Timex Computer 2068

The TC2068 is the Portuguese version of TS2068. When Timex Computer Corp folded in North America a subsidiary of Timex, Timex of Portugal, take the TS2068 and made some modifications and improvements. Timex of Portugal have changed the TV modulator and made a new version of the SCLD chip to support PAL TVs, replaced the buffers between the Z80 bus and SCLD bus with resistors. TC2068 uses 9V like Spectrum and TC2048! This should make TC2068 less hotter than TS2068. Portuguese TMX also changed the rear connector, making it compatible with Spectrum's and TC2048's rear connector.
With this change, the TC2068 doesn't need the twister board to work with Sinclair interfaces, FDD and FDD3000. The extra signals of TS2068 are in the extra contacts. The last thing TMX of Portugal have done on TC2068 was the sound through the TV speaker (only the sound produced by SCLD chip).
There were two versions of TC2068: a silver version and a black version. This black version was exported to Poland.
TC2068 software is fully compatible with the TS2068. The same cartridges work on the two models.
TMX of Portugal have made the Spectrum emulator cartridge, witch have a TC2048 ROM. TMX also made a special extension of the Sinclair BASIC, the BASIC 64, so the high resolution mode (512x192) could be used in BASIC programs.
Zebra Systems has imported some TC2068 to the US and sold them as the "silver avenger".

Features of the TC2068:
- Z80A processor @ 3.58 Mhz
- AY-3-8912 Sound Chip (same as 128K Spectrums) w/ clock 1.76475Mhz. It is attached to different ports compared with the Spectrums, so you don't hear AY music when playing Speccy games (of course, it can be overcome). I mention the clock rate here because it is slightly different from the Spectrum's.
- 72K (24K ROM, 48K RAM) wiich is bankswitched between three internal 64K memory banks called the HOME bank (16K ROM, 48K RAM), the EXROM (8K ROM; this one is not completely decoded and can only hold 8K) and the DOCK bank which is empty and is reserved for cartridges. The memory is bankswitched in 8K chunks.
- The BASIC is a superset of 48K Spectrum Basic. (ie - has a few commands added)(SOUND, STICK, ON ERROR, RESET, FREE, DELETE).
- A cartridge dock is located under a door on the right side of the computer.
- Two joystick connectors (not compatible with any Sinclair joystick)
- Composite video available on jack. RGB signals available on rear edge connector.
- Rear connector is compatible with the Spectrum.
- Hardware was nicely designed to support DMA and memory bankswitching
- Video modes:
        - 256x192 pixel, 32x24 attributes (Spectrum screen)
        - 256x192 pixel, 32x192 attributes (extended colour mode)
        - 512x192 pixel, monochrome
        - Dual screen mode where you could flip between two Spectrum screens

This page was updated at 07-07-2001