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Scorpion ZS: Hardware, Upgrades, and Platform Development

This section brings together materials dedicated to one of the most well-known ZX Spectrum-compatible computers — the Scorpion ZS 256 and its numerous modifications. It contains articles covering repair, hardware upgrades, platform expansion, and practical experience with various Scorpion models.

Particular attention is given to hardware enhancements, including schematics and guides for connecting additional floppy drives, port #1FFD and #7FFD locking, CPU and WD1793 controller turbo modifications, AY sound chip improvements, Covox integration, memory expansion up to 1 MB, and multi-drive configurations.

A significant portion of the collection focuses on the legendary GMX project — a graphics and hardware expansion for the Scorpion ZS that introduced new capabilities for memory management, graphics, and peripheral devices. The section includes GMX overviews, installation guides, user experiences, and articles discussing the platform’s unrealized potential and future prospects.

Materials on the SMUC (Scorpion & Moa Universal Controller) are also featured, covering IDE hard drive support, modem connectivity, real-time clocks, non-volatile memory, and other peripherals, along with detailed installation and operating instructions.

A separate group of articles is devoted to Scorpion repair and maintenance, including troubleshooting techniques, floppy drive diagnostics and restoration, practical repair advice, and recommendations for preventing common hardware failures.

The section is further enriched by personal accounts from Scorpion owners, descriptions of unique custom modifications, advanced video mode expansions, hardware multicolor solutions, documentation of the Shadow Service Monitor, and historical articles about Scorpion company developments and the evolution of the platform during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This collection will be valuable to retro-computing enthusiasts, restorers, collectors, and ZX Spectrum users interested in the architecture, expansion possibilities, and history of the Scorpion family of computers.

Articles (74)