Clive Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Sir Clive Marles Sinclair (born 30 July 1940) is a British
entrepreneur
and inventor, most commonly known for his work in consumer electronics
in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After spending several years as assistant editor of Practical Wireless and Instrument Practice, Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics in 1961, where he produced the first slim-line electronic pocket calculator in 1972 (the Sinclair Executive
). Sinclair later moved into the production of home computer
s and produced the Sinclair ZX80
, the UK's first mass-market home computer for less than , and later, with Sinclair Research, the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum
; the latter is widely recognised for its importance in the early days of the British home computer industry. Sinclair stated in 2010 that he does not use computers himself, using the telephone in preference to email
.
Knighted in 1985, Sinclair formed Sinclair Vehicles
and released the Sinclair C5
, a battery electric vehicle
which was a commercial failure. Since then Sinclair has concentrated on personal transport, including the A-bike
, a folding bicycle for commuters that weighs 5.5 kilograms (12.1 lb) and folds down small enough to be carried on public transport.
the shipbuilders. His grandfather George Sinclair was an innovative naval architect who got the paravane
, a mine sweeping device, to work. George Sinclair's son Bill Sinclair wanted to take religious order
s or become a journalist
. His father suggested he train as an engineer first; Bill became a mechanical engineer and remained in the field. At the outbreak of World War II
in 1939 he was running his own machine tools business in London
and later worked for the Ministry of Supply
.
Clive Sinclair was born to George William Carter Sinclair (known as Bill) and Thora Edith Ella Marles in 1940 near Richmond, then in Surrey. He and his mother left London to stay with an aunt for safety in Devon
, where they eventually travelled to Teignmouth
. A telegram arrived shortly afterwards, bringing the news that their home in Richmond had been bombed. Clive's father found a house in Bracknell in Berkshire. Sinclair's brother Iain was born in 1943 and his sister Fiona in 1947.
Clive enjoyed the freedom of holidays and swimming and boating. At an early age he designed a submarine
, possibly influenced by his grandfather George. During holidays he could pursue his ideas and teach himself what he wanted to know. Sinclair had little interest in sports and found himself out of place at school. He preferred the company of adults, which he got only from his family.
Sinclair attended Box Grove preparatory school. He excelled in mathematics
. By the time Clive was ten, his father Bill had financial problems. He had branched out from machine tools and planned to import miniature tractor
s from the U.S.; he had to give up the business. Because of his father's problems, Sinclair had to move school several times. Sinclair took his O-levels
at Highgate School
in London in 1955 and A-levels in physics, pure maths, and applied maths at St. George's College, Weybridge.
During his early years, Sinclair earned money mowing lawns and washing up, and earned 6d (old pence) more than permanent staff in a cafe. Later he went for holiday jobs at electronic companies. At Solatron he enquired about the possibility of electrically propelled personal vehicles. Sinclair applied for a holiday job at Mullard
and took one of his circuit designs; he was rejected for theoretical precociousness. While still at school he wrote his first article for Practical Wireless.
Sinclair did not want to go to university when he left school just before his 18th birthday; he wanted to sell miniature electronic kits by mail order
to the hobby market.
dated 19 June 1958 three weeks before his A-levels. Sinclair drew a radio circuit, Model Mark I, with a component
s list: cost per set 9/11 (49½p), plus coloured wire and solder
nuts and bolts, plus celluloid
chassis
(drilled) for nine shillings (45p). Also in the book are advertisement rates for Radio Constructor (9d (3¾p)/word, minimum 6/- (30p)) and Practical Wireless (5/6 (27½p) per line or part line).
Sinclair estimated producing 1,000 a month, placing orders with suppliers for 10,000 of each component to be delivered.
Sinclair wrote a book for Bernard's Publishing, Practical transistor receivers Book 1, which appeared in January 1959. It was re-printed late that year and nine times subsequently. His practical stereo handbook was published in June 1959 and reprinted seven times over 14 years. The last book Sinclair wrote as an employee of Bernard's was Modern Transistor Circuits for Beginners, published in May 1962. At Bernard Babani
he produced 13 constructors' books.
In 1961 Sinclair registered Sinclair Radionics Ltd. His original choice, Sinclair Electronics, was taken; Sinclair Radio was available but didn't sound right. Sinclair Radionics was formed on 25 July 1961.
Sinclair made two attempts to raise startup capital
to advertise his inventions and buy components. He designed PCB
kits and licensed some technology. Then he took his design for a miniature transistor pocket radio
and sought a backer for its production in kit form. Eventually he found someone who agreed to buy 55% of his company for £3,000 but the deal didn't go through.
Sinclair, unable to find capital, joined United Trade Press (UTP) at 9 Gough Square, just off Fleet Street
, as technical editor of Instrument Practice. Sinclair appeared in the publication as an assistant editor in March 1962. Sinclair described making silicon planar transistor
s, their properties and applications and hoped they might be available by the end of 1962. Sinclair's obsession with miniaturisation became more obvious as his career progressed. Sinclair undertook a survey for Instrument Practice of semiconductor
devices, which appeared in four sections between September 1962 and January 1963.
His last appearance as assistant editor was in April 1969. Through UTP, Sinclair had access to thousands of devices from 36 manufacturers. He contacted Semiconductors Ltd (who at that time sold semiconductors made by Plessey
) and ordered rejects to repair. He produced a design for a miniature radio powered by a couple of hearing aid cell
s and made a deal with Semiconductors to buy its micro-alloy transistors at 6d (2½p) each in boxes of 10,000. He then carried out his own quality control
tests, and marketed his renamed MAT 100 and 120 at 7s 9d (38¾p) and 101 and 121 at 8s 6d (42½p).
Sinclair Radionics lasted until 1979, with various products and company spin-offs. Beginning with a mini-amplifier, the company earned a name for design, quality and pioneering. The vision was to produce in bulk and sell cheaply. This risky but potentially profitable approach made fortunes before but carries the risk of bankruptcy. In the early days one strategy essential to this policy for Sinclair Radionics was production in kit form.
In June 1978 Science of Cambridge launched a microcomputer
kit, the MK14
, based on the National SC/MP chip. By July 1978, a personal computer project was under way. When Sinclair learnt the NewBrain
could not be sold at below £100 as he envisaged, he turned to a simpler computer. In May 1979 Jim Westwood
started the ZX80 project at Science of Cambridge; it was launched in February 1980 at £79.95 in kit form and £99.95 ready-built. In November, Science of Cambridge was renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd.
In March 1981, Sinclair Computers was renamed again as Sinclair Research Ltd and the Sinclair ZX81
was launched at £49.95 in kit form and £69.95 ready-built, by mail order. In February 1982 Timex
obtained a license to manufacture and market Sinclair's computers in the United States
under the name Timex Sinclair
. In April the ZX Spectrum
was launched at £125 for the 16 kB RAM version and £175 for the 48 kB version. In March 1982 the company made an £8.55 million profit on turnover of £27.17 million, including £383,000 government grants for the TV80
flat-screen portable television.
In 1982 Sinclair converted the Barker & Wadsworth mineral water bottling factory at 25 Willis Road, Cambridge, into the company's headquarters. (This was sold to Cambridgeshire County Council in December 1985 owing to Sinclair's financial troubles.) The following year, he received his knighthood
and formed Sinclair Vehicles Ltd.
to develop electric vehicles. This resulted in the 1985 Sinclair C5
.
In 1984, Sinclair launched the Sinclair QL
computer, intended for professional users. Development of the ZX Spectrum continued with the enhanced ZX Spectrum 128 in 1985.
In April 1986, Sinclair Research sold the Sinclair trademark and computer business to Amstrad
for £5 million.
Sinclair Research Ltd. was reduced to an R&D business and holding company
, with shareholdings in several spin-off companies, formed to exploit technologies developed by the company. These included Anamartic Ltd. (wafer-scale integration
), Shaye Communications Ltd. (CT2
mobile telephony) and Cambridge Computer Ltd. (Z88
portable computer and satellite TV receivers).
By 1990, Sinclair Research consisted of Clive Sinclair and two other employees, and its activities have since concentrated on personal transport, the Zike electric bicycle, Zeta bicycle motor and the A-bike
folding bicycle.
In November 2010 Sinclair told The Guardian
newspaper that he was working on a new prototype electric vehicle, called the X-1, to be launched within a year. "Technology has moved on quite a bit, there are new batteries available and I just rethought the thing. The C5 was OK, but I think we can do a better job now." The X-1 will be available on July 2011 at the price of £595.
Despite his involvement in computing, he does not use the Internet
, stating that he does not like to have "technical or mechanical things around me" as it distracts from the process of invention.
Sinclair has become a poker player. He appeared in the first three seasons of the Late Night Poker
television series in Britain. He won the first season final of the Celebrity Poker Club
spin-off, defeating Keith Allen.
Sinclair is a member of British Mensa
, and was Chairman for 17 years from 1980 to 1997.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and inventor, most commonly known for his work in consumer electronics
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver...
in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After spending several years as assistant editor of Practical Wireless and Instrument Practice, Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics in 1961, where he produced the first slim-line electronic pocket calculator in 1972 (the Sinclair Executive
Sinclair Executive
The Sinclair Executive was Clive Sinclair's first venture into the pocket calculator market. The Executive was the world's first "slimline" pocket calculator. It was variously described as "a piece of personal jewelry" and "at once a conversation piece, a rich man's plaything and a functional...
). Sinclair later moved into the production of home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s and produced the Sinclair ZX80
Sinclair ZX80
The Sinclair ZX80 is a home computer brought to market in 1980 by Science of Cambridge Ltd. . It is notable for being the first computer available in the United Kingdom for less than a hundred pounds...
, the UK's first mass-market home computer for less than , and later, with Sinclair Research, the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
; the latter is widely recognised for its importance in the early days of the British home computer industry. Sinclair stated in 2010 that he does not use computers himself, using the telephone in preference to email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
.
Knighted in 1985, Sinclair formed Sinclair Vehicles
Sinclair Vehicles
Sinclair Vehicles Ltd was a company formed in March 1983 by Sir Clive Sinclair as a focus for his work in the field of electric vehicles. The initial investment was £8.6m, which came from the proceeds of the sale of some of Sir Clive's shares in Sinclair Research...
and released the Sinclair C5
Sinclair C5
The Sinclair Research C5 is a battery electric vehicle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair and launched by Sinclair Research in the United Kingdom on 10 January 1985. The vehicle is a battery-assisted tricycle steered by a handlebar beneath the driver's knees. Powered operation is possible making it...
, a battery electric vehicle
Battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
which was a commercial failure. Since then Sinclair has concentrated on personal transport, including the A-bike
A-bike
The A-bike is a type of folding bicycle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair in the United Kingdom and released on 12 July 2006. It weighs and folds to 67×30×16 cm, small enough to fit in a rucksack....
, a folding bicycle for commuters that weighs 5.5 kilograms (12.1 lb) and folds down small enough to be carried on public transport.
Early life, family and education
Sinclair's father and grandfather were engineers; both had been apprentices at VickersVickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
the shipbuilders. His grandfather George Sinclair was an innovative naval architect who got the paravane
Paravane (weapon)
The paravane is a form of towed underwater "glider". It was developed by Cdr Usborne and Lt Burney financed by Sir George White, founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company....
, a mine sweeping device, to work. George Sinclair's son Bill Sinclair wanted to take religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
s or become a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. His father suggested he train as an engineer first; Bill became a mechanical engineer and remained in the field. At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939 he was running his own machine tools business in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and later worked for the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
.
Clive Sinclair was born to George William Carter Sinclair (known as Bill) and Thora Edith Ella Marles in 1940 near Richmond, then in Surrey. He and his mother left London to stay with an aunt for safety in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where they eventually travelled to Teignmouth
Teignmouth
Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...
. A telegram arrived shortly afterwards, bringing the news that their home in Richmond had been bombed. Clive's father found a house in Bracknell in Berkshire. Sinclair's brother Iain was born in 1943 and his sister Fiona in 1947.
Clive enjoyed the freedom of holidays and swimming and boating. At an early age he designed a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, possibly influenced by his grandfather George. During holidays he could pursue his ideas and teach himself what he wanted to know. Sinclair had little interest in sports and found himself out of place at school. He preferred the company of adults, which he got only from his family.
Sinclair attended Box Grove preparatory school. He excelled in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. By the time Clive was ten, his father Bill had financial problems. He had branched out from machine tools and planned to import miniature tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s from the U.S.; he had to give up the business. Because of his father's problems, Sinclair had to move school several times. Sinclair took his O-levels
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
at Highgate School
Highgate School
-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
in London in 1955 and A-levels in physics, pure maths, and applied maths at St. George's College, Weybridge.
During his early years, Sinclair earned money mowing lawns and washing up, and earned 6d (old pence) more than permanent staff in a cafe. Later he went for holiday jobs at electronic companies. At Solatron he enquired about the possibility of electrically propelled personal vehicles. Sinclair applied for a holiday job at Mullard
Mullard
Mullard Limited was a British manufacturer of electronic components. The Mullard Radio Valve Co. Ltd. of Southfields, London, was founded in 1920 by Captain Stanley R. Mullard, who had previously designed valves for the Admiralty before becoming managing director of the Z Electric Lamp Co. The...
and took one of his circuit designs; he was rejected for theoretical precociousness. While still at school he wrote his first article for Practical Wireless.
Sinclair did not want to go to university when he left school just before his 18th birthday; he wanted to sell miniature electronic kits by mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
to the hobby market.
Sinclair Radionics
Sinclair's Micro Kit was formalised in an exercise bookNotebook
A notebook is a book or binder composed of pages of notes, often ruled, made out of paper, used for purposes including recording notes or memoranda, writing, drawing, and scrapbooking....
dated 19 June 1958 three weeks before his A-levels. Sinclair drew a radio circuit, Model Mark I, with a component
Electronic component
An electronic component is a basic electronic element and may be available in a discrete form having two or more electrical terminals . These are intended to be connected together, usually by soldering to a printed circuit board, in order to create an electronic circuit with a particular function...
s list: cost per set 9/11 (49½p), plus coloured wire and solder
Solder
Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...
nuts and bolts, plus celluloid
Celluloid
Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
(drilled) for nine shillings (45p). Also in the book are advertisement rates for Radio Constructor (9d (3¾p)/word, minimum 6/- (30p)) and Practical Wireless (5/6 (27½p) per line or part line).
Sinclair estimated producing 1,000 a month, placing orders with suppliers for 10,000 of each component to be delivered.
Sinclair wrote a book for Bernard's Publishing, Practical transistor receivers Book 1, which appeared in January 1959. It was re-printed late that year and nine times subsequently. His practical stereo handbook was published in June 1959 and reprinted seven times over 14 years. The last book Sinclair wrote as an employee of Bernard's was Modern Transistor Circuits for Beginners, published in May 1962. At Bernard Babani
Bernard Babani
Bernard Babani was a publisher, who started publishing technical books in 1942 from which Bernard Babani Ltd was formed, which is now run by his son, Michael Babani BSc from offices in London....
he produced 13 constructors' books.
In 1961 Sinclair registered Sinclair Radionics Ltd. His original choice, Sinclair Electronics, was taken; Sinclair Radio was available but didn't sound right. Sinclair Radionics was formed on 25 July 1961.
Sinclair made two attempts to raise startup capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
to advertise his inventions and buy components. He designed PCB
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
kits and licensed some technology. Then he took his design for a miniature transistor pocket radio
Transistor radio
A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver using transistor-based circuitry. Following their development in 1954 they became the most popular electronic communication device in history, with billions manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s...
and sought a backer for its production in kit form. Eventually he found someone who agreed to buy 55% of his company for £3,000 but the deal didn't go through.
Sinclair, unable to find capital, joined United Trade Press (UTP) at 9 Gough Square, just off Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
, as technical editor of Instrument Practice. Sinclair appeared in the publication as an assistant editor in March 1962. Sinclair described making silicon planar transistor
Planar process
The planar process is a manufacturing process used in the semiconductor industry to build individual components of a transistor, and in turn, connect those transistors together. It is the primary process by which modern integrated circuits are built...
s, their properties and applications and hoped they might be available by the end of 1962. Sinclair's obsession with miniaturisation became more obvious as his career progressed. Sinclair undertook a survey for Instrument Practice of semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
devices, which appeared in four sections between September 1962 and January 1963.
His last appearance as assistant editor was in April 1969. Through UTP, Sinclair had access to thousands of devices from 36 manufacturers. He contacted Semiconductors Ltd (who at that time sold semiconductors made by Plessey
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
) and ordered rejects to repair. He produced a design for a miniature radio powered by a couple of hearing aid cell
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
s and made a deal with Semiconductors to buy its micro-alloy transistors at 6d (2½p) each in boxes of 10,000. He then carried out his own quality control
Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
tests, and marketed his renamed MAT 100 and 120 at 7s 9d (38¾p) and 101 and 121 at 8s 6d (42½p).
Sinclair Radionics lasted until 1979, with various products and company spin-offs. Beginning with a mini-amplifier, the company earned a name for design, quality and pioneering. The vision was to produce in bulk and sell cheaply. This risky but potentially profitable approach made fortunes before but carries the risk of bankruptcy. In the early days one strategy essential to this policy for Sinclair Radionics was production in kit form.
Science of Cambridge
Sinclair had formed another company, initially called Ablesdeal Ltd, in 1973. This changed name several times, eventually becoming Science of Cambridge Ltd in July 1977.In June 1978 Science of Cambridge launched a microcomputer
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
kit, the MK14
MK14
The Microcomputer Kit 14, or MK14 was a computer kit sold by Science of Cambridge of the United Kingdom, first introduced in 1977 for UK£39.95. The MK14 eventually sold over 50,000 units. It used a National Semiconductor SC/MP CPU , 256 bytes of random access memory which was directly expandable...
, based on the National SC/MP chip. By July 1978, a personal computer project was under way. When Sinclair learnt the NewBrain
Grundy NewBrain
The Grundy NewBrain was a microcomputer sold in the early 1980s by Grundy Business Systems Ltd of Teddington and Cambridge, England.- Beginnings :...
could not be sold at below £100 as he envisaged, he turned to a simpler computer. In May 1979 Jim Westwood
Jim Westwood
Jim Westwood was the chief engineer at Sinclair Research Ltd in the 1980s, starting at the company in 1963. Westwood was the technical mastermind behind many of Sinclair's products and worked there for more than twenty years...
started the ZX80 project at Science of Cambridge; it was launched in February 1980 at £79.95 in kit form and £99.95 ready-built. In November, Science of Cambridge was renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd.
Sinclair Research
Sinclair ZX81
The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
was launched at £49.95 in kit form and £69.95 ready-built, by mail order. In February 1982 Timex
Timex Group
Timex Group B.V., or Timex Group, is a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and the corporate parent of several watchmaking companies around the globe including Timex Group USA, Inc., TMX Philippines, Inc., and Timex Group India Ltd...
obtained a license to manufacture and market Sinclair's computers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the name Timex Sinclair
Timex Sinclair
Timex Sinclair was a joint venture between the British company Sinclair Research and Timex Corporation in an effort to gain an entry into the rapidly-growing early-1980s home computer market in the United States...
. In April the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
was launched at £125 for the 16 kB RAM version and £175 for the 48 kB version. In March 1982 the company made an £8.55 million profit on turnover of £27.17 million, including £383,000 government grants for the TV80
TV80
The Sinclair TV80, also known as the Flat Screen Pocket TV or FTV1, was a pocket television launched by Sinclair Research in 1984. Unlike Sinclair's earlier attempts at a portable television, the TV80 used a flat CRT with a side-mounted electron gun instead of a conventional CRT; the picture was...
flat-screen portable television.
In 1982 Sinclair converted the Barker & Wadsworth mineral water bottling factory at 25 Willis Road, Cambridge, into the company's headquarters. (This was sold to Cambridgeshire County Council in December 1985 owing to Sinclair's financial troubles.) The following year, he received his knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
and formed Sinclair Vehicles Ltd.
Sinclair Vehicles
Sinclair Vehicles Ltd was a company formed in March 1983 by Sir Clive Sinclair as a focus for his work in the field of electric vehicles. The initial investment was £8.6m, which came from the proceeds of the sale of some of Sir Clive's shares in Sinclair Research...
to develop electric vehicles. This resulted in the 1985 Sinclair C5
Sinclair C5
The Sinclair Research C5 is a battery electric vehicle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair and launched by Sinclair Research in the United Kingdom on 10 January 1985. The vehicle is a battery-assisted tricycle steered by a handlebar beneath the driver's knees. Powered operation is possible making it...
.
In 1984, Sinclair launched the Sinclair QL
Sinclair QL
The Sinclair QL , was a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as the successor to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum...
computer, intended for professional users. Development of the ZX Spectrum continued with the enhanced ZX Spectrum 128 in 1985.
In April 1986, Sinclair Research sold the Sinclair trademark and computer business to Amstrad
Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
for £5 million.
Sinclair Research Ltd. was reduced to an R&D business and holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, with shareholdings in several spin-off companies, formed to exploit technologies developed by the company. These included Anamartic Ltd. (wafer-scale integration
Wafer-scale integration
Wafer-scale integration, WSI for short, is a yet-unused system of building very-large integrated circuit networks that use an entire silicon wafer to produce a single "super-chip". Through a combination of large size and reduced packaging, WSI could lead to dramatically reduced costs for some...
), Shaye Communications Ltd. (CT2
CT2
CT2 is a cordless telephony standard that was used in the early 1990s to provide short-range proto-mobile phone service in some countries in Europe. It is considered the precursor to the popular DECT system...
mobile telephony) and Cambridge Computer Ltd. (Z88
Cambridge Z88
The Cambridge Computer Z88 is an A4-size, lightweight, portable Z80-based computer with a built-in combined word processing/spreadsheet/database application called PipeDream, along with several other applications and utilities, such as a Z80-version of the BBC BASIC programming language.The Z88...
portable computer and satellite TV receivers).
By 1990, Sinclair Research consisted of Clive Sinclair and two other employees, and its activities have since concentrated on personal transport, the Zike electric bicycle, Zeta bicycle motor and the A-bike
A-bike
The A-bike is a type of folding bicycle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair in the United Kingdom and released on 12 July 2006. It weighs and folds to 67×30×16 cm, small enough to fit in a rucksack....
folding bicycle.
In November 2010 Sinclair told The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper that he was working on a new prototype electric vehicle, called the X-1, to be launched within a year. "Technology has moved on quite a bit, there are new batteries available and I just rethought the thing. The C5 was OK, but I think we can do a better job now." The X-1 will be available on July 2011 at the price of £595.
Personal life
Sinclair married Ann Trevor-Briscoe in 1962, and has three children: Belinda, Crispin and Bartholomew. Clive and Ann divorced in 1985. In 2010 Sinclair married Angie Bowness, who also has an only son called Marcus Thornton.Despite his involvement in computing, he does not use the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, stating that he does not like to have "technical or mechanical things around me" as it distracts from the process of invention.
Sinclair has become a poker player. He appeared in the first three seasons of the Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series in Britain. He won the first season final of the Celebrity Poker Club
Celebrity Poker Club
Celebrity Poker Club was a British television series featuring celebrities playing poker. It aired on Challenge from 2003 to 2005 as a spin-off to Channel 4's popular Late Night Poker series...
spin-off, defeating Keith Allen.
Sinclair is a member of British Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, and was Chairman for 17 years from 1980 to 1997.
External links
- Sinclair Research website
- Sinclair in 1966 in Life magazine
- Sir Clive Sinclair at Planet Sinclair website
- Sinclair bows out. John Gilbert, Sinclair UserSinclair UserSinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
, Issue 51, June 1986 - 'Move over Segway, I'm planning the C6'. Jonathan Duffy, BBC News Online, 5 August 2003
- British Mensa biography of Clive Sinclair
- I don't use a computer at all. Observer interview, 28 February 2010, with Simon Garfield.