Home > Sinclair > Sinclair Chronology, 1970s

Sinclair Chronology
(Adapted from Sinclair and the Sunrise Technology,
by Ian Kennedy and Richard Kennedy, 1986)


1970s
 
1970
June
November
December
1971
February
  • Radionics operation moves to Enderby's Mill, London Rd, St Ives, Huntingdonshire
May
  • Sinclair Radionics profits £85,000 on turnover of £563,000
June
  • Super IC-12 integrated circuit amplifier announced at £2.98
1972
May
  • Sinclair Radionics profits £97,000 on turnover of £761,000
June
  • Executive calculator launched at £79.95, wins Design Centre Award
  • Appoints Primary Contact as ad agency
October
  • Q30 speaker launched
1973
May
  • Sinclair Radionics generates a turnover of £1.8m
August
  • Sinclair Cambridge calculator introduced at £29.95 exc. VAT built, £24.95 kit
September
  • Ablesdeal Ltd registered
November
December
  • Project 80 revamp of Project 60 modules launched with advice on building it into your furniture included
1974
February
  • £1.5m of Executive calculators sold to Japan
April
  • Sinclair Scientific calculator launched at £19.95 exc. VAT built, £14.95 kit
  • DM1 multimeter launched but unavailable
May
  • Sinclair Radionics profits £240,000 on turnover of £4m
June
November
  • Clive presented with Institute of Marketing award
  • DM1 multimeter kit dropped to £24.95
  • Sinclair Radionics Inc., USA founded with Nigel Searle as President
1975
February
  • Ablesdeal Ltd becomes Westminster Mail Order Ltd
  • DM2 digital multimeter launched at £59 exc. VAT
March
  • Oxford range of calculators launched: '100', £12.95; '200', £19.95; '300', £29.95, exc. VAT
April
  • Sinclair Radionics wins Queen's Award to Industry
  • Sinclair Radionics profits £45,000 on turnover of £6.3m
August
November
1976
January
  • Black Watch available with 'totally in-house designed chip' at £17.95 kit
March
April
  • Sinclair Radionics loss £355,000 on turnover of £5.6m
  • Black Watch available built at £24.95
July
August
  • National Enterprise Board inject £650,000 capital for 43 per cent stake in Sinclair Radionics
October
  • National Research and Development Council agrees to £1m input into flat-screen TV
1977
January
February
April
  • Sovereign calculator in 'brushed chrome' wins Design Centre Award
  • Sinclair Radionics loss £820,000 in previous twelve months
July
  • NEB inject further £1.65m to take 73 per cent equity in Sinclair Radionics, and extend loan facility of £1m
  • Norman Hewett appointed MD of Radionics on behalf of NEB
  • Sinclair Instruments Ltd becomes Science of Cambridge Ltd
  • Clive and Hewett visit Las Vegas electronics show
October
November
  • Microquartz car clock produced for retail at £12.95
December
  • Sinclair Radionics loss £1.29m in previous eight months
1978
 
  • Design work starts on Clive Sinclair's first micro: the machine that later became the NewBrain
February
April
June
  • Science of Cambridge Ltd launch MK14 microcomputer kit at £39.95 exc. VAT
July
  • Norman Hewett leaves Radionics
  • Science of Cambridge offer VDU module (£33.75), cassette interface (£7.25) and PROM programming card (£11.85) for MK14
  • Enterprise Programmable launched at £25
September
  • Michael Pye appointed MD of Radionics
November
December
  • Sinclair Radionics loss £1.98m on £6.39m turnover. Total NEB investment £4.45m, plus trading losses
1979
March
  • Sinclair PFM 200 frequency meter launched at £49.80
April
  • Science of Cambridge commission ZX80 version of BASIC
May
  • NEB announces plans to sell off calculator and TV interests of Sinclair Radionics
July
  • Clive Sinclair resigns from Sinclair Radionics with £10,000 golden handshake
August
September
  • NEB shift instruments division into Sinclair Electronics
December
  • NEB loss totals £7.8m on Radionics operation



1960s