Reply to: Happy Birthday ZX Spectrum

[SupremeSpod]

I can't remember the others, but C9 sticks in my head. Though that was from the Oric-1, because we were middle class and only common people had speccys.

C9 on a 6502 is "CMP #" or "compare immediate"
C9 on a Z80 is "Ret" or "Return"

[NickFitz]

Google's ZX Spectrum 30th Anniversary Doodle loading in a Spectrum emulator:

You might want to turn the volume down first

[VectraMan]

C9

I can't remember the others, but C9 sticks in my head. Though that was from the Oric-1, because we were middle class and only common people had speccys.

[Cliphead]

Started off with a zx81 and added a 16k ram pack.

Moved to a Spectrum 48k but also bought a C64 which I preferred cos I wrote a sequencer accessing the sound chip on board. Actually gigged that baby plugged into the PA system playing bass lines - way before Thomas Dolby et al appeared on stage with a computer and cheap telly.

Had a QL and Spectrum+ too as well as a wee printer using thermal paper that used to go black after a while.

[NickFitz]

My father told me that the spectrum was born when Sir Clive got his mitts on a batch of damaged Z80 chips originally intended for washing machine programmes. Half the chip was blown, but half usable. The ZX Spectrum was designed around the working half.

Urban myth?

Given that Sinclair had already sold about 1.5 million ZX80s and ZX81s, all containing a Z80 microprocessor, it's probably safe to assume he could get hold of fully operational parts if he wanted them

[SupremeSpod]

[Geek mode on]

Oh the joys of 2 colours per 8 pixel square and raspy sound effects!

Not forgetting inserting a machine code "ret" command to bypass the fast loader.

Brings a tear to the eye

[Geek mode off]

Happy birthday Speccy!

C9

[SantaClaus]

[Geek mode on]

Oh the joys of 2 colours per 8 pixel square and raspy sound effects!

Not forgetting inserting a machine code "ret" command to bypass the fast loader.

Brings a tear to the eye

[Geek mode off]

Happy birthday Speccy!

[amcdonald]

"Elrond gives you some lunch"

Did you try killing Elrond by over feeding him ?

[norrahe]

Oh gods I had forgotten that one, not sure if I should thank or curse you well I know what ear worm I will be suffering today.

"Elrond gives you some lunch"

[MarillionFan]

No Spectrum thread is worth it's weight until it has this gem.

[alluvial]

Oh gods I had forgotten that one, not sure if I should thank or curse you well I know what ear worm I will be suffering today.

How about "Valkyrie ... is about to die!"

[Paddy]

My father told me that the spectrum was born when Sir Clive got his mitts on a batch of damaged Z80 chips originally intended for washing machine programmes. Half the chip was blown, but half usable. The ZX Spectrum was designed around the working half.

Urban myth?

It’s partly rue and not just with the ZX’s. Sinclair bought loads of reject transistors and other componants and sold them as part of his computer and radio kits. As a kid I could not understand why mine did not work until I tested the transistors and got replacement ones. Sinclair is a bit of a chunt.

[SimonMac]

10 PRINT "Happy Birthday ZX Spectrum!" 
20 GOTO 10

[nomadd]

BASIC stuff. Some of us grew tired of that and went on to Z80A assembler.

I even had a PASCAL compiler. <SHUDDERS>

I had wanted to be a coder before that but for some reason went right off the idea after those experiences.

When I decided I wanted to "work in computers" all those years ago, the first thing I did was book an evening course at the local college: Z80 Assembly Programming.

After that, I did "An Introduction to PASCAL" at the same college. Followed by "Advanced PASCAL". It was on that course that I met a lecturer who was working at Manchester University, who gave me a good recommendation that got me on a Computer Science degree course. ...And the rest is history, as they say.

Now it's 30 years later. Where did those days/years go?

God I feel old.

[amcdonald]

My father told me that the spectrum was born when Sir Clive got his mitts on a batch of damaged Z80 chips originally intended for washing machine programmes. Half the chip was blown, but half usable. The ZX Spectrum was designed around the working half.

Urban myth?

The one I heard is one lot were from batchs of chips that failed testing for McDonnel Douglas