The ZX Spectrum on Your PC

The ZX Spectrum on Your PC

Author: Colin Woodcock

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2012-05-07

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 147169612X

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Thirty years on from its original release, the best selling Sinclair ZX Spectrum is now one of the most emulated computers in the world. Far from dead and forgotten, a thriving community of enthusiasts has kept the spirit of this little machine alive through an enormous range of emulators for just about every modern computer platform there is. For the PC in particular, the complexity of these emulators is simply amazing. Focusing primarily on the two most user-friendly Windows emulators, Spectaculator and ZX SPIN, The ZX Spectrum on Your PC explains all the main features of these applications. Illustrated walk-throughs will teach you everything from how cassettes are emulated to how to print from your virtual Spectrum. In no time at all, you'll find yourself enjoying all the old games and activities of your youth... on your PC! New revised Second Edition includes emulating the Spectrum on your mobile device.


The ZX Spectrum ULA

The ZX Spectrum ULA

Author: Chris Smith

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780956507105

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This book takes the reader through the design and implementation of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum's custom chip, revealing for the first time the decisions behind its design and its hidden secrets. By using it as case study, the techniques required to design an 8-bit microcomputer are explained, along with comprehensive details of the Ferranti ULA manufacturing process. If you have ever wanted to design your own computer or wondered what was behind the most successful microcomputer of the 1980s, then this is the book for you. For the first time, the inner working of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum's custom chip and heart of the computer, the Ferranti ULA, is exposed in minute detail. Packed with over 140 illustrations and circuit diagrams, this book takes the reader through the cutting edge technology that was the Ferranti ULA and the design of the ZX Spectrum home computer, illustrating the principles and techniques involved in creating a cost effective computer that required nothing more than a television set and a cassette recorder. The ZX Spectrum ULA is an essential read for the electronics hobbyist, student or electronic engineer wishing to design their own retro-style microcomputer or anyone with an interest in historical micro-electronic and digital design. All topics are explained in simple yet precise terms, building on their careful introduction towards the full functionality presented by the Sinclair computer. Some of the topics covered are: The architecture of the standard microcomputer, Ferranti and their ULA, manufacturing process and structure, The functional layout of the ZX Spectrum ULA, Video display generation, Memory contention and timing, ZX Spectrum design bugs such as "The Snow Effect," Hidden features, ULA version differences.


Digital Retro

Digital Retro

Author: Gordon Laing

Publisher: Sybex

Published: 2004-09-21

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13:

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This book tells the story of the classic home computers that paved the way for the PCs we use today - from 1977s pioneering MITS Altair to the latest swivel screen designs of the iMac and the Tablet PC.


Spectrum Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner

Spectrum Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner

Author: William Tang

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Published: 2022-03-31

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1789829534

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First published in 1982, William Tang’s Spectrum Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner is generally considered to be the best introduction to 8-bit machine code programming ever written. With many great game writers crediting this as the book that got them started, there still is no better way to learn the language at the heart of the ZX Spectrum. * * * As the original publisher Melbourne House wrote: If you are frustrated by the limitations of BASIC and want to write faster, more powerful, space-saving programs or subroutines, Spectrum Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner is the book for you. Even with no previous experience of computer languages, you will be able to discover the ease and power of the Spectrum's own language. Each chapter includes specific examples of machine language applications which can be demonstrated and used on your Spectrum as well as a self-test questionnaire. At the end of the book, all this is brought together in an entire machine language program - from design right through to the complete listing of an exciting, original arcade game. * * * Acorn Books is proud to present its Retro Reproduction Series, a collection of classic computing works from the 1980s and 90s, lovingly reproduced in the 21st century. From standards of programming reference no self-respecting microcomputer programmer would be without, to obscure works not found in print anywhere else, these modern reprints are perfect for any connoisseur of retro computing.


Art Of Atari

Art Of Atari

Author: Tim Lapetino

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Published: 2016-10-26

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1524101060

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Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command. In addition to hundreds of games created for arcades, home video systems, and computers, original artwork was specially commissioned to enhance the Atari experience, further enticing children and adults to embrace and enjoy the new era of electronic entertainment. The Art of Atari is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company's unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more. Co-written by Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino, The Art of Atari includes behind-the-scenes details on how dozens of games featured within were conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life! Includes a special Foreword by New York Times bestseller Ernest Cline author of Armada and Ready Player One, soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Whether you're a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of Atari, this book offers the most complete collection of Atari artwork ever produced!


Games vs. Hardware. The History of PC video games

Games vs. Hardware. The History of PC video games

Author: Bogdan Ion Purcaru

Publisher: Purcaru Ion Bogdan

Published: 2014-03-13

Total Pages: 552

ISBN-13:

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My two biggest passions concerning computers are hardware and gaming. I wrote this book because I don’t want that important pieces of history regarding computer hardware, games and, in a smaller amount the 80’s operating systems to be forgotten and lost. I want everyone to appreciate the hardware and software industry and especially the people behind them as they worked many days and nights to deliver us fast and advanced computers and entertaining and complex games.


Electronic Dreams

Electronic Dreams

Author: Tom Lean

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-02-11

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1472918355

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How did computers invade the homes and cultural life of 1980s Britain? Remember the ZX Spectrum? Ever have a go at programming with its stretchy rubber keys? How about the BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, or Commodore 64? Did you marvel at the immense galaxies of Elite, master digital kung-fu in Way of the Exploding Fist or lose yourself in the surreal caverns of Manic Miner? For anyone who was a kid in the 1980s, these iconic computer brands are the stuff of legend. In Electronic Dreams, Tom Lean tells the story of how computers invaded British homes for the first time, as people set aside their worries of electronic brains and Big Brother and embraced the wonder-technology of the 1980s. This book charts the history of the rise and fall of the home computer, the family of futuristic and quirky machines that took computing from the realm of science and science fiction to being a user-friendly domestic technology. It is a tale of unexpected consequences, when the machines that parents bought to help their kids with homework ended up giving birth to the video games industry, and of unrealised ambitions, like the ahead-of-its-time Prestel network that first put the British home online but failed to change the world. Ultimately, it's the story of the people who made the boom happen, the inventors and entrepreneurs like Clive Sinclair and Alan Sugar seeking new markets, bedroom programmers and computer hackers, and the millions of everyday folk who bought in to the electronic dream and let the computer into their lives.