The ZX Spectrum, released in 1982 by British manufacturer Sinclair Research, stands as an iconic landmark in the history of personal computing. Sporting a distinctive rubber-keyed keyboard and an 8-bit Z80 microprocessor, the Spectrum quickly gained popularity as an affordable home computer, introducing countless individuals to the world of programming and gaming.
One of the ZX Spectrum’s most significant impacts was its role in democratizing computing. Priced competitively, it made home computing accessible to a broader audience, fostering a generation of enthusiasts and budding programmers. The inclusion of the BASIC programming language in its ROM allowed users to write and execute their own programs, sparking a grassroots programming culture. This accessibility played a pivotal role in shaping the digital literacy landscape in the 1980s.
Inside the case (📷: AirrrOk)
This computer also played a crucial role in the evolution of the gaming industry. With its vibrant color graphics and a diverse library of games, it became a platform for innovation and creativity. Classic titles like “Manic Miner,” “Jet Set Willy,” and “Elite” captured the imagination of users and laid the groundwork for the gaming culture we know today.
Despite the system’s many hardware limitations, the community that sprang up around it created an ecosystem that still draws the interest of people to this day. One of these individuals is YouTuber and electronics hobbyist AirrrOk. Fueled by nostalgia, AirrrOk built a laptop inspired by the ZX Spectrum for retro computing on the go. While the internal components may all be modern, the experience is very convincing if you do not peek inside the case.
The clamshell-style case is black with authentic-looking rainbow logo stickers for flair. Opening the case reveals a small LCD display and a chiclet keyboard that looks unpleasant to type on and far too small for human hands — just like the original ZX Spectrum. Sometimes subpar components are a feature.
Construction of the keyboard (📷: AirrrOk)
The laptop has 128 KB of memory and is powered by a VCC-GND STM32F407VET6 Mini Board running a ZX Spectrum emulator. An Arduino-compatible Pro Micro development board was included to handle processing inputs from the keyboard. The entire system is powered by a 380 mAh rechargeable LiPo battery, which is good for about two hours of use. A small thumb controller was built into the case to serve as a joystick, and a few switches and dials were included for power, reset, and volume adjustment capabilities.
Some details are provided on GitHub, but not a complete build guide. However, there is enough information for an experienced hobbyist to build their own version of the laptop. It would be interesting to see variants of this project for retro enthusiasts that are not big fans of the ZX Spectrum. Perhaps you are more interested in the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, or the Tandy Color Computers? We would love to see them made into laptops! Be sure to post your own projects to Hackster.io!
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
