ZX Interface 2
The ZX Interface 2 is a peripheral from Sinclair Research for its ZX Spectrum home computer released in September 1983. It has two joystick ports and a ROM cartridge slot, which offers instant loading times. The joystick ports are not compatible with the popular Kempston interface, and thus do not work with most Spectrum games released prior to the launch of the ZX Interface 2. In addition, the pass-through expansion bus provided was stripped, only allowing a ZX Printer to be attached.
Released titles
Availability of cartridge software is very limited. The cost was almost twice as much as the same game on a cassette tape. The majority of Spectrums sold were 48 KiB RAM models so software publishers were producing games much larger than the 16 KiB cartridge capacity.
Only ten games were commercially released:
- Jetpac
- PSSST
- Cookie
- Tranz Am
- Chess
- Backgammon
- Hungry Horace
- Horace and the Spiders
- Planetoids
- Space Raiders
Paul Farrow has demonstrated that it is possible to produce custom ROM cartridges, including the ability to exceed the 16 KiB design limitation of the ROM cartridges.[1]
Joystick ports
The interface two comes with two joystick ports that (unlike the Kempston which used the IN31 command) are mapped to actual key presses. Player 1 is mapped to 6–0 and player 2 is mapped to 1–5. This initially seemed at odds with Sinclair's own keyboard layout, given that the keyboard itself has the cursor keys mapped to 5–8 with 0 typically being used by games as a fire button. Joystick interfaces that mapped to the cursor keys are available, but like the popular Kempston interface they are limited to supporting a single joystick only. It is the twin joystick feature of the ZX Interface 2 that turned out to be its major selling point.[2]
See also
- ZX Interface 1 — a peripheral with ports for ZX Microdrives, RS-232 serial units, and ZX Net cables (for connection to a ZX Net local area network)
External links
- Detailed information on Interface 2
- List of ROM cartridges available for Interface 2
- Information at Planet Sinclair
- Hardware feature from Sinclair User — December 1983
Notes
- v
- t
- e
Science of Cambridge
related systems
- ZX80 based: MicroAce, TK80, NE-Z80
- ZX81 based: Apply 300, AS-1000, Lambda 8300, CP-200, CZ 2000, CZ 1000, CZ 1500, CZ 1000 Plus, CZ 1500 Plus, CZ Spectrum, NE-Z8000, Ringo R-470, TK82C, TK83, TK85
- ZX Spectrum based: ATM, Pentagon, CZ Spectrum Plus, Didaktik, Dubna 48K, Hobbit,Scorpion ZS-256, Sprinter, Kay 1024, Komputer 2086, TK90X, TK95, Robik, ZX Spectrum Next
- QL based: CST Thor, One Per Desk, Q40/Q60
- Other: SAM Coupé, Jupiter Ace
- ZX Printer
- ZX Interface 1
- ZX Interface 2
- ZX Microdrive
- TS2040 Printer
- Neptun 156 Monitor
- TS2050 Modem
- FDD Disk Drive
- FDD3000 Disk Drive
- Clive Sinclair
- John Pemberton
- Rick Dickinson
- Richard Altwasser
- Steve Vickers