Q. I am writing to ask if it's possible to connect my ZX81 to a monitor and what peripherals would be needed. At the moment, I use a portable B&W television. Could you also tell me what type of monitor to buy and how much would it cost?

Lastly could you tell me if it is possible to connect my computer to a disk drive. This would be a great advantage since we all know how slow and unreliable cassette storage is on the ZX81.

G. Shields
Chester Le Street, Co. Durham

A. There is no reason, as far as we can see, why a video monitor should not be attached to a ZX81. Since the television modulator is driven by a video signal (normally one volt peak), the only problem is to find where this signal is fed into the modulator (the large silver box inside the machine where the aerial lead plugs in) and tap into it. The connection should be between zero volts and the video signal.

There are quite a few black and white monitors available and these are rather 'much of a muchness' so the best thing is to buy the cheapest at around £95. Buying a high quality monitor will not make a great deal of difference from buying a cheaper one since the ZX81 does not use high-resolution graphics. If you can, try your modified machine with a monitor before you splash out, just to make sure it works.

The only disk drive that seems to be available for the ZX81 if FIZOF made by Macronics, 26 Spiers Close, Solihull, Birmingham. It costs £90.85 and has 48K on the 40 track drive.