For those of us who’ve spent far too long hammering rubber keys into submission, a glorious solution has arrived. [Lee Smith] designed the ZX Mechtrum Deluxe, the ultimate keyboard upgrade for your beloved ZX Spectrum 48k. Thanks to [morefunmakingit], you can see this build-it-yourself mechanical mod below. It finally brings a proper spacebar and Spectrum-themed Wraith keycaps into your retro life.
The Metrum Deluxe is a full PCB redesign: no reused matrices or clunky membrane adapters here. [Lee Smith] got fed up with people (read: the community, plus one very persistent YouTuber) asking for a better typing experience, so he delivered. Wraith keycaps from AliExpress echo the original token commands and BASIC vibe, without going full collector-crazy. Best of all: the files are open. You can download the case on Printables and order the PCB through JLCPCB. Cherry on top (pun intended): you’ll finally have a spacebar your thumbs can be proud of.
So whether you’re into Frankenstein rigs or just want your Spectrum to stop feeling like an air mattress, check this video out. Build files and link to the keycaps can be found on Youtube, below the video.
Tip: if you foster a secret love for keyboards, don’t miss the Keebin’ with Kristina’s series on all sorts of keyboards.
In Russia a lot of ZX clones were made with mechanical keyboard. All kind of types. I was making ZX keyboards from almost scratch.
“Robik” for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLevYmtCUXQ
Iron Curtain ZX clones are something that always fascinated me.
Here is more about ZX Keyboard modes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THPOfLKUfSg
Back in that day I took a surplus Cherry keyboard I got for free, hacked off all the PCB traces on the back, soldered on wire wrapping pins, and hand wrapped a keyboard for my Sinclair.
Good times. Built an EEPROM programer onto it to bootstrap a Z80 controller I built.
I am surprised the Spectrum +2 wasn’t mentioned. Although it was an Amstrad era computer it was still Sinclair ZX Spectrum branded (with 128KB and a built in tape deck):
https://retrorepairsandrefurbs.com/2021/07/07/sinclair-zx-spectrum-128k2-grey-restoration/
As for the non-rubbery factory Spectrum keyboard, I really liked the keyboard on the Spectrum+:
https://oldcrap.org/2018/02/04/zx-spectrum/#google_vignette
I worked at Amstrad on the CPC/PC/PCW and Sinclair stuff. We did at one point make a “proper” keyboard for the CPC. When we user-tested it though it turned out most people preferred the standard CPC keyboard so it got dropped. The CPC amd PCW keyboards were the best membrane keyboards I’ve ever seen. No idea why the Amstrad-made Spectrum+ ones retained the “dead cat” feel of the Sinclair originals. Misguided brand identity perhaps?
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Amstrad keyboards seemed well a head of game for the era. I even took secretarial studies in high school just because they had started trading typewriters for Amstrad PCWs. Anything to get access to computers back then!
I did prefer ZX81. More eye-friendly. Also felt more like a good microcontroller than a bad homecomputer.
My first computer. Basic was nice, but memory so limited that it encouraged me to learn machine code. Not a bad thing. I did make a 10 kB RAM add-on as soon as I had enough money to buy 10 1kB RAM chips and a 74154 for address decoding. Was very pissed off when after a few months I found 2 kB RAM’s for sale at lower price than what I did pay for the 1 kB ones. :)
Nice work, but I think the Spectrum lose its soul with a “proper” keyboard.
Unkle Clive solved the problem of typing with the incredibly smart combination of control keys and autocompletion of the commands, iven BASIC and few direct commands was all you have to type there, it was more than enough for the task.
I’m one of the ZX users who “upgraded” the little gem with the Plus keyboard when was released (it was officially available, not just a spare part) and I wasn’t that happy either.
The QL was different, it was a different machine, with a different aim, there the upgraded keyboard (likely the first rubber dome keyboard ever) made perfect sense.
I was always led to believe that the point of all the commands was so that there didn’t need to be a tokeniser in the basic, as the user effectively entered the tokens directly.
Possible.
But whatever the reason is, the result is that typing code on the Spectrum was definitely fast.
We used to mock the unlucky owners of a Commodore something because this (and another long string of reasons :D )
Ah, the good old sixteen shades of brown versus no sound argument. At least we had a floppy, even if it was slow as molasses with the original DOS. ;)
And having used both i do prefer the full screen editor of CBM BASIC, even if V2.0 is lacking. That whole machine was, in true Tramiel fashion, cobbled together in a few months with the PET as a base, and in spite of that it ruled the German market. Even getting the fame of being the first computer sold at frigging Aldi of all places.
And when i look at the games library, not much to see for an RPG fan on the Speccy. Couldn’t imagine playing Ultima, Might and Magic, TRS/SSI Goldbox DnD or Wizardry from tape. It could most certainly have pulled them off, if it had a disk drive.
Yes, the last horray of the Spectrums had one, but that was more or less at the end of its lifetime. And with that ghastly 3″ drive no one really liked.
Eh, good times… :)
But jokes aside, for me the Spectrum v.s. C64 was the perfect example of the European V.S. Americans way of doing things.
Smarter v.s. stronger, larger, heavier.
A Chevrolet Corvette is surely a more powerful car than, say, a Morris Mini (just to mention something from the UK) but then the Mini is probably a funnier car to drive, and almost surely it will win in a chase or a mountain road or inside a busy town.
Is that enough to define the Mini a better car?
Well that’s personal. And personally I would buy a Mini over a Corvette w/o thinking twice (no matter the money involved), others would think differently. Indeed both the cars sold well, just like the C64 and the ZX
The worst crappy keyboard, that ships with a refurbished Amazon machine today, is better than any of those Commodore or Sinclair abominations. Just by virtue of having 4 keys dedicated to move the cursor around.
I tell you a secret, there was no cursor to move around on the Spectrum and most of computer of it’s era.
Even on professional world cursors were a sort of luxury.
Just learn to use “vi”, ask yourself why the cursor is moved using H,J,K,L, when you find the answer, come back and post a smarter message, at least try :)