Retro computers – Steve Crozier

Giving the ZX Spectrum a Service

Author: stevecrozier

Date: May 30, 2020

Tags: 80s tech, re-cap, Sinclair, zx spectrum, zx spectrum hardware

I’ve had my Issue 4B 48k ZX Spectrum for quite some years now. When I first got hold of it I replaced the keyboard membrane and did the mandatory composite video modification (taking the modulator input directly through to the output via a decoupling capacitor), and it’s been working away very happily ever since. However, […]

Getting the ZX Spectrum online with a Maplin RS232/Modem interface from 1983

Author: stevecrozier

Date: May 10, 2020

Tags: 80s tech, electronics kit, maplin, onine, peripheral, ROM, telnet bbs, terminal emulator, zx spectrum, zx spectrum hardware

Categories: Retro computers

Over the Christmas Holiday period managed to snag an original, part assembled ZX Spectrum RS232/Modem Interface from ebay, originally sold by Maplin back in the early 80’s. I went for this specifically since the ROM was included (because the Spectrum doesn’t use ASCII it’s necessary to boot from an external ROM which contains a translator […]