ZX Entertainment - the birth of the Spectrum

## ZX Fun

### The birth of Spectrum

April 1982 will be remembered by many of us as the month when Clive Sinclair smilingly introduced a piece of plastic with rubber bands and a RAINBOW in the top right corner. The Spectrum 48K brought him fame, money and fame. For many of us, he opened the way to the world of technology and computing, to the 20th century.

RAINBOW is our most common, but also cheapest computer. Clive received the title of Sir for his inventions. The history of Spectrum began back in 1980, when the ZX80 and ZX81 appeared.

These were cheap computers with 8K ROM; they could calculate with decimal numbers. A bunch of microcircuits were replaced with ULA ones, a few more small changes were made - and the real Spectrum appeared.

If the functions of the ULA were implemented on lamps, all these lamps would not fit in volume even in a large room (not to mention the breakdowns). For RAINBOW, Sir Clive created a microdrive - the first microdrive in the history of computing. His cassette was smaller than a matchbox. If we compare it with the disk systems of ATARI, C64 (RADUGA's main rival) or any other computer, it would be much faster. And although Clive did not even imagine that Spectrum would be used for games, today there are about 8,000 programs officially, and unofficially more than 12,000 (both games and utilities).

Clive used the Spectrum to its fullest: there is nothing superfluous in it, only the most necessary parts of the computer. The only problem with Spectrum is the film, that is, a board with contacts that works on this principle: when you press a button (rubber band), the contacts through which current flows are connected, and the computer enters a command. The film lasts two to three years, maximum four.

Rubber keys are good for gaming, but not great for long typing sessions. That's why it's worth purchasing a Spectrum+ or a professional keyboard. Among the domestic ones - TREND and INES.

INES is the best professional keyboard for RAINBOW. Spectrum has a universal interface to which you can connect everything that comes to mind. When connecting some devices that consume a lot of power (for example, a printer), it is recommended to provide separate power for this peripheral. Otherwise, the 7805 stabilizer may fail (read: explode), since it already works at the limit of its capabilities. In short: you need to add +5V power.

Starting with the next issue of ZX Revije I will tell you about Sinclair computers, as well as Amstrad's Spectrum and the reasons why Sir Clive Sinclair sold his company to Amstrad.

I know that many already know this, but it’s still worth returningto live in the golden era of the RAINBOW.

**Material prepared by:**

Čanović Srđan  
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