Gandalf_The_Grey
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- Apr 24, 2016
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Today is a memorable day for some (older) computer enthusiasts. Because the 8-bit computer Sinclair ZX Spectrum was released exactly 40 years ago, and made some fellow citizens become "computer freaks". The following is a brief outline of the year 1982 and the years that followed.
It was April 23, 1982, when the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 16/48k was introduced as a home computer. At that time I was professionally programming microprocessor systems with the Intel 8085 processor for the chemical industry, for measurement, control and regulation. It was a hot time, where I programmed in Assembler, Fortan and PL/M very close to the hardware and learned a lot. But at that time I got a rough idea of the developments in the field of home computers from home computer magazines. For more my time was not enough at that time.
The device
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum came probably in Great Britain at a price of 125 £ or 175 £ on the market and was the successor of the Sinclair ZX81. The processor was a Zilog Z80 (Z80A with 3.5 MHz). The calculator had 16 or 48 KB of RAM and 16 KB of read-only memory (ROM). The 16 KB versions could later be expanded to 48 KB by adding RAM. The device had a graphics output of 256 × 192 pixels in 15 colors. A commercially available cassette recorder is connected for storing data. Hardware expansions can be connected via a slot.