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Spectrum Peripherals

bbcmicro

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
707
Location
Scotland
A looong time ago I recieved a Sinclair/Amstrad Spectrum +2 in its polys with a very tatty sleeve, cassette unit cover missing, a tempremental RHF output, a big box of tape games, and a couple of pieces of hardware. I don't particularly like the +2, and all the hardware and software is 48k compatible, and I really fancy one of those instead so I am going to swap at some point.

However, some of the peripherals do not work properly.

I am I possesion of the following:

Sound sampling kit with box and software, no microphone
-When plugged in, I get scrambled display

'Specdrum' >groan!< Drum sysnthesiser, boxed with software - Scrambled display

'Cheetah Microspeech' boxed with software- Speech system, when plugged in, another scrambled display.

I am beggining to detect a pattern here...

Cheetah Joystick adapter - Not sure, never needed it as +2 has its own joystick ports

These all plug into the expantion port on the back. Some of these dont physically fit very well :- They plug in but buttons/switches are obstructed by the computer's case, which makes me think they were specifically for the 48 or 128K.


Is the Spectrum or the hardware at fault here? I just want to know if the hardware is salvagable. Judgung by the musty smell it had all been stored in a garage or attic for quite a while, although there were no signs of damp.
 
Since you are getting the same problems with multiple accessories, the Spectrum is likely to be at blame. Best thing would be to get another and to test the theory :D
 
Perhaps the expansion bus connector can be cleaned? Otherwise, get or borrow another Spectrum of some kind to check if these hardware expansions work properly. Maybe even check whatever FAQ or forum there is whether these items are supposed to work with the +2 model.
 
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