What should your speccy have come with ?

spider · December 2016

:)

I was thinking about this earlier. What changes should of been made to the Speccy when you purchased yours ?

Realistically this topic really only works properly if:

1. You purchased a machine (either new or used) 'back then'
2. You are sensible in what you would suggest, so no 2mb ram given the cost
3. You can only add things that would of been semi-sensibly possible at the time.
4. Try to keep to a sensible margin of price changes.

OK, I'll *ahem* try mine including the IF.1 too:

I purchased my 48K new in 84. My suggestions would of been:

A reset button should of really been included in the rubber keyed model

A power switch (mains) in either the flexible lead or a rocker switch in the PSU 'brick' itself

System variables (two bytes maybe) to change the tape baud. I'm not thinking here of the BBC Micro 300 vs 1200, I'm more thinking a POKE to change it to say 2000 or 2500 or 3000 at a push. Obviously being in the Basic etc it could be changed at will so useful for games etc.

Interface 1: I recall it was intended as a 'serious' upgrade but if that's the case where is the video out on the IF1 ? I realise the signal is on the edge connector and (imo) a 'serious' user may well of had a monitor so not including this was a shame.

Shame Uncle Clive did not use a 8271 (even though its a 70's chip but the 1770x was not around in 82 I think) in some kind of IF3 to allow a 'normal' drive to be used, even if it used Microdrive commands.

Talking of IF1: A bit more in the network capability would not of gone amiss. Perhaps (BBC Micro style) some kind of pins to select a 'station' ID in the IF1 so it was permanently set.

I no doubt have other thoughts but I've forgotten them for now. :)

slenkar · December 2016

A more kid friendly BASIC manual.
It was great for teens and grown ups,
I needed something more dumbed down, like a small tutorial on how to make a small game.

JuanF. Ramirez · January 2017

I got a Spectrum Plus back in 1985 and I should have included a better manual, similar to the 48k one. The Plus manual was more colourful, better design, maybe better introduction chapters too but very few pages on BASIC programming.

slenkar · January 2017

A command to print a block at pixel coords ,it would have only allowed about three sprites,but would have helped,

Fizza · January 2017

I believe it has been said that the Spectrum was an ode to cost reduction, so at the price point I wonder what extra could have come with it. Maybe Sir Clive could have tried not to reinvent the wheel and released a 5 1/4" disk drive peripheral instead of the Microdrive? It would have been good for the overall UK market for both leading computers to support the same physical disk format, you may have seen true dual Spectrum/C64 games released on the same disk to keep costs down, to the point where games on disk became standard at £9.99 instead.. like this:

jonesypeter · January 2017

Sprites from BASIC

grey key · January 2017

A copy of Cassette 50 & a copy of Stonkers would have made it complete ! ;)

DavidB · January 2017

The Timex 2068 should have been adopted instead of the Spanish model.

Ashley Pomeroy · January 2017

My Spectrum was a grey +2. The original 128K model came with a selection of 128K games to show off the new system, but the +2 came with six doddery ancient titles from 1983, including one game (Oh Mummy) that had been written for the 16K Spectrum. They were depressing. I realise they wanted to get the machine in shops as quickly and efficiently as possible, but almost anything else would have been better, even if they only had 48k titles.

1024MAK · January 2017

JuanF. Ramirez wrote: »

I got a Spectrum Plus back in 1985 and I should have included a better manual, similar to the 48k one. The Plus manual was more colourful, better design, maybe better introduction chapters too but very few pages on BASIC programming.

A better manual was suppose to be available (for extra money) from Sinclair. Did anyone ever try to buy one? Was it a copy of the orange covered original manual?

Mark

1024MAK · January 2017

In line with the low cost aim, I don't think there is much extra that should have been included on the rubber key models.

However, a three pin header/PCB connector carrying +5V, composite video and 0V/GND on the PCB would have been good. Then either Sinclair or a third party supplier could have sold plug in composite video "adaptor" module kits.

[The +5V would allow another transistor to buffer the composite video output if required]

But, with the ZX Spectrum+, I think Sinclair missed a trick or two. It should have had built in composite video output socket (phono/RCA type), joystick ports and a built in cartridge slot. If the joystick ports had been wired in parallel with the keyboard matrix to the Sinclair standard, the cost would only be that of the extra PCB area and the two 9 pin D plugs, plus maybe some diodes. The cost of the cartridge slot again would only have been PCB area and the cost of the edge-connector.

Oh and when the price of 64k bit DRAM chips fell, so that there was little difference between 32k bit and 64k bit DRAM chips, Sinclair should have upped the memory to 80k bytes (16k + 64k with the top 32k in four pages of 16k). Maybe called this the ZX Spectrum 80k+.

Mark

mik3d3nch · January 2017

DavidB wrote: »

The Timex 2068 should have been adopted instead of the Spanish model.

Yes the Timex 2068 was a good machine, I'd rather have mine back than the original 48k Speccy much though I loved it.

DavidB · January 2017

Just always maddened me that, a better spec machine already existed. Stick a bit more memory in it, tweak the keyboard, and it wouldn't have been so far from the ideal.

spider · January 2017

There are some interesting ideas present here, thanks for the posts so far. :)
Its nice to see what varying opinions on what (could) of been sensibly done.

slenkar · January 2017

and teh 128k speccy shoulda had the timex graphics modes :)

DavidB · January 2017

slenkar wrote: »

and teh 128k speccy shoulda had the timex graphics modes :)

Yep!

guesser · January 2017

A centre positive barrel jack socket, and/or a single poxy 1A diode on the 9V input :p

Luny · January 2017

I'd like to add my vote to a power switch.
A faster (more efficient) BASIC overall would have been nice.
A slow down time lever on the side. Time seemed to speed up whenever I sat down in front of my Speccy. There was never enough time in the evening.

1024MAK · January 2017

guesser wrote: »

A centre positive barrel jack socket, and/or a single poxy 1A diode on the 9V input :p

I actually prefer devices that have a positive outer / negative inner, as it makes them so much more fun in vehicles :)).

The diode, I agree with. At the time (1980's), a lot of the devices I had that used mini DC "barrel" plugs was around 50% used positive outer / negative inner, with items intended or which may often get used in cars etc having the other polarity. With some devices, part of the reason for the manufacturers to have a particular polarity is due to the way the switch contact works. It's related to switching the internal battery in said same item... Yes, I know the Speccy has no battery... Just saying...

Mark

Sol_HSA · January 2017

No flash attribute, but rather separate bright bits for ink and paper.

Luny · January 2017

Or even keep the flash bit spare. It could be used for simple hit-testing. Set = solid block.

Sol_HSA · January 2017

Luny wrote: »

Or even keep the flash bit spare. It could be used for simple hit-testing. Set = solid block.

I'm pretty sure the separate bright bits instead of flash would have saved space on the ULA, and would have improved the graphics a lot. Having two intensities of the same color on the same 8x8 block is something that you'd definitely want to use, if it was possible. Additionally, there would be no reason to have two black colors in the palette, so there would be actual 16 different colors (probably a dark gray instead of second black, for 4-step grayscale ramp: black, dark gray, light gray, white).

Luny · January 2017

Separate brights would certainly have made more interesting backgrounds and sprites. Greys would have been welcoming too.

grey key · January 2017

Grey's are always welcoming ! ;)

Bedazzle · January 2017

grey key wrote: »

Grey's are always welcoming ! ;)

Specifically if a woman?

:\">

Luny · January 2017

A female Grey!

"Show me some more of these earth thing called kissing"

;)

Morkin · January 2017

For the 48, chucking a spare keyboard membrane in might have been handy.

Also agree with Slenkar, a decent intro guide to BASIC programming that was less of a reference manual might have been good. It was fun to learn from magazines though.

Bad Horsey · January 2017

JuanF. Ramirez wrote: »

I got a Spectrum Plus back in 1985 and I should have included a better manual, similar to the 48k one. The Plus manual was more colourful, better design, maybe better introduction chapters too but very few pages on BASIC programming.

I always thought the manual was excellent - I remember a comment in Computer Choice to the effect that it was worth buying a Spectrum just to learn BASIC.

I would like to have seen:

A sound chip - multi-channel sound, or any way of making sound that didn't halt the whole system. Or at least sound through the TV!

High resolution colour - no more attribute clash.

However, both of these limitations were overcome.... Zombie Zombie and then Vectron, Gyron got extra colours using interrupts, and even YS published a hi-res colour routine.

I've always felt that the inherent limitations of the machine inspired programmers to achieve the 'impossible'. Not a bad thing.

Vampyre · January 2017

Mine was a 48K rubber-key so... A reset button and sound through the TV.

polomint · January 2017

Maria Whittaker....

Spoiler:

MatGubbins · January 2017

polomint wrote: »

Maria Whittaker....

Spoiler:

Been waiting for someone to say her, Sam Fox or some other lady from the Sun.

What should your speccy have come with ?

Comments