ZX Spectrum—Official Models

Below, we present our original perspective on the official ZX Spectrum models, its clones as well as the main programming languages. The history of the computer has been the subject of many studies, but we believe that this narrative will prove to be a fresh approach because it is was developed from the perspective of its users, who used the computer for creative purposes. Thus, in discussing the subsequent models, we look at all the possibilities related to graphics, music, and games on a given platform. In addition, the purpose of this study is also to organize the research about the computer to date.

The first computer named Spectrum was presented in Great Britain on April 23, 1982, but considering its code name (ZX82) and the name that was used in the design phase (ZX81 Colour) we probably ought to begin by mentioning the first two home computers designed and sold by Sinclair Research Ltd, the ZX80 and ZX81.

These machines came out, as their names suggest, in 1980 and 1981. Both had only one kilobyte of RAM and black-and-white, one-bit graphics. Though they were equipped with microchips analogous to the ZX Spectrum—the Z80 and ULA—and could generate sound with those, the output amplification from the MIC port was so weak that both computers, in fact, were totally devoid of audio capabilities.

While the ZX80 was not even capable of displaying an animated image (in recent years, a method has been invented for creating an animated image on the ZX80, which has led to the creation of a handful of games), the ZX81 was a fully-fledged, though truly bare-bones, home computer. It could be used for working on utility programs, but it was also a machine that provided entertainment thanks to a large number of games dedicated to the platform.

These computers, like the subsequent ZX Spectrum, had modular constructions, i.e. depending on the user's needs (and financial capacities) he/she could purchase modules, like additional RAM (a maximum of 64KB, with capacity to use 56KB, though the standard became 16KB), audio interface with an AY sound chip, and even a graphic module, enhancing the capabilities of the ZX81 with color display.