#Sinclair zx spectrum personal computer tv

#5: Replace the original keyboard membrane. #4: Replace all the electrolytic capacitors on the mainboard. #3: Replace the original connectors with new parts. #2: Replace the original voltage regulator with a modern switch-mode equivalent.

#1: Modify the RF video output to display composite video instead. There are several steps which I like to take when performing a complete restoration on a Spectrum, which include fixing factory or age-related problems, and future-proofing.Īs such, I planned out the servicing, preventative maintenance, and upgrades that I wanted to perform, as follows:

#Sinclair zx spectrum personal computer tv

ZX Spectrum 48k+ mainboard before restoration.Īt the time of this restoration I still had an old TV with an RF input, so I was able to give the machine a quick test – it seemed to boot up fine, but I couldn’t do much else as most of the keys weren’t working, a common problem. The Spectrum seemed to be all original, and featured a 1984 ISSUE 4S mainboard with 48 KB of factory-installed RAM – the ULA was socketed. Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k+ before restoration. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k+ was one of the intermediate machines produced by Sinclair, and was the replacement for the ZX Spectrum 16/48k “rubber-key” in 1984 – they used the same mainboard so were functionally identical, but the 48k+ featured a larger case, a more traditional keyboard, and a reset button.

The machine was in very good condition and came with several accessories as well as its original box, however it was sold as “untested”. A while back I got my hands on my first Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k+, yet another 1980s 8-bit computer to add to my collection.