The ZX Spectrum Got a Modern Makeover

A growing trend in the retro computing community involves building computers from new hardware that are fully compatible with a classic system. Many vintage machines are pushing forty or even fifty years old at this point, and they are getting harder to come by all the time as key components fail. Certain custom chips that have been out of production for a long time, in particular, can be very difficult or expensive to obtain.

The ZX Spectrum was a very popular computer, especially in the UK, throughout the 1980s. It may not have been the best machine around, but it was quite inexpensive and had decent graphics capabilities, so a large gaming community formed around the ZX Spectrum that still endures to this day. With millions of units having been sold, it is still pretty easy to pick one up, but that will not always be the case. So YouTuber TME Retro decided to build a brand new ZX Spectrum from parts that are still in production, or that can be 3D-printed at home.

If you are going to go to all the trouble of building a computer, you might as well throw in some enhancements while you are at it. So TME Retro wanted to make sure that the build was smaller than beasts like the ZX Spectrum +2, but also with a much nicer keyboard than the membrane monstrosity found on the original ZX Spectrum. And who wants to load games from a cassette tape? An upgraded interface was also in order for reliability and speed.

As it turns out, most of the work has already been done. Getting a brand new ZX Spectrum is mostly just a matter of knowing how to work with the products that are presently available, but of course you will have to put in some elbow grease as well. If you are not familiar with what is going on in this world, rest easy, TME Retro’s video will walk you through everything you need to know.

First and foremost, you will need a recreation of the original system board. The ByteDelight Harlequin 128K kit is a great option, as it includes the PCB, all of the necessary chips, and the passive components — just add solder. This board does differ from the ZX Spectrum in one notable way, however. The ULA chip is no longer in production, so its function has been reproduced by a handful of discrete logic chips. This increases the chip count considerably, but it is 100 percent compatible with the original design.

The populated board was fitted inside of a streamlined, 3D-printed case that comes complete with a mechanical keyboard with keycaps labeled in the ZX Spectrum style. As a finishing touch, a SMART Card V3.1 Spectrum Interface was plugged into the expansion port of the computer. This makes it possible to load software from an SD card — adios, cassette tapes!

There is still one final step necessary before you can play Manic Miner. The Harlequin kit comes with a ROM loaded with only a diagnostic tool that confirms that the hardware is working correctly. You will need to burn another ROM chip with a ZX Spectrum system ROM image and pop it on the board to get over the finish line.

If you are thinking about building a brand new ZX Spectrum of your own, TME Retro has some advice for you. Be sure to read the manual! Getting it right the first time could save you hours of debugging and desoldering.