For questions about the different versions and products of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer
13
votes
1answer
815 views
What was the reason for the ZX Spectrum's display bitmap layout?
I had a ZX Spectrum 48KB, whose display was a 256*192 monochrome bitmap (plus separate per-block color attributes). I remember the display bitmaps scan lines were laid out in memory in a weird way - ...
6
votes
2answers
193 views
How to protect a ZX Spectrum mainboard from “ageing”?
I have some ZX Spectrums, and in some of them I observe a kind of "disintegration" process of the main board. The connectors break away etc. During the tests one of the boards burned out :(.
How can ...
5
votes
2answers
350 views
Membrane keyboard robustness
Some early computers used a membrane keyboard (ZX80, ZX81, Atari 400), or semi-membrane with minimal keys (ZX Spectrum). This is because it was cheaper than a mechanical keyboard. Intuitively I would ...
7
votes
2answers
557 views
How compatible is the Leningrad clone with the “original” ZX Spectrum?
In Leningrad they developed a clone of the ZX Spectrum, replacing the ULA by some TTL logic. Some of my speculations:
In the USSR, the analog TV sets used SECAM, not PAL, so I imagine that the ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Who designed the Sinclair ZX Microdrive and why?
The ZX Microdrive.
It is well known that the Microdrive was introduced for the ZX Spectrum along with ZX Interface 1.
However, who came up with the idea and the design? Was it Sinclair themselves, ...
1
vote
1answer
243 views
Where to buy an 8 bit computer remake? [closed]
I want to buy a remake of an 8-bit computer, e.g. the ZX-Spectrum or c64.
Must haves:
Modern monitor output(e.g. HDMI)
Modern keyboard, no gum keys
Modern storage, e.g. SD card or USB stick, etc...
...
5
votes
1answer
285 views
What was the AMI SAGA and why wasn't it used it all ZX Spectrums?
This page has a note about a chip called AMI SAGA. Apparently it does the same job as the Ferranti ULA, but saves a little circuitry and runs cooler.
What was this chip? Some kind of uncommitted ...
0
votes
1answer
228 views
ZX Spectrum fault
I was recapping my zx spectrum when after just replacing one specific capacitor it stopped working as before.
The picture has multiple horizontal lines over the entire display.
This is especially ...
15
votes
1answer
252 views
How to create a switchless multi-system 2 button Atari joystick?
All systems that use the Atari 9 pin joystick standard make use of the following pins in consistent ways, with each direction and the fire button being connected to the ground pin when pushed.
1 - up
...
6
votes
1answer
198 views
Timex Sinclair 1500 and screen “jail bars”
I have tried to eliminate "jail bars" on the screen after UHF mod to video out (based on that: http://zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/ts1500_video.html) by adding 460uf 16V capacitor between +5V and GND but it ...
11
votes
3answers
912 views
Native C compiler for Sinclair ZX Spectrum
I am looking for a native C compiler for the Spectrum 128. I would like one which:
Has good support for the latest C standard at the time.
Is not limited to compiling ridiculously short source code.
...
25
votes
4answers
2k views
Which ports are which on this Soviet ZX Spectrum clone?
Today I got my (first) Soviet ZX Spectrum clone. The person who sold it to me had inherited it and had no idea how it worked.
It seems to be a home-made clone, rather than a factory-built one. See ...
7
votes
2answers
449 views
Why does this BASIC program generate variables for the numbers 0 to 4?
On pages 150 to 154 of William Tang's (1982) Spectrum Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner, there are these lines of code. (Note GOTO 9000 is the first non-REM statement in the program).
9000 ...
8
votes
2answers
316 views
ZX BASIC REM statement overhead
Since my other question has been answered and has given me a way to do high-precision timing, I've been experimenting with it a bit. The first thing I did was write a simple benchmark using the FRAMES ...
8
votes
4answers
755 views
Make a BASIC TAP file readable on Linux
I am trying to convert my own BASIC TAP files (containing BASIC programs) to text so that they are readable on my Debian GNU/Linux machine.
If I open them as is, I get this, which gives me some hope, ...
17
votes
4answers
1k views
Uptime in ZX BASIC
How can I obtain the uptime of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum machine (ZX48, ZX128, or Pentagon clone) via their BASIC interpreter? Specifically, the same value used by RANDOMIZE 0 to seed its PRNG. I would ...
16
votes
4answers
2k views
Understanding INKEY$ in ZX BASIC
The ZX BASIC Manual gives the following little program to demonstrate how INKEY$ works:
10 IF INKEY$ <> "" THEN GO TO 10
20 IF INKEY$ = "" THEN GO TO 20
30 PRINT INKEY$;
40 GO TO 10
While I ...
22
votes
6answers
3k views
ZX Spectrum tokenisation
The BASIC used in the early ZX Spectrum (and also its ZX predecessors) had this weird thing where every single BASIC token was printed onto the keyboard, and for example PRINT or LOAD were entered by ...
16
votes
2answers
2k views
What is causing the problem with the RAM in this (claimed) Spectrum 48k?
I bought what was claimed by the seller to be an Issue 4S Spectrum 48k.
I tried loading games and some worked while others didn't. Turns out it was the 16k ones that worked and 48k didn't. This ...
6
votes
2answers
195 views
Timex 2048 RAM contention ULA/video output
I used to own a Timex TC-2048 ZX Spectrum 48K compatible clone.
I programmed it in assembly extensively, both for fun and when learning, and also when testing things for writing my own ZX Spectrum ...
5
votes
1answer
211 views
Are there any drivers available to use DivMMC on the Spectrum +3e with CP/M plus?
Heading says it all. I have a Spectrum +3 (with +3e ROMs if that makes any difference) with a DivMMC SD card interface.
This works fine in +3e mode, but as I like to use the +3 with CP/M plus (...
4
votes
2answers
259 views
Spectrum clones 512x192 mode usable text resolution
The original ZX Spectrum has a resolution of 256x192, for 32x24 text. Some later clones add a 512x192 mode. The most obvious thing to do with that is try to display 64x24 text. According to https://en....
10
votes
3answers
651 views
What are tacts in the context of ZX Spectrum systems?
I've heard the term tacts when referring to some hardware capability, e.g. "tacts on one frame" or "tacts per second". I tried Googling this but surprisingly did not find anything relevant. What is ...
4
votes
4answers
385 views
RAM contention and what counts as different banks
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum_Contended_Memory
"Contended memory space, on the other hand, is shared between the ULA and the Z80 and the ULA has higher priority. Contended memory ...
45
votes
5answers
9k views
How were the first ZX Spectrum games written?
Being a child of the 80s I loved my ZX Spectrum, did my best to learn BASIC but I felt like the games I was playing (Jetpac, Dizzy, Renegade etc) were perhaps not written using BASIC.
I wondered: how ...
20
votes
2answers
1k views
Blue and yellow stripes on the screen when loading from tape on ZX Spectrum
When loading a program from tape on ZX Spectrum you could see those blue and yellow stripes around the splash screen.
I might be mistaken but I believe those were even sometimes used for quite ...
7
votes
1answer
747 views
What is the maximum BAUD rate for ZX Spectrum tapes?
I've played with various BAUD rate programs that allow you to save most of the RAM into a cassette tape up to around 9600 BAUD. Has anyone written or have a way to write the ram to tape (not ...
8
votes
0answers
94 views
Gamepad triggers main menu in Fuse SDL
I'm trying to set up a gamepad to work with Fuse on Ubuntu. No matter which type of joystick I try to emulate (including None), pressing button #2 (or B in the Sega naming) opens the main SDL menu. ...
15
votes
2answers
932 views
First computer emulator in Windows
I released my ZX Spectrum emulation Wspecem, and GPL sources first time publicly in the Internet at large, the 15th May 1996, for Windows 95.
I am quite sure it was the first ZX Spectrum emulation ...
10
votes
2answers
460 views
Did the ZX Spectrum have more original titles than C64?
From casual reading, it seems as though many C64 titles were ported from the ZX Spectrum.
Why was this the case? Was the ZX Spectrum more popular? Or easier to develop for?
14
votes
1answer
494 views
Why did POKEing ROM addresses mask port writes?
After reading mcleod_ideafix's answer about the Inves Spectrum+'s "randomize of death", specifically his article on the subject, one thing struck me as odd. From César Hernández Bañó's research:
......
12
votes
3answers
641 views
Why did the ZX Spectrum use edges for its tape storage routines?
Why did the Sinclair ZX-Spectrum use edges for its standard tape storage routines?
I can see that frequency modulation was likely necessary in order to account for the inaccurate timings when running ...
17
votes
2answers
837 views
Can a USR command damage a ZX Spectrum?
I recently came across this magazine snippet; specifically this section:
Aprovechamos para avisar a los usuarios del Inves, que nos ha Ilegado el rumor de que haciendo:
BORDER 5
RANDOMIZE USR 4665
...
16
votes
2answers
2k views
How and why did the ZX Spectrum use so many voltages?
Whilst researching the Zilog Z80, I had found that it accepts a 5V power supply.[2] When looking for information on the ZX Spectrum, I found that its power adaptor produces 9V.[1] Confused, I did some ...
42
votes
7answers
5k views
How were Western computer chips reverse-engineered in USSR?
The British ZX Spectrum computer had many clones in the Eastern Bloc. It seems many of them were built using Russian-made chips from the Angstrem factory in Zelenograd in/near Moscow. The Russian ...
14
votes
3answers
783 views
Why did the Sinclair ZX-Spectrum use a membrane keyboard?
As a kid, I always had problems with the keyboard. Membrane was hard to come by and expensive. I did not have Kempston/Protec. So I had to play on the keyboard.
I was using QAOPMN combination, and ...
8
votes
4answers
945 views
Writting DSK images onto a 3'' floppy for Amstrad/Sinclair computers
For a project I'm working on, I need to write some disks to test on my Amstrad CPC 6128.
I've got some 3'' inch blank disks, and all my Amstrad computers (CPC and PCW) have 3'' inch disks, as well as ...
13
votes
1answer
776 views
Can polarity inversion damage a ZX Spectrum?
I have a ZX Spectrum+ and it didn't came with it original power supply.
I bought a 9 Volts and 2.25 Amps power supply with switchable connectors.
There was a mistake and the polarity was inverted, ...
6
votes
1answer
113 views
ZX Spectrum+ with SCART Interface doesn't display anything
I have an ZX Spectrum+ that came with a SCART interface (unknown brand, all I know is that it's french and that the blue logo seems to spell "IS").
It didn't came with its original power supply so I ...
27
votes
1answer
783 views
Rescuing data from old audio cassettes
In my recent expeditions to the darkest corners of my garage, I've found a load (there's a pun in there somewhere) of old audio tapes containing Sinclair Spectrum code. These aren't commercial titles, ...
8
votes
1answer
431 views
Saving the screen on a ZX Spectrum without the prompt
Saving the screen on a Spectrum will typically get part of it obscured with the message “Start tape, then press any key.”:
How might one save the screen image from Sinclair BASIC without it being ...
7
votes
2answers
546 views
Transferring data from Spectrum +3 disk to tape/.TAP etc
I've recently found a number of my own programs (very old!) on Spectrum +3 discs, and I'm about to get hold of a working +3. Assuming the discs are readable, I'd like to transfer the programs (mostly ...
6
votes
2answers
139 views
Stemming long file names to 8.3 FAT
I'm trying to organize my ZX Spectrum game images on SD card for my Retroleum SMART Card adapter. Long file names are supported, and VFAT Long File Names (LFNs) cause too many clashes if I run through ...
13
votes
4answers
684 views
Did scanlines appear on the ZX Spectrum screen?
I used played Spectrum games as a child.
According http://scanlines.hazard-city.de/ and http://www.zxdesign.info/vidresearch.shtml, the Spectrum 48K emitted 50Hz half-resolution full frames, instead ...
14
votes
1answer
437 views
Measuring frame length on the ZX Spectrum
I've seen some small utilities for the ZX Spectrum, such as FUSETEST and MINFO, that report the number of T-states per frame. I can see these utilities don't rely on ROM checksums or anything like ...
10
votes
2answers
412 views
Why did Amstrad choose such bank combinations for its all-RAM mode in +2A and +3 Spectrum computers?
The +2A and the +3 versions of the ZX Spectrum, made by Amstrad, had a new banking mode, called "special". This banking mode is entered by setting bit 0 of port 1FFD. When active, two bits from this ...
33
votes
3answers
7k views
Loading ZX Spectrum tape audio in a post-cassette world
My ZX Spectrum 48k seems very resistant to working with audio input. I no longer have any cassette players, so am relying on audio files from digital players. I have been able to save and verify a ...
5
votes
1answer
960 views
Converting ZX Spectrum .ipf files to .z80 or .tzx for use in Fuse on RetroPie?
I have a 'perfect' set of ZX Spectrum games (in .ipf format) that I would like to use in EmulationStation (RetroPie) but the Fuse emulator doesn't recognize .ipf files.
Are there any tools that will ...
12
votes
2answers
314 views
How do I replace a ZX Spectrum 48k keyboard membrane?
I have a ZX Spectrum 48k on which the keyboard membrane has cracked over the years and, while the Speccy itself is operational, has rendered the computer unusable. I am now in possession of a ...
17
votes
3answers
970 views
The smell of a computer while unboxing it
Don't know if this is on-topic, but I will give it a chance to go. If you feel this is off-topic, act accordingly.
Recently, a discussion has started about the feelings associated to the unboxing of ...
