Printing a price on the manual was a tax thing. In putting a price on it allowed for the manufacturer to claim back some vat on the 'value' of the 'publication' for every unit sold as books had special VAT rules. While this wouldn't be that much (likely 50p or so) it all went to the Sinclair philosophy of cost reducing everything. Its also a trick that home catalogue companies used to offset the cost of their 'free' catalogues as not only did it mean less VAT it also meant that they could count the catalogues as 'gifts' for tax offsetting at the corporate level. (not sure if Sinclair would have got this tax break as well). Also it is possible that in the deal between the printer DK Ltd and Sinclair Research Ltd it allowed for people to purchase replacements for lost manuals direct with DK and likely outsourced most of the effort to produce the manual as well.
I remember getting my Zx Spectrum + , Christmas '84 as a 8 year old and it was faulty. Imagine my disappointment! I remember my dad braving Boxing Day sales, racing to Dixon'sand finding that there was a faulty batch and everyone was returning them and they had no new stock. We discovered Boots had stock and we had to get a refund from Dixon's and repurchase from Boots. Racing home all excitedly with our new machine we stopped outside a Chinese for a takeaway, only to lock ourselves outside the car! We had to call the police to help and we didn't get home to really late. We finally got the new machine out and it worked except..... It was missing several keys. Queue a return to Boots the very best day. Finally the third replacement turned out to be ok! I think Dad vowed never to buy another computer as a present ever again!
Honestly, go as crazy as you want with the mods. This model isn't rare, there's lots of great examples in original condition, and it's so cheap for you that it would be worth giving it a go. Plus, it's your machine. Personally I would love to see how far you can go with this. Might be super nice to pull out this original box and reveal a hyper-custom machine inside.
Trust me, he'll go all out refurbishing it. Do you think he can do a video showing himself placing the box on the shelf? There's no monetisable content in that 🤣🤣
modding vintage computers is 90% of retro computing enjoyment - creating period correct collections may be the main interest to some retro hobbyist but that makes for mostly boring video content
4:41 A correctly fitted & decent quality non-moulded plug has only one disadvantage I know of .. its IP rating. Still perfectly acceptable for indoor-only use. It's the ones with unshielded pins which are less safe. I've seen some rather dodgy moulded plugs in my time.
Non moulded mains plugs are not unsafe when properly wired! The problem with the one you have here is the lack of sleeving/insulation on the live and neutral pins.
Fitted properly plugs with pin sleeves are fine and in some scenarios where excessive pre-fitted cable length might be a safety hazard it is arguably safer to replace the pre-moulded plug with a non-moulded one. The Unsafe part comes from expecting every member of the public to be competent with wire cutters (if they even owned them... I remember my Dad fitting plugs using my Mom's good scissors to remove insulation and getting a row for ruining them!) and a screwdriver to be able to properly fit them. This is why regulations now require moulded plugs on all new equipment.
Can you explain lack of sleeving/insualation please? I thought, as long as the wires were of the correct length to the 'pins' if the cable was to be accidentally tugged hard, the necessary cable 'should' come disconnect first and thus reduce the chance of shock?
@@neilo3476 We are talking about the pins outside the plug. Without sleeving on those, it's possible to hold the plug with fingers touching live and neutral when plugging in. There is a risk that the pins will become live before the plug is fully inserted. Modern plugs have sleeved pins to prevent this.
@@ThePoxun I agree. Back then, all appliances came without plugs. When they did, they were NOT moulded. Hardly anyone I knew was careful about fitting them. I learned at a young age to tin the terminals, as pre-tinned live & neutral wires were pretty rare. So a carefully-fitted plug, with proper strain relief was safe as houses.
It's in lovely condition, but not "gawk at its beauty through museum glass" condition. Do all the mods and joy the final product that truly is something of a steal.
3:51 I have seen product manuals with prices on them from a handfull of different markets. Automotive, commercial cooking appliance, hobby grade R/C cars/trains/etc, even the Campbell's soup cookbook is in it's nature a product owners manual. These only exist in markets where the end user actually owns the product and csn use it as they see fit. These manuals tell the user how to make the product work, not warn against drinking toxic chemicals. And the apply to more than one serial number or production run.
I would at least fix the speaker. I think you can get that kind of speaker pretty easily on eBay anyway, so you shouldn't need to scavenge parts. Also, it could just be that there's a broken joint that needs reflowing. All that I'd consider a repair. There's certainly no harm in using the diagnostics ROM to be sure it's good. If you don't want to do a full recap, I'd at least see about checking the caps to see if they're still good, and do the recap if you find there are some bad ones. Other than that, I don't see much point in changing too much if it's primarily going to be a display piece, though personally I think it'd be better to get some use out of it: they were made to be used, after all! It's certainly a steal at the price, even if the speaker isn't working!
3:50 the user guide was bundled with the ZX spectrum +. I had one supplied with mine. (The 48K spectrum and later Amstrad 128 manuals looked a lot better though!)
Hi Sir! IMHO Recap, replace the speaker and composite mod but without that board. Do an reversible composite mod using only a 100uf 16v cap. No need for those fancy PCB's. It is just dessolder the wire from Mobo to rf box and place the cap, dessoler the resitor leg inside box and dessolder 5v wire from mobo to rf box. It stays almost original and can be reversed
I got one of these in much tidier condition, barely used as stored in someone's loft for several decades for £40. Couldn't believe my luck when I spotted the Facebook Marketplace listing. I've had one from new in Christmas 1984, but hasn't been used in years. Still look fondly back to those times when computing was far more fun and life less stressful as a teenager.
Whatever else you do or don’t do, PLEASE fix that poor speaker! Concerning the box contents: 1. The tape leads are missing. 2. The PSU is in the old ZX81-styled case. (There was never a PSU styled to match the rubber-key Spectrum.) I’m not certain, but I’d have thought that a late-issue Spectrum+ would have come with the newer, restyled PSU that matched its case; it was more squared off and had horizontal lines across it like the Spectrum+. Unless only the Spectrum 128 came with that style…? 3. Someone else said they got both the User Guide Companion Cassette and Horizons with their Spectrum+. They shouldn’t; Horizons (though a much better intro cassette overall) had a large section devoted to learning the rubber-key keyboard layout, which would have been wholly inappropriate on the Spectrum+. Besides, the newer cassette had an updated keyboard tutor as I recall. Nice that your copy is still shrink-wrapped.
I got one last year (or the year before, time flies), absolutely mint condition, even the box was in mint condition. Manuals, styrofoam, the lot. All literally as good as new. If the previous owner had told me he'd bought it new just the week before I would've believed him. Oh, and I got it for free, too.
Thank you for such a cool nostalgic trip down the memory lane. This was my first computer. Bought it in either Jan or Feb 1985 (don't remember exactly) in London. My mom was a project manager/COBOL programmer for Yugoslav Airlines, so we flew from Belgrade to London, mostly to get this, although I managed to go see The London Zoo and The British Museum during that trip, too. I also recall getting a little Casio PT-1 during that same trip. I really wanted a Commodore 64, but there were some weird computer import restrictions back in my birth country, so the Spectrum+ was the best we could bring in at the time. I don't regret it, as it had much better BASIC than the C64 (although I recall the Simons BASIC C64 cartridge remedying the situation), which paved the way for me to eventually becoming a programmer. I got a PC XT in 1988 and Spectrum+ was sold in 1991 or so to my mom's coworker, but I have such fond memories from this time. I absolutely adored that Hobbit game, as well as the book. I never got into the movies much, but that game was so captivating. A friend used to tease me why I was interested in such an "old" game as they were prettier looking games for the speccy back in 1986, but the Hobbit game really captured my imagination like few others did. I surely hope you did all the mods and fixed the speaker, as this machine still has a ton of value if it can be hooked to a modern TV/monitor and such. Emulators are cool, but they just don't feel the same, and, honestly, so many Spectrum games were some of the most original and creative games ever made, even though they don't look too great by today's standards. But playing them on a quirky little machine from the 80's is just so much more fun than using the emulator, as much as I love modern PC's.
I bought an Atari 800XL mint in the box a couple of years ago. Everything was minty fresh and perfect. I was so happy about my purchase. Nonetheless, about 20 hours of use into it, it died. Probably just needs a recap, maybe, hopefully, but I haven't found the time to do it.
Service the keyboard for dust etc and put a Sizif 512 inside use an extender for the sd card, magic button and reset button routed out one of the legs. Don't worry about the DB9 on the sizif it takes an actual Kempston interface through the edge connection
If I (an American) purchase one of these '80s British produced home computers will it function properly on my TV or can I expect an 8-bit rendition of "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm okay" to play continuously.
Fix the speaker, shelve it. Until you get a minter model. Also check seriel number - many like early ones, but maybe one of the very last. So there is that to look into.
I have a 48k+ which is equally minty and I'm gonna recap it until it begs me to stop! I think it was originally a rev 3 rubber key that got upgraded because it's printed with 'upgrade' on the base. It also came with both manuals, and the + manual does indeed have a price on it.
I don’t get the nostalgia for later Spectrums. The rubber-keyed-wonder machines were great, but after that, they were resting on their laurels while competitors innovated. Good find, though.
the plus keyboard was horrible. they looked nicer but I found it easier to type on the rubber keys of the original design. also remember having a mare replacing the membrane on the plus, something to do with the clamps and having to locate them precisely.
There was lots of innovation going on at the time in Sinclair, they were working on the QL, that was the whole focus at the time, so it figures that the specify would just get a restyle
Replace the speaker, it will still be original. And giving it a better RF output, ok to do! For the rest: do not change it's working! BTW, I still have a working Spectrum, just like this one, only ... I did put my original Spectrum into the keyboard case. Also I own a 3,5" discdrive unit, to be coupled at the expansion slot, giving a RF signal and a real Centronics printerport... I had a printer connected once... That died a long time ago. But the Speccie still works!
It really depends what you want to do with it. If you intend on using it then I'd say fill your boots and sort everything out. Much better to have something that you can enjoy and without the fear of the magic smoke potentially paying you a visit at any point. If you just want to display it, I'd probably still sort the speaker. That way at least if you want to use it in the future it should at least work. I'm not sure a machine with a busted speaker really counts as mint anyway.
@@TheRetroShack Fair do's. P.S. I've just checked my copies of the Spectrum+ user guide and they both have the price on the back too. I suspect that it was just a PR stunt by Uncle Clive to make it seem like you were getting something extra free chucked in.
Um yeah, that manual is at least a quarter of the size of the original Speccy ring-bound monster, which taught you programming, as well as having the complete set of BASIC commands and even a Z-80 machine code reference section, which I made heavy use of. After he bought Sinclair Research, Mr Sugar obviously felt this was a huge waste of money, believing he was flogging a plug-n-play game box and only snivelling nerds would miss the original manual. Edit: If this machine was pre-Amstrad, I guess Uncle Clive was still trying to save the company by shaving off cost?
Back in the days when I had nothing better to do in the evenings than read a programming manual.... Unlike now when I'm a social animal... Or then again...
@@TheRetroShack Hehe us snivelling nerds did ok for ourselves! I remermber my friend's dad sniffing at us as we bent over our Speccies saying "So what are those good for anyway?"...
I''ll be in dilemma too.. you couldn't go wrong which ever way... but.. if you choose the first option.. I'll get to see the video of that recapping, speaker replacement and all the stuff that you do with it... OOhh!! what a dilemma...
What a great price for a lovely machine. I'd do minimal work, like fixing the speaker, and enjoy it as intended. That said your probably did another video about it since, so I'll go look for that now!
There’s plenty of on the shelf museum pieces around, the Speccy is not a rarity. Fix the speaker and do the recaps and cv mod, then let’s see the Plus played with!
I mean, the market niche they were designed for basically didn't exist once the home computer price war tore hundreds off the price of everything else. There was only a limited amount of time where Sinclair's digital doorstops made sense here. Tandy and TI both developed machines to fit into the Sinclair niche, and then the price war drove prices of the higher-end machines down to the cost of the new machines before they even launched. It is also my understanding that at the time, the typical US household had more disposable income than the typical UK household. So why settle for a Timex-Sinclair when a Commodore, TI, or Atari was within your grasp? (Similarly, disk drives seem to have been a much more common option here, because the added expense was not breaking the bank.)
@@CptJistuce Commodore 64s didn't cost too much more than a Speccy after they'd been out for a year or so you just got stiffed by having to buy proprietary components like tape decks. I had a C64 and it was leagues ahead of the speccy, and it's sound was way ahead of it's time.
What makes that mains plug dangerous and illegal is'nt the fact it's not moulded, it's that it has'nt got the insulation around the Live and Neutral pins. If you have a plug with insulation around the Earth pin then get rid of it immediately. Whatever it's connected to will not be Earthed. :)
I recently bought a speccy + case. Is it the norm that where the membrane clamps are, you get a ever so slight bulge on the top? I notice in this vid there appears to be very slight bumps on the top?
I’ve got a few of these and can’t say I’ve noticed this before - I’ll take a look tomorrow. Bit scared I might be able to see something I can’t then ‘unsee’ :) :)
Does anyone know why the BASIC command of IN 31 (to monitor a Kempston Joystick interface) would generate a number even when not interface is connected, makes any games set to use a Kempston interface impossible to play? This is on my own ZX Spectrum + 48K
i bought a 48K issue 2, came with a WH Smith cassette player, cost me about £50 .. all looked ok at first but no sound and no games loaded. It turned out it needed a new ULA which at £35 was over half of what i paid for it, i could have bought a modern equivalent but due to 'that virus' no one had any in stock ... moral of the story is, if you have a working ULA in that thing then you'd be strongly advised to look after it, they're becoming rarer than rocking horse poo
Recap, fix speaker, mod it and use it. I can’t see the point in putting it back in the box and sticking it on a shelf. Put the box on the shelf, if you like!
Too many other things really to consider. If it was me. Test the power supply. Research what was in the box. Replace the speaker. That's it. If you have all the stuff in the box and a genuine power supply and an of the period speaker I would shelve it as you have already working models. If your not going to keep as a shelve item go mad and refurbish. To me mib is the manuals and machine and power as it was and being an opened unit you dont know if the manual or power is as it was purchased. Research will be key but I have a feeling that manual is not the one back in the day so not really a shelf item is it ?
Please replace the speaker so you have a fully working spectrum. If you use the same original speaker its still in original state! IMHO recapping these kinds of electrolytic capacitors is not needed. Recapping is only needed for capacitors that are in a hot place, and have dried out and have developed an internal resistance or have leaked dielectrics and that is unusual with these kind of caps, it only happens with much larger caps in the supply etc. You can do patches , but make sure they can be reversed. Have fun with your nearly mint Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ 48K. You could check if this is the original Spectrum + manual, or an aftermarket product, but my guess is that it is the original booklet. Cassette cables are not really needed, (because of the sd-card loading device, and the plethora of sources where you can find software for it) but if you somehow still need to load something from cassette you can still buy TRS (Tip Ring Sleave Jack plug) cables cheaply, finding mono ones (with TR plugs) might be a bit harder, but stereo cables will work as well.
absolute steal, great condition . not sure about the power supply, looked like it said it was a 1amp the original brick is a 1.4 amp . using that expansion device is going push it a bit close i would think ? .. ohh you cant leave it without a voice...
It's not in perfect condition and certainly not all original. The PSU is for the older rubber key variant. There are scratches and marks on the casing. Not all the leads are there. The box is shabby and the lower poly is shot at. I would say get it upgraded with replacing the caps and a mod to composite at least.
I bought a boxed Spectrum Plus for much less. Then I found a boxed rarer Sinclair Spectrum + with a Spanish keyboard, not the Inves clone, and I have both of them in my collection.
i got lucky on ebay 6 years ago and got a boxed samsung made spectrum 48k + for just £12.50 had to take keyboard apart to get it to work.The samsung models have better better membranes its a different material ,Now all the retro machines have gone up to stupid prices you did well finding it so cheap in 2021 do all the mods you want to it .
Regardless of what you decide, I don’t like the idea of putting it back in the box. We already know plastics, pvcs, styrofoam etc all react with each other, and the original box is rarely ever a good storage idea. I say display the box on the shelf, and do a full cleanup, a new power supply, speaker replace and quick recap then use the hell out of it for the next 20 years. Perhaps make it your “primary” Speccy for the next 12-24 months creating loads of content for your channel that no doubt we will all watch eagerly.
I say fix it up at least as without a working speaker it's not complete anyway. To me that keyboard membrane looks as if it has already been replaced the original one would have been more yellow coloured and not as shiny from what I've always seen, plus there would have been at least some cracks in the plastic even if not broken.
Make the mods and enjoy the heck out of the old games on it. I had Timex/Sinclair 2068 and wish I still had it just to play Fighter Pilot and Tomahawk on it and not to mention the stuff I wrote for it. What a fun time but I was also 40 years younger LOL!
Capacitor changes shouldn't really be needed on this vintage. It's become (honestly) a bit of a bore that it's one of the first things that need doing.
I didn’t say any of it was difficult - I’ve done hundreds of repairs like this - this is more of a moral question that I thought would be interesting to ask and would provoke some debate - which it has :) :)
Keep it as original as possible, but fix what needs to be fixed. That means repairing the speaker. I am generally against recapping just for the heck of it, but for a machine as mint as this one this would really spoil the mintness.
It’s crying out to be used! You know you want to! Light use and it’ll last a while I’d imagine! After all it’s what your channel is about surely? So yes I’d say get the soldering iron plugged in! 😉
if it was me, i would refubrish anything that is dodgy or broken and play with it as is, but let it live in the box on the days you not use it let's face it it is not a unused unit, so there is no aded value in keeping it in current state, the tape , and book different story, but it is like buying a clasic car with all the factory accesories you can use it as daily driver and kill it in due time, keep it as a clasic car for events and special ocasions or store it as if there was no other units of it's kind left in the wild for me it is the 2nd option, nice unit for special ocasions, daily driving is out of the question due to how world evolved and museum piece is well too far gone for safe keeping
Hmm... seems I'm in the minority after voting to leave it as is. Shame really, I'd of thrown in a bag of replacement caps in the box and cleaned the case & keys; and stored it away. Anyway, if the poll continues the way it is... Mod the sweet jebus out of it!!! :D
Its missing the tape leads and the bottom of the case is scratched as well as the wonky speaker so not really mint. Never really understood people who buy a computer, console or game then leave it sitting in its box on a shelf, and dont get me started on those numpties who dont even open the box. These things are meant to be played and enjoyed, they are much more than glorified ornaments.
Changing the capacitors in this machine does not make any sense. The quality in the mid 1980s was reasonable, and the chances are high that this almost 40 year old capacitors will live longer than modern capacitors from China. Do never repair anything which is not broken! Which means of course: Replace the loudspeaker.
Printing a price on the manual was a tax thing. In putting a price on it allowed for the manufacturer to claim back some vat on the 'value' of the 'publication' for every unit sold as books had special VAT rules. While this wouldn't be that much (likely 50p or so) it all went to the Sinclair philosophy of cost reducing everything. Its also a trick that home catalogue companies used to offset the cost of their 'free' catalogues as not only did it mean less VAT it also meant that they could count the catalogues as 'gifts' for tax offsetting at the corporate level. (not sure if Sinclair would have got this tax break as well). Also it is possible that in the deal between the printer DK Ltd and Sinclair Research Ltd it allowed for people to purchase replacements for lost manuals direct with DK and likely outsourced most of the effort to produce the manual as well.
This comment has blown my mind. Suddenly it becomes clear why the local free newspaper we used to have delivered used to have a price on the header!
It is always good to get something back from the government! Good job Sir Clive on benefiting the consumers and passing on cost savings!
@@hernancoronel Yeah, why build a school, a road or a bridge with the money when we can give it to Sir Clive. Makes perfect sense.
I remember getting my Zx Spectrum + , Christmas '84 as a 8 year old and it was faulty. Imagine my disappointment! I remember my dad braving Boxing Day sales, racing to Dixon'sand finding that there was a faulty batch and everyone was returning them and they had no new stock. We discovered Boots had stock and we had to get a refund from Dixon's and repurchase from Boots. Racing home all excitedly with our new machine we stopped outside a Chinese for a takeaway, only to lock ourselves outside the car! We had to call the police to help and we didn't get home to really late. We finally got the new machine out and it worked except..... It was missing several keys. Queue a return to Boots the very best day. Finally the third replacement turned out to be ok! I think Dad vowed never to buy another computer as a present ever again!
Oh dear! What a nightmare Christmas for your younger self! Glad it all got sorted in the end though :)
Same thing for me at Christmas with my 48k+ from Dixons. Except it was Christmas Day 1986.
Honestly, go as crazy as you want with the mods. This model isn't rare, there's lots of great examples in original condition, and it's so cheap for you that it would be worth giving it a go. Plus, it's your machine. Personally I would love to see how far you can go with this. Might be super nice to pull out this original box and reveal a hyper-custom machine inside.
Trust me, he'll go all out refurbishing it. Do you think he can do a video showing himself placing the box on the shelf? There's no monetisable content in that 🤣🤣
modding vintage computers is 90% of retro computing enjoyment - creating period correct collections may be the main interest to some retro hobbyist but that makes for mostly boring video content
4:41 A correctly fitted & decent quality non-moulded plug has only one disadvantage I know of .. its IP rating. Still perfectly acceptable for indoor-only use. It's the ones with unshielded pins which are less safe.
I've seen some rather dodgy moulded plugs in my time.
Non moulded mains plugs are not unsafe when properly wired!
The problem with the one you have here is the lack of sleeving/insulation on the live and neutral pins.
‘Not safe’ by modern regulations :) I’ve got loads of machines with plugs on like this :) You’re right about the sleeving!
Fitted properly plugs with pin sleeves are fine and in some scenarios where excessive pre-fitted cable length might be a safety hazard it is arguably safer to replace the pre-moulded plug with a non-moulded one. The Unsafe part comes from expecting every member of the public to be competent with wire cutters (if they even owned them... I remember my Dad fitting plugs using my Mom's good scissors to remove insulation and getting a row for ruining them!) and a screwdriver to be able to properly fit them. This is why regulations now require moulded plugs on all new equipment.
Can you explain lack of sleeving/insualation please?
I thought, as long as the wires were of the correct length to the 'pins' if the cable was to be accidentally tugged hard, the necessary cable 'should' come disconnect first and thus reduce the chance of shock?
@@neilo3476 We are talking about the pins outside the plug. Without sleeving on those, it's possible to hold the plug with fingers touching live and neutral when plugging in. There is a risk that the pins will become live before the plug is fully inserted. Modern plugs have sleeved pins to prevent this.
@@ThePoxun I agree. Back then, all appliances came without plugs. When they did, they were NOT moulded. Hardly anyone I knew was careful about fitting them. I learned at a young age to tin the terminals, as pre-tinned live & neutral wires were pretty rare. So a carefully-fitted plug, with proper strain relief was safe as houses.
It's in lovely condition, but not "gawk at its beauty through museum glass" condition.
Do all the mods and joy the final product that truly is something of a steal.
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
For that price you would expect the box with a pack of mints in it.
That's what I half expected to find :) :)
I would have more faith in the original spectrum PSU once given the once over than a cheap SMPSU wall wart from China. 😕
3:51
I have seen product manuals with prices on them from a handfull of different markets. Automotive, commercial cooking appliance, hobby grade R/C cars/trains/etc, even the Campbell's soup cookbook is in it's nature a product owners manual.
These only exist in markets where the end user actually owns the product and csn use it as they see fit. These manuals tell the user how to make the product work, not warn against drinking toxic chemicals. And the apply to more than one serial number or production run.
I would at least fix the speaker. I think you can get that kind of speaker pretty easily on eBay anyway, so you shouldn't need to scavenge parts. Also, it could just be that there's a broken joint that needs reflowing. All that I'd consider a repair. There's certainly no harm in using the diagnostics ROM to be sure it's good. If you don't want to do a full recap, I'd at least see about checking the caps to see if they're still good, and do the recap if you find there are some bad ones. Other than that, I don't see much point in changing too much if it's primarily going to be a display piece, though personally I think it'd be better to get some use out of it: they were made to be used, after all!
It's certainly a steal at the price, even if the speaker isn't working!
3:50 the user guide was bundled with the ZX spectrum +. I had one supplied with mine. (The 48K spectrum and later Amstrad 128 manuals looked a lot better though!)
Hi Sir! IMHO Recap, replace the speaker and composite mod but without that board. Do an reversible composite mod using only a 100uf 16v cap. No need for those fancy PCB's. It is just dessolder the wire from Mobo to rf box and place the cap, dessoler the resitor leg inside box and dessolder 5v wire from mobo to rf box. It stays almost original and can be reversed
I got one of these in much tidier condition, barely used as stored in someone's loft for several decades for £40. Couldn't believe my luck when I spotted the Facebook Marketplace listing.
I've had one from new in Christmas 1984, but hasn't been used in years. Still look fondly back to those times when computing was far more fun and life less stressful as a teenager.
Whatever else you do or don’t do, PLEASE fix that poor speaker!
Concerning the box contents:
1. The tape leads are missing.
2. The PSU is in the old ZX81-styled case. (There was never a PSU styled to match the rubber-key Spectrum.) I’m not certain, but I’d have thought that a late-issue Spectrum+ would have come with the newer, restyled PSU that matched its case; it was more squared off and had horizontal lines across it like the Spectrum+. Unless only the Spectrum 128 came with that style…?
3. Someone else said they got both the User Guide Companion Cassette and Horizons with their Spectrum+. They shouldn’t; Horizons (though a much better intro cassette overall) had a large section devoted to learning the rubber-key keyboard layout, which would have been wholly inappropriate on the Spectrum+. Besides, the newer cassette had an updated keyboard tutor as I recall. Nice that your copy is still shrink-wrapped.
Tape leads! Of course, they should have been in there!! Darn it! :)
I got one last year (or the year before, time flies), absolutely mint condition, even the box was in mint condition. Manuals, styrofoam, the lot. All literally as good as new.
If the previous owner had told me he'd bought it new just the week before I would've believed him.
Oh, and I got it for free, too.
Thank you for such a cool nostalgic trip down the memory lane. This was my first computer. Bought it in either Jan or Feb 1985 (don't remember exactly) in London. My mom was a project manager/COBOL programmer for Yugoslav Airlines, so we flew from Belgrade to London, mostly to get this, although I managed to go see The London Zoo and The British Museum during that trip, too. I also recall getting a little Casio PT-1 during that same trip. I really wanted a Commodore 64, but there were some weird computer import restrictions back in my birth country, so the Spectrum+ was the best we could bring in at the time. I don't regret it, as it had much better BASIC than the C64 (although I recall the Simons BASIC C64 cartridge remedying the situation), which paved the way for me to eventually becoming a programmer. I got a PC XT in 1988 and Spectrum+ was sold in 1991 or so to my mom's coworker, but I have such fond memories from this time. I absolutely adored that Hobbit game, as well as the book. I never got into the movies much, but that game was so captivating. A friend used to tease me why I was interested in such an "old" game as they were prettier looking games for the speccy back in 1986, but the Hobbit game really captured my imagination like few others did. I surely hope you did all the mods and fixed the speaker, as this machine still has a ton of value if it can be hooked to a modern TV/monitor and such. Emulators are cool, but they just don't feel the same, and, honestly, so many Spectrum games were some of the most original and creative games ever made, even though they don't look too great by today's standards. But playing them on a quirky little machine from the 80's is just so much more fun than using the emulator, as much as I love modern PC's.
I've never seen those "putting them back in the box" retro computers videos you speak of.
Maybe I've landed on a new thing? :) :)
I bought an Atari 800XL mint in the box a couple of years ago. Everything was minty fresh and perfect. I was so happy about my purchase. Nonetheless, about 20 hours of use into it, it died. Probably just needs a recap, maybe, hopefully, but I haven't found the time to do it.
Service the keyboard for dust etc and put a Sizif 512 inside use an extender for the sd card, magic button and reset button routed out one of the legs. Don't worry about the DB9 on the sizif it takes an actual Kempston interface through the edge connection
Already have a Sizif :) Check my video on it :)
If I (an American) purchase one of these '80s British produced home computers will it function properly on my TV or can I expect an 8-bit rendition of "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm okay" to play continuously.
Repair Speaker, Check capacitors and I stress *CHECK* and only replace if they are way out of spec, if not out of spec leave them..
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
Fix the speaker, shelve it. Until you get a minter model. Also check seriel number - many like early ones, but maybe one of the very last. So there is that to look into.
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :) ( I'm checking out the serial but I think it's a VERY late one :) )
I have a 48k+ which is equally minty and I'm gonna recap it until it begs me to stop! I think it was originally a rev 3 rubber key that got upgraded because it's printed with 'upgrade' on the base. It also came with both manuals, and the + manual does indeed have a price on it.
I don’t get the nostalgia for later Spectrums. The rubber-keyed-wonder machines were great, but after that, they were resting on their laurels while competitors innovated. Good find, though.
Thanks! :)
the plus keyboard was horrible. they looked nicer but I found it easier to type on the rubber keys of the original design. also remember having a mare replacing the membrane on the plus, something to do with the clamps and having to locate them precisely.
There was lots of innovation going on at the time in Sinclair, they were working on the QL, that was the whole focus at the time, so it figures that the specify would just get a restyle
Replace the speaker, it will still be original. And giving it a better RF output, ok to do! For the rest: do not change it's working! BTW, I still have a working Spectrum, just like this one, only ... I did put my original Spectrum into the keyboard case. Also I own a 3,5" discdrive unit, to be coupled at the expansion slot, giving a RF signal and a real Centronics printerport... I had a printer connected once... That died a long time ago. But the Speccie still works!
I would love to see you make the mods and upgrades to turn it into a regular-use computer. Great find and glad you weren't ripped off.
It really depends what you want to do with it. If you intend on using it then I'd say fill your boots and sort everything out. Much better to have something that you can enjoy and without the fear of the magic smoke potentially paying you a visit at any point. If you just want to display it, I'd probably still sort the speaker. That way at least if you want to use it in the future it should at least work. I'm not sure a machine with a busted speaker really counts as mint anyway.
Lol - it’s no longer what I want to do with it :) It’s up to the community :) :)
@@TheRetroShack Fair do's. P.S. I've just checked my copies of the Spectrum+ user guide and they both have the price on the back too. I suspect that it was just a PR stunt by Uncle Clive to make it seem like you were getting something extra free chucked in.
Um yeah, that manual is at least a quarter of the size of the original Speccy ring-bound monster, which taught you programming, as well as having the complete set of BASIC commands and even a Z-80 machine code reference section, which I made heavy use of. After he bought Sinclair Research, Mr Sugar obviously felt this was a huge waste of money, believing he was flogging a plug-n-play game box and only snivelling nerds would miss the original manual. Edit: If this machine was pre-Amstrad, I guess Uncle Clive was still trying to save the company by shaving off cost?
Back in the days when I had nothing better to do in the evenings than read a programming manual.... Unlike now when I'm a social animal... Or then again...
@@TheRetroShack Hehe us snivelling nerds did ok for ourselves! I remermber my friend's dad sniffing at us as we bent over our Speccies saying "So what are those good for anyway?"...
I''ll be in dilemma too.. you couldn't go wrong which ever way... but.. if you choose the first option.. I'll get to see the video of that recapping, speaker replacement and all the stuff that you do with it... OOhh!! what a dilemma...
:) And I thought I was stuck :)
speaker looked damaged to me when the camera was looking at the side. looks like someone poked something through the hole at the bottom.
That’s my conclusion too :)
Upgrade it out the wazoo. If there's going to be any work done which you haven't done before, this is the one to do it on and learn.
Kind of hoping that’s the way it goes :) :)
I'd change the caps, do the composite mod, and use it as my daily driver 48k speccy.
What a great price for a lovely machine. I'd do minimal work, like fixing the speaker, and enjoy it as intended. That said your probably did another video about it since, so I'll go look for that now!
There’s plenty of on the shelf museum pieces around, the Speccy is not a rarity. Fix the speaker and do the recaps and cv mod, then let’s see the Plus played with!
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
The Spectrum sound was so beepy, do you miss it enough to make the repair?
The ZX + was one of the best looking micros that was made. It's too bad they never cought on in the states.
Absolutely agree - lovely looking machines!
@@TheRetroShack I'd love to have a dead one or a case to wire in a SBC like a Raspberry Pi or similar machine to make it a modern computer.
One design flaw though, which the Spectrum Next has too: no home row markers on the 'F' and 'J" keys!
I mean, the market niche they were designed for basically didn't exist once the home computer price war tore hundreds off the price of everything else. There was only a limited amount of time where Sinclair's digital doorstops made sense here. Tandy and TI both developed machines to fit into the Sinclair niche, and then the price war drove prices of the higher-end machines down to the cost of the new machines before they even launched.
It is also my understanding that at the time, the typical US household had more disposable income than the typical UK household. So why settle for a Timex-Sinclair when a Commodore, TI, or Atari was within your grasp? (Similarly, disk drives seem to have been a much more common option here, because the added expense was not breaking the bank.)
@@CptJistuce
Commodore 64s didn't cost too much more than a Speccy after they'd been out for a year or so you just got stiffed by having to buy proprietary components like tape decks. I had a C64 and it was leagues ahead of the speccy, and it's sound was way ahead of it's time.
What makes that mains plug dangerous and illegal is'nt the fact it's not moulded, it's that it has'nt got the insulation around the Live and Neutral pins. If you have a plug with insulation around the Earth pin then get rid of it immediately. Whatever it's connected to will not be Earthed. :)
Great video, I just picked one of these up in simular condition 👍
I recently bought a speccy + case. Is it the norm that where the membrane clamps are, you get a ever so slight bulge on the top? I notice in this vid there appears to be very slight bumps on the top?
I’ve got a few of these and can’t say I’ve noticed this before - I’ll take a look tomorrow. Bit scared I might be able to see something I can’t then ‘unsee’ :) :)
yeah that manual came with it.
Cheers Baz!
Does anyone know why the BASIC command of IN 31 (to monitor a Kempston Joystick interface) would generate a number even when not interface is connected, makes any games set to use a Kempston interface impossible to play? This is on my own ZX Spectrum + 48K
i bought a 48K issue 2, came with a WH Smith cassette player, cost me about £50 .. all looked ok at first but no sound and no games loaded. It turned out it needed a new ULA which at £35 was over half of what i paid for it, i could have bought a modern equivalent but due to 'that virus' no one had any in stock ... moral of the story is, if you have a working ULA in that thing then you'd be strongly advised to look after it, they're becoming rarer than rocking horse poo
Anyone have a link to one of the PSU's used for the Plus / 48k in the video, or correct specs for the power requirements / tip size?
Hi, just replace the speaker 🔊 to have a working good machine, thanks to share with us ❤️
I'm not fussed for 'museum pieces' these machines were meant to be used.
Recap, fix speaker, mod it and use it. I can’t see the point in putting it back in the box and sticking it on a shelf. Put the box on the shelf, if you like!
Nice find. I say refurbish it and use it. Computers are meant to be used not looked at.
Well it looks like that's on the cards with a 76% vote for going full on with it :)
That keyboard membrane has been replaced.. what is going on?
No idea - how can you tell if it's original or not? I'll check :)
Too many other things really to consider. If it was me. Test the power supply. Research what was in the box. Replace the speaker. That's it. If you have all the stuff in the box and a genuine power supply and an of the period speaker I would shelve it as you have already working models. If your not going to keep as a shelve item go mad and refurbish. To me mib is the manuals and machine and power as it was and being an opened unit you dont know if the manual or power is as it was purchased. Research will be key but I have a feeling that manual is not the one back in the day so not really a shelf item is it ?
do all the upgrades
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
My Speccy Plus user guide has a price of £4.95 on the back cover.
That’s good to know :) :)
Please replace the speaker so you have a fully working spectrum. If you use the same original speaker its still in original state! IMHO recapping these kinds of electrolytic capacitors is not needed. Recapping is only needed for capacitors that are in a hot place, and have dried out and have developed an internal resistance or have leaked dielectrics and that is unusual with these kind of caps, it only happens with much larger caps in the supply etc.
You can do patches , but make sure they can be reversed. Have fun with your nearly mint Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ 48K.
You could check if this is the original Spectrum + manual, or an aftermarket product, but my guess is that it is the original booklet.
Cassette cables are not really needed, (because of the sd-card loading device, and the plethora of sources where you can find software for it) but if you somehow still need to load something from cassette you can still buy TRS (Tip Ring Sleave Jack plug) cables cheaply, finding mono ones (with TR plugs) might be a bit harder, but stereo cables will work as well.
absolute steal, great condition . not sure about the power supply, looked like it said it was a 1amp the original brick is a 1.4 amp . using that expansion device is going push it a bit close i would think ? .. ohh you cant leave it without a voice...
It's not in perfect condition and certainly not all original. The PSU is for the older rubber key variant. There are scratches and marks on the casing. Not all the leads are there. The box is shabby and the lower poly is shot at. I would say get it upgraded with replacing the caps and a mod to composite at least.
I bought a boxed Spectrum Plus for much less. Then I found a boxed rarer Sinclair Spectrum + with a Spanish keyboard, not the Inves clone, and I have both of them in my collection.
Yes, that's the original Doring Kindersly Spectrum+ manual.
Very much dumbed down with almost no programming information.
I noticed that - the original Speccy manual was really thorough and got me into programming. This one is much more simple.
"Mint in box" = needs to be returned to Dixons if my experience is anything to go by. ;)
That is the story of my old Commodore 16. It spent much of the first year of its short life back at Dixons!
Lol :) I must have been lucky - never had a computer (as a kid) that needed fixing :)
Just fix the speaker. Then use it.
i got lucky on ebay 6 years ago and got a boxed samsung made spectrum 48k + for just £12.50 had to take keyboard apart to get it to work.The samsung models have better better membranes its a different material ,Now all the retro machines have gone up to stupid prices you did well finding it so cheap in 2021 do all the mods you want to it .
Regardless of what you decide, I don’t like the idea of putting it back in the box. We already know plastics, pvcs, styrofoam etc all react with each other, and the original box is rarely ever a good storage idea. I say display the box on the shelf, and do a full cleanup, a new power supply, speaker replace and quick recap then use the hell out of it for the next 20 years. Perhaps make it your “primary” Speccy for the next 12-24 months creating loads of content for your channel that no doubt we will all watch eagerly.
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :) (Kind of hoping it gets to be my new primary though :) )
I would at least fix the speaker so it is in full working order. No need to start modding if you are not going to use it.
Very nice pick-up!
My advice to you is send it to me then you won't have that dilemma
Nice try!
It's a rare beast - the RF modulator wasn't rusty!
That's what I was thinking!
I say fix it up at least as without a working speaker it's not complete anyway. To me that keyboard membrane looks as if it has already been replaced the original one would have been more yellow coloured and not as shiny from what I've always seen, plus there would have been at least some cracks in the plastic even if not broken.
For this price - lucky you!😉
Lucky indeed! Always good to keep an eye on the classifieds :)
Good deal! Cheers
Thanks! I thought so :) :)
Make the mods and enjoy the heck out of the old games on it. I had Timex/Sinclair 2068 and wish I still had it just to play Fighter Pilot and Tomahawk on it and not to mention the stuff I wrote for it. What a fun time but I was also 40 years younger LOL!
If the case and keys are good then KEEP it. Don’t display it in the sun light because the white key writing will turn yellow with tile time!
New caps
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
Capacitor changes shouldn't really be needed on this vintage. It's become (honestly) a bit of a bore that it's one of the first things that need doing.
I don't see why you need to go through all that diagnostic and upgrade stuff when the speaker issue is NOT a difficult problem to solve.
I didn’t say any of it was difficult - I’ve done hundreds of repairs like this - this is more of a moral question that I thought would be interesting to ask and would provoke some debate - which it has :) :)
Keep it as original as possible, but fix what needs to be fixed. That means repairing the speaker. I am generally against recapping just for the heck of it, but for a machine as mint as this one this would really spoil the mintness.
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
It’s crying out to be used! You know you want to! Light use and it’ll last a while I’d imagine! After all it’s what your channel is about surely? So yes I’d say get the soldering iron plugged in! 😉
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
At least fix the speaker. They aren't really museum pieces. I have one that is in great shape, so lots of people have them. Fix it up and enjoy it.
The die has been cast :) Let's see what it lands on :)
I'd modify it- it's not mint enough for a displaypiece, keys show wear at tear and such.-
Fix it
You lucky bastard 😲
Repair and upgrade the unit. It's not as if there aren't museum examples of Spectrums out there,...
You can, if it's Linux Mint. Otherwise I wouldn't trust any mint in a box claims. Especially if it's an actual mint.
Machines like this are meant to be used, not to waste away on a shelf. Even machines in museums can be used by visitors; so change away.
rip the insides out and install a pi 3
You probably have loads of spectrums so maybe just keep this one in an original condition save for the speaker 😉
if it was me, i would refubrish anything that is dodgy or broken and play with it as is, but let it live in the box on the days you not use it
let's face it it is not a unused unit, so there is no aded value in keeping it in current state, the tape , and book different story, but it is like buying a clasic car with all the factory accesories
you can use it as daily driver and kill it in due time, keep it as a clasic car for events and special ocasions or store it as if there was no other units of it's kind left in the wild
for me it is the 2nd option, nice unit for special ocasions, daily driving is out of the question due to how world evolved and museum piece is well too far gone for safe keeping
it needs to be played..put the box on the shelf..
Package missing BASIC manual and audio cable. 10 RESTORE 1986
Replace speaker.
Get the sound working correctly and then leave it as a fully functioning ‘original’ machine.
refurb it
why not put it in the bin
Give it that "much loved look" with a hammer. No self respecting Speccy should look "mint" after 40 years.
Personal opinion replace the speaker only leave everything else original
Hmm... seems I'm in the minority after voting to leave it as is. Shame really, I'd of thrown in a bag of replacement caps in the box and cleaned the case & keys; and stored it away. Anyway, if the poll continues the way it is... Mod the sweet jebus out of it!!! :D
Its missing the tape leads and the bottom of the case is scratched as well as the wonky speaker so not really mint. Never really understood people who buy a computer, console or game then leave it sitting in its box on a shelf, and dont get me started on those numpties who dont even open the box. These things are meant to be played and enjoyed, they are much more than glorified ornaments.
I am going to have to say it, but you lucky bugger.
I know, right?! :)
Definitely not "Mint" with that scuff on the bottom case.
I hate collectors because they drive prices up.use it or loose it. Don't shelve it.
Changing the capacitors in this machine does not make any sense. The quality in the mid 1980s was reasonable, and the chances are high that this almost 40 year old capacitors will live longer than modern capacitors from China. Do never repair anything which is not broken! Which means of course: Replace the loudspeaker.
Referb
fix it mod it...stick it on the shelf it will eventually die