).

You can even add a composite video connector to the interface to provide composite video for a standard Spectrum.

Keep your eyes on our new website sellmyretro.com for details of prices etc.

We have started some more collaborative work to bring additional products to the market.

Sinclair ZX81 News

First of all, following our successful launch of replacement keyboard membranes for the Sinclair ZX81 is software for the Sinclair ZX81, which has mainly come about as a result of the ZX80/ZX81 forums.


Details and downloads are available from our Sinclair ZX81 software page.  This includes example programs showing how to achieve hi-resolution graphics on the Sinclair ZX81 - you need to make a very minor modification to your 16K (or larger) memory pack and install some HRG drivers from the internet.  You can then achieve graphics such as shown here.

We have then started discussions on possible future projects for Sinclair ZX81 hardware, including an SD/MMC card reader, to allow you to load software instantaneously on the Sinclair ZX81, in a similar vein to the DivIDE Plus on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.  We are also considering a ZX81 AY interface, building on from our experience with the Zaxon AY Sound Interface for the ZX Spectrum.

At the moment, we are asking people to contact us to let us know of their interest in the projects and to help us prioritise - if you have any ideas / suggestions as to the best way to implement these projects, then we would love to hear from you.

Details appear on our Sinclair ZX81 Projects Page.

Following a discussion on the ZX80/ZX81 forums - we have now set up a couple of additional pages for Sinclair ZX81 users.

1. A projects page - we have detailed some of the projects we are considering getting designed and built for users.  We welcome your input and confirmation from people who might be interested.  We need to guage the potential market for each project so that we can also keep costs down!

2. A Sinclair ZX81 Software page - this details some of the free software available for download for use with ZX81 emulators on your PC (with the author's permission).

Now we are into 2010 where are RWAP Services?

We have been busy integrating new modifications to the Enuuk auction platform, and expanding our thoughts on the dedicated Enuuk Auction Platform user forums as well as sharing several free modifications to the software, which we hope will eventually be incorporated within the main release.  We have released paid for modifications, including SEO improvements (such as Google Base, Google sitemap and Twitter submission) and enhancements to the messaging system used within Enuuk to allow users to message each other.

We have also moved our own auction website SellMyRetro.com - which concentrates on the retro and vintage computer / electronics market to a new even faster and more reliable server.

For the Sinclair fans out there, we have also now nearly sold all of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum DivIDE Plus hard disk interfaces which we had delivered before Christmas - at last count, there were 6 left.

Finally, we also reflected on our year for 2009 - again another profitable year for the business, with turnover increased to over £25,000 for the year, despite the world wide recession.  This means that we remain a viable business looking forward, there to continue our support for the retro computing scene and bring plenty more exciting products to the market.

With SellMyRetro and the Enuuk PHP Auction Platform starting to find their feet in the market place, we have now launched an unofficial Enuuk Auction Plaform forum for webmasters and developers to meet and discuss the Enuuk Auction Platform and share modifications.