Sir Clive Sinclair

[niemeyjt]

Has died, aged 81.

I am sure many grew up with his ZX Spectrum and QL computers - and he was ahead of his time with visions of electric transportation.

J

[exile]

We produced a lot of very expensive plastic granules for the Sinclair C5. Stuffed full of extra expensive stabilisers so the the body shells would not degrade in sunlight.

[RobertArthur]

He was always en tête de peloton, I do remember the introduction of his digital black watch and his not always succesful amplifier designs. His earlier Project 60 was a commercial success. An inventor and entrepreneur.

[Spardo]

Ahead of his time, no doubt, I knew nothing about computers but I did know that I ought to get myself one. The ZX81, I think it was, arrived and I had no idea what to do with it. The instructions showed me how to write a program, all double Dutch to me but I followed them religiously and when I had finished it said there wasn't enough memory.

My first computer that I could do something with was the Amstrad.

[Spectrum]

Yes I started with a ZX, then a Commodore 164, then Amstrad, two was good one was not

[niemeyjt]

My first was a Memotech then a BBC B.

[Doug]

BBC B.
Used to baby sit one for a teacher friend when he went on holiday as a lot were being stolen.

[Hotrodder]

My sister-in-law loaned me a ZX to see how I would get on. I gave it a couple of hours to achieve something I could have done in my head. So frustratingly slow to use it almost put me off for life. But it did plant the seed of interest. I have been building my own desktop computers for about 15 years now but I can't write code to switch on a light.

sinclair1a.png

This would have been much more fun at the time.

[RobertArthur]

How to finance your inventions? A job, he started as a journalist on Practical Wireless. The daring teenagers were building their own portable radios, some parents were busy building or repairing their vacuum tube radios (high dc voltages inside!).

[Doug]

Was introduced into electronics by being given a crystal set kit with very heavy army earphones, way back ?? Listened to ships coming up Southampton water which started a hobby.
Built my first tube hifi amp, became a radio ham.
My how things have changed.