ZXpand Manual
Page 5 of 16
WHAT DO I NEED
The ZXpand comes ready to plug into your Sinclair ZX81 home computer, switch on and go.
However, you will need a standard SD card to be able to store files.
If you wish to insert the interface into a case, then it is designed to fit within a Memotech memory
expansion case with some modification to allow access to the card slot - see section on fitting the
ZXpand in a case below.
GETTING STARTED
Format an SD card - you can use any of the standard FAT format types: 12, 16 and 32 are supported.
Once formatted, you can save some ZX81 programs to it. These are widely available around the
internet. They typically have the extension ‘.P’. If you come across files with the .81 extension, these
should be renamed –the formats are identical.
Because of program space restrictions in the firmware long filenames are not supported. Filenames
should use a maximum of 8 characters, followed by the extension.
You may want to organise your files on the card by creating directories, again 8 characters maximum
in the name, and putting a few files in each. The ZX81 was never designed to make use of a file
system and this should make finding the file you want much easier.
Now, you can connect the ZXpand to your ZX81 computer, insert the SD card and switch on.
Enter the command:
LOAD “MAZOGS”
This will load the file MAZOGS.P. It is not normally necessary to add the .P extension, it is assumed.
Once you have explored the joy of the 3D Monster Maze or the fields of the Fungaloids then kindly
proceed to the command reference to see what else there is to play with!
COMMAND REFERENCE
The built-in commands relating to the ZX printer have been replaced with those required to usefully
operate the ZXpand interface. For example the CAT command replaces COPY - therefore to get CAT,
you press the Z key in K mode as you would for COPY. If your program needs access to one of the
original commands then you will need to disable the ZXpand's overlay ROM at LOAD time or by
using the appropriate configuration option. The necessary information follows.
Note: The key assignments are different when used with a ZX80. These differences are noted in the
ZX80 section.
