Spectrum Computing

PeterJ wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 9:21 am I think you are our first Australian! Were there any Australian Spectrum specific magazines back in the day.

Hi Peter,

I know there were Australia-specific magazines for other platforms, but I don't remember any for the Spectrum.

For a while I subscribed to ZX Computing (not Australian, obviously!) which was my main source of information, until I switched to Your Spectrum.

For Australian magazines I remember there was Australian Personal Computer which was PC-centric, not much home computer stuff. And there was an Australian version of Your Computer which wasn't too bad for home computer stuff.

There wasn't a huge range of Spectrum software available locally, but my budget was quite tight then too, so that was a good match I did end up buying games such as Penetrator, Chequered Flag, Starion, etc, from local shops.

Hi Guys,
ZX Spectrum fan. I live in the North-East of England. 40+ years of age (just).

I had a ZX Spectrum + then upgraded to a +2. Always had a big (28 inch TV to play on too, old TV types, for the time, but great pic quality).
Then upgraded to the Amiga.

Still like to occasionally read the old mags for nostalgia, as most of my paper round money went on them!
Have a bizarre fascination in Spectrum loaders and the Randomize USR xxx effects!

Welcome aboard, Jean-Claude!

If you love the Spectrum,this is the best forum to talk about it!

That's not Jean-Claude, it's Alex (Wagner)!

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:51 pm Welcome aboard, Jean-Claude!

If you love the Spectrum,this is the best forum to talk about it!

Thanks!

Added this to my FVD speed dial page.

I like my speed dial pics on my HD so here is mine for you to use, best used on a dark background:

It is just the website's logo.

I joined this great forum a couple of days ago and so it's time to introduce myself.

My name is Patrick. I'm from the Netherlands and 47 years old.
When I was a kid my schoolteacher introduced me to my first computer. A Grundy Newbrain.
But it didn't take long befor my father bought a Sinclar ZX spectrum. The 16kb model.
Soon I realized 16kb was limited because most games required 48kb.
So I saved all my money and bought a memory expansion. A very ugly unstable block in the back. But it worked.
A year later I sold my spectrum and bought a ZX Spectrum+.
I learned how to program and played lots of games which I " traded" from the kids in the neighborhood. Yeah I admit, I copied tapes, but also bought some games.

After a while I also bought a Commodore 128 and loved that machine too (some people here probably hate me now).
But I'm still in love with the ZX spectrum.

Last year I decided to pickup my Spectrum and Commodore hobby's again. So I bought the Ultimate 64 FPGA version of the commdore 64 and I decided to build my own ZX Spectrum. On Bytedelight I ordered a Harlequin board and the parts and soldered my own spectrum in an evening. All works just excellent.
I also bought an SD card solution wih ESXDOS and a ZXHD to use it on my modern tv. It's just fun all over again, without the long loading times. HDMI output is great too.

So what's next? I think I want to buy a ZX Spectrum Next. I missed the first kickstarter, but hope to see a second run.
I'm also interested in the MISter FPGA. I can't find really much experieces here though. It's an expensive solution. I wonder how good the ZX spectrum core is. I also wonder if it's ossible to boot directly into tht core so it boots up in spectrum as I switch it on.

I also using a raspberry PI2 with the ZXBaremulator on it. Amazing emulator. It's accurate and it boots fast. Love it. I ordered an empty ZX Spectrum case, tubber keys, membrane etc, to put the Raspberry pi in it.

Enough plans and enough questions, but that's a whole other discussion. Anyway, I hope to find the answers I'm looking for on this forum and I will enjoy reading all exeriences and tips I can find here. Good to be amongst other speccy lovers out here!

[mention]Mbwum73[/mention] Welcome to the forum

Regarding MiSTer, I got one recently and it's quite awesome. It's not really that expensive for what it does (it has the best cores for most of the 8-16 bit microcomputers and consoles): with bits and pieces it's around 170 Euro.
ZX Spectrum core is very mature (nearly 1:1 I guess) and yes, you can boot into it directly. If you have any more questions you can PM me or start a new topic, so we can discuss various FPGAs

[mention]zxmicrojack[/mention] Welcome to the forum!

I think this probably belongs better in the Hardware section as a new topic, and you might get a better response there. This thread is more for general introductions, rather than specific topics.

Maybe you could get one of the mods, [mention]PeterJ[/mention], [mention]R-Tape[/mention] or [mention]Ivanzx[/mention] to move it there.

I haven't quite lost my marbles.... zxmicrojack's post was moved here:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3133

I'm Mark R. Jones, I had a hand in a couple of games back in the day and more recently too. I've been lurking for a while but miss talking about Spectrum games so am loking forward to joining in more.

MarkRJones1970 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:11 pm I'm Mark R. Jones, I had a hand in a couple of games back in the day and more recently too. I've been lurking for a while but miss talking about Spectrum games so am loking forward to joining in more.

Who the hell is this old codger, and what has he done with the 41 year old youngling with a similar name?

Welcome Mark!

Hi Everyone!

I am a Spectrum fan since 1982 and just found Spectrum Computing, let's have some nostalgic fun;)

Welcome [mention]BladePT[/mention]!

Greetings from the South ! An enthusiastic ZX Spectrum user/player here since the 80s. Really loving the homebrews and all the current culture of retroconsoles. Would love to understand Russian so I can play properly to some Pentagon gems wich right now seems distant. Hope to contribute and enjoy the forum. Thanks for the welcoming !

MarkRJones1970 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:11 pm I'm Mark R. Jones, I had a hand in a couple of games back in the day and more recently too. I've been lurking for a while but miss talking about Spectrum games so am loking forward to joining in more.

Hello Mark! And welcome all other newbies

Greetings from Spain! i've been lurking around some time but now i've decided to register. I've been a long time Spectrum user,we had a 16k for the family (soon expanded to 48k), still have around one 48k, a +48k and a toastrack +128k in working order (with his divmmc future!). Hope to contribute a little more now.

¡Bienvenido al mejor foro sobre el Spectrum, [mention]DoDesKaDen[/mention] !

Greetings from New York state! (Buffalo, to be exact, about a 7 hour drive from NYC) I just successfully put together a Harlequin 128k kit, and I've been having a blast playing all sorts of games by using the Play ZX app and finding all sorts of great new games. Still playing everything on the keys though, as I can't bear to cut a hole in the awesome case I got from ZX Renew to put a joystick port in it.

Hi [mention]Nateo87[/mention],
Welcome to SC!

hi,

i started programming on the spectrum + when i was 8, mainly due to my mums tape recorder not working. then i tried machine code when i was 10 but didnt get very far. i then bought a spectrum +2. i also bought a sam coupe years later for £10, which i put a disk drive in and used.

Welcome to SC, 777!

777 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 18, 2020 12:14 am hi,

i started programming on the spectrum + when i was 8, mainly due to my mums tape recorder not working. then i tried machine code when i was 10 but didnt get very far. i then bought a spectrum +2. i also bought a sam coupe years later for £10, which i put a disk drive in and used.

Welcome aboard.

I was desperate to get a SAM Coupe 'back in the day' but never managed to find one. Was it actually any good? and do you think it would have been successful if had been released 12 months earlier?

stupidget wrote: ↑Fri Sep 18, 2020 8:49 am

777 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 18, 2020 12:14 am hi,

i started programming on the spectrum + when i was 8, mainly due to my mums tape recorder not working. then i tried machine code when i was 10 but didnt get very far. i then bought a spectrum +2. i also bought a sam coupe years later for £10, which i put a disk drive in and used.

Welcome aboard.

I was desperate to get a SAM Coupe 'back in the day' but never managed to find one. Was it actually any good? and do you think it would have been successful if had been released 12 months earlier?

yeah, it was pretty good. 16 colours on screen with no colour clash from a palette of 128, better sound, faster, etc. i used to subscribe to fred magazine, which had some good stuff on it. and yeah, i think it would have been.

i also had a plus d interface plugged into the spectrum +2 with 5 1/4 inch drive, housed in a huge old case. after that i connected a 3 1/2 inch drive aswell

Hi from Northamptonshire, UK.

Always been a C= guy since I received a C16 Christmas 84, and a C64 just a few years later. Back then I used to laugh at you speccy owners but I’m all grown up now, lol

I have been thinking on buying a Spectrum 128 for a few years now and missed out on the original Next KS. So glad I waited now to back issue 2. I still own my C= machines as well as a bartop arcade cabinet, but soon I will also be able to enjoy the 1980’s all over again anew with all the speccy classics which I missed out on first time around, and I can also enjoy the Next’s new exclusive titles, as well as both the C= and ZX retrogaming communities also

Looking forward to finally catching up all on what I’ve missed out on for the last 40 odd years, and to the future