graj dalej
lub zamknij
i wybierz inną grę w menu po lewej.
Projects like the ZX Spectrum Next use FPGAs to replicate the exact timings of the original ULA while allowing for modern enhancements.
To save space, color was handled separately. A 768-byte grid mapped 8x8 pixel blocks to specific foreground (ink) and background (paper) colors. Projects like the ZX Spectrum Next use FPGAs
The original Spectrum needed 9V DC. A modern portable design should use Lithium-Ion batteries, regulated down to 5V (for logic) and 3.3V (for modern memory/FPGA). The original Spectrum needed 9V DC
The ZX Spectrum, released in 1982, remains a masterpiece of minimalist engineering. At the heart of Clive Sinclair’s budget-friendly machine sat a single, custom chip: the Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA). Designed by Ferranti for Sinclair, this silicon marvel handled graphics, keyboard input, tape I/O, and system timing, condensing a motherboard's worth of discrete logic into one package. At the heart of Clive Sinclair’s budget-friendly machine
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an icon of 1980s home computing. At the heart of its compact, affordable design was a single custom chip — the ULA (Uncommitted Logic Array) — which turned the Spectrum from a pile of discrete logic into a low-cost, mass-producible microcomputer. This article explains what the ULA did, why it mattered, and how you can use the same principles to design a retro-style portable ZX-like microcomputer today.
Projects like the ZX Spectrum Next use FPGAs to replicate the exact timings of the original ULA while allowing for modern enhancements.
To save space, color was handled separately. A 768-byte grid mapped 8x8 pixel blocks to specific foreground (ink) and background (paper) colors.
The original Spectrum needed 9V DC. A modern portable design should use Lithium-Ion batteries, regulated down to 5V (for logic) and 3.3V (for modern memory/FPGA).
The ZX Spectrum, released in 1982, remains a masterpiece of minimalist engineering. At the heart of Clive Sinclair’s budget-friendly machine sat a single, custom chip: the Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA). Designed by Ferranti for Sinclair, this silicon marvel handled graphics, keyboard input, tape I/O, and system timing, condensing a motherboard's worth of discrete logic into one package.
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an icon of 1980s home computing. At the heart of its compact, affordable design was a single custom chip — the ULA (Uncommitted Logic Array) — which turned the Spectrum from a pile of discrete logic into a low-cost, mass-producible microcomputer. This article explains what the ULA did, why it mattered, and how you can use the same principles to design a retro-style portable ZX-like microcomputer today.
