Why scour the internet for a rare-as-hen’s-teeth new in box ZX Spectrum computer when you can instead order up some parts, assemble a basically all new ZX Spectrum along with the box, instruction manuals and more?
That seems to have been the reasoning behind [Lost Retro Tapes] when they decided to do exactly that. Along with the announcement of the completion on Reddit, the website details the BOM and sourcing the components.
For the mainboard, an existing, redrawn ZX Spectrum 48 Issue 3B PCB was found and ordered from PCBWay. As a UK-based entity, many of the other components were sourced from retro computing shops around the UK, but with all but the LM1889N IC being available for new or with currently produced alternative, it should be viable to source them locally.
Perhaps most impressive was the creation of the box (unfortunately not detailed on the website at this point), and having the manuals (system and BASIC) professionally printed and bound. Along with a few other bits and pieces, including a tape recorder and fresh Horizons tape, the total price tag came to around £412.
Thanks to [Lee Hodgson] for the tip.
Look like the cost is lower than the original price when adjusted for inflation.
Back in 90s I built dozens of ZX Spectrum clones including custom cases and keyboards. It was fun. For the keyboard/case we used covers from reel-to-reel recorders.
Hm…sometimes I think there are to many old people out there with to much spare time
and I am from the country with 31 day of paid leave. :-)
However it is nice to know that this exist somewhere and I could probably do
it myself one day, just in case….
Olaf
Hmm, I think there is actually a market for this! During my growing up I owned bunch of Speccies and clones (Delta, +2, then original rubber one, Didaktik). It was a huge thing for me and brought me eventually to the carrier of SW Engineer.
Point is, I never owned a new one, always a second hand device. I would love to finally experience the unboxing!
> It was a huge thing for me and brought me eventually to the carrier of SW Engineer.
The Specci brought me definitively to the carrier of an HW Engineer, because my
first project was an EPROM-burner expansion card for the ZX.
Olaf
The ease of both SW and HW tinkering with Speccy was amazing, and in my view not recreated until Arduino and Raspberry PI arrived.
Jupiter Ace?