Fuller FD42 Keyboard

ZX Computing

BIG TALKER Your ZX81 can now just about sing and dance with a number of new products on the market. Our reviewers put them through their paces. The Fuller Keyboard and case is a well designed professional keyboard for the limited ZX80/81. The extended version offers two extra keys which can be hard wired and assigned to other functions, ie. extra shift and newline keys. It also swallows the ZX completely, and holds the RAM Pack, Motherboard, power supply, and two other boards via the Motherboard. All this is held in a neat 200mm x 350mm x 60mm injection-moulded black case. Some things that I liked about the case was the "Power On" LED, and the smooth shape with no sharp corners. In the top right-hand corner of the case there are ventilation slots which stops the power supply unit (which supplies power to the ZX and Motherboard) from becoming overheated. Fuller's aim is to cut down the wires and awkward peripherals the basic ZX unit tends to attract, and this it achieves very well, I would have preferred it if the keys were stepped as on some other keyboards, but on the whole I believe the Fuller to be one of the better keyboards on the market. Fitting the ZX to the case and keyboards is quite simple as Fuller realised that most ZX users would not be "in to" electronic construction. The ZX is taken out of its own case and screwed into the top left hand corner of the Fuller case. The ZX ribbon cables are taken out and are replaced with the Fuller cables. Next, plug in the Motherboard, power supply and any RAM cards. The last operation is to stick the self-adhesive ZX functions to the key tops. With any luck, it will work. The Fuller Keyboard and case is altogether a very valuable package for the ZX user. It speeds up data input and sorts out the layout of peripherals and leads, etc. The extended keyboard and case costs £39.95 built, £33.95 kit (plus £2.50 P&P). If you don't want a Motherboard but would rather just add a keyboard there is a standard keyboard and case available at £36.70 built, £30.70 kit. Motherboards cost £15.95 (plus 80p P&P), 16K RAM boards £35.95, and 32K RAM boards £79.95. Details can be obtained and orders taken at: Fuller Micro Systems, [redacted].