- Grand Piano Keys with ArduinoPosted 2 days ago
- Wireless Power TransferPosted 3 days ago
- Robot Punchers with ArduinoPosted 4 days ago
- A minimal 3D-printed scalePosted 6 days ago
- Expanding the pins of a microcontrollerPosted 1 week ago
- Let’s create a small level with a matrix displayPosted 1 week ago
- ChatGPT: Writing Code with Artificial IntelligencePosted 2 weeks ago
- Free Webinar: Arduino IoT Cloud and ESP32 DemoboardPosted 2 weeks ago
- Maker Faire Rome – The European edition and FAE Technology launch the contest “MY Maker PCBA: your electronics for a better planet”Posted 3 months ago
- Efficient and Compact Stereo Power Amplifier: Unleash High-Quality Audio with the PAM8610Posted 4 months ago
ZX Spectrum Next Laptop: Powered by Spectrum Next board and Raspberry Pi Zero
Clive Sinclair in 1982 introduced an inexpensive ZX series of home computers. He launched an 8-bit color output computer called the Spectrum, with rubbery chiclet-style keyboard keys marked with programming keywords and a striking rainbow motif.
A fervent ZX community has continued to create games, and last year a startup named SpecNext hit Kickstarter to fund the production of a modern update to the Spectrum called the Next – which featured a Z80 processor that could power up to a mighty 7 MHz, up to 1.5 MB of internal RAM and an SD card slot for storage.
Starting from the Spectrum Next, Dan Birch of Dorchester 3D decided to make a portable all-in-one gaming console by wrapping the Next in a rather nice 3D-printed clamshell housing that’s also home to a chiclet keyboard and 8-inch display.
The 284 x 151 x 41 mm ZX Spectrum Next Laptop sees the Next board joined by a Raspberry Pi Zero, a four port USB hub, an LCD driver board and stereo speakers. An 8-inch LCD screen at 4:3 aspect has been installed in the upper part of the laptop housing, and connected to the keyboard base by hinges recovered from an old Dell laptop.
The USB keyboard has been stripped from its casing and connected to the Next board via a PS/2 to USB adapter. The Pi Zero’s SD card slot has been extended to the rear of the laptop case so that the operating system can be updated more easily.
STL files will be soon available for everyone who wants to 3D print the laptop at home.
As you can see below, the final result is pretty amazing.