Difference between revisions of "Dk'tronics"
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[[Image:Dktronics vision 2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A CPC6128 expanded to the maximum with Dk'tronics equipment]] | [[Image:Dktronics vision 2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A CPC6128 expanded to the maximum with Dk'tronics equipment]] | ||
| − | + | == History == | |
| − | + | DK'tronics was founded by David Heelas, a hobby electronics enthusiast, in april 1981. Working initially from his home in England as a one man company his first product was a 16K expansion card for the Spectrum ZX80, which he designed, produced and shipped from his home. After it's success and with a growing number of devices, the company eventually grew to more than 50 employees and obviously was no longer based in his home. David assumed the position of Managing director with the support of Neil Rawlingson as Finacial Director. A headquaters was set up in Saffron Walden and production took place initially in a manufacturing plant in Great Yarmouth, later moving to a location in Saffron Walden. In 1985 DK'tronics bought the company 'Currah', who had produced their own speech synthesizer for the ZX known as the 'Microspeech' and had also developed a ROM based Forth compiler called 'MicroSource'. David was rumoured to have had plans to produce their own 8-Bit entertainment computer (possibly a console), it's not known how far the development ever got, but the computer was never produced or sold. Their most successful hardware product was an add-on keyboard for the ZX80 and ZX81, due partly to the user-unfriendliness of the original keyboards of these devices. | |
| + | Unfortunately, despite their success, the company seems to have ceased trading sometime around the end of 1985. | ||
| − | + | == Software == | |
| − | + | Although the company was best known in the CPC scene for their hardware expansions, the company also produced many software titles for both the CPC and other common 8-Bit computers of the time. Programmers Don Priestley and Ed Hickman were major contributers to the companies software successes, these included: | |
| − | + | * 3D Tanxx - ZX/BBC - 1982 | |
| − | + | * Dictator - C64/BBC - 1983 | |
| − | + | * Galacticans - ZX - 1983 | |
| − | + | * Super Fruits - BBC - 1983 | |
| − | + | * Zig Zag - ZX - 1984 | |
| + | * Maziacs - C64/MSX - 1984 | ||
| + | * 2003:A Space Oddity - ZX - 1984 | ||
| + | * Stomp - CPC - 1985 | ||
| + | * Popeye - ZX - 1985 | ||
== CPC Hardware == | == CPC Hardware == | ||
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* [[Dk'tronics Silicon Disc]] | * [[Dk'tronics Silicon Disc]] | ||
* [[Dk'tronics Speech Synthesizer]] | * [[Dk'tronics Speech Synthesizer]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Other Hardware == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * 16K Spectrum Expansion Card | ||
| + | * Spectrum Keyboard | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | == Pictures == | ||
| + | |||
| + | <gallery caption="dk'tronics expansions"> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Image:Dktronics vision 1.jpg|Silicon Disc and 256Kb expansion | ||
| + | |||
| + | </gallery> | ||
[[Category: CPC related companies]] | [[Category: CPC related companies]] | ||
Revision as of 05:04, 22 October 2009
History
DK'tronics was founded by David Heelas, a hobby electronics enthusiast, in april 1981. Working initially from his home in England as a one man company his first product was a 16K expansion card for the Spectrum ZX80, which he designed, produced and shipped from his home. After it's success and with a growing number of devices, the company eventually grew to more than 50 employees and obviously was no longer based in his home. David assumed the position of Managing director with the support of Neil Rawlingson as Finacial Director. A headquaters was set up in Saffron Walden and production took place initially in a manufacturing plant in Great Yarmouth, later moving to a location in Saffron Walden. In 1985 DK'tronics bought the company 'Currah', who had produced their own speech synthesizer for the ZX known as the 'Microspeech' and had also developed a ROM based Forth compiler called 'MicroSource'. David was rumoured to have had plans to produce their own 8-Bit entertainment computer (possibly a console), it's not known how far the development ever got, but the computer was never produced or sold. Their most successful hardware product was an add-on keyboard for the ZX80 and ZX81, due partly to the user-unfriendliness of the original keyboards of these devices. Unfortunately, despite their success, the company seems to have ceased trading sometime around the end of 1985.
Software
Although the company was best known in the CPC scene for their hardware expansions, the company also produced many software titles for both the CPC and other common 8-Bit computers of the time. Programmers Don Priestley and Ed Hickman were major contributers to the companies software successes, these included:
- 3D Tanxx - ZX/BBC - 1982
- Dictator - C64/BBC - 1983
- Galacticans - ZX - 1983
- Super Fruits - BBC - 1983
- Zig Zag - ZX - 1984
- Maziacs - C64/MSX - 1984
- 2003:A Space Oddity - ZX - 1984
- Stomp - CPC - 1985
- Popeye - ZX - 1985
CPC Hardware
- Dk'tronics Light Pen
- Dk'tronics Mouse Interface
- Dk'tronics RAM Memory Expansions
- Dk'tronics Real Time Clock
- Dk'tronics Silicon Disc
- Dk'tronics Speech Synthesizer
Other Hardware
- 16K Spectrum Expansion Card
- Spectrum Keyboard
Pictures
- dk'tronics expansions
Silicon Disc and 256Kb expansion
