sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual

#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual how to#
#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual manual#
#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual full#
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This provided a way to get code and software into the machine without having to load from cassette tape: I could download DSK games from the internet, or create my own code in an emulator and then transfer things over via “sneakernet”.Īnother great addition which helps the Speccy to exist in a modern world is the ZX-VGA-JOY add-on card I also purchased from eBay. DSK files saved on a FAT-formatted USB stick. The floppy drive had been replaced with a Gotek drive that emulates floppies through. This was the last model I owned as a kid, and when I found one in good quality on eBay I snapped it up. The final model produced by Amstrad in the UK was the +3, sporting an obscure 3-inch floppy drive with 173Kb capacity, “proper” keyboard, 128Kb RAM and a AY-3-8912 sound chip (essential for any scene demos!) All this was based around the same 8-bit Z80 processor running at 3.5Mhz as the original Spectrum. Table Of Contents Part 1Īlthough a very simple machine, the ZX Spectrum did go through a number of revisions before it was discontinued in 1992. There’s also a set of s at the top of each article linking to the other parts to make navigation easier. As this is one of the longest things I’ve written, I’ve split it into multiple posts and included a Table Of Contents below so you can jump between sections. This series of articles covers the technical details and “behind the scenes” processes of building a Spectrum platform/application using modern toolsets. The above video is a great overview of using an older version of the site as well as some of the hardware details, skip to around 3:33 in to see it in action. The site has already attracted a community of users and even got featured on The Spectrum Show #107!

#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual how to#

If you’ve ever wondered how to unit-test Sinclair BASIC programs in GitOps pipelines running on Kubernetes clusters, this is the set of articles for you ) The enterprise grew into a curious mix of old and new: Container-based pipelines with Ruby server-side components, all interacting with Spectrum BASIC and z80 assembly code, running on real 1980s hardware with a TCP/IP connection. I set about coding and building the infrastructure for a Spectrum-based community project (website at ) incorporating my current-day tools and knowledge, hence the title of this series of posts. We’re fast approaching the 40th birthday of the Sinclair Spectrum in 2022, and to keep myself occupied during COVID lockdowns I decided it would be a lot of fun to go back and re-visit the computer that started it all for me. It’s been a long time since those first days pecking at a rubbery keyboard in the early ’80s, but I never forgot the humble system that started me off on my journey and ultimately led me into an awesome career. Of course, I eventually upgraded to a Commodore Amiga and then migrated to the PC world while at University, where the world of Unix systems opened up. To say I was obsessed would be an understatement: My Mum would diligently make computer-themed birthday cakes pretty much every year after that, as I pored over manuals, magazines and learned as much as I could about this fascinating new world.

#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual full#

Like many systems of the day which “booted” straight into a BASIC prompt, the documentation included a full introduction to programming the Speccy in BASIC as well as some tantalising (but over-my-head at the time) memory maps and details of coding in Z80 assembly language. Whilst the games ( Manic Miner and Starstrike II were the two I remember trying out first) were cutting-edge for a 1980s computer system and I spent many hours playing them, I was always more interested in the manual.

#Sinclair zx spectrum basic programming manual manual#

One of my earliest memories I remember is sitting with my Dad, reading the manual to work out the magic commands to load the games from cassette tape. When I was around 8-9 years old, I received a Sinclair ZX Spectrum home computer for my birthday. Part 4 - Wrap-up, other sites and final thoughts.Part 3 - The backend server daemon, pipelines and unit tests.Part 2 - The server environment and building the first prototype.Part 1 - Introduction, hardware, development environment, Windows/Linux buildchain and tools.Table Of Contents - Full table of contents in Part 1.