5:32 That isn't true. The DivMMC has it's own independent ROM and RAM, which it pages into the lower 16K of the Z80's address space as required. You are restricted to using the original 48K BASIC ROM though, but the 128K hardware features such as the additional RAM banks and the AY are still available. It's what is known as 'USR 0' mode, as it's the same as what you get on a 128k machine if you type 'USR 0' in 128 BASIC. 128k software should load and work fine using LOAD "" as if you loaded them using the 'Tape Loader' option in the 128 menu.
Thanks - I’ve pinned this so people can see. I’ll have a play with that. The snapshot on the screen is straight from the DIVMMC Future web page but that wasn’t clear - and I have had a few things not load. I’ll check out the USR 0 method :) Love this community!
@@TheRetroShack Be wary of 128K snapshot files on the DivMMC (and in general). Snapshots that were created using a 128+ or +2 can fail when loaded on a +2A/+3 (and vice versa). Also, there are a few TAP files out there that were modified from the original release to replace custom loading routines with the standard ROM loader (TAP files can _only_ contain standard ROM loader data) without taking the model detection of the original into account. These too can suffer from the same problem.
I got one from Ebay ready to it was ZX Sizif-512 - D1 - With WiFi and Bluetooth Modules. As I have to get my ZX Spectrum Next issue 2 in 2023. It works very nice and I use my ZX-HD so I can use my PC display. I had a old 48K case, that had been cut with two holes in the top so I did not mind to cut this one to get to the microSD socket. This one has some very good CPU speeds 3.5MHz, 4.4 MHz, 5.2MHz, 7MHz and 14MHz. I have found 5.2MHz is the sweet spot for some games.
Lot's of great memories using my mothers friends sons zx 48k as she was the catalogue woman and from whom i finally got my beloved C64 ULA+ looks like a difference not necessarily an improvement. Subbed.
I bought a Sizif D1 board purely because of this video (I badgered the guy that built yours until he built one for me). Pretty impressed with it although I haven’t really given it a run through yet. Agree about docs, could definitely do with a short user guide.
Very good production value and content - Music is not too loud or distracting, the legends put on screen are short and to the point, and the Ken Burns effects add that little extra. Who would have guessed that the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and other 8 bit computers are kept alive for decades through all these marvellous projects offering replacements and improvements, with more options than you can shake a stick at. It's the whole Raspberry Pi maker vibe for retro gear.
I wish I was more tech savvy and could hack this to work on NTSC monitors with an American electrical socket. I've been messing around with Arkos 2 tracker. The AY-3-8910 soundchip is just the best. That stereo demo you played really shows off how good this machine sounds and I want it so very badly.
About keeping your original hardware safely in its box while using modern clones and add-ons to show today's youngsters. That's part of the experience! They'll never be real Spectrum people until they've seen a whole lot of "R Tape loading error, 0:1".
Nice review, however not being into the Spectrum, I had no idea about the timing thing. I do have ZX80 clone, however it needs a new keyboard (I received it with none) Looks like I'm going to have to do some spectrum research.
From my perspective one of the most important things for me to understand is how compatible is the clone's edge connectors with my original peripherals, e.g. Interface 1 and Microdrives, Interface 2 ROMs, various floppy disk interfaces Etc ... Does the edge connector have voltage line and an NMI connection?
Nice, but I'm not so bothered about ULAplus as the colours are muted, and I'm more interested in the enhancements supported that I could use on the N Go.
Now that's a cool piece of kit. I currently get my Speccy fix from my standard 48+ and MiSTer FPGA. I'd also suggest checking out the N-Go Next Clone, as well as the Just Speccy 128 and Omni 128 Speccy clones
@@TheRetroShack After buying an unpopulated PCB and doing nothing with it I just came across a fully assembled D1 rev Sizif on eBay complete with WIFI and BT modules (I think it's the creator selling them) so I jumped on it. Now I just need to find a Speccy+ case...
Just HDMI with audio, micro SDcard, and ZX Spectrum keyboard connectors, 2 or 4 MB of memory, joystick ports. With an FPGA that will allow it to emulate the rear hardware too. It doesn't really need much more. :D
@@TheRetroShack I have a brand new D1 revision. Just waiting for a rubber case (dim transparent+black+golden) from RR. Until then, it's in a standby mode.
I used to be a fan of those kind of devices but since I got my MiSTer about a year ago I just can't find a reason to spend more money with those. Even the Next core is working great!
@@TheRetroShack ohh, I thought you had a MiSTer already! Well in that case, prepare for one of the greatest retro journeys you could have. You'll love it!
This is an excellent implementation, probably the best clone. It runs every type of file, scl, trd, etc, which Next cannot, and it is really cheap and fits the rubber case quite nice Unfortunately, the development (by request of Russian community) went totally wrong way, concentrating on adding PC PS/2 keyboard, MIDI, FDD controller etc
I plan on getting hold of a few of these clone devices - to my mind, as long as they maintain compatibility with all software and they're reliable, I'm happy :) :)
@@UzixLS I'd quite agree with Kppot in what concerns MIDI and other uncommon music file types support on the daughterboard. The work started has to be done, ofcourse, but as a typical user, I'd kindly ask for more attention to the utilitary features, like nmi OSD, timings perfection and maybe more common features like tzx support, simple 8bit IDE support (back) and HDF files support..
@@doperst2 1. NMI menu is already done, currently it's on testing (s.micp.ru/wV9ze.gif ). Timings are in the roadmap. 2. What about IDE - why you ask for it as there is SD card already? 3. HDF is HDD file image format for emulators, how Sizif should support it?
Hi, I have a SIZIF-512 that I bought Pre-assembled, the chap had put it in a 48k case and the back is a bit of a mess. Did you ever get a new back made for yours?
Unfortunately the Sizif 512k is no longer available. probebly for the best as I already have 2 48K's, 2 Toastracks, 3 128K+'s, a QL, a Harlequin 128 and a ZX Element. (that's just the Spectrum stuff. LOL.) BTW, with the DivMMC you can still load and run 128K software from the SD card as it boots into USR 0 mode, not 48K mode. Which means all the memory paging and AY sound is still accessible. :)
Just an opinion about prices, Next KS2 is pretty expensive as you have pointed compares with Sizif, but not compared with NGo, the Spectrum Next clone, that has same features and some bugfixes that has not KS1 for a ridiculous prices compared with Next KS2 or even Sizif proyect.
I need a bigger house....and more money.....and a heap of ZX Spectrum's, Amstrads, CBM, and Tandy CoCo and so many other 80's home computers. This is all your fault! :)
I feel you dude i grew up during the spectrum commodore age along with the BBC micro and the acorn a true age of innovation. Sad thing is acquiring these machines now just feels empty. I wanted them so bad as a child and to learn everything about them but my family couldn't afford such luxuries i did however eventually get a C64 and that's where i learned basic wrote my first true game on the Amiga using AMOS never reached the level of coder i knew i could be because back then no one took me seriously and computers were prohibitively expensive. Hmm if only.
@@BertGrink Agreed, but not the Master, which only served to split up the programmers and buyers, thus killing the poor darling. They should have had more memory in it from the start (as for the BBC A, stick that up your bottom!)
Did that Toastrack case ever release? I notice that the link still claims that the thing will be fund raised in the next two months. But this video went up a year or so ago. So... did it fail? Succeed? Safe to order?
That's an impressive board. For the buttons I would have gone with 2 holes drilled in the case and a paperclip (or a pen tip depending on the size of the holes) though. 😉 BTW why the image looks smaller when the alternative ula plus color palette is on?
Can’t drill into an old case - something in me won’t allow it :) Two different recording sessions about a week apart. Things fell apart while filming this episode and I lost a LOT of footage - It’s a real hodgepodge! :)
I only found out about the Next after it had sold out. Now they are fetching stupid money on Ebay. 3x RRP. So I'm using emulators. Fitting a Pi into a Spectrum 3 case - using the original Spccy 3 keyboard. Currently sorting out the adaptor. That's going to be a tricky one, but if I can get it done that will do for me. I'd buy another Next in a heartbeat if they ever make another run.
Can't imagine they'd want to turn off the money tap :) I've a video coming up in a couple of weeks about getting a PI in a Spectrum case - You might enjoy that one :)
@@TheRetroShack That's great timing - I'd definitely be interested. I actually have a Pi Amiga and a Pi C64. I "could" play any games on them, but the OCD in me only lets me play the right games on the right machine. A Pi 4 is huge overkill for a Spectrum emulator - but they are so affordable and the projects are fun to do - so why not? :)
While marketed as a CPLD the MAXII series is not Macrocell based like traditional CPLD devices, rather, it's LUT based just like a modern FPGA. It used an inbuilt config ROM rather than external, just like Intel's (they bought Altera) Current MAX 10 FPGA chips. So not "Kinda, sorta, a bit like FPGA", it really is an FPGA, only marketed as a CPLD as it targeted a similar market.
What about implementing the electronics of the Sinclair Spectrum using a SPARTAN FPGA and Level Shifters to prevent the FPGA from burning out all that would be needed is RAM chips and a EPROMs and a RF Modulator.
I have seen someone selling complete ZX spectrum Sinclair motherboard Sizif 512 kb + software on one site. I wonder how easy it is to set up. It doesn't come with a power and no RGB-cord either.
The only thing to consider is that if you want to update your firmware, you'll need a TL866 programmer and a JTAG programmer for the Altera CPLD device - plus learning all of the software to go with it. I might do a video on the process to help folks out.
It's a switching unit - variable voltage in and polarity independent so you can plug most things in without causing an issue, even an old Spectrum PSU :)
At the moment there seems to be only bare PCBs for sale; here´s a link to the seller´s shop page www.ebay.com/str/kit8bit?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 He has a lot of other Speccy related goodies for sale too, hence the shop
They pop up every now and then pre-built - but you may be able to contact Eugene via the GitHub page? He probably knows some makers :). Good luck in your hunt!
Anyone know how this compares with a ZX Nuvo 128. The Nuvo has more discreet logic chips and doesn’t emulate in modern hardware it also has the divmmc built in… but I don’t know enough about Zx spectrums to know if there are downsides of a Nuvo over this board. Harlequin seems to be the most popular build not the Nuvo, why is that?
This video is to be commended for not attempting to modify any vintage computers in mint condition in their original packaging by a Dremmel or a paperclip, otherwise *The Retro Shack* would need to disable comments. ;-)
The next SPECTRUM Clone will have to be a ZILOG Z800 or a ZILOG Z8000 based machine to make for machines that can run 32bit games and be backward compatibility using LUT emulation.
You get a like, but I really have to wonder why anyone would want to re-live the awful Spectrum era. Back then, I was very poor, but my computer-engineer frien lent me a ZX 81 (with a keyboard and wobbly 16K hang-off the back mem board!) and then the BBC B (32K), the latter of which I loved to death but drove me mad inventing compression systems because of its laughable user memory. My flatmate had a Spectrum which I tried once and was horrified by. Emigration followed, and no computer until work bought an Amstrad PC, then I soon bought a real 386sx. To this day, I would never accept a Spectrum even as a fully-functioning, updated gift. But it was nice to see your video, just to confirm that.
I guess it's just what you knew and loved growing up - I was give my Spectrum as a Christmas present and as my first computer I absolutely loved it! :)
I posted a link to this video on the World of Spectrum Facebook Group and the first comment back was 'N-GO does all this and more'. Looking up the price it's ~EU100 + VAT, so guessing about £100 (EU100=GBP85). Anyone have any thoughts on this? I couldn't find a shoot-out comparing the features of both boards. As a MiSTer owner, I'm somewhat spoiled, but it'd be interesting to see a shoot-out video of a few boards comparing price and feature sets
Thre n go is a really a first gen next mothboard made in spain. Next is n open source board. Activeconsulant (i think is about the right name) sell an ngo in a remanufactured traditional speccy case.
@@TheRetroShack If you've not got a MiSTer, I'd highly recommend that first :) I've got a plethora of resources for it if you do have/get one and need any pointers ;)
@@TheRetroShack Typical! Like busses, you wait years for Spectrum hardware clones and then ....... sites.google.com/view/elementzx/home (this was posted today on the ZX Spectrum Clones Facebook group)
I need help with this board, I need the EGA/VGA there no info on the EGA pins anywhere, as my only TV with a scart is in the kitchen or I'll have to buy the zx VGA joy ,as I've tried a scart to hdmi adaptor and the picture quality is bad!! Anyone can help please 😂
@@TheRetroShack Break off your address, it's all yours. I can't remember how many years I've held onto this, or why. I nearly bought a 48k ZX from a car boot sale maybe 3 years ago for £25, but for the life of me, I can't remember why I didn't
Yeah original graphics for me the ULA just does not look right to me. guess it could be just me but i prefer the old style look takes me back to when i was a kid the ULA + not so much
It's an interesting gimmick and to be fair *some* games to look a bit more realistic with an altered palette (looking at you Commando!) but for the most part I do like the charm of the old Spectrum colours :)
Has anybody built one of these? I'd like to give it a go but haven't been through the process before. How do I find the PCB files, parts list and build guide? I can't seem to find these on the Github using the link in the video description
@@TheRetroShack Thanks. I've now got the latest revision (D1) main and WIFI PCBs from a seller on eBay and have found the BoM on the Github. Just need to source the parts and a CPLD programmer before starting the build
Before I saw the message on screen about the backup camera I thought “is he playing silly-buggers with a deep fake program? Is this someone else wearing his face generated by AI?”
The deal breaker in the 1980s was always horrible keyboards and poor computer languages support. The only game I've ever played on a computer was 'lemmings '.
I know you are using a different camera, but even before you look a little yellow - don't think the colour balance is correct or the LED lights are causing a tint.
Not sure how that would help with Spectrum games though ;) In all seriousness though, these types of boards are not for everyone, but they are super cool!
@@TheRetroShack Ah! The easiest way to improve ZX-Spectrum graphics for a particular game is to play a C64 version of that game 😃 Of course it doesn't always work as many games (surprisingly) look better on ZX
@@b213videoz If I want to play a better graphics and sound version, i play a PC remake of Spectrum game (plenty of them available for free). I come back to Spectrum for color clashing and rubber keyboard. I drop about 40 years from my age this way. I just leave alone my PC with 24 cores CPU, 100500 cores GPU and 64 GB RAM and sit back to play Quazatron. The old fashioned way.
@@doperst2 I hear you! Most of the "remakes" are crap, for example the original Underwurlde looks great with 16 colours graphics, that 256 colours version is crap BUT I hate colour clashing so I play C64 Underwurlde version which looks and plays exactly like ZX's but without colour clashing
I would NOT buy anything from Retro Radionics if i were you i ordered some cases $230 worth Back in February I've chased several times and they dont even respond to my emails. If they are busy and my order is delayed at let me know that would be fine.
I've had a problem with one of the two ArcadeR joysticks I ordered not arriving, possibly not being sent at all (from China) since the tracking number was invalid. Had to persist with multiple e-mails over the course of several months in order for them to send me a new one. From what I understand RR is basically a one man show, and probably has problems keeping up. In addition, I suspect they may have issues with their postal service, with goods getting nicked by their local couriers who forward bogus tracking numbers to RR. No concrete evidence though, just a hunch. In any case, persistence is key. And ordering locally if possible, not from China. Base prices can be higher and stocks not so full, but shipping can be cheaper (and most probably quicker).
A See-Ga my friend is what I grew up saying before the days of the internet and before the Megadrive (Genesis) came out and the Sonic cartridge shamed me by shouting Say-Ga! To this day I’m fifty fifty on which I say :) :)