This means pretty much any 9-pin joystick wired in the Atari 2600 switch to wire set up will work.
#SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM INTERFACE 2 MINIDISC CODE#
Its joystick ports support Kempston (right port), Protek (left port) and Sinclair joystick code standards. Released only a year later, the RAM Turbo addressed the two main issues with the Interface 2. The ROM cartridge port does work as advertised but as the cartridges only support 16kB of data and most Sinclair ZX Spectrum systems were shipped or upgraded to 48kB of memory they weren't very desirable. The pass through interface is modified to only allow use with the Sinclair printer and the joystick ports don't support the popular (at the time) Kempston or Protek joystick protocols. Sounds great but in reality it's pretty limited. In 1983 to address this Sinclair released the Interface 2 that adds two joystick ports, a pass through interface and a ROM cartridge port. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum doesn't natively have any joystick ports and instead relies on keyboard input. Regardless of the name, the RAM Turbo doesn't add any RAM to the ZX Spectrum computer. (also known as Fleet Electronics Ltd.) the 'RAM Turbo' was designed to outdo the official Sinclair ZX 'Interface 2' with which it shares and similar casing. Personal Computer Joystick and Pass Through Component - Dismantled for reference and curiosity RAM Turbo Add-on for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum These drives were re-engineered by ICL for greater reliability, and used a format incompatible with both ZX and QL Microdrives.RAM Turbo Add-on for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Computer In addition to the QL versions, dual internal Microdrives were included in the related ICL One Per Desk system (also badged as the Merlin Tonto and Telecom Australia Computerphone). It was however possible to connect ZX Microdrives to a QL by putting a twist in the cable. These were never produced, probably due to lack of demand. The QL also included a Microdrive expansion bus allowing the attachment of up to six external QL Microdrives. Mechanically the drives were similar however they ran slightly slower, and had a take-up acceleration start instead of the instant start of the ZX Spectrum drives, putting less strain on the cartridges. These were very similar to the ZX Microdrive, but used a different logical format, allowing each cartridge to hold at least 100 kB. Microdrives were also used as the native storage medium of the Sinclair QL, which incorporated two internal drives. The Sinclair QL featured dual internal Microdrives
The cartridges were relatively expensive (initially sold for £4.95 each, later reduced to £1.99). Also the "write protection" was software-based so that a computer crash could erase the data on an entire tape in 8 seconds. The tapes stretched during use (giving them a short life span) eventually rendering the data stored unreadable. The system acquired a reputation for unreliability. Ī total of eight ZX Microdrive units could be connected to the Interface 1 by daisy chaining one drive to the next via an electrical connector block. This procedure was widely documented in the Sinclair community magazines of the 1980s. This caused the tape to stretch slightly, increasing the length of the tape loop so that more sectors can be marked out on it. It was possible to "expand" the capacity of a fresh microdrive cartridge by formatting it several times. The data retrieval rate was 15 kB/s, i.e., 120 kbit/s. The cartridges held a minimum of 85 kB when formatted on a ZX Microdrive (exact capacity depended on the number of "bad" sectors found and the precise speed of the Microdrive motor when formatting). Microdrives used tiny (44 mm × 34 mm × 8 mm (1.73 in × 1.34 in × 0.31 in) including protective cover) cartridges containing a 5-metre (200 in) endless loop of magnetic tape, 1.9 mm (0.075 in) wide, driven at 76 cm/second (30 in/second) thus performing a complete circuit in approximately 8 seconds. This consisted of Interface 1, a Microdrive, a blank cartridge and several cartridges containing Tasword Two (a word processor), Masterfile (a database), Quicksilva's Games Designer and Ant Attack games, and an introductory cartridge. Later, in March 1985, the ZX Spectrum Expansion System was launched for £99.95.
Connecting a ZX Microdrive to a ZX Spectrum required the ZX Interface 1 unit, costing £49.95, although this could be bought packaged with a Microdrive for £79.95. The Microdrive was comparatively cheap (£49.95 at launch) and technologically innovative but also rather limited. Opened microdrive cartridge, with a cassette tape for comparison
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