I thought I would drop by these forums and introduce myself, as I always have a few retro computer / gaming projects in the back of my mind. I started with a ZX81 in 1982 - bought from my brother when he upgraded to a ZX Spectrum, and he then taught me the rudimentaries of ZX BASIC, but I soon surpassed his programming skills and moved onto Z80 machine code. I then got a Sinclair QL in 1984 and moved onto SuperBASIC and 68000 machine code and found that a lot easier to program. As a result, I set up RWAP Software (www.rwapsoftware.co.uk) in 1986 to start reviewing software for one of the QL magazines at the time, and also testing software for one of the software houses - well that was my plan. As it turned out, it was easier when testing and reviewing software to send a list of bugs (and suggested bug fixes) to the authors before reviews went to print, and so my reputation started from there. I released some of my own software titles over the years, as well as updated (and bug-fixed) versions of other QL titles. Since 2000 or so, my business has expanded into other areas, getting replacement keyboard membranes made for the ZX80, ZX81, ZX Spectrum, QL, Z88, Amiga A500 and A600, and also the Amstrad CPC664, as well as other replacement parts for the Sinclair computers, such as the DivIDE Plus CF card interface for the ZX Spectrum, and the ever-popular ZXPand (SD Card and 32K RAM Pack) for the ZX81 In 2013 I launched my own retro trading website, www.sellmyretro.com mainly because of the high fees being charged by ebay, and the fact that I needed a simple means of selling my collection of Spectrum software (much of which only sold for 99p, so was not worth listing on ebay). I continue to support the retro community and develop new products / projects as well as assist those who want to develop new hardware and software, through running my own forums, as well as providing some practical and sometimes financial assistance. As part of this, I set up a project to preserve all of the commercial Sinclair QL software and have been key in getting some of it re-released either commercially or as freeware. Glad to meet you all.
Wow, you sure are quite the interesting fellow! I just recently bought a broken Commodore PET 2001 Series Personal Computer, so hopefully you might have some expertise in that area It hasn't arrived yet, but from the photos the computer seems to be outputting scrambled junk to the screen. I plan on opening it up and cleaning everything, including reseating all the chips and cleaning their pins.
