ZX Spectrum
The rubber-keyed wonder that taught the UK how to code. Color clash was a feature, not a bug.
Historical_Context
In the UK, the computer revolution was led by Sir Clive Sinclair. The ZX Spectrum was tiny, cheap, and eccentric. Its keyboard felt like dead flesh, and its graphics had a unique limitation: "Attribute Clash".
The screen had a high resolution (256x192), but color was applied in 8x8 blocks. If a red sprite moved over a green background, the colors would fight. Developers turned this limitation into an art form, creating distinct styles for Spectrum games.
The "Speccy" demoscene is legendary for pushing the Z80 CPU to impossible limits, generating multi-channel music from a 1-bit beeper and displaying colors that shouldn't exist.
Notable_Models
ZX Spectrum 48k
1982The rubber-keyed legend. Cheap, colorful, and idiosyncratic.
ZX Spectrum+
1984Same guts, new plastic keyboard. Added a reset button.
ZX Spectrum 128
1985The "Toastrack". Added 128KB RAM and the AY sound chip. Huge upgrade.
Spectrum +2
1986Built by Amstrad after buying Sinclair. Built-in tape deck ("Datacorder"). Grey case.
Spectrum +3
1987Black case. Built-in 3" disk drive (Amstrad standard). Dropped the tape deck.
Tech_Specs
- CPU Zilog Z80A @ 3.5 MHz
- RAM 16 KB or 48 KB (later 128 KB)
- Graphics 256x192 (1 bit per pixel) + Color Attributes
- Audio 1-bit Beeper (AY-3-8912 in 128k models)
Key_Silicon
The workhorse of the 8-bit era. Huge register set compared to 6502.
Uncommitted Logic Array. Handled video generation, memory contention, and I/O.
Added in 128k models. 3-channel PSG. Same as Atari ST.