Sinclair zx spectrum roms pack software#
Since CD audio has a very defined and absolute bit rate (44,100 samples per second), unlike cassette tape, it is possible to reduce the delay loops in the loader software that would normally allow for variations in cassette speed, allowing for a significant increase in the loader speed. You were then given an option to enter a test screen to allow you to adjust the volume level on the CD player to an optimum level, and once complete start loading some games. Once loaded it allowed you to choose from either Kempston or Sinclair joystick options, and then prompted you to connect the CD lead to the joystick port on your chosen interface. The program on the cassette was relatively short and loaded in about 30 seconds. One caveat to note – the Codemasters CD Games Pack is distribution denied, so this article is focused at those who want to understand some of the implementation details, those who have lost or misplaced their cable, and those who want to speed up the process of accessing the games from CD.
Sinclair zx spectrum roms pack how to#
Today we’re going to take a look at how the system worked, examine how to create a compatible cable, and using some modern hardware to make the process a bit more friendly than it was in 1989! The relative rarity of CD players in domestic households along with the need to load the bootstrap program from cassette were obviously factors in its lack of adoption. Once you’d had enough of a particular title, holding down the keys Q, U, I and T would go back to the CD loader, ready for you to play another track from the CD containing a different game.Īll quite snazzy, although it didn’t sell massively well at the time and consequently was an experiment not to be repeated. The premise was that you would connect the cable between your CD player and either a Kempston or Sinclair joystick interface, load a small program from cassette, and then have the ability to load one of thirty games contained on the CD in under a minute. The pack consisted of a regular cassette, a 3.5mm to DE-9 cable and a CD (hence the name). 1983: January - Timex introduces the Timex/Sinclair 2000, which is their re-packaged Sinclair Spectrum for the North American market.Share the post "Inside the Codemasters CD Games Pack"Ĭodemasters, purveyors of numerous brands of ‘simulator’ software in the eighties, released a compendium of games in 1989 (the ‘Codemasters CD Games Pack’) for the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore machines that came in a rather unusual format for the time.1982: August - Sinclair Research reports that it has shipped 500,000 ZX81 personal computers in over 30 countries.1982: July - Timex Computer begins selling the Timex Sinclair 1000 through over 1000 Timex retail outlets.1982: April - Sinclair Research introduces the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the UK.1981: December - Sinclair Research reports that it has shipped 250,000 ZX81 personal computers.1981: March - Sinclair unveils the ZX81 in the UK, based on the Z80A microprocessor.
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