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Twitter @Project_AVRRefurbishing a 48K Rubber Keyed Sinclair ZX Spectrum – Pt.3 Upper RAM Replacement
As I had assertained earlier, the 48K Rubber Key Spectrum I was refurbishing required it’s Upper RAM to be repaired. Since the chips inside of the machine were old, I elected to replace them with a complete Upper RAM Module. … Continue reading
Diagnosing 48K Spectrum Upper RAM Faults
By way of a break from the refurb posts; I was recently part of a conversation on FaceBook regardig a coulple of 48K Rubber Key Sinclair Spectrums. Both were proved to have faulty Upper RAM problems by issuing the command … Continue reading
Refurbishing a 48K Rubber Keyed Sinclair ZX Spectrum – Pt.2 Replacing the Regulator
The poor 7805 in any Sinclair Spectrum always works really hard. It was probably the best solution when the machine was designed but things have moved on. Switch-mode technology has improved and reduced in size. Therefore, when refurbishing any Sinclair … Continue reading
Refurbishing a 48K Rubber Keyed Sinclair ZX Spectrum – Pt.1 Re-Capping
In my last post, I described the steps I took to prepare for refurbishing a 48K Rubber Keyed Sinclair Spectrum. I am now going to describe how I replaced all the electrolytic capacitors, or Re-Capped the board. Firstly, I extracted … Continue reading
Refurbishing a 48K Rubber Keyed Sinclair ZX Spectrum – Preparation
Recently, I was lucky enough to ‘win’ a pair of 48K Sinclair Spectrums. The original rubber keyed variety. This model was one of the first I ever owned (the actual first being a Sinclair ZX81). Here, I have managed to … Continue reading
TZXDuino Compact v1.01 and other projects
The TZXDuino Compact v1.01 PCBs arrived today from Hackvana.com I have built one and tested it successfully, so the design files are on the AVR Projects page. Feel free to use the Gerbers with your favourite fabricator (Hackvana are good!). … Continue reading
EPROM Info Table
One of the other things I am involved in is graphics. I have had this table knocking about on my hard drive for a while: It’s available from several sources and I find it very useful. Search as I might, … Continue reading
Spectrum Composite Mod and Refurb
A short while ago, I became reaquainted with the world of the Sincclair Spectrum. Back in the original Spectrum Heyday, I had many bits and pieces (wish I’d have kept them!) one of which was a composite monitor. In fact, … Continue reading
Old Skool Tape Loading
As I continue to explore the world of retro-computing, bringing back memories of my late teens and early twenties, I’m constantly amazed at just how big the retro-computing scene is. I’m also amazed that, given all the new interfaces for … Continue reading
Spectrum Resurrection
All the excitement around the Spectrum Next Kickstarter, and now the shop opening on the forum got me inspired to get hold of an original machine on eBay. Supposedly in working condition, it arrived with a problem. The eBay seller … Continue reading