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RIP Clive Sinclair

Arkless Electronics said:
Let us not forget that he made a class D amplifier in the early to mid 60's and then there was the Sinclair IC12, an early "gain clone" type IC, at a guess probably made for him by Plessey
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Jez, my memory is very hazy on this, but as I put in my previous post, I thought the tiny 'Butterfly' amp I had was a Sinclair. There was also an even smaller on the size of a matchbox, I think. This would have been late 70s/early 80s though I didn't buy it new. Maybe I'm wrong and it wasn't a Sinclair but what I remember seems to fit, as it was shoddily made and didn't last. Maybe that was of the gain clone or class D you mention.
 
Tony L said:
Not to my mind. He was just a long way ahead of the curve in many ways. The C5 being the most controversial idea I guess, but it doesn’t look too crazy now everyone is wizzing around on ebikes, electric scooters etc. Its problem is the idea predated the required battery technology, and as ever with Sinclair products it was built right down to a price. When I think of Sinclair I think of the groundbreaking calculators and computers, again built right down to a price (truly awful keyboards etc), but always with amazing styling.

Sinclair was the radical of the initial UK home computer industry. It is impossible to overstate just how important the low price of Sinclair kit compared to Apple, Acorn, Commodore etc was. Yes, it was a bit clunky, not especially reliable, but it made so much possible for kids without crazy rich parents etc. I have huge respect for what he did. To my mind the real irritation is Alan Sugar, a man with a tiny fraction of the talent, knowledge or innovation, who totally cashed-in on the world Sinclair had opened up actually destroying Sinclair in the process.
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I am not sure it was being ahead of its time that doomed it. I know someone that has one and I've been on the road in it. Head height as low as car wheels won't ever work. E-bikes and scooters are much higher up and make you feel visible and not at all frightened.

But he did not seem to notice that this would be off-putting.
 
richardg said:
I am not sure it was being ahead of its time that doomed it. I know someone that has one and I've been on the road in it. Head height as low as car wheels won't ever work. E-bikes and scooters are much higher up and make you feel visible and not at all frightened.

But he did not seem to notice that this would be off-putting.
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Yes, that aspect is dangerous, but not unique, e.g. there are a lot of recumbent bicycles that place the cyclist at a similar height. Most folk seem to stick a pole with a flag on the back to aid visibility (though that would lose much of the aerodynamic advantage!). I guess we also need to factor that roads were a lot less crowded back in the C5 day, plus there were a lot of very low cars back the (Lotus 7, Elan etc). It wouldn’t pass current road safety legislation, but neither would these little sports cars.
 
Tony L said:
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They made several different ones, mine is an MTV1B (1978) and it takes 4xAA batteries.
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Hows the picture quality?
 
Tony L said:
Yes, that aspect is dangerous, but not unique, e.g. there are a lot of recumbent bicycles that place the cyclist at a similar height. Most folk seem to stick a pole with a flag on the back to aid visibility (though that would lose much of the aerodynamic advantage!). I guess we also need to factor that roads were a lot less crowded back in the C5 day, plus there were a lot of very low cars back the (Lotus 7, Elan etc). It wouldn’t pass current road safety legislation, but neither would these little sports cars.
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Stealth bikes! Loads in France, one knocked my dog over!
 
richardg said:
Hows the picture quality?
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Back when it worked not bad at all, obviously small, but sharp and clear. I used it quite a lot for a while as it was the only TV I owned. The thin and rattly sound quality was far more annoying than the picture. You’d not want to watch a movie on it, but it was fine for half hour comedy shows etc, I actually remember taking it to the pub once to watch The Young Ones!
 
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I chucked some batteries in and the Microvision might actually still work! Last time I tried it I couldn’t get a full screen raster, just a flat line across the centre so I assumed the CRT flyback had failed or something like that. It’s definitely marginal, plus obviously there are no TV channels anymore, but that’s not a bad lifespan for a 1978 miniature TV!
 
deebster said:
You haven't got an old video recorder have you Tony, the early ones that only had RF output?
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About a year ago I tried to connect the BBC Micro to it as that has an RF output, but I couldn’t get anything. I’ll maybe try again sometime now I can at least get a raster on the screen.
 
Tony L said:
About a year ago I tried to connect the BBC Micro to it as that has an RF output, but I couldn’t get anything. I’ll maybe try again sometime now I can at least get a raster on the screen.
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have you got a working ZX Spectrum? would seem appropriate
 
gintonic said:
have you got a working ZX Spectrum? would seem appropriate
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I converted my restored one to composite output, so no RF! I’m reluctant to run the other one as I’ve not recapped it and Sinclair really did use dreadful caps on the Spectrum, none will be even close to spec. It did work when I gave it a test several years ago, but I just don’t want to risk frying the RAM or anything. Spectrums always need rebuilding, whereas you can get away with it with BBCs, Electrons etc as the capacitor quality was way better. The only certain failure on the BBC is the Rifa spark suppressor, which will explode in a very stinky way, but it doesn’t harm the machine (I have completely rebuilt the PSU in mine, but the mainboard caps are original as they are still fine)!
 
Tony L said:
51489439559_5d06d9c94a_b.jpg


I chucked some batteries in and the Microvision might actually still work! Last time I tried it I couldn’t get a full screen raster, just a flat line across the centre so I assumed the CRT flyback had failed or something like that. It’s definitely marginal, plus obviously there are no TV channels anymore, but that’s not a bad lifespan for a 1978 miniature TV!
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TBH, I’d stick with it. I’d sooner watch that for half an hour than 99.9% of the stuff that is broadcast. In fact put on some really out-there free jazz as an accompaniment and your brain will be making up pictures for you in no time.
 
Mike Reed said:
Jez, my memory is very hazy on this, but as I put in my previous post, I thought the tiny 'Butterfly' amp I had was a Sinclair. There was also an even smaller on the size of a matchbox, I think. This would have been late 70s/early 80s though I didn't buy it new. Maybe I'm wrong and it wasn't a Sinclair but what I remember seems to fit, as it was shoddily made and didn't last. Maybe that was of the gain clone or class D you mention.
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One of Sinclair's earliest products was a Plessey power amp chip with heat sink wings. They were Plessey reject batches that were hand tested and the "good enough" ones had a Sinclair label stuck over the Plessey marking and reject stamp.
 
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