DK'tronics (0799-26350) is exploiting its knowledge gained with the Spectrum in the shape of products for the Amstrad, Atmos, Commodore 64, MSX and the QL. First out is a dual port joystick for the QL. First out is a dual port joystick for Oric micros at £14.95. A new programmable joystick interface for the Spectrum is available from CCI (0799-25014) at only £15. It has its own on-board RAM, saving valulable memory space for programs.

The ZVM-124 is a not-so-low cost monochrome monitor from Zenith (0452-29451) for the IBM PC and other micros. At £128 (plus VAT) it has a 22Mhz bandwidth, 900 pixel horizontal resolution and easily accessible front-mounted controls.

If you have an Olivetti Praxis, Silver Reed or Brother typewriter help is at hand to hook it up to a micro. Timtom (39 Bryn Cwyn, Caerphilly, Wales) has a £77 interface and buffer that links into an RS232 interface. Data Products (0784-31161) has a new range, called the 8000, of Paper Tiger printers. It can offer 80 column and 132 column printers that print in monochrome or colour, with print speeds up to 400 cps in a variety of typefaces. Triumph Adler (01-250 1717) is jumping onto the low-cost daisywheel bandwagon with the TRD 7020. It costs £375 and prints at 20 cps in 10, 12, 15 or proportional pitch. It will be available through Boots.

Floppy disks get full rather quickly: when hard disks do get full you can't change them. Apstor (0273-422512) overcomes both hurdles with its removable cartridge, hard disk systems. Its latest offering, the Gamma 20, gives you a 20Mb hard disk and a 20Mb removable cartridge. Micro Memory Systems (0734-744225) can also offer 40Mb. In this case it's all on one hard disk, the Magnum, with can interface with a number of leading micros. It costs £2,425 and has a 30 millisecond access time.

One drawback of Sinclair's QL is its lack of a Centronics port. Fortunately, Cambridge Systems Technology (0223-323302) has stepped in with its Q-Pi, a Centronics interface that plugs into the QI expansion socket. Inmac (09285-67551) has an RS232/Centronics protocol converter, but at £125 you might just find it a bit too expensive, even with its built-in 2K buffer. WD Interfaces (0532-864328) has a keener sense of prices. Its PortCom programmable controller for the BBC B is priced at £99.95 and allows you to use the micro to control two mains outputs and two DC (up to 50 volts) outputs.

Cambridge Microelectronics (0223-314814) has launched a range of EPROM products for the Spectrum. Included in the list are EPROM boards, EPROM blowers and EPROM erasers.