Microbyte Protection Unit

Sinclair User

HARDWARE WORLD With ever-increasing amounts of peripherals available for Sinclair computers, users are finding it more and more difficult to know what to buy. We present a buyer's guide to joysticks, keyboard and printers and review the best of the rest from the 1984 add-on market. The last year has brought about a vast change in the sort of add-ons available for the Sinclair machines. Many are technically brilliant while some would have made Heath Robinson blush. There are few add-ons still being produced for the ZX81, with even fewer new ones, but there has been an avalanche of Spectrum designs, and the start of what promises to be an interesting range for the QL. The most popular areas of interest - printers, joysticks and keyboards - are dealt with in separate sections but there have been some very innovative designs produced in other areas. SOFTWARE PROTECTION Two notable utility devices have appeared this year. The first of those, the ROM SP from Camel Products allows you to retrieve programs stored in your own EPROMs. Up to 16K of EPROM can be used and there is the option of either having the program load on power up or by pressing a push button. Camel also produces the PROMER-SP which allows you to SAVE programs and data into an EPROM. The second device is the Software Protection Unit from Microbyte, designed to stop the computer crashing in the event of either mains noise or a power failure. The Spectrum power supply is plugged into the unit and a lead is then plugged into the power socket of the Spectrum. Inside the unit are six 'AA' type rechargeable batteries and, if there is a power failure, the batteries take over to keep the Spectrum working. In normal use the batteries are kept topped up and should last for up to 15 minutes in the event of a power failure. That will give you time to save the program if you have a battery powered cassette player to hand. The unit also contains a small circuit to cut mains interference. ZX-81 versions are available. Software Protection Unit, £13.95 inc. from Microbyte, [redacted]. ROM SP, PROMER-SP, both priced £29.95 exclusive of VAT, from Carmel Products, [redacted]. EPROM erases also available from £18.95 plus VAT.

Sinclair User

PROTECTION GIVES PEACE OF MIND Microbyte has launched a new software protection unit for the Spectrum. It is designed to prevent the computer crashing in the event of either mains noise or a power failure. The Spectrum power supply is plugged into the unit and a lead is then plugged into the power socket of the Spectrum. Inside the unit are six AA-type rechargeable batteries and, if there is a power failure, the batteries are kept topped-up and should last for up to 15 minutes. That will give you time to save a program if you have a battery-powered cassette player to hand. The unit also contains a small circuit to cut mains interference. It is very disconcerting to load a program into the machine, switch it off at the mains and then switch it on again to find that you have not lost the program. The unit is very easy to use. Once it is plugged in it can be forgotten and yet it gives great peace of mind. Costing £13.95 inc. for either the ZX-81 or Spectrum version, it may well save a good deal of frustration. Microbyte is at [redacted].

Sinclair User

PROTECTION FOR SOFTWARE A device called the Software Protection Unit will supply battery power for up to three hours on a basic 1K ZX-81 and 1.5 hours with the 16K RAM pack, Microbyte says. It will also stop crashes or errors due to mains fluctuations by using "high-speed detection and switching circuitry". What it consists of is two battery holders for AA cells - you supply the batteries at £3.34 per set - in a black box with a jack socket to take the power supply plug at one end and a power supply plug at the other. The unit costs £8.60 inc. VAT and postage. It can be obtained from Microbyte, [redacted].

Microbyte software protection unit.