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Sinclair ZX Spectrum 16/48k
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The 16k and 48k Speccy were the first version of the Speccy
with another 6 to follow. It was released in 1982 costing £125
for the 16k model and £175 for the 48k model. The 16k
Spectrum, could be upgraded to 48k, at a cost of around £60.
When Sinclair dropped the price the 16k Speccy sales dropped
because more people bought the 48k model which had 48k already
installed. When the Speccy was released in 1982 it was a revolution
in the home computing market. It has a Z80A processor running
at a massive 3.5MHz. It is limited to 8 colours, but you could
get more by using the BRIGHT command. It has a resolution of
256x192 pixels, the main problem with the display was that it
could not display more than 2 colours in any 8x8 square. This
led to the famous colour clash. With it`s rubber keyboard (
which other 8-bit computer users slagged off), it`s slow but
easy to use basic and poor sound capabilities the Speccy dominated
the 8-bit computer market in Britain for over 10 years.
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| Released: |
1982 |
| CPU: |
3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU |
| Memory: |
16K / 48K RAM
16K ROM |
| Display: |
32 x 22 character text display
256 x 192 pixel resolution |
| Colours: |
8 colours |
| Sound: |
1 channel, 5 octaves |
| I/O: |
Z80 bus, tape, RF television |
| Storage: |
External tape recorder or microdrives |
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Sinclair ZX Spectrum +
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The Spectrum + was a small update on the original 'Rubber Key'
Spectrum. At the time of release, you could purchase a kit of
parts to convert your own machine or send your machine back
to Sinclair. The conversion was very simple and only required
moving the main circuit-board from the old case to the new one
and soldering the reset switches leads to a capacitor. It was
a definite improvement on the original keyboard but more for
the new keys like 'EDIT and 'EXTENDED MODE' which cut out some
of the key jabbing required beforehand. It definitely helped
with the tortuous Microdrive commands. Unfortunately, it also
caused a few problems with certian joystick and other interfaces
because of the deeper back
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| Released: |
1984 |
| CPU: |
3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU |
| Memory: |
48K RAM
16K ROM |
| Display: |
32 x 22 character text display
256 x 192 pixel resolution |
| Colours: |
8 colours |
| Sound: |
1 channel, 5 octaves |
| I/O: |
Z80 bus, tape, RF television |
| Storage: |
External tape recorder or microdrives |
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Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k
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The Spectrum 128 is the successor of the Spectrum +. It was
done just before Amstrad bougth the right to use the Sinclair
name in computer products. The 128 is the first 'real' evolution
of the old Spectrum 16. It has a lot of new features : 128 KB
ram, new sound chip, RS232 / Midi and a RGB output. The Spectrum
displays a menu when it is switched on : "Tape Loader"
to run softwares on tape, "Calculator" to enter operations
without typing 'print' before, "Tape Tester" to test
the input level of the tape recorder, "Basic 48" and
"Basic 128". The Spectrum 128 can use two Basics :
the Basic 48 is just for the compatibility with the previous
models and can't use the new features. The Basic 128 mode has
a fullscreen editor and the user can enter the basic keywords
in words instead of pressing keys combinations. It has new keywords
to use the extended memory as a RAM disk and to handle the new
sound chip and the MIDI out. The spectrum 128 has a short career
and was replaced with the Spectrum 2 plus.
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| Released: |
1985 |
| CPU: |
3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU |
| Memory: |
128K RAM (Incl RAM Disk)
32K ROM (16K Rom for 48K-mode, 16K ROM for 128K-mode) |
| Display: |
32 x 22 character text display
256 x 192 pixel resolution |
| Colours: |
8 colours |
| Sound: |
AY-3-8912A, 1 channel, 5 octaves |
| I/O: |
Z80 bus, tape, RF television, numeric keypad,
RS232- Midi Out, RGB |
| Storage: |
External tape recorder or microdrives |
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Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 +2,+2a
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Once the Speccy was bought by Amstrad as far as i am concerned,
as are many. The Speccy died. The first upgrade was a built
in tape deck, the Spectrum +2. Anybody who had previously owned
a Speccy hated it.Next Amstrad updated the processor, the Spectrum
+2A. This gave all sorts of problems when trying to run older
Speccy games.Amstrad then added it`s own 3" floppy disk
drive. These disks cost a lot more
than a standard 3 1/2" disc and put the general public
off. If Amstrad had released this machine earlier with a 3 1/2"
disk drive, then the Speccy may have been able to compete with
the 16-bit machines that were taking over the market. £250
for a 8-bit computer, compared to £400 for an Atari ST
or a Commodore Amiga was a little too much.
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| Released: |
1987 |
| CPU: |
3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU |
| Memory: |
128K RAM (Incl RAM Disk)
32K ROM (16K Rom for 48K-mode, 16K ROM for 128K-mode) |
| Display: |
32 x 22 character text display
256 x 192 pixel resolution |
| Colours: |
8 colours |
| Sound: |
AY-3-8912A, 1 channel, 5 octaves |
| I/O: |
Z80 bus, tape, RF television, RS232, RGB |
| Storage: |
Internal tape recorder |
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Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 +3
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| Released: |
1988 |
| CPU: |
3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU |
| Memory: |
128K RAM (Incl C/PM RAM Disk)
2 x 32K ROM (incl. plus3-DOS) |
| Display: |
32 x 22 character text display
256 x 192 pixel resolution |
| Colours: |
8 colours |
| Sound: |
AY-3-8912A, 1 channel, 5 octaves |
| I/O: |
Z80 bus, tape, RF television, RS232, RGB |
| Storage: |
Internal 3" Disk Drive |
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