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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment.

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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 11:55 pm   #1
wireless_paul
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Default Sinclair Cambridge

Did anyone else on the forum build one of these from the kit. They were most impressed in the company where I worked when I arrived with mine, in fact I was summoned by the boss to show him! I still have it as well in the original felt case.
Paul E
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 12:07 am   #2
Sideband
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

Hi Paul.

Yes I did! I no longer have it unfortunately but I remember spending a few nights assembling it all and it all worked first time as well. I think it was a bit heavy on batteries.....did'nt it use the small AAA size? Probably because of the DC-DC converter used to drive the chip. I know I was very impressed at the time but it was so basic by todays standards...not even a percentage button. I seem to remember the instruction book also explained how to work out square roots.

Rich.
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 5:26 pm   #3
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

Yes, I built one too. I never really found a use for it in those days, as we were all fairly numerate and used to working things out longhand if necessary. The battery contacts were a bit dodgy, but it worked OK until the dog bit it. I think I still have it somewhere, also a later one with a hard plastic case.
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 6:47 pm   #4
ppppenguin
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

Did the Sinclair Scientific come before or after the Cambridge? I remember playing with one of these, horrible keys, a strange form of not quite reverse polish logic and accuracy that was sometimes worse than 4 figure log tables.
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 6:54 pm   #5
ppppenguin
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

That reminds me of a bad joke

God had finished His creation and saw that it was good. He told all the animals to go forth and multiply. All the animals obeyed except for a pair of small snakes. "Oh Lord" they said "We know not how to go forth and multiply". God inquired why and the snakes said "we're adders!". God was perplexed, he had been so pleased with all his creation. Then the angel Gabriel whispered in God's ear. God nodded wisely and told Gabriel to what to do. Gabriel gathered some angels, they chopped down a few trees and fashioned them into simple tables. Gabriel explained to the snakes: "You are adders; to multiply you need log tables".

Paul, please don't expel me from the forum for this one.

Last edited by Station X; 17th Jan 2005 at 10:28 pm. Reason: Import
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 8:14 pm   #6
wireless_paul
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

The battery connections and switch were a bit dodgy. Sinclair were always happy to send you new ones.
Paul E
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Old 12th Feb 2004, 1:37 am   #7
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

The Scientific was my first calculator, definitely released a while after the basic Cambridge. Its performance did tend to make me more of a laughing stock than I already was...

Paul.
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Old 12th Feb 2004, 9:01 am   #8
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

I had a Scientific in the late '70s. I must have had nothing better to do one day and found that if you asked it for the sine of 9 (radians), it would take about a minute to come back with the answer which may well be different to the last answer it gave to the same calculation.

John
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Old 12th Feb 2004, 10:51 am   #9
wireless_paul
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Default Re: Sinclair Cambridge

There are some pictures of the Sinclair Cambridge on
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/ht...ge_models.html
The one I built and still have is Type 1.
Paul E
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Old 8th Jul 2005, 11:31 pm   #10
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Lightbulb Re: Sinclair Cambridge

My that brought it all back, as I can remenber assembling the kit.
I purchased a smallest antex soldering iron specially to complete it, it was at least half the size anything else.
Still have it; with its felt sleeve, and it was used in the shack with a battery ext lead for sometime after. Never did try the earlier fads like the led watch, but the Spectrum was special.

John
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