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Thread: if you could only have 1 european retro pc

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    Default if you could only have 1 european retro pc

    well i ask because i want to set aside a spot in my setup for a EU only pc and i was wondering what the options were. i know they all kinda have there strengths and weaknesses but overall if you could only have 1 what would it be and why?

    things like the c64, amiga and msx don't count since they were released elsewhere as well. i'm thinking more along the lines of the ZX spectrum, amstrad cpc, bbc micro, ect...

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    The ZX Spectrum was the Commodore 64 of Britain. Literally thousands upon thousands of programs were written for it.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) slapdash's Avatar
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    Technically, the C64 was the C64 of Britain, but I agree that the ZX Spectrum is probably the one, since (1) it was developed in Europe (the UK specifically) and (2) it was cloned all around Europe, especially behind the Iron Curtain, which might interest a "soviet conscript", da?
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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slapdash View Post
    Technically, the C64 was the C64 of Britain, but I agree that the ZX Spectrum is probably the one, since (1) it was developed in Europe (the UK specifically) and (2) it was cloned all around Europe, especially behind the Iron Curtain, which might interest a "soviet conscript", da?
    yhea i found that out when i did an ebay search and 90% of them were Soviet clones. but i would probibly spring for a UK model

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    ServBot (Level 11) tom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slapdash View Post
    Technically, the C64 was the C64 of Britain...
    Not of Germany then? Russ, C64 was the number one 8 bit computer in Germany, the C64 sold more units in Germany than in UK.

    UK top sellers was like: 1 ZX Spectrum (a joke of a computer), 2 C64, 3 Amstrad CPC
    in Germany it was 1 C64, 2 Atari XL 3 Schneider CPC

    As for 1 Euroepan PC, gotta be the Thomson TO8, nothing beats that PC
    Last edited by tom; 11-22-2009 at 01:37 AM.

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    the zx spectrum does seem well...i don't want to say limited the but the color scheme just seemed primitive, i acually like it in a way but still.

    the huge libray of spectrum games seems to be its big selling point but

    1) are they mostly good and or playable or is 50%+ of that software crap titles?

    2) are many (any?) of the good/decent titles exclusives or were they simply made into superior ports on more powerful systems like the amstrad

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    Cherry (Level 1) phreakindee's Avatar
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    ZX Spectrum as the top pick for sure! So many great, unique games...

    I actually have a 48k Speccy, but I have yet to be able to get it to work here in the US. It's an absolute PAIN to find a display that works with its RF output!
    PC Game Collector - DOS and beyond

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    Get a 1702 monitor and an RF -> AV convertor. I use my PAL amiga through the AV spots on the 1702 no problem.
    -AB+

    Holy crap. It's been a while.

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    Any particular type/brand of RF to AV adapter? The only ones I have seen go the other way, to get AV to work on RF.

    And the Spectrum works differently than an Amiga, in that it outputs to BBC-Two, which is UHF channel 36. You think that would still work? I'd been wanting to get a 1702 for a while now anyways, also for a PAL Amiga...

    Quote Originally Posted by AB Positive View Post
    Get a 1702 monitor and an RF -> AV convertor. I use my PAL amiga through the AV spots on the 1702 no problem.
    PC Game Collector - DOS and beyond

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    @Tom: well, it was Tupin that I was paraphrasing, and HE brought up Britain.

    And as far as the C64 goes, it was all over, so I'm not saying that SC shouldn't have one in his collection, but rather it should be thought of as more of a world-wide computer. If he's really looking for something "European", the Spectrum is more likely to fill THAT niche.
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    Phreakindee, do this mod to display with Composite:

    http://womblesretrorepairshack.blogs...video-mod.html

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slapdash View Post
    @Tom: well, it was Tupin that I was paraphrasing, and HE brought up Britain.

    And as far as the C64 goes, it was all over, so I'm not saying that SC shouldn't have one in his collection, but rather it should be thought of as more of a world-wide computer. If he's really looking for something "European", the Spectrum is more likely to fill THAT niche.


    already have a c64 setup

    any particular spectrum model? i'm assumeing the more powerful ones are better.

    no love for the archemedies or amstrad cpc. still curiouse if most of the spectrum games are avalible as superior ports on these systems.

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    Spectrum hands down. The Speccy's library has a ton of grade A titles, many of them unavailable on other platforms. The Amstrad CPC is a technically superior computer and most good Spectrum games were ported to it, but I can think of one game exclusive to the platform that's any good. I played a few French and Spanish games for it that were decent, though.

    Choice number 2 would be a Acorn Electron or BBC. The library's not very large, but it at least has a few good exclusive titles you can't find anywhere else.

    But if you're only going to import one European computer, it's a no brainer. Go with the Spectrum

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    Cherry (Level 1)
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    But wasn't the Spectrum released in the US as the Timex/Sinclair 1000,1500,2068 models? Not sure how compatible they are, but picking one of those up would avoid overseas shipping costs and power/video compatibility issues.

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    Bell (Level 8) 98PaceCar's Avatar
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    I've been slowly collecting the parts I need to make a ZX Spectrum work in the states. I just got a hold of a DivIDE interface along with an SD to IDE converter to handle storage needs. I have purchased a +2 and a ton of tapes for it, but I'm still working on getting it shipped over (expensive).

    From my research, it appears that it's easy to make a +2 work with a 1084S (via the RGB connector), so that covers the video needs. Power is just a simple step-up transformer, so no worries there.

    I'm not sure if the +2 is the best model to go with, but I found a killer deal on one from ebay UK so I went for it. Hopefully I'll be able to mess with it a bit in the near future.
    Check out www.videogameconsolelibrary.com for all of your console review needs!

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    Ryu Hayabusa (Level 16) Raedon's Avatar
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    ZX Spectrum. But it would have to be just handed to me.

    Collecting classic computers takes up a lot of room I'll never have. I don't want to be the guy who has a closet filled with old computers that never get used. I've come to the conclusion that I'm done collecting hardware beyond C64 and Amiga add-ons. Life can be hard sometimes.
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    Therefore: Thinking and nurturing positive thoughts, at any point in your life, can change your destiny.

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    Peach (Level 3)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wookie View Post
    But wasn't the Spectrum released in the US as the Timex/Sinclair 1000,1500,2068 models? Not sure how compatible they are, but picking one of those up would avoid overseas shipping costs and power/video compatibility issues.
    The TS1000 was the Sinclair ZX81, the TS2068 is the Spectrum. I don't think it's anywhere near 100% compatible with a real Spectrum, and they're very rare and expensive.

    I'm running a +2 off a standard 15khz NEC Multisync II monitor, and I built my own power supply since I didn't want to pay for shipping on a power brick. The thing only needs +5 volts to run, it's not too picky.

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    Crono (Level 14) Pantechnicon's Avatar
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    Count me in on the Spectrum bandwagon as well. Since my first computer was a TS1000 (or ZX81 in Europe), the Spectrum was one I always ogled because of the color and sound capabilities. Never seen one in action but I'd really like to one day.

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wookie View Post
    But wasn't the Spectrum released in the US as the Timex/Sinclair 1000,1500,2068 models? Not sure how compatible they are, but picking one of those up would avoid overseas shipping costs and power/video compatibility issues.
    acually ill be paying for a timex 1000 i'm buying in about a minute here. but yhea its just a US version of the ZX81. can't wait for some 3d monster maze goodness (if i can find it, zx81 games seem to be scarce on ebay).

    i read about the rarity of the 2068 as well as the incompatibiblities but i was also reading that the later spectrum models had the same problems. looks like the later amstrad models have incompatibiblits (+2, +3 models) which is a shame cause i liked that built in cassette deck.

    anyone know how incompatible they are? looking like the zx spectrum 128 is the best all around machine for function/compatibility. is there any later stuff it can't play? agree/dissagree?

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    Bell (Level 8) 98PaceCar's Avatar
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    I don't remember the specifics, but isn't there a cart that gives the 2068 a high level of ZX compatibility? I seem to remember Icbrkr talking about it when I first mentioned wanting a ZX.
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