Spectrum Computing

Seems as good a place as any to start this thread. Do we have many backers here? Which level did you go for and what are you most looking forward to when it arrives?

For me it's the included brand new Dizzy game that has me most excited.

I didn't back it because of all the hurt with the other crowdfunded projects, but if and when it comes out I'll buy one at retail. It looks exciting although for day to day use my grey +2 with a Div MMC Future is still my go to machine. Instant loading and a great picture, what's not not love

Same thing.
I decided in the last moment, not to backed and I think I did well.
Terrible experience with the Vega+ console, however, is too much a warning, how big money can spoil many people.
Too many delays, disapointments, endless waiting, i dont need this really..

Yup backer here awaiting delivery of a board then the full kit In jan.

Working on some bits a pieces for the Next in the meantime.

Most of the stuff I'm working on is Next based at the moment. Working on some updated examples for the manual.

I didn't back it myself but I believe that it has big chance to actually appear and be in decent state, unlike Vega+. These guys seem serious and responsible enough.

It's nice that it will have own software using its exclusive features - new Rex, new Dizzy, a Russian beatemup called No Fate...

I didn't back it, primarily because of change in lifestyle, but also burned by the Vega+. I instead bought a Just Speccy + SLAM earlier this year. Since I can fit that into a Spectrum+ case, that feels a better solution for my gaming needs. I still need to cut the Spectrum+ case I have. One day...

I backed it with a few mins to go. Wasn't going to but I got caught up in the wave of optimism and excitement that surrounded the Kickstarter, especially towards the end. I went for Accelerated option for some reason. I noticed someone had backed out and there was 1 version left where you could get your named etched on the board for whatever reason but I thought against it.

Thing is now I've got excited about the Spectrum again I've gone back to the real hardware and would rather add a composite mod and DivMMC and play games that way. That removes most of the appeal of the Next. Am hoping they create some online portals with the hardware so we can play modified versions across the net but I'm not sure that's a consideration. I have more faith in this than Dr Strangelove's machine and I'm sure it'll be an actual thing.

Yep I'm a backer. I deliberated until the deadline loomed and went for the Next Accelerated.

I'm looking forward to having something close enough to a real Speccy that I don't (at least I bloody hope not) have to worry about plugging in. I think my ideal product would be essentially be a mock 128k spectrum that can download any game directly off the web, but I suppose we've already kind of had that with the Bluetooth speccy.

I can't see myself using all the extra modes, agonising over how to make your program do what you want within the Spectrum's restrictions is part of the fun. Usually.

btw, does it have any insider information, about release date?
Three months is not a lot of delays if the distribution of the board would start soon.

Backed it, but sold my pledge on when they started to go a bit doolally over new features like multiple screen layers and new Z80 instructions. It got to the point where the frustration of "oh god, what have they added NOW" outweighed any excitement I had - there was no nostalgic appeal (graphically it doesn't look like a Spectrum any more) and the feature set is too much of a sprawling mess to be an interesting programming platform on an intellectual / demoscene-ish level (it's the difference between building a car out of Meccano, and building a car out of two motorbikes, the back end of a jumbo jet and 20 pounds of cake mix). The only remaining selling point was that it's technically still a Spectrum if you squint at it the right way, and obviously Mr Number One Spectrum Fan here wasn't going to pass up on the biggest new development in the Speccy world for decades, right?

Unfortunately most of the Next community (or at least the loudest members of it) don't seem to grasp the nuance of "these enhancements seem badly thought out and not really in keeping with the Sinclair philosophy of simplicity and ingenuity" versus "I am vehemently opposed to any and all enhancements to the sacred original Spectrum", so I've kind of been branded A Hater now. Ah well.

I'm finding it hard to keep up-to-date with the current hardware specs. Initially it was going to run at 7 Mhz with "everything switched on", then it went up to 14 Mhz, which was really impressive. But now it's gone back to 7 Mhz again... Maybe they shouldn't have told anyone that it might run at 14 Mhz.

Also, I was a bit disappointed to hear that it doesn't support ULAplus anymore. It doesn't handle Radastan mode either. It handles the original Spectrum screen and its own hardware extensions, which are admittedly impressive.

Sometimes the only way to find out these details is to read individual comments on Facebook posts. It's not ideal, but I guess they don't want to publicise specs that are not finalised.

Anyway, I am still looking forward to it, whether I end up doing anything with it or not!

Pegaz wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:19 pm btw, does it have any insider information, about release date?
Three months is not a lot of delays if the distribution of the board would start soon.

Email this evening says the 'board only' versions will start shipping November 27th.

Thats good.
We need some positive event, to bring back optimism after Vega+ debacle...

Is there a list anywhere, or can anyone summarise the likely final features of the Next? (Hardware sprites, SID etc)

Any news on when a 2nd round of orders might start..? or when the next schematic is made available to clones?

Whacker wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2017 8:37 pm Any news on when a 2nd round of orders might start..? or when the next schematic is made available to clones?

That I don't know. But hopefully everyone who ordered a PCB only, or a PCB with the rest to follow, should now have their PCB.
I understand that some PCBs have been held up within the various postal systems

Mark

I didn't back it as I had little money at the time but I am looking forward to a retail release.

I have a couple of planned projects for it - one starting fairly soon and the other starting at the end of the year (2018).

I didn't back it either, but wish I had. I'll probably buy one eventually at retail as long as it isn't prohibitively expensive at whatever time that is.

I got my PCB two weeks ago, but have not had a chance to power it up yet.

WARNING:
They changed the Power plug polarity !!!
On Next, Center is Positive, and outer is negative.

So DO NOT connect an original Sinclair power supply to it, or you will probably fry the thing.

Go read the FAQ, to prevent burning your board, by assuming things.
I almost did connect it, but I was concerned, so I searched for info about it, and found it on the website.

I won't be surprised, if someone just assumes (logically), that the old bricks should make it work.

I'm not sure, if the power plug polarity change was a good or bad idea:
- Good, because most modern power supplies are reversed when compared with the Spectrum.
- Bad, if the Next is not Protected against reverse polarity, it can be "Magic Smoke" on first try.
NOTE: it doesn't look like it has any reverse polarity protection, at least I have not seen any Input Power Diode in there.

Keeping it as it was, retro compatible, would probably be safer, and would also allow us to use the old power bricks.

It also seems weird that you can plug old interfaces to the thing, but not the power supplies.
This change doesn't make much sense to me, since there is a risk involved, and not much to gain from the change.

Had mine about 3 months now. Pleased with it (housed it in a 48k case). You guys saying you will buy retail, don't think there are any plans for a retail release...at least none have been announced or spoken of.

Cased Nexts are a couple of months behind as were the "just the boards" but I don't doubt they'll be shipping.

Welcome [mention]beanz[/mention] . It's good to have you onboard.

Although I got my hands burnt with the Vega+, I went for the accelerated Next. The general communication from the team seems good, but like others I'm not clear as to the final specification.

beanz wrote:don't think there are any plans for a retail release

That is a shame, I guess I will not be getting a Next any time soon. Seems odd to make a brand new Spectrum and then keep it to a very exclusive club of people. I did think the 'accelerated' Next seemed a bit overpriced considering all you get extra is a £15 Pi Zero, I would have happily paid cash for the un-expanded version. Ho hum, tis what it is. As a born-again speccy user I will continue to enjoy coding for the original hardware.

Had mine about 3 months now. Pleased with it (housed it in a 48k case). You guys saying you will buy retail, don't think there are any plans for a retail release...at least none have been announced or spoken of.

Let's at least wait until the Kickstarter is finally over and done with before we start consigning this to the exclusive owners only bin!

Well it's going to be open source so nothing stopping others from making boards...ZX renew are already making cases.

Is the Kickstarter campaign now closed? At this time, there does seem that there is no way to place an order for a board-only next, Amirite? The more I read about the Next the more I am gutted that I was not on the scene when the kickstarter was fielded. I have no interest in the boxed and cased version at all, but the board looks super.