Aunc.1921
net.micro
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!harpo!chico!duke!unc!dce
Sun Feb 28 20:13:42 1982
ZX81 Plea
Sinclair Research LTD.
One Sinclair Plaza
Nasua, NH 03061

Dear Sirs,

       I recently received my ZX81 computer kit which my father
ordered for me. After completing assembly, I found that the
unit did not work.  The television screen was blanked but no cursor
appeared. I immediately turned the unit off and checked for soldering
problems and found nothing wrong. I took the unit to my father, who is
an electronics engineer and works with computers, and had him try to
find the problem. He found that the clock oscillator in the logic IC
was not working. At this point I decided to expect the worst and assume
that I had broken the IC by not putting the kit together properly. I
then located a person that had a working unit, and he agreed to open
his computer and try to prove that the logic IC was the problem.

       We tried each of my ICs out in his working unit and each worked
with the exception of the logic IC. We then tried out his ICs in my
unit.  At this point my case falters somewhat. When the working logic
unit was placed into my board, my computer still did not work, but it
did not work in a different way. The television screen was covered with
black wavy lines, which showed that there was an additional problem.

       I feel that in this case, I have a defective logic IC, but I am
not sure that I would want to send the unit in for repairs. If I send
you the unit, I feel that I will be told that the logic IC was broken
due to faulty wiring, and that I will be asked to pay $40.00 for a new
IC in addition to any other repair costs. The fact is, I can not afford
to pay any more for the computer than I already have. If I can get a
new logic unit to replace the faulty one, I am sure that I could repair
any other problems in the unit. If any other part of the kit is bad, I
am sure that I can replace it easily and cheaply, but the logic IC is
unavailable through anyone but your company.

       I hope that you will consider my case and agree to trade a
working logic IC for my defective one so that I may finish my
computer.

               Awaiting your reply,
               David C. Elliott
               c/o Donald E. Elliott
               Rt. 7, Box 125
               Chapel Hill, NC 27514

This is my plea to Sinclair. Does anyone think it will work? (By the way,
it is ALL true.)

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