Timex TS2068 / TC2068
Timex's enhanced Spectrum: three-channel sound, cartridges and new graphics modes.
The Timex Sinclair 2068 reached the US at the end of 1983, with three-channel sound, a cartridge port and more graphics modes than the Spectrum. Timex later made a version for Europe, the TC2068.
An American Spectrum
The TS2068 started from the Spectrum 48K but changed a great deal: a bigger case with plastic keys, an AY-3-8912 sound chip with three channels, a port for software cartridges, two joystick ports and new video modes, with 512 × 192 pixels and 64-column text.
The ROM was altered, so many Spectrum games did not run directly. There were cartridges and programs to make it work like a Spectrum.
The European TC2068
After Timex left the American market in 1984, its Portuguese subsidiary launched the TC2068 for Europe, adapted to the European television system (PAL).
Trivia
- 10 REM
The chip that stands in for the ULA is called the SCLD (Standard Cell Logic Device), and it is what makes the extra video modes possible.
- 20 REM
It has 48 KB of RAM and 24 KB of ROM, more than the Spectrum's 16 KB of ROM.
- 30 REM
Few cartridge games came out in the US, but some were versions of Spectrum classics.
The family: Timex
Compared with the other models
| Model | Year | Processor | Memory | Video | Sound | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timex Sinclair 1000 | 1982 | Z80A · 3,25 MHz | 2 KB | ULA · 32 × 24 mono | — | 8K BASIC |
| ▶ Timex TS2068 / TC2068 | 1983 | Z80A · 3,5 MHz | 48 KB | SCLD · 512 × 192 | AY-3-8912 · 3 ch | Timex BASIC |
| Timex Computer 2048 | 1984 | Z80A · 3,5 MHz | 48 KB | SCLD · 512 × 192 | Beeper 1 bit | 48 BASIC |
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