Winky II board
11 messages · 2009-02-23 → 2009-03-03 · Yahoo Group era · View archive on archive.org
Participants: consocius, moteman48, zxbruno, Fred, Jack Boatwright, joe schmoe, Rory McMahon
Preserved from the Timex/Sinclair 2068 Yahoo Group (2001–2019), which is no longer online. Text reproduced from the archive.org archive; email addresses masked.
Messages
1. Winky II board
consocius · Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:58
I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
I keep hoping that one day someone will find a warehouse full of
mint, vintage timex sinclair stuff like the guy who bought a
dilapidated warehouse wh;ich turned out to be one of Revell's (the toy
model kit company) old neglected warehouse. It was full of mint in
box product, some that dated to the beginning of the company, but all
about 20 or so years old when the warehouse was abandoned.
One can dream, can't he?
2. Re: Winky II board
moteman48 · Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:54
I have a Winky board or least I think it is a Winky board. It is a
board used to load and duplicate Timex tapes.
If anyone is good at reverse engineering or duplicating electronic
projects. It is a very simple board. I would be willing to provide my
board to be duplicated. Contact me.
--- In [email], "consocius" <consocius@...> wrote:
>
> I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
> programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
> board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
> normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
> from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
> all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
>
> Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
> I keep hoping that one day someone will find a warehouse full of
> mint, vintage timex sinclair stuff like the guy who bought a
> dilapidated warehouse wh;ich turned out to be one of Revell's (the toy
> model kit company) old neglected warehouse. It was full of mint in
> box product, some that dated to the beginning of the company, but all
> about 20 or so years old when the warehouse was abandoned.
>
> One can dream, can't he?
>
3. Re: [ts2068] Winky II board
Fred · Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:57
On 23/02/2009, at 18:58, consocius wrote:
> I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
> programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
> board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
> normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
> from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
> all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
>
> Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
As a UK-based Spectrum owner in the 80s, I'd never heard of these, and
even a quick google just offered some hints about what these Winky
boards were. Does anyone have any more information about them? I saw a
reference that suggested they conditioned the tape signal before going
to the machine - what kind of changes would they be making?
As far as recovering your programs goes, what methods are you hoping
to use, and what output do you want to produce?
You may find that you can recover your tapes by sampling your tapes to
your PC and then using one of the TZX conversion tools to produce a
TZX file which you can then convert back into a flawless WAV file/CD/
tape or just leave as a TZX file.
Fred
4. Re: [ts2068] Winky II board
Jack Boatwright · Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:22
Winky Board & Winky Board II were made for the TS1000 and TS2068, respectively, as a way to assure better cassette loading. The Boards were placed between the recorder and computer to buffer the signal. I used a Winky Board with my ZX81 quite extensively and found it a useful tool.
Jack
----- Original Message -----
From: Fred
To: [email]
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: [ts2068] Winky II board
On 23/02/2009, at 18:58, consocius wrote:
> I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
> programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
> board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
> normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
> from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
> all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
>
> Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
As a UK-based Spectrum owner in the 80s, I'd never heard of these, and
even a quick google just offered some hints about what these Winky
boards were. Does anyone have any more information about them? I saw a
reference that suggested they conditioned the tape signal before going
to the machine - what kind of changes would they be making?
As far as recovering your programs goes, what methods are you hoping
to use, and what output do you want to produce?
You may find that you can recover your tapes by sampling your tapes to
your PC and then using one of the TZX conversion tools to produce a
TZX file which you can then convert back into a flawless WAV file/CD/
tape or just leave as a TZX file.
Fred
5. Re: Winky II board
moteman48 · Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:11
I just added a couple of pictures of the Winky Board to the
miscellaneous photo area. I think this is the one for the ZX81/Timex 1000.
It not only conditioned the signal for loading it also had a output to
make backups of your tapes, and one to listen to your ZX loading.
It is not a complicated circuit. If some one wants to borrow the board
to duplicate send me e-mail.
I have two other boards I have forgotten what they are. I will post
pictures in hope someone can identify them.
I also have a board for the ZX81 to receive and send Morse code.
6. Re: [ts2068] Re: Winky II board
joe schmoe · Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:12
Concerning Winky Boards, I have a small aluminum box about the size of a business card, with a short shielded cable on either end with 1/8 in. phono jacks on both, and two toggle switches on top , positioned side by side along with at least two LED bulbs. There is a simple circuit inside with a few resistors and diodes. Could this be a Winky board? I'll try to get a picture..
--- On Tue, 2/24/09, moteman48 <[email]> wrote:
From: moteman48 <[email]>
Subject: [ts2068] Re: Winky II board
To: [email]
Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 12:11 AM
I just added a couple of pictures of the Winky Board to the
miscellaneous photo area. I think this is the one for the ZX81/Timex 1000.
It not only conditioned the signal for loading it also had a output to
make backups of your tapes, and one to listen to your ZX loading.
It is not a complicated circuit. If some one wants to borrow the board
to duplicate send me e-mail.
I have two other boards I have forgotten what they are. I will post
pictures in hope someone can identify them.
I also have a board for the ZX81 to receive and send Morse code.
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7. Re: Winky II board
consocius · Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:39
--- In [email], Fred <fredm@...> wrote:
>
>
> On 23/02/2009, at 18:58, consocius wrote:
> > I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
> > programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
> > board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
> > normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
> > from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
> > all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
> >
> > Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
>
> As a UK-based Spectrum owner in the 80s, I'd never heard of these, and
> even a quick google just offered some hints about what these Winky
> boards were. Does anyone have any more information about them? I saw a
> reference that suggested they conditioned the tape signal before going
> to the machine - what kind of changes would they be making?
>
I duplicated a couple besides the one I bought. If memory serves me
right, they clipped some of peaks, filtered the low base, and some
hum,and tweaked the treble.
I know they worked great. I wonder if an audio compressor would work?
I know a phone amplifier (battery operated) like you could get at
Radio Shack helped a bit prior to getting the Winky Board.
> As far as recovering your programs goes, what methods are you hoping
> to use, and what output do you want to produce?
I really haven't given it too much attention. So far all I have done
is used one of those phone amplifiers between the tape recorder and
the computer, changed various settings on volume and tone, changed
some cables (I had a few extra) and bought a new tape recorder. The
old one was a bit older than my ts2068 as I first used it for a ZX81
and TS1000 before purchasing the TS2068. It turns out my old one
still worked much better and was more solid, not a bunch of plastic
and tin can tabs put together.
>
> You may find that you can recover your tapes by sampling your tapes to
> your PC and then using one of the TZX conversion tools to produce a
> TZX file which you can then convert back into a flawless WAV file/CD/
> tape or just leave as a TZX file.
>
Thanks for the suggestion.
Well I've gone the other route -- taking TZX files and sending them to
tape via the sound card (and even the amplified speakers). I guess I
am overworking myself because I never thought of anything as obvious
as the method you just suggested. As soon as some of my customers
stop infecting their computers with viruses, I'll devote some time
using Audacity. That worked wonders recovering some really old audio
tapes and putting them on CD for my brother. [I can't tell you how
old they are because then I might be admitting my age.] :-)
> Fred
>
8. Re: Winky II board
consocius · Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:25
--- In [email], "moteman48" <moteman48@...> wrote:
>
> I have a Winky board or least I think it is a Winky board. It is a
> board used to load and duplicate Timex tapes.
> If anyone is good at reverse engineering or duplicating electronic
> projects. It is a very simple board. I would be willing to provide my
> board to be duplicated. Contact me.
>
I've duplicated a couple of them way back when. Back in those days I
use to do a lot of designing, etching, drilling and soldering and
worked for years and years as an electronics technician. I still do a
bit of that but my eyes aren't as keen and my hands aren't as steady
as they once were.
When I get some time free, I might take you up on that.
> --- In [email], "consocius" <consocius@> wrote:
> >
> > I am trying to revive my 25+ year old cassette tapes of ts2068
> > programs, mostly stuff I wrote myself. Years ago I used a Winky II
> > board and programs loaded flawlessly (or at least compared to the
> > normal load troubles). Unfortunately my move back in 1998 to Ohio
> > from Central Florida resulted with my Winky II board MIA (along with
> > all my commercial ts2068 and ts1000 tapes).
> >
> > Does anyone know where those boards might be found "out in the wild"?
> > I keep hoping that one day someone will find a warehouse full of
> > mint, vintage timex sinclair stuff like the guy who bought a
> > dilapidated warehouse wh;ich turned out to be one of Revell's (the toy
> > model kit company) old neglected warehouse. It was full of mint in
> > box product, some that dated to the beginning of the company, but all
> > about 20 or so years old when the warehouse was abandoned.
> >
> > One can dream, can't he?
> >
>
9. Re: Winky II board
Rory McMahon · Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:05
Hi all,
This looks like a simple circuit with diodes, resistors and some
jacks. Some high resolution photos with both sides of board would work
to reverse engineer this.
Rory
--- In [email], "moteman48" <moteman48@...> wrote:
>
>
> I just added a couple of pictures of the Winky Board to the
> miscellaneous photo area. I think this is the one for the ZX81/Timex
1000.
> It not only conditioned the signal for loading it also had a output to
> make backups of your tapes, and one to listen to your ZX loading.
> It is not a complicated circuit. If some one wants to borrow the board
> to duplicate send me e-mail.
> I have two other boards I have forgotten what they are. I will post
> pictures in hope someone can identify them.
> I also have a board for the ZX81 to receive and send Morse code.
>
10. Re: Winky II board
zxbruno · Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:17
On a side note, I too have a board that was sold around the same time
as the Winky, but this one was sold in Canada and known as Super Data
Save filter. I sent it to Spain for analysis but it was so oxidized
and damaged... there was no way to reverse engineer it, and the chips
and the identification erased (a common practice back then I was told).
--- In [email], "Rory McMahon" <rorymcmahon@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> This looks like a simple circuit with diodes, resistors and some
> jacks. Some high resolution photos with both sides of board would work
> to reverse engineer this.
>
> Rory
>
> --- In [email], "moteman48" <moteman48@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I just added a couple of pictures of the Winky Board to the
> > miscellaneous photo area. I think this is the one for the ZX81/Timex
> 1000.
> > It not only conditioned the signal for loading it also had a output to
> > make backups of your tapes, and one to listen to your ZX loading.
> > It is not a complicated circuit. If some one wants to borrow the board
> > to duplicate send me e-mail.
> > I have two other boards I have forgotten what they are. I will post
> > pictures in hope someone can identify them.
> > I also have a board for the ZX81 to receive and send Morse code.
> >
>
11. Re: Winky II board
zxbruno · Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:35
Forgot to mention that my board was sold inside a cassette case and
the inlay covered the contents. Can't remember the company name right now.
--- In [email], "zxbruno" <zxspectrum128@...> wrote:
>
> On a side note, I too have a board that was sold around the same time
> as the Winky, but this one was sold in Canada and known as Super Data
> Save filter. I sent it to Spain for analysis but it was so oxidized
> and damaged... there was no way to reverse engineer it, and the chips
> and the identification erased (a common practice back then I was told).
>
> --- In [email], "Rory McMahon" <rorymcmahon@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > This looks like a simple circuit with diodes, resistors and some
> > jacks. Some high resolution photos with both sides of board would work
> > to reverse engineer this.
> >
> > Rory
> >
> > --- In [email], "moteman48" <moteman48@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > I just added a couple of pictures of the Winky Board to the
> > > miscellaneous photo area. I think this is the one for the ZX81/Timex
> > 1000.
> > > It not only conditioned the signal for loading it also had a
output to
> > > make backups of your tapes, and one to listen to your ZX loading.
> > > It is not a complicated circuit. If some one wants to borrow the
board
> > > to duplicate send me e-mail.
> > > I have two other boards I have forgotten what they are. I will post
> > > pictures in hope someone can identify them.
> > > I also have a board for the ZX81 to receive and send Morse code.
> > >
> >
>
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TS2068 / TC2068 · Cartridges, EPROM & dumping · Spectrum emulation & software