It’s been more than a year since I posted on this site. Quite amazing how time files! I had a bit of a Speccy burn Out and needed a break. This turned into a protracted period as I got interested in other things including Cryptocurrency and 3D Printing.

I didn’t forget about things Spectrum though and I’ve been keeping tabs on the Spectrum Facebook groups. I also been awaiting the dispatch of my fully boxed Spectrum Next. From the latest kickstarter update, it sounds like it’s almost there. Just a few things to finish up.

Meanwhile, my quest for a SPEC-MATE is finally over! Davide Barlotti, one of my Facebook contacts, graciously loaned me his SPEC-MATE on long term loan. Unfortunately, it conincided with my period of being quiet on the whole Spectrum front and I put it safely on my shelf. Quite recently, Davide requested I send his interface back, which I duly did. I very much appreciate his trust in sending it to me and letting me hold it for so long.

Literally, the day before I sent the package to Davide, he advised me of a SPEC-MATE availabe on eBay. It was insanely expensive, but due to the rarity, I snapped it up. I knew that I would be very unlikely to find another.

Once the SPEC-MATE arrived, I did a basic test on my trusty 48K Spectrum and it checked out. the next thing I did was to extract the EPROM to see if it had a different firmware version to Davide’s. Alas, it was the same. I then set about stripping the interface down and tracing the circuit. This was aided by Andy Lewis via Twitter, who’s one and only tweet was to send me the SPEC-MATE schematic. This allowed me to quickly trace and verify the circuit.

I then set about designing a PCB. I kept it as small as I could and made sure to include four mounting holes. This is because I’d like to design it a case that can be 3D Printed. I also made provision for right-angled and flat trigger buttons so the interface can be orientated either upright or flat.

The boards duly arrived from JLCPCB.com and I built one up. Again, basic tests show the board is working, although I want to verify operation with Sinclair Microdrives and design a case before I publish the files in the projects section.

UPDATE: Device tested, case design is ongoing. You can find all the files on the Projects Page.

This has been a long, drawn out quest for me. I’ve been wanting to own a SPEC-MATE since I became re-interested in Sinclair Spectrums a few years ago due to the ‘Next. I’m very pleased that I can share my files and enable anyone to build and try one out.

My thanks and sincere appreciation go to Davide Barlotti for the long term loan and Andy Lewis for sending me his SPEC-MATE schematic.