I’ve bought one of these wonderful DIVMMC boards via eBay and though mine got squashed during delivery (not terminally so) I’ve really enjoyed it. What I want to know is… Are there further developments for it’s ROM?
Finally, I’ve drawn-up and 3d printed myself a case for mine. Would you mind terribly if I were to throw it up on thing verse or would that upset you?
The firmware used for the DivMMC EnJOY!, ESXDOS, is still being developed.
There are two websites for ESXDOS: http://www.esxdos.org and http://board.esxdos.org.
Although there aren’t many updates there, I know there is still work done, and I’m hoping for a new release soon.
The PlusDlite will be offered on the webshop (check the link on the toolbar just under the ByteDelight logo on this page) very soon, probably this evening!
Il PlusDlite sarà offerto sul webshop (controllare il link sulla barra degli strumenti appena sotto il logo ByteDelight in questa pagina) molto presto, probabilmente questa sera!
And,would it be worth mentioning on this page which of these ULA’s use which work-arounds (dead spider, cockroach, maybe others)? Then we have it all complete on one location 😉
Hmm, good one, but do you know if that information is gathered somewhere already? Otherwise I’ll have to ask others for it as I’ve not worked on that many boards with e.g. the cockroach.
Is it possible to use TR-DOS disks with this interface?
I see from the manual that G+DOS is loaded from the “+SYSTEM.CDE” file on the system disk — could TR-DOS be loaded similarly (provided that TR-DOS exists as a file that could be put on a system disk in the first place)?
Interesting, it seems that documentation for esxDOS is very limited because I would happily look into taking on this challenge myself. I can see why +3 basic wasnt supported especially as the 48k is available to most of them. It’s a little surprising that its took so long for this to come up but …
What about converting a tap file to microdrive, would this be supported natively with the set up? Excuse the question if its dump I’ve only ordered my DivMMC this week and I am still waiting for it hence dont know if anything is available.
The 128 and +3 BASIC ROMs have completely different entrance points for routines compared to the 48 BASIC ROM.
Since there isn’t much memory space for the ESXDOS developers to work with, it’s not easy or maybe simply impossible to add support for these ROMs.
I read that there is a customized 128 BASIC ROM that can be activated with the ESXDOS 0.8.6 RC1 release.
Not sure what the possibilities are with that, probably no +3 floppy disk features.
And that customized ROM won’t be legal to distribute with DivMMC interfaces, so end-user only.
The DivMMC and many other interfaces won’t work with Interface1/Microdrive, PlusD, Disciple, Multiface or other interfaces that have their own ROM.
This is because the DivMMC copies the 48 BASIC ROM into its own RAM and keeps that paged in at all time.
So another interface will not be able to take over.
I am planning for a small interfaced that disables and enables ESXDOS by the push of a button.
That could help with transferring to e.g. Microdrive, but you still need some unwritten software tools to actually transfer.
Without modifications a game in a .TAP archive will not load from Microdrive.
Has almost all the operational components of the multiface it seems. Does this have a hex editor function like the multiface or could this be considered in a later revision?
It should be no problem at all, since the ZX-HD just probes if there are video memory changes, which is independent of the ROM inside the ZX Spectrum.
So the ULAplus commands in the SE BASIC ROM should work fine!
Ordered this a couple of weeks ago for my +2. I needed it because my speccy had pretty bad buzzing noise on the audio out port. Now I have crystal clear sound and I can enjoy playing my favorite games even more ! My soldering skills are amateur level at best but I’ve managed to solder the kit in under 30 minutes (including opening the speccy, cleaning the board a bit and adding an ear mod as well). Just pay attention to the included instructions and everything will be clear and easy.
Yes, it will fit.
But if you want to use the RGB output, an extra hole must be drilled in the case.
If you like that I can do that, just let me know when ordering.
I was thinking about putting together something along these lines after seeing an image on Google, but here you are… doing all the hard work for me and at a really nice price.
That’s a really beautiful piece of work ❤️ Would look great beside my Rubik’s Cube lamp ?
Great to see an option to purchase this in already assembled form. I wonder if the coloured LEDs can be re-oriented so instead of one colour per row, they are more like the spectrum logo, vertically slanted.
Hi! Will this Kempston / Sinclair Joystick interface work with DivMMC EnJOY! *mini*? Please say that it will work perfectly with my zx spectrum. thank you
A well-shipped package,
everything neatly packaged separately.
Clear manual.
Take the time to solder.
Use good tools.
First look at the video from Bytedelight, then you have an idea of the order of assembly.
I am happy with the result.
Will this work with a Gotek style USB drive that emulates a floppy disk drive. I believe they are effectively Shugart interfaces. I am probably going to buy one to work with my BBC just wondering if it would double up.
Well, I was discussing this on Facebook and I think the UNO XL or ZX-GO have the best of both worlds:
They’re fast and proper ZX Spectrum clones, and have SD and advanced video outputs (though not digital yet) available at the back.
But those additional connectors are put at the edge connector slot in the case, so no full edge connector by default.
The developers of those are still working on things like HDMI / DVI / DP, so most probably it will come.
But if someone would want to use lets say a PlusD interface or something, a breakout board should be added to get a full edge connector.
That breakout board does have proper protection for the FPGA though, which some think the Next lacks, which could cause defects, I’m not sure.
I need to test the DivGMX to find out what it is capable of.
If it’s interesting, I would design another version with features that I will discuss in forums.
But let’s first wait for the tests.
Yes, I should have the +2A/+3 PSU replacements available soon, but there was way too much work during the last months.
Fortunately the new production line is now running, so more time is coming!
This is an awesome product, been waiting patiently for it to become available. As far as I know its the only replacement psu for +3.
Had a failing psu, 12v side not functioning and therefore the floppy disk wasn’t spinning. This has fixed this of course, with the added bonu sof being lightweight and power button!
Only minor thing for me was the size of the power adapter, the unit itself is tiny but the plug is huge. Cheers Ben for making this available at last.
One of my friends, who is a 3D printing enthusiast, has created a case for this, to help it cope with caffeine-fueled gaming sessions: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3807997
So I’ve a related question, having recently become a Toastrack owner. Atic Atac (as an example) ran fine from my DivMMC Enjoy! Pro One on my 48k spectrum but crashes after the menu in the 128k’s USR0 mode, when loading the same file from the DivMMC.
Is there a way to get the Toastrack into proper 48k (USR0) mode when booting with a DivMMC attached? Or work around it by forcing RAMTOP to the 48k’s value?
I’ve got package 2 days ago. An usage of this product is amazing! It works perfectly with Spectrum 128 +2A. I was surprised that Ben noticed I’m from the Czech Republic so he “installed” the Czech version of the command “.speak”. Thank you:)
I’ve got 1 several weeks ago. Product is very solid build 🙂 Works perfect with ZX Spectrum 128 (toastrack) and also with 48k Speccy.
I am from Czech too, so i did some test with Czechoslovak clone called “Didaktik Gama”. It may work, but power plug in computer is too close to sd card slot in cartridge, so thanks to strong interferences, games did not load correctly. Maybe some shielding could be use – anybody any idea?
Ho comprato..anzi per essere precisi mio figlio mi ha regalato per il mio compleanno questa meravigliosa interfaccia ma chiedo come posso collegare un floppy goldex usb? Perché non ci sono istruzioni per poterli usare? Aiuto!!!! Aspetto vs istruzioni grazie Carlo dcgc@libero.it
I already own the basic version of the k-mouse card and it’s great. However, I need to ask you if you would consider selling the edge connector risers as a DIY addon kit?
My guess is that if they were in short supply of 8910s then they’d use an equivalent sound chip. Also if they were being pressured to keep the cost down then they’d go with cheaper chip. 10 if a$=”supplier” and b$=”available8910s” then goto 20
20 if b$<=a$ then goto 30
30 a$ supplies equivalent chip
Proper YM2149 chips (and the related family of similar sound chips) were manufactured by or on behalf of Yamaha. The Atari ST range uses a Yamaha YM2149F. In many respects the Yamaha version is a bit better.
The manufacturer that developed and produced the AY-3-8910 range of sound chips was bought my Microchip a long time ago. Not long after, production of these chips was discontinued. So there are no new AY-3-8910, no new AY-3-8912 or any other new chips in the same range.
On trading sites, any hard to get chips are often cleaned up ‘pulls’ taken from old equipment. They are reworked to clean up and re-tin the pins. The old markings are either cleaned off, sanded off or painted over. Then new screen printed markings are applied, often to give the impression that they are new chips. Never mind that they have been out of production for many, many years (in some cases over twenty years).
There is no guarantee that what you get will even be a working chip. Some EEPROM chips have been found to be un-programmable and some so called new CMOS Z80 and CMOS 65C02 processors have found to be slower older NMOS processors!
This was a lot of fun! Everything was perfectly packaged and easy to assemble. The instructions were amazing, to the last detail. I even got use the diagnostic cart once I failed to completely solder one of the IC sockets 🙂 Overall A+++ Thanks very much Ben.
The diagnostics cart was easy to assemble, especially given the great step-by-step instructions. All parts are of high quality and fit together perfectly. I’ve used it a few times now, and it has been great in diagnosing basic problems, or confirming stable machines. Even used it with a Harlequin 48K!
Hello.
No doubt a dumb question but what is a Raspberry PI?
Can I just purchase this kit to play my ZX Spectrum on my Panasonic HD TV, or do I need this Raspberry PI product?
The Raspberry Pi (model ‘Zero’ in this case), is a small board computer, which can operate standalone with a Linux distribution, or can be used to control hardware.
We have chose to use it with the ZX-HD, since the Raspberry Pi Zero carries a HDMI connector, for which license fees have been paid already.
The Raspberry Pi ‘listens’ to changes in video memory on the ZX Spectrum, and builds up its own HDMI buffer.
So the ZX-HD will only function with Raspberry Pi Zero, but I offer a kit without it since some people can obtain a Raspberry Pi Zero themselves cheaper.
Wow… I was really impressed by the completeness of the kit! All parts are sorted and labeled, Very clear and detailed instructions: Even a beginner should be able to assemble it. If you have some soldering skills and a soldering iron with a fine tip, there should be no problem getting this kit to work.
Highly recommended!
Feeling great! My Harlequin 128K burst into life on the first test this evening 🙂
Obviously, this is due to the excellent kit of parts and detailed instructions provided by you guys.
I just followed the instructions in the recommended order. I went slow, going one device at a time, it took over 10 hrs. What a great feeling to see it working so well.
Thank you!
Not yet, and most probably not with the current Raspberry Pi Zero board on it, since it is not fast enough to also process audio.
There was a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 released a couple of weeks ago, and my developer has spent some time looking into that as a successor to the Zero (1) for more features like audio.
Most ZX-HD users have external speakers or an amplifier to output audio.
Some TV’s allow you to use an analogue audio input when an HDMI video input is used.
The kit was put together so nicely and carefully. The difficult SMD parts are already presoldered, the other parts are easy to solder in. Even the legs of the resistors were pre-bent and only needed to be put into the holes. It was fun to build this cartridge.
Bought it to replace my old Disciple disk interface and it is a huge improvement.
Arrived (with a SD card) fully configured and worked straight from the box. The build quality is excellent! The usage is simple and clear!
Just a small comment: took me a while to understand that making a snapshot takes a while so first tries I thought it was stuck.
Works fantastic on my Spectrum 128 +2 (Grey).
Support from ByteDelight is beyond fantastic!
I gave myself a month to complete this board and completed in a week spending about 1 hour a day and was great building and learning to solder at the same time. I know it may not be as good as a seasoned person that can solder but it works and as I progressed, my soldering improved and is now my daily ZX Spectrum. For anyone new or seasoned to soldering, it is a great kit and easy to follow.
I just need to justify and do another now as I now have a new found love for soldering and fixing things.
Works great with my ZX-HD HDMI interface, and DIVMC Enjoy Pro One and also Pro Mini. Great to have clear, crisp sound coming from my Zx Spectrum 48K. Finishes off my Spectrum for the modern age! Thanks! 😀
Fantastic piece of kit. Excellent build quality and works perfectly. A must have for any Spectrum owner. Really happy with it. Just plug in and go. I’m really tempted now to invest in the ZX-HD.
Have loaded up the included SD card and now loading games with zero wait time, so much better. And been able to save snapshots with the press of a button makes games much easier to play, especially adventure games and such.
I have been soldering kits together since i was a teenager and now that i am retired i decided to order the Halrlequin through ByteDelight.
What a feast it was to assemble this kit, Ben went out of his way to make this kit super user friendly.
The numbered bags lead the way and the tips and hints in the manual are very useful and handy.
He even took the trouble to insert all the IC’s in the anti static foam in the order of assembly, it’s from front to back and from left to right, what a breeze!
I bought one of these kits a (long) while ago. As soon as I took it out of the box I was intimidated by the sheer amount of soldering to be done, as I am not super experienced with soldering. However, I recently started putting it together. I went slowly, step by step, and today I finished the soldering.
Here are my observations:
. Everything is really well laid out – most of the components are in separate, labeled bags.
. The instructions are very easy to follow. The only mistakes I made were from misreading on my part.
. While challenging, this kit can easily be assembled by an intermediate level solderer – and will give you lots of practice!
All in all, this is a super fun and rewarding kit. I would highly recommend it. And, don’t be intimidated – dive in!
No, those 2 interfaces would collide in several ways.
However, Spectranet can load games or any other software very quickly, once connected to a TNFS server.
Those ‘shares’ can carry thousands of games to load easily.
There are several TNFS servers available worldwide already, and there will be more in the future for sure.
You can also setup your own TNFS (locally or to the world), on Windows, Apple or Linux.
Just bought the 9V 2A PSU from you. It works perfectly on the ZX Spectrum 48K. Still using the old cassette tapes with the old Slipstream Data Recorder. But the problem with the PSU there is no cable with a switch. Always have to unplug the PSU to play another cassette tape (game). Is there a cable with a switch somewhere that can use on the 9V 2A PSU. Only see a 12V variant.
I can’t tell for sure, since I haven’t tested this myself, nor has someone told me yet.
Once I know, I can add it to the compatibility chart: https://www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=3605
It seems the cheaper versions of the TL866 (‘MiniPro’) are not available anymore, which is a real shame, since that is such a powerful device.
I have been looking on eBay or AliExpress, and find some potential successors, but since I haven’t tested those, it’s hard to tell if they do at least the same as the original TL866.
Maybe there is a completely different universal programmer available now, but I haven’t checked yet.
It’s good to discuss this with others on a forum, or on Facebook.
It is configured to be Shugart compatible, which is not 100% compatible to IBM/PC floppy disk interfaces: there are some minor differences with drive select and motor on signals.
However, two solutions are coming up:
1) I’m working on a Shugart to IBM/PC adapter, which is almost finished (need to test and see if modifications are needed). This will make it possible to connect a Shugart configured drive set, to a DOS machine, or another machine with IBM/PC interface (pinout).
2) The other solution is the new version of this drive set, which is also about to be available: this one has a new case (it took years to find this new version – only 2 case types are known to fit), which makes assembling a set way easier, and can be easily disassembled when needed. This also makes it very easy to swap out the ribbon cable with one that works with IBM/PC (pinout) interfaces.
Would rather have posted a nice review about the ZX-AY as before with the 9V 2A adapter. Haven’t received anything from you for 2 weeks and you don’t even respond to all my messages.
Arrived neatly and packaged very well. Unfortunately I haven’t tried the ZX-AY yet. Don’t know if it is possible to use with the ZX-HD and DivMMC Pro One.
Works perfectly the ZX-HD on the Toastrack. The only thing it gets a little warmer on the expansion connector. Maybe it’s because the DivMMC Pro One is behind it. Is it possible to also place the ZX-AY in between it. Have now no sound through the MIC output. Other than that I’m overjoyed that the Toastrack is working again. Bought it as faulty and thanks to the ZX-HD it has come back to life.
Have now two days and the picture quality is very sharp on my BenQ BL2420PT 24 inch HDMI monitor. It looks like a new experience and the ZX-AY works smooth with the ZX-HD and the DivMMC Enjoy! Pro One. Thanks Ben for bringing my Toastrack to life. It’s a big step forward than on my ZX Spectrum 48K. Which also works smooth with the ZX-HD. For now I enjoy intense with the 128K Games and Demos. Have to have the Toastrack motherboard checked with you next time. Hope that my new Order would be great to use in my ZX Spectrum Plus case.
Netjes binnen gekomen samen met de andere bestellingen. Is een mooie aanwinst voor mijn Toastrack. En werkt perfect met de ZX-HD. Is veel beter, dan mij vorige simpele Smart Card v2. Mij oude Suzo The Arcade Joysticks van Rotterdam werken er ook perfect op. Ben voorlopig zoet wat allemaal erop kan verwezenlijken.
It’s a beautiful black motherboard. All the chips are neatly arranged together. It fits perfectly in the ZX Spectrum Plus housing. It is a unique 128K clone, but with a modern twist. Will enjoy it for years to come and you can easily replace the chips on it. Thanks, Ben for the brand new HARLEQUIN motherboard.
The set is Shugart pinout compatible, I’m not sure if the Amiga has the same interface signals.
I think it does: I remember people assembling a PC drive into their Amigas.
The Dual Floppy Drive set has a 34 (2×17) pin IDC connector, so to use it as external drive for e.g. Amiga 500, you probably need an adapter.
If there is more demand for such, I may dig into it.
The difference in picture quality is astounding. Colors pop, visuals are razor-sharp, and the overall clarity is unmatched.
In short, if you adore ZX Spectrum, ZX-HD is a must-have. It’s not just a product; it’s a testament to preserving gaming history.
Thank you for quickly forwarding the second ZX Diag Cart and the small gifts.
In the meantime I have finished the video and you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/yu2b3dQ8VpQ
Thank you very much for the great work.
Yes, it should.
I think there are many persons using the PRO ONE together with a ZX-VGA-JOY.
The PRO ONE has a transparent throughput edge connector, and the ZX-VGA-JOY ‘listens’ to changes in video memory, so should not influence the DivMMC interface.
Just make sure to disable the joystick interface on one of the interfaces, when combined.
Or you could select e.g. Kempston joystick on one, and Sinclair joystick on the other, if you wish to play with 2 people.
Would it be possible to add PS/2 keyboard support to the same interface? That way you could house a clone board like a Harlequin in a desktop case and run an external keyboard and mouse to the board.
The ZX Spectrum keyboard is read out from the ROM quite nifty, but at the same time not easy to replace by something else, like an external interface.
So no, the K-Mouse Turbo won’t be able to do that.
I’ve produced a PS/2 keyboard interface which did the trick, but the microcontroller used on that, had the habit to lose it’s firmware from time to time.
So I discontinued it.
I am developing a true USB keyboard interface, of which you can find a prototype video on my YouTube channel.
Some people (but not many) use the first slot for the boot-up system card, and the second slot for a card with games and so on.
But of course you can do all of that with a single card as well.
It’s mainly a feature of the original DivMMC interface, that I also integrated in the DivMMC EnJOY! PRO ONE.
Those should and will work fine together.
Just remember to configure both devices to have non-conflicting joystick ports.
You could disable the joystick ports on one completely, or – if you want to play with 2 people – configure one as e.g. Kempston, and the other a Sinclair joystick.
I’m not planning on that, mainly since the ZX-HD itself has a throughput edge connector for that purpose.
The PlusDlite is a fairly large interface, and from experience I know that adding a throughput can result in some instability issues, for example a clock signal that will start behaving as an antenna.
Thanks Ben , I`ve had mine for a week now and the built quality is amazing,I 3d printed a case so its all protected now , well done Ben keep up the good work for these old retro computers!!!
I need to check my divMMC exDOS boot screen but I cannot do it because the nag screen (press RESET…) is hiding it. Is there any way to edit cmdline.txt and/or config.txt in order to get that?
and the unofficial part 4: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29011895
I’ve bought one of these wonderful DIVMMC boards via eBay and though mine got squashed during delivery (not terminally so) I’ve really enjoyed it. What I want to know is… Are there further developments for it’s ROM?
Finally, I’ve drawn-up and 3d printed myself a case for mine. Would you mind terribly if I were to throw it up on thing verse or would that upset you?
The firmware used for the DivMMC EnJOY!, ESXDOS, is still being developed.
There are two websites for ESXDOS: http://www.esxdos.org and http://board.esxdos.org.
Although there aren’t many updates there, I know there is still work done, and I’m hoping for a new release soon.
Bellissima!! Come faccio a comprarla e quanto costa?? Scrivimi se mi puoi dare ulteriori notizie ciao
The PlusDlite will be offered on the webshop (check the link on the toolbar just under the ByteDelight logo on this page) very soon, probably this evening!
Il PlusDlite sarà offerto sul webshop (controllare il link sulla barra degli strumenti appena sotto il logo ByteDelight in questa pagina) molto presto, probabilmente questa sera!
Save me one with a case 🙂
Very good type of kit, i’m very happy with it.
Great service and packing
Congratulations!
You desserve it Ben, keep up the excelente work you do to the Spectrum community!
Regards,
Daniel
And,would it be worth mentioning on this page which of these ULA’s use which work-arounds (dead spider, cockroach, maybe others)? Then we have it all complete on one location 😉
Hmm, good one, but do you know if that information is gathered somewhere already? Otherwise I’ll have to ask others for it as I’ve not worked on that many boards with e.g. the cockroach.
Is it possible to use TR-DOS disks with this interface?
I see from the manual that G+DOS is loaded from the “+SYSTEM.CDE” file on the system disk — could TR-DOS be loaded similarly (provided that TR-DOS exists as a file that could be put on a system disk in the first place)?
No, the PlusDlite doesn’t support TR-DOS files or disks.
The DivMMC EnJOY! SD card interface however does support TR-DOS disk images partially.
This is a fantastic product. never been able to load my favorite programs so quickly. and operation is so easy.
What a sharp picture. never seen such beautiful images from my zx spectrum.
Well made, product, working absolutely perfectly!
Why 2 card slots? What’s the use?
Some developers asked for it, and it was in the original design of the DivMMC interface.
Users who just play games won’t really use the second slot.
Interesting, it seems that documentation for esxDOS is very limited because I would happily look into taking on this challenge myself. I can see why +3 basic wasnt supported especially as the 48k is available to most of them. It’s a little surprising that its took so long for this to come up but …
What about converting a tap file to microdrive, would this be supported natively with the set up? Excuse the question if its dump I’ve only ordered my DivMMC this week and I am still waiting for it hence dont know if anything is available.
The 128 and +3 BASIC ROMs have completely different entrance points for routines compared to the 48 BASIC ROM.
Since there isn’t much memory space for the ESXDOS developers to work with, it’s not easy or maybe simply impossible to add support for these ROMs.
I read that there is a customized 128 BASIC ROM that can be activated with the ESXDOS 0.8.6 RC1 release.
Not sure what the possibilities are with that, probably no +3 floppy disk features.
And that customized ROM won’t be legal to distribute with DivMMC interfaces, so end-user only.
The DivMMC and many other interfaces won’t work with Interface1/Microdrive, PlusD, Disciple, Multiface or other interfaces that have their own ROM.
This is because the DivMMC copies the 48 BASIC ROM into its own RAM and keeps that paged in at all time.
So another interface will not be able to take over.
I am planning for a small interfaced that disables and enables ESXDOS by the push of a button.
That could help with transferring to e.g. Microdrive, but you still need some unwritten software tools to actually transfer.
Without modifications a game in a .TAP archive will not load from Microdrive.
Ben
Has almost all the operational components of the multiface it seems. Does this have a hex editor function like the multiface or could this be considered in a later revision?
I’d say reply to the forum with the request, I’m not sure it’s suggested already. David is easy to speak with.
Hi,
Do you know if this ROM works with your ULA+ addon?
https://zx.itch.io/sebasic3
Regards Jamie
It should be no problem at all, since the ZX-HD just probes if there are video memory changes, which is independent of the ROM inside the ZX Spectrum.
So the ULAplus commands in the SE BASIC ROM should work fine!
Hi,
I was looking at this to build a PC keyboard interface for the spectrum just like this http://www.benophetinternet.nl/hobby/pcki/index.htm
Would you be able to offer a product like this?
Regards
Jamie
bverstee, thanks a lot for the post.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Ordered this a couple of weeks ago for my +2. I needed it because my speccy had pretty bad buzzing noise on the audio out port. Now I have crystal clear sound and I can enjoy playing my favorite games even more ! My soldering skills are amateur level at best but I’ve managed to solder the kit in under 30 minutes (including opening the speccy, cleaning the board a bit and adding an ear mod as well). Just pay attention to the included instructions and everything will be clear and easy.
Thanks again for a great product,
Alex
Hi,
does the Harlequin 128 fit in this case?
Yes, it will fit.
But if you want to use the RGB output, an extra hole must be drilled in the case.
If you like that I can do that, just let me know when ordering.
I was thinking about putting together something along these lines after seeing an image on Google, but here you are… doing all the hard work for me and at a really nice price.
That’s a really beautiful piece of work ❤️ Would look great beside my Rubik’s Cube lamp ?
Great to see an option to purchase this in already assembled form. I wonder if the coloured LEDs can be re-oriented so instead of one colour per row, they are more like the spectrum logo, vertically slanted.
I’m working on several alternatives to make that possible (there may even be a programmable one!!).
It will take some time though.
Ben
Hi! Will this Kempston / Sinclair Joystick interface work with DivMMC EnJOY! *mini*? Please say that it will work perfectly with my zx spectrum. thank you
Hi,
Yes, that will work just fine!
Ben
This is labelled as working with the DivMMC Enjoy mini. Does it have a through connector or will a splitter rinbbon be needed
Yes, the ZX-HD indeed has a throughput edge connector, sorry that was not clear!
I’ve just updated the description of the ZX-HD with that info.
So the DivMMC EnJOY! *mini* can be connected easily.
Ben
Hi sorry, does this works with divMMC Future? Thanks!
Yes, that will work just fine, but of course you better get a PRO ONE – cheaper and with more features!
https://www.bytedelight.com/?product=divmmc_enjoy_pro_one
Will this work with the ZX-HD interface?
Yes, the Kempston/Sinclair joystick interface is compatible with the ZX-HD.
Ben
A well-shipped package,
everything neatly packaged separately.
Clear manual.
Take the time to solder.
Use good tools.
First look at the video from Bytedelight, then you have an idea of the order of assembly.
I am happy with the result.
Thanks Jan!
Here is the video Jan is referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gar9bZCp1XQ
Ben
Will this work with a Gotek style USB drive that emulates a floppy disk drive. I believe they are effectively Shugart interfaces. I am probably going to buy one to work with my BBC just wondering if it would double up.
Yes, as long as it’s configured to DD disk images.
I have 2 Goteks waiting for time to test it myself, but several people have done it already.
What I really want is the SD card interface and HDMI out.
Extra joystick ports are nice too (usb interface would be fine for space saving)
I have the Enjoy! Pro 1 and the ZXHD and it works well together, but I think it looks a bit ugly and unstable together. Possibly easier to Damage.
The DivGMX look tiny although missing joystick ports (unless thats what the usb is for ?)
If someone could get the functionality of these 2 devices into a smaller board + a nice case I’d be interested.
Whether its done on FPGA or not.
A smaller power pack for my +2A would be good too as the current one is massive and takes up space. I think your working on that ?
Well, I was discussing this on Facebook and I think the UNO XL or ZX-GO have the best of both worlds:
They’re fast and proper ZX Spectrum clones, and have SD and advanced video outputs (though not digital yet) available at the back.
But those additional connectors are put at the edge connector slot in the case, so no full edge connector by default.
The developers of those are still working on things like HDMI / DVI / DP, so most probably it will come.
But if someone would want to use lets say a PlusD interface or something, a breakout board should be added to get a full edge connector.
That breakout board does have proper protection for the FPGA though, which some think the Next lacks, which could cause defects, I’m not sure.
I need to test the DivGMX to find out what it is capable of.
If it’s interesting, I would design another version with features that I will discuss in forums.
But let’s first wait for the tests.
Yes, I should have the +2A/+3 PSU replacements available soon, but there was way too much work during the last months.
Fortunately the new production line is now running, so more time is coming!
Ben
This is an awesome product, been waiting patiently for it to become available. As far as I know its the only replacement psu for +3.
Had a failing psu, 12v side not functioning and therefore the floppy disk wasn’t spinning. This has fixed this of course, with the added bonu sof being lightweight and power button!
Only minor thing for me was the size of the power adapter, the unit itself is tiny but the plug is huge. Cheers Ben for making this available at last.
For me is best FPGA clone Speccy2010 with Martin Bórik firmware.
https://github.com/mborik/speccy2010
– EsxDos
– MB-02+ with BS Dos
– best debuger
– cool file manager
and other features.
One of my friends, who is a 3D printing enthusiast, has created a case for this, to help it cope with caffeine-fueled gaming sessions: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3807997
Cool!
Arrived today and tested right away with my Spectrum +2 (grey). Excellent product, ready to go straight from the box!
So I’ve a related question, having recently become a Toastrack owner. Atic Atac (as an example) ran fine from my DivMMC Enjoy! Pro One on my 48k spectrum but crashes after the menu in the 128k’s USR0 mode, when loading the same file from the DivMMC.
Is there a way to get the Toastrack into proper 48k (USR0) mode when booting with a DivMMC attached? Or work around it by forcing RAMTOP to the 48k’s value?
Ultimate games need a poke to work on a 128K model (regardless of the interface that loads the files).
Read more here: https://www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=1570
I’ve got package 2 days ago. An usage of this product is amazing! It works perfectly with Spectrum 128 +2A. I was surprised that Ben noticed I’m from the Czech Republic so he “installed” the Czech version of the command “.speak”. Thank you:)
Hi Ben, Just recieved the Speccy Breadboard. Thank you.
Unfortunately I can’t find any projects for it.
And thank you for the Stroopwafel! Sooo yummy.
I’ve got 1 several weeks ago. Product is very solid build 🙂 Works perfect with ZX Spectrum 128 (toastrack) and also with 48k Speccy.
I am from Czech too, so i did some test with Czechoslovak clone called “Didaktik Gama”. It may work, but power plug in computer is too close to sd card slot in cartridge, so thanks to strong interferences, games did not load correctly. Maybe some shielding could be use – anybody any idea?
Wish I had the time to test it myself on a Gama.
Hopefully someone else can help in the mean time, but the best place to discuss this is on Facebook.
Ben
is this compatible with the +3? thanks looks so cool anyways!
Yep, there is a jumper on the bottom to configure the interface for the ZX Spectrum +3.
how much power does +2 grey need i read it needs 1.86a ?
how much does computer need in amps and how much does tape deck use in amps ?
I did a lot of measurements and put the results on this webpage:
https://www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=2116
Ben Versteeg
Ho comprato..anzi per essere precisi mio figlio mi ha regalato per il mio compleanno questa meravigliosa interfaccia ma chiedo come posso collegare un floppy goldex usb? Perché non ci sono istruzioni per poterli usare? Aiuto!!!! Aspetto vs istruzioni grazie Carlo dcgc@libero.it
Hi,
I already own the basic version of the k-mouse card and it’s great. However, I need to ask you if you would consider selling the edge connector risers as a DIY addon kit?
Regards
Jamie
My guess is that if they were in short supply of 8910s then they’d use an equivalent sound chip. Also if they were being pressured to keep the cost down then they’d go with cheaper chip. 10 if a$=”supplier” and b$=”available8910s” then goto 20
20 if b$<=a$ then goto 30
30 a$ supplies equivalent chip
Proper YM2149 chips (and the related family of similar sound chips) were manufactured by or on behalf of Yamaha. The Atari ST range uses a Yamaha YM2149F. In many respects the Yamaha version is a bit better.
The manufacturer that developed and produced the AY-3-8910 range of sound chips was bought my Microchip a long time ago. Not long after, production of these chips was discontinued. So there are no new AY-3-8910, no new AY-3-8912 or any other new chips in the same range.
On trading sites, any hard to get chips are often cleaned up ‘pulls’ taken from old equipment. They are reworked to clean up and re-tin the pins. The old markings are either cleaned off, sanded off or painted over. Then new screen printed markings are applied, often to give the impression that they are new chips. Never mind that they have been out of production for many, many years (in some cases over twenty years).
There is no guarantee that what you get will even be a working chip. Some EEPROM chips have been found to be un-programmable and some so called new CMOS Z80 and CMOS 65C02 processors have found to be slower older NMOS processors!
So buyer beware!
Mark
This was a lot of fun! Everything was perfectly packaged and easy to assemble. The instructions were amazing, to the last detail. I even got use the diagnostic cart once I failed to completely solder one of the IC sockets 🙂 Overall A+++ Thanks very much Ben.
The diagnostics cart was easy to assemble, especially given the great step-by-step instructions. All parts are of high quality and fit together perfectly. I’ve used it a few times now, and it has been great in diagnosing basic problems, or confirming stable machines. Even used it with a Harlequin 48K!
Hello.
No doubt a dumb question but what is a Raspberry PI?
Can I just purchase this kit to play my ZX Spectrum on my Panasonic HD TV, or do I need this Raspberry PI product?
The Raspberry Pi (model ‘Zero’ in this case), is a small board computer, which can operate standalone with a Linux distribution, or can be used to control hardware.
We have chose to use it with the ZX-HD, since the Raspberry Pi Zero carries a HDMI connector, for which license fees have been paid already.
The Raspberry Pi ‘listens’ to changes in video memory on the ZX Spectrum, and builds up its own HDMI buffer.
So the ZX-HD will only function with Raspberry Pi Zero, but I offer a kit without it since some people can obtain a Raspberry Pi Zero themselves cheaper.
Wow… I was really impressed by the completeness of the kit! All parts are sorted and labeled, Very clear and detailed instructions: Even a beginner should be able to assemble it. If you have some soldering skills and a soldering iron with a fine tip, there should be no problem getting this kit to work.
Highly recommended!
Feeling great! My Harlequin 128K burst into life on the first test this evening 🙂
Obviously, this is due to the excellent kit of parts and detailed instructions provided by you guys.
I just followed the instructions in the recommended order. I went slow, going one device at a time, it took over 10 hrs. What a great feeling to see it working so well.
Thank you!
Does this carry sound on the Spectrum 128k (toastrack) and Harlequin 128? If not what is the best way to utilise sound thru TV?
Regards
David
Not yet, and most probably not with the current Raspberry Pi Zero board on it, since it is not fast enough to also process audio.
There was a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 released a couple of weeks ago, and my developer has spent some time looking into that as a successor to the Zero (1) for more features like audio.
Most ZX-HD users have external speakers or an amplifier to output audio.
Some TV’s allow you to use an analogue audio input when an HDMI video input is used.
The kit was put together so nicely and carefully. The difficult SMD parts are already presoldered, the other parts are easy to solder in. Even the legs of the resistors were pre-bent and only needed to be put into the holes. It was fun to build this cartridge.
I have designed a simple 3D printed frame, in case you don’t want to use the rubber feet: https://www.prusaprinters.org/de/prints/138684-zx-diag-cart-case
Bought it to replace my old Disciple disk interface and it is a huge improvement.
Arrived (with a SD card) fully configured and worked straight from the box. The build quality is excellent! The usage is simple and clear!
Just a small comment: took me a while to understand that making a snapshot takes a while so first tries I thought it was stuck.
Works fantastic on my Spectrum 128 +2 (Grey).
Support from ByteDelight is beyond fantastic!
I’ll add a note in the manual about snapshots taking a couple of seconds, thanks!
I am the proud owner of:
1 x DivIDE+
1 x DivMMC Enjoy
2 x DivMMC Enjoy Pro One
1 x ZX-HD
Amazing bits of hardware that I would highly recommend to any Spectrum owner.
The polish and presentation are first class!
Hi there, I was just wandering if this device will be ok to use with a 4k t.v? Thank you very much and have a great day.
Yes, it will automatically upscale, for a pixel perfect picture!
I gave myself a month to complete this board and completed in a week spending about 1 hour a day and was great building and learning to solder at the same time. I know it may not be as good as a seasoned person that can solder but it works and as I progressed, my soldering improved and is now my daily ZX Spectrum. For anyone new or seasoned to soldering, it is a great kit and easy to follow.
I just need to justify and do another now as I now have a new found love for soldering and fixing things.
Great report from you. Thank you very much!
Cheers
Luzie
Great posting Ben, good to see you here in London, wish I’d have been there too.
Great Ben!
Sorry about the covid, hope you’re okay
Works great with my ZX-HD HDMI interface, and DIVMC Enjoy Pro One and also Pro Mini. Great to have clear, crisp sound coming from my Zx Spectrum 48K. Finishes off my Spectrum for the modern age! Thanks! 😀
Thank you for a wonderful project. The instructions were easy to follow, and the unit fired up first try.
Michael Carter
Fantastic piece of kit. Excellent build quality and works perfectly. A must have for any Spectrum owner. Really happy with it. Just plug in and go. I’m really tempted now to invest in the ZX-HD.
Have loaded up the included SD card and now loading games with zero wait time, so much better. And been able to save snapshots with the press of a button makes games much easier to play, especially adventure games and such.
The Harlequin 128 kit is a breeze to assemble!
I have been soldering kits together since i was a teenager and now that i am retired i decided to order the Halrlequin through ByteDelight.
What a feast it was to assemble this kit, Ben went out of his way to make this kit super user friendly.
The numbered bags lead the way and the tips and hints in the manual are very useful and handy.
He even took the trouble to insert all the IC’s in the anti static foam in the order of assembly, it’s from front to back and from left to right, what a breeze!
Hats off to Ben Versteeg, this kit is a winner!
Kind regards,
Rik
I bought one of these kits a (long) while ago. As soon as I took it out of the box I was intimidated by the sheer amount of soldering to be done, as I am not super experienced with soldering. However, I recently started putting it together. I went slowly, step by step, and today I finished the soldering.
Here are my observations:
. Everything is really well laid out – most of the components are in separate, labeled bags.
. The instructions are very easy to follow. The only mistakes I made were from misreading on my part.
. While challenging, this kit can easily be assembled by an intermediate level solderer – and will give you lots of practice!
All in all, this is a super fun and rewarding kit. I would highly recommend it. And, don’t be intimidated – dive in!
Can this be used in conjunction with a DivMMC AY interface?
No, those 2 interfaces would collide in several ways.
However, Spectranet can load games or any other software very quickly, once connected to a TNFS server.
Those ‘shares’ can carry thousands of games to load easily.
There are several TNFS servers available worldwide already, and there will be more in the future for sure.
You can also setup your own TNFS (locally or to the world), on Windows, Apple or Linux.
Just bought the 9V 2A PSU from you. It works perfectly on the ZX Spectrum 48K. Still using the old cassette tapes with the old Slipstream Data Recorder. But the problem with the PSU there is no cable with a switch. Always have to unplug the PSU to play another cassette tape (game). Is there a cable with a switch somewhere that can use on the 9V 2A PSU. Only see a 12V variant.
Hi Ben,
Will this work with the Omni?
I can’t tell for sure, since I haven’t tested this myself, nor has someone told me yet.
Once I know, I can add it to the compatibility chart: https://www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=3605
Hello. Do you have a current recommendation for this EEPROM programmer?
The link doesn’t above doesn’t seem to show the product currently, and interested in getting one to program the Harlequin ROM.
It seems the cheaper versions of the TL866 (‘MiniPro’) are not available anymore, which is a real shame, since that is such a powerful device.
I have been looking on eBay or AliExpress, and find some potential successors, but since I haven’t tested those, it’s hard to tell if they do at least the same as the original TL866.
Maybe there is a completely different universal programmer available now, but I haven’t checked yet.
It’s good to discuss this with others on a forum, or on Facebook.
Can I used the THE DUAL FLOPPY DRIVE SET on a regular PC?
It is configured to be Shugart compatible, which is not 100% compatible to IBM/PC floppy disk interfaces: there are some minor differences with drive select and motor on signals.
However, two solutions are coming up:
1) I’m working on a Shugart to IBM/PC adapter, which is almost finished (need to test and see if modifications are needed). This will make it possible to connect a Shugart configured drive set, to a DOS machine, or another machine with IBM/PC interface (pinout).
2) The other solution is the new version of this drive set, which is also about to be available: this one has a new case (it took years to find this new version – only 2 case types are known to fit), which makes assembling a set way easier, and can be easily disassembled when needed. This also makes it very easy to swap out the ribbon cable with one that works with IBM/PC (pinout) interfaces.
The “DUAL FLOPPY DRIVE SET” works fine on my Heathkit H8 system with the New H8-H37-H67 Controller under HDOS and CP/M.
Thank you for such great product.
Norby
Would rather have posted a nice review about the ZX-AY as before with the 9V 2A adapter. Haven’t received anything from you for 2 weeks and you don’t even respond to all my messages.
Arrived neatly and packaged very well. Unfortunately I haven’t tried the ZX-AY yet. Don’t know if it is possible to use with the ZX-HD and DivMMC Pro One.
Still tried to connect the ZX-AY to it. Works perfectly with my stereo Bose speakers.
Yes, sorry! Was a couple of days off to London!
Works perfectly the ZX-HD on the Toastrack. The only thing it gets a little warmer on the expansion connector. Maybe it’s because the DivMMC Pro One is behind it. Is it possible to also place the ZX-AY in between it. Have now no sound through the MIC output. Other than that I’m overjoyed that the Toastrack is working again. Bought it as faulty and thanks to the ZX-HD it has come back to life.
Have now two days and the picture quality is very sharp on my BenQ BL2420PT 24 inch HDMI monitor. It looks like a new experience and the ZX-AY works smooth with the ZX-HD and the DivMMC Enjoy! Pro One. Thanks Ben for bringing my Toastrack to life. It’s a big step forward than on my ZX Spectrum 48K. Which also works smooth with the ZX-HD. For now I enjoy intense with the 128K Games and Demos. Have to have the Toastrack motherboard checked with you next time. Hope that my new Order would be great to use in my ZX Spectrum Plus case.
Netjes binnen gekomen samen met de andere bestellingen. Is een mooie aanwinst voor mijn Toastrack. En werkt perfect met de ZX-HD. Is veel beter, dan mij vorige simpele Smart Card v2. Mij oude Suzo The Arcade Joysticks van Rotterdam werken er ook perfect op. Ben voorlopig zoet wat allemaal erop kan verwezenlijken.
It’s a beautiful black motherboard. All the chips are neatly arranged together. It fits perfectly in the ZX Spectrum Plus housing. It is a unique 128K clone, but with a modern twist. Will enjoy it for years to come and you can easily replace the chips on it. Thanks, Ben for the brand new HARLEQUIN motherboard.
Is there any link to the user’s manual?
Just added the manual to the product page. I’ve planned on adding more information, simple projects and more to it, when I find the time.
Hallo,
Ist das THE DUAL FLOPPY DRIVE SET Amiga kompatibel ?
The set is Shugart pinout compatible, I’m not sure if the Amiga has the same interface signals.
I think it does: I remember people assembling a PC drive into their Amigas.
The Dual Floppy Drive set has a 34 (2×17) pin IDC connector, so to use it as external drive for e.g. Amiga 500, you probably need an adapter.
If there is more demand for such, I may dig into it.
Finally got a chance to try out my ZX-HD, 10/10.
Thank you so very, very much ❤️
The difference in picture quality is astounding. Colors pop, visuals are razor-sharp, and the overall clarity is unmatched.
In short, if you adore ZX Spectrum, ZX-HD is a must-have. It’s not just a product; it’s a testament to preserving gaming history.
Thank you, Ben, for this outstanding innovation.
The “DUAL FLOPPY DRIVE SET” works fine on my Heathkit H8 system with the New H8-H37-H67 Controller under HDOS and CP/M.
Thank you for such great product.
Norby
Thank you for quickly forwarding the second ZX Diag Cart and the small gifts.
In the meantime I have finished the video and you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/yu2b3dQ8VpQ
Thank you very much for the great work.
will i be able to save my game progress to this sd card? Using a ZX Spectrum
Yes, you can save so-called ‘snapshots’ that can be loaded again to get back to the exact moment the snapshot was made.
Will this product work when connected to a ZX-VGA using the passthrough connector?
Yes, it should.
I think there are many persons using the PRO ONE together with a ZX-VGA-JOY.
The PRO ONE has a transparent throughput edge connector, and the ZX-VGA-JOY ‘listens’ to changes in video memory, so should not influence the DivMMC interface.
Just make sure to disable the joystick interface on one of the interfaces, when combined.
Or you could select e.g. Kempston joystick on one, and Sinclair joystick on the other, if you wish to play with 2 people.
Would it be possible to add PS/2 keyboard support to the same interface? That way you could house a clone board like a Harlequin in a desktop case and run an external keyboard and mouse to the board.
The ZX Spectrum keyboard is read out from the ROM quite nifty, but at the same time not easy to replace by something else, like an external interface.
So no, the K-Mouse Turbo won’t be able to do that.
I’ve produced a PS/2 keyboard interface which did the trick, but the microcontroller used on that, had the habit to lose it’s firmware from time to time.
So I discontinued it.
I am developing a true USB keyboard interface, of which you can find a prototype video on my YouTube channel.
Ben
Why is there two sd card slots
Some people (but not many) use the first slot for the boot-up system card, and the second slot for a card with games and so on.
But of course you can do all of that with a single card as well.
It’s mainly a feature of the original DivMMC interface, that I also integrated in the DivMMC EnJOY! PRO ONE.
Thanks Ben for the reply, also I have a ZX VGA Joy Ive seen that theres problems with conecting it to through pot?
Those should and will work fine together.
Just remember to configure both devices to have non-conflicting joystick ports.
You could disable the joystick ports on one completely, or – if you want to play with 2 people – configure one as e.g. Kempston, and the other a Sinclair joystick.
Thanks again 👍 I’ve ordered one cheers can’t wait to try it.
Would it be possible with a future revision to add a passthrough edge connector so that a ZX-HD could also be used?
I’m not planning on that, mainly since the ZX-HD itself has a throughput edge connector for that purpose.
The PlusDlite is a fairly large interface, and from experience I know that adding a throughput can result in some instability issues, for example a clock signal that will start behaving as an antenna.
Thanks Ben , I`ve had mine for a week now and the built quality is amazing,I 3d printed a case so its all protected now , well done Ben keep up the good work for these old retro computers!!!
Rich
Hello Ben
I need to check my divMMC exDOS boot screen but I cannot do it because the nag screen (press RESET…) is hiding it. Is there any way to edit cmdline.txt and/or config.txt in order to get that?
Thank you
Use SPACE + reset, after the ZX-HD booted: that will cold-boot the DivMMC then, and show you everything.
Ben
Hi,
Does the 48K spectrum have enough power to drive ZX-HD – HDMI for the ZX Spectrum + divmmc?
Thanks
Yes, both ZX-HD as DivMMC interfaces consume very low energy.
Here is some information about that: https://www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=3610
Will this work with Disk interfaces such as MGT +D and Beta Disk 128 mini (clone) that do not
have a pass through edge connector?
Regards,
Jason.