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ZX Spectrum 128

  1. Game infos
  2. Parent and Clones
  3. Sound
  4. Driver
  5. Inputs
  6. Controls
  7. Display
  8. Configurations
  9. Roms list
  10. BIOS set
  11. Chips list
  12. Categories
  13. History
Download spec128.zip (0 B)
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Game infos

Description ZX Spectrum 128
Name spec128
Manufacturer Sinclair Research Ltd
Year 1986
Runnable yes
System arcade /
Number of players Non-arcade
Added to MAME .037b01
Romset size 0 B
Romset file files
Romset zip 0 B
Genre Computer

Parent and clones

Parent This game is the parent

Sound infos

Sound_channels 1

Driver infos

Driver status good
Driver emulation good
Driver color good
Driver sound good
Driver graphic good
Driver cocktail
Driver protection
Driver savestate yes

Inputs infos

Input service no
Input tilt no
Input players 1
Input buttons
Input coins

Controls infos

type ways minimum maximum sensitivity keydelta reverse
keyboard no

Display infos

type rotate flipx width height refresh pixclock htotal hbend hbstart vtotal vbend vbstart
raster 0 no 352 296 50.021084 7093790 456 0 352 311 0 296

Configuration

name tag mask
Hardware Version
Name Issue 2
Value 0
Default yes
Name Issue 3
Value 128
Default no

CONFIG
 128
Joystick Interface
Name Fuller
Value 2
Default no
Name Kempston
Value 1
Default yes
Name Mikrogen
Value 3
Default no
Name None (No Joystick)
Value 0
Default no

JOY_INTF
 15

Roms list

console name bios size crc md5 merge sha1 region offset status optional
arcade zx128_0.rom en 16384 e76799d2 4f4b11ec22326280bdb96e3baf9db4b4cb1d02c5 maincpu 10000 good no
arcade zx128_1.rom en 16384 b96a36be 80080644289ed93d71a1103992a154cc9802b2fa maincpu 14000 good no
arcade zx128s0.rom sp 16384 453d86b2 968937b1c750f0ef6205f01c6db4148da4cca4e3 maincpu 10000 good no
arcade zx128s1.rom sp 16384 6010e796 bea3f397cc705eafee995ea629f4a82550562f90 maincpu 14000 good no

BIOS set

name description default
en English yes
sp Spanish yes

Chips list

name tag type clock
AY-3-8912A ay8912 audio 1773400
Filtered 1-bit DAC speaker audio
Speaker mono audio
Wave wave audio
Z80 maincpu cpu 3546895

Categories

History


Computer published 33 years ago:

ZX Spectrum 128 (c) 1986 Sinclair Research, Limited.

New features included 128 KB RAM, three-channel audio via the AY-3-8912 chip, MIDI compatibility, an RS-232 serial port, an RGB monitor port, 32 KB of ROM including an improved BASIC editor, and an external keypad.

- TECHNICAL -

The appearance of the ZX Spectrum 128 was similar to the ZX Spectrum+, with the exception of a large external heatsink for the internal 7805 voltage regulator added to the right hand end of the case, replacing the internal heatsink in previous versions.

The Z80 processor used in the Spectrum has a 16-bit address bus, which means only 64 KB of memory can be directly addressed. To facilitate the extra 80 KB of RAM the designers used bank switching so that the new memory would be available as eight pages of 16 KB at the top of the address space. The same technique was also used to page between the new 16 KB editor ROM and the original 16 KB BASIC ROM at the bottom of the address space.

The new sound chip and MIDI out abilities were exposed to the BASIC programming language with the command PLAY and a new command SPECTRUM was added to switch the machine into 48K mode, keeping the current BASIC program intact (although there is no way to switch back to 128K mode). To enable BASIC programmers to access the additional memory, a RAM disk was created where files could be stored in the additional 80 KB of RAM. The new commands took the place of two existing user-defined-character spaces causing compatibility problems with some BASIC programs.

The ZX Spectrum 128 had no internal speaker like its predecessors. The sound was produced from the television speaker instead

- TRIVIA -

Code-named 'Derby'. Sinclair developed the ZX Spectrum 128 in conjunction with their Spanish distributor Investrónica. Investrónica had helped adapt the ZX Spectrum+ to the Spanish market after the Spanish government introduced a special tax on all computers with 64 KB RAM or less, and a law which obliged all computers sold in Spain to support the Spanish alphabet and show messages in Spanish.

The machine was simultaneously presented for the first time and launched in September 1985 at the SIMO '85 trade show in Spain, with a price of 44,250 pesetas. Because of the large number of unsold Spectrum+ models, Sinclair decided not to start selling in the UK until January 1986 at a price of £179.95.

- CONTRIBUTE -

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