ADDING ON YOUR SPECTRUM

Our review team take a brief look at some of the hardware add-ons fir the ZX Spectrum.

Now that the ZX Spectrum has well and truly established itself on the micro market, it is amply supported by a wealth of hardware add-ons. Most of these peripheral devices have been manufactured by the people who supported the ZX81, but just as the Spectrum has attracted new users with its prowess, so too has it attracted a new following from the add-on manufacturers.

In this brief guide, we have not tried to cover all the devices currently available on the market but rather give you a flavour of the technology you can add on to your Spectrum. As joysticks are an obvious favourite, these have been covered in some detail whereas RAM packs are fairly standard and so have only been briefly touched on. Also included in this section area number of quite specialised add-ons like sound units and a digital tracer.

If you own a Spectrum, you will no doubt have begun to realise the potential you hold in your hands. Over the next few pages you will hopefully see further applications for you and your computer to explore.

If you're going to settle down with your Spectrum and you want security, then this may be what you're looking for - it makes the Spectrum into a very smart looking system.

Constructed from durable ABS plastic, the workstation would certainly stand up to a fair amount of punishment. The Spectrum fits into the slot built into the front of the unit, and the trailing wires (to the TV, PSU, printer, etc) are to be slotted through small holes cut into the plastic frame. This operation is actually more difficult than it may at first seem, especially as you are required to do some quite tricky soldering to attach the speaker connections to the Spectrum. (The speaker is available as an extra for £3.50.)

Two switches can be attached to the unit (although only one switch is shown in the review sample), an on/off switch for the Spectrum and a LOAD/SAVE switch catering for the bizarre switching leads situation on the Spectrum. These are both counted as extras and are priced at £3.00 each, but are extremely necessary for best operation. An alloy base is also available for the unit, at the additional price of £3.50, which comes complete with rubber feet for grip.

The PSU is hidden inside the main body of the unit above which sits the TV or monitor. The plinth is raised slightly providing a good angle of view for the user. (Should the TV overhang the workstation, Peter Furlong Products are working on an extension bracket to overcome this problem). A matching stackable unit for the ZX Microdrives will soon also be available to match this unit.

The cost of the Spectrum workstation is £16.00 plus £2.00 postage. Further information is obtainable from Peter Furlong Products, Unit F, South Coast Road Industrial Estate, Peacehaven, East Sussex BN9 8NA.