ZX divIDE+ interface / Polish postal service, ZX-Matrix, Sinclair USB
4 messages · 2008-07-10 → 2008-07-15 · Yahoo Group era · View archive on archive.org
Participants: M. Emrah Oral, Adam Trionfo
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. Re: ZX divIDE+ interface / Polish postal service, ZX-Matrix, Sinclair USB
M. Emrah Oral · Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:01
I sent bitrom (Jurek) a final email. I was pretty upset when I wrote it. So the tone of the email was, well, not the kind of tone I like using in my communication with people. I felt kinda bad about it right after I sent it, but man, it has been over 3 months since I bought the darn thing on Ebay. He sent me a nice response apologizing for the more-than-three-months delay and said he resent the item. Apparently I am not the only one who has had to wait and wait and wait to have a divIDE+. He sounds like a nice guy, but so many people have left negative feedback on his ebay page complaining about exactly the same problem. Sending money and never receiving the item. Many have filed complaints with ebay and got refunded by Paypal.. I don't know.. I don't know. Can the Polish postal service be that unreliable?? I know one thing for sure, I
really don't like sending emails with an upset tone All I wanted was a divIDE+
They say there is a reason for everything.. As this whole divIDE thing turned into a major pain in the neck, I lost most of my enthusiasm about the DivIDE, especially after seeing the much more promising ZX_Matrix by Sami Vehmaa. (http://user.tninet.se/~vjz762w/) IMHO, this unit has the potential to be the interface for the ZX Spectrum and clones, with its built in USB ports. I think once people start writing firmwares, device drivers and operating systems for it, it will be very popular. Imagine being able to use all the USB peripherals out there with your good, old Sinclair! I can't wait to buy one.
--- On Sun, 7/6/08, Bill Loguidice <[email]> wrote:
From: Bill Loguidice <[email]>
Subject: RE: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE+ interface with 2068 / ebay, bitrom ,RWAP, delays etc..
To: [email]
Date: Sunday, July 6, 2008, 9:45 AM
Looks like it will be August
now due to personal issues on the production end… *sigh*
============ ========= ========= ===
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
http://www.armchair arcade.com
============ ========= ========= ===
From: ts2068@yahoogroups. com
[mailto:ts2068@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Bill Loguidice
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 12:10 PM
To: ts2068@yahoogroups. com
Subject: RE: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE+ interface with 2068 / ebay, bitrom
,RWAP, delays etc..
Apparently mine will be coming from RWAP in the recent batch that
they mentioned on the Website. I'll let you all know when it comes.
============ ========= ========= ===
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
http://www.armchair arcade.com
A PC Magazine Top 100 Website
============ ========= ========= ===
From: ts2068@yahoogroups. com [mailto:ts2068@ yahoogroups. com]
On Behalf Of M. Emrah Oral
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 12:00 PM
To: ts2068@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE+ interface with 2068 / ebay, bitrom
,RWAP, delays etc..
Yep. I sent "bitrom" a bunch of emails
too. Some he responded to, some he hasn't. And 3 months later, no item
received. I gave up. 70 pounds (~$150) wasted. I have a feeling delays
involving divIDE+ units bought through RWAP (that Bill was referring to) may
even have something to do with the way this guy does business, if he is the
only wholesale supplier of the divIDE+ units to RWAP. I've been an Ebay
member for years and this is the first time I have had such bad luck with a
transaction. May be it is the Polish postal service? may be not??
Anyway.. Unfortunately I really wanted that item. :( Murphy's Law I guess.
--- On Sun, 6/22/08, zxbruno <zxspectrum128@ gmail.com>
wrote:
From: zxbruno <zxspectrum128@ gmail.com>
Subject: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE interface with 2068
To: ts2068@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2008, 6:21 AM
--- In ts2068@yahoogroups. com, "M. Emrah Oral" <oralm2@...>
wrote:
>
> Yeah, the reason I didn't buy from RWAP was the long, long wait time
but buying on ebay from bitrom wasn't a better idea. 3 months later I
have nothing. Strangely, I then noticed that this guy from Poland is
actually the person who is manufacturing the divIDE units for RWAP. !?!??
I had the same problem with bitrom, but after insisting and sending
several e-mails with some menacing words, I finally got my DivIDE+. At
first he used to reply to his e-mails, but after a while he stopped
doing it. I cannot do business with a person who doesn't maintain good
communication.
About the DivIDE, we really need the fixer to use it on the TS2068.
I'm not certain, but I think that if Rich (from RWAP) knew there was
enough interest, we would probably do it for us. Does anybody know
which signals need to be fixed?
2. Re: ZX divIDE+ interface / Polish postal service, ZX-Matrix, Sinclair USB
Adam Trionfo · Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:35
M. Emrah Oral
>>
I sent bitrom (Jurek) a final email. I was pretty upset when I wrote it. So the tone of the email was, well, not the kind of tone I like using in my communication with people.
>>
I sympathize with you about this situation. It took me about three months to get my Spectrum emulator cartridge from Jerek. The wait IS frustrating. Once you get it though... it's all behind you.
>>
He sounds like a nice guy
>>
I have never spoke with him personally. Even my email correspondence was short. Yet, I like the guy. He offers a service, which isn't his main job, to people that are using computers that are getting on to be THIRTY years old. There are other classic systems (Atari, of course) that spring to mind that have plenty of people making cool gadgets. This is not the case at all with the TS/2068. I can't think of anyone in the U.S. that is making ANYTHING for the TS/2068 (please correct me if I am wrong). The few items that DO come out for this system are from other countries where English is a second language. There are the Spectrum add-ons that people would like to see work for the TS/2068... but even these need to be "fixed" to work with the 2068.
>>
many people have left negative feedback on his ebay page complaining about exactly the same problem.
>>
Jarek should fix this problem by noting that it could be several months before an item arrives. Of course, he might not do this because then people wouldn't purchase an item that he has put so much effort into creating. Still, it seems strange that if someone KNEW, ahead of time, that an item might take several months to arrive that they wouldn't buy it anyway. There is no other place to purchase these items. Jarek is the creator, maker and the distributor. This reminds me very much of the early history of microcomputers (1975/76) when there could be LONG waits (three months, minimum) before an item shipped. I'm not saying that the negative feedback isn't deserved. Jarek should be up-front with people that are buying his products, but buying his products is surely not in the same league as, say, buying a book or CD from Amazon.com. In those cases you EXPECT the book or CD to arrive promptly. There definitely should be some leeway with classic computer products.
>>
Can the Polish postal service be that unreliable??
>>
I can't speak about the mail system in Poland, but I CAN speak about the mail system in America. It's a common occurrence for mail to be lost between my mother and my family. My mother lives in a small town here in New Mexico about 120 miles north of my immediate family. I'd estimate that one or two out of ten letters or cards never arrive. That's pathetic. Perhaps it is this way in Jarek's area too.
>>
I know one thing for sure, I really don't like sending emails with an upset tone
>>
It's difficult to get anything across to somebody when their guard is up. For me, what works best when I want to write an angry email or a letter is that... I WRITE IT! Then I wait. Then I read it over. Then I edit it. Sometimes I don't ever send it at all. This works pretty well for me. It's too bad that this doesn't work in "real life." I guess the best anybody can do is live by what we learned as children, "think before you speak." That's a lot easier said then done!
Adam
_________________________________________________________________
The i’m Talkaton. Can 30-days of conversation change the world?
http://www.imtalkathon.com/?source=EML_WLH_Talkathon_ChangeWorld
3. Re: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE+ interface / Polish postal service, ZX-Matrix, Sinclair USB
M. Emrah Oral · Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:45
What is kinda funny is this "delays and long wait times" thing is often associated with all things Sinclair. I remember reading on the web that Sinclair Research used to sell the ZX Spectrum via mail order and the units were never sent on time, there was a huge wait time, units not delivered even weeks after the promised delivery time. Then of course there is the delivery related problems with the Sinclair QL. When I was 12, I had a ZX Spectrum +2 and I wanted to upgrade to a ZX Spectrum +3. My dad ordered one. We had to wait for over 3 months to have the store import one from the UK. The unit that finally came was faulty. We ended up returning it and getting an Amiga500. So, I guess delayed delivery is part of the Sinclair history. :P
--- On Fri, 7/11/08, Adam Trionfo <[email]> wrote:
From: Adam Trionfo <[email]>
Subject: [ts2068] Re: ZX divIDE+ interface / Polish postal service, ZX-Matrix, Sinclair USB
To: [email]
Date: Friday, July 11, 2008, 9:35 AM
M. Emrah Oral
>>
I sent bitrom (Jurek) a final email. I was pretty upset when I wrote it. So the
tone of the email was, well, not the kind of tone I like using in my
communication with people.
>>
I sympathize with you about this situation. It took me about three months to
get my Spectrum emulator cartridge from Jerek. The wait IS frustrating. Once
you get it though... it's all behind you.
>>
He sounds like a nice guy
>>
I have never spoke with him personally. Even my email correspondence was
short. Yet, I like the guy. He offers a service, which isn't his main
job, to people that are using computers that are getting on to be THIRTY years
old. There are other classic systems (Atari, of course) that spring to mind
that have plenty of people making cool gadgets. This is not the case at all
with the TS/2068. I can't think of anyone in the U.S. that is making
ANYTHING for the TS/2068 (please correct me if I am wrong). The few items that
DO come out for this system are from other countries where English is a second
language. There are the Spectrum add-ons that people would like to see work
for the TS/2068... but even these need to be "fixed" to work with the
2068.
>>
many people have left negative feedback on his ebay page complaining about
exactly the same problem.
>>
Jarek should fix this problem by noting that it could be several months before
an item arrives. Of course, he might not do this because then people
wouldn't purchase an item that he has put so much effort into creating.
Still, it seems strange that if someone KNEW, ahead of time, that an item might
take several months to arrive that they wouldn't buy it anyway. There is no
other place to purchase these items. Jarek is the creator, maker and the
distributor. This reminds me very much of the early history of microcomputers
(1975/76) when there could be LONG waits (three months, minimum) before an item
shipped. I'm not saying that the negative feedback isn't deserved.
Jarek should be up-front with people that are buying his products, but buying
his products is surely not in the same league as, say, buying a book or CD from
Amazon.com. In those cases you EXPECT the book or CD to arrive promptly. There
definitely should be some leeway with classic computer products.
>>
Can the Polish postal service be that unreliable??
>>
I can't speak about the mail system in Poland, but I CAN speak about the
mail system in America. It's a common occurrence for mail to be lost
between my mother and my family. My mother lives in a small town here in New
Mexico about 120 miles north of my immediate family. I'd estimate that one
or two out of ten letters or cards never arrive. That's pathetic. Perhaps
it is this way in Jarek's area too.
>>
I know one thing for sure, I really don't like sending emails with an upset
tone
>>
It's difficult to get anything across to somebody when their guard is up.
For me, what works best when I want to write an angry email or a letter is
that... I WRITE IT! Then I wait. Then I read it over. Then I edit it.
Sometimes I don't ever send it at all. This works pretty well for me.
It's too bad that this doesn't work in "real life." I guess
the best anybody can do is live by what we learned as children, "think
before you speak." That's a lot easier said then done!
Adam
_________________________________________________________________
The i’m Talkaton. Can 30-days of conversation change the world?
http://www.imtalkathon.com/?source=EML_WLH_Talkathon_ChangeWorld
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
4. ZX DivIDE+ finally arrived after bitrom sent a second unit.
M. Emrah Oral · Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:07
Hi guys. I have been bitching and complaining about not receiving the DivIDE+ I bought on ebay so I felt like being fair to the seller and following up on what has happened. After my last and rather upset email to bitrom , the guy who actually manufactures these units for RWAP, promised to send me a new DivIDE+. It arrived here today. It took about 12 days. So there was definitely something wrong with the first one, which I waited and waited for over 3 months. I won it on Ebay on March 27th, and today I finally got it. It works perfectly, it is manufactured very professionally/ The build and component quality as well as the PCB design is very professional. I think the one and only problem with the DivIDE is the long long wait times, long long pre-order lists, etc. If the first one bitrom said he sent did not bounce back to him, I hope he can at least somehow get compensated for it from the Polish Post office. He said it was insured. I hope he can take
his money back. I wonder if there may be a more reliable courier like DHL, FedEx or UPS for shipments like this that would not cost an arm and a leg.
Anyway. I am excited to play with it. So, gotta go.. Bye .. :)
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