GEEKDEX #0222
Timex Sinclair 1500
Computers · Timex Corporation
Timex's second ZX81-derived US machine — same core, a roomier case, and 16 KB of RAM built in instead of a wobbly add-on pack.
The Timex Sinclair 1500 (1983) kept the ZX81’s core hardware and software compatibility but addressed its two biggest complaints in one move: a larger case with a proper keyboard instead of the touch-membrane, and 16 KB of RAM built straight into the machine rather than bolted on as a separate, easily jarred RAM pack. It arrived just as Timex’s US market position was collapsing under Commodore’s price pressure, and never sold anywhere near the numbers of the TS1000 before it.
Reference photo: Wikimedia Commons (“Timex-Sinclair-1500-White-BG.jpg”, original photo by Lee Azzarello, derivative by Ubcule), CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Identity
Category Computers Manufacturer Timex Corporation Family ZX81 Architecture 8-bit Released 1983 Region United States - Hardware
CPU Zilog Z80A @ 3.25 MHz RAM 16 KB (built in) Storage 8 KB ROM Display 32×24 text, monochrome, NTSC output OS Sinclair BASIC
- discovered
- researched
- seen
- wanted
- tested
- owned