[Restoration] Sinclair ZX Spectrum +3

Probably the exact model I'd want in a Speccy, though I think I'd prefer a tape drive for maximum software availability, so maybe it's really the Spectrum+ 2 I'm looking for? Same as this, but tape instead of FDD? Ahh, well, I'll probably only ever emulate it from my Atari anyway...

 

Matt if you want help getting a +2 just say the word, we can normally pick up a +2 for around £45. I can test and repair if need be. The audio hum can be fixed with a SPST switch on the cassette circuit and can also add an external ear socket for connecting a laptop or TZXDUINO device.

 

Does the +2 have 128K or be upgraded too 128K (are there plans for DIY or install-able one to purchase)? Can an external tape drive attach to the +3?

 

Hi Matt,
The +2 is essentially an Amstrad clone of the Sinclair 128K computer with a tape recorder bolted on. So yes it has 128K. The +3 has a built in tape input so you can load tape games, you can also add an external tape input on the +2 if you want to use a SD Card based tape player. There are no RAM expansions for the standard machines but there are clone DIY kits you can buy with 256K RAM. They are based on the Russian Speccy clones like the Pentagon or Scorpion I think.

 

Thanks @Vyper68 I researched all of this before, but I keep forgetting. Is one of these more compatible with original Spectrums from Sinclair? I remember hearing and reading about some incompatibilities between machines. Of course if it's similar to the Atari 800 vs. XL/XE compatibility nonsense then it's so few programs I need not worry about it. And the last question: How much commercial software was actually made for the Spectrum +3 disk drive? I'll get a +3 if there is enough disk software out there to bother, and just add a tape drive, but if it's not much, and what is on disk is on tape too, then I'll just get the +2 (depending on compatibility). 128K is enough memory for me though, so either is good enough on that front.

It will probably be a few years anyway before I really start looking for a Spectrum, if at all. The Spectrum emulator for A8's seems like it might be good enough for me at this point, of course I haven't actually tried it, and won't until I get a Rapidus, so it will also depend on how easy it is to get Spectrum programs onto an emulator on the Atari, or if enough have been converted by the guys behind the Spectrum emulator, into a form meant for the emulator.

I would imagine that most Spectrum software, even after release of the 128K machines is still 48K for maximum compatibility like was often the case for Atari's and it's often 48K glass ceiling to support 800 users still. Am I right?

The Commodore 64. BBC micro and Coleco Adam (Z80) are the three computers at the top of my list, I'll be getting them before I branch out into any others. And I'll probably get only one non-Atari 8-bit in the near future, probably the C64, as even with my new "XL Command Center" I have very limited space beyond what I made for my A8's. I have to wait until I either build an addition onto my new home, or my mother passes (God forbid) and my sister moves into the house so I can turn my RV back into a man-cave for my non-Atari computers.