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PlusD
The +D (or Plus D) was a floppy disk and computer printer, printer Electrical connector, interface for the ZX Spectrum home computer, developed as a successor to Miles Gordon Technology's earlier product, the DISCiPLE. It was designed to be smaller, cheaper, simpler and thus more reliable. It discarded a number of the less important features of the earlier product — the computer network, network and joystick ports, the inhibit button and the pass-through connector — and replaced its ancestor's plastic wedge-shaped design which fit under the Spectrum with a simple flat metal slab which protruded from the rear of the computer. It provided only floppy disk and Centronics parallel interfaces, plus a non-maskable interrupt button. The +D's casing was simple folded steel, which was not only stronger than before but acted as a heatsink, improving reliability. Apart from the missing ports, though, it was software-compatible with the larger device. The +D's disk operating system, DOS w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Datel
Datel (previously Datel Electronics) is a United Kingdom, UK-based electronics and video game console, game console peripherals manufacturer. The company is best known for producing a wide range of hardware and peripherals for home computers in the 1980s, for example replacement keyboards for the ZX Spectrum, the PlusD disk interface (originally designed and sold by Miles Gordon Technology) and the Action Replay series of video game cheating devices. Datel was founded by Mike Connors, who still runs the company and was featured in the Sunday Times Rich List, ''Sunday Times'' Rich List as one of the UK's top thousand richest people. History 1980s Datel started off selling AM Citizens' band radio, CB radio transceivers in the UK. These AM-band radios were made illegal in the UK and even the importing of them was deemed CB radio in the United Kingdom#Methods of transmission, illegal until 1981. Datel then started to import the CB radios in component form and build them up. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-maskable Interrupt
In computing, a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) is a hardware interrupt that standard interrupt-masking techniques in the system cannot ignore. It typically occurs to signal attention for non-recoverable hardware errors. Some NMIs may be masked, but only by using proprietary methods specific to the particular NMI. An NMI is often used when response time is critical or when an interrupt should never be disabled during normal system operation. Such uses include reporting non-recoverable hardware errors, system debugging and profiling, and handling of special cases like system resets. Modern computer architectures typically use NMIs to handle non-recoverable errors which need immediate attention. Therefore, such interrupts should not be masked in the normal operation of the system. These errors include non-recoverable internal system chipset errors, corruption in system memory such as parity and ECC errors, and data corruption detected on system and peripheral buses. On some systems, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Format Publications
Format Publications published ''Format magazine'', a newsletter for ZX Spectrum and SAM Coupé users. Run by Bob Brenchley, it sprang from the ashes of INDUG, originally the ''Independent DISCiPLE User Group'' but later renamed to the ''Independent User Group'' to reflect a move towards a less specialist audience. INDUG was set up as a user group for owners of the Miles Gordon Technology DISCiPLE and later PlusD floppy disk interfaces for the ZX Spectrum computer. In its later years it expanded to cover MGT's SAM Coupé enhanced Spectrum-compatible microcomputer A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer having a central processing unit (CPU) made out of a microprocessor. The computer also includes memory and input/output (I/O) circuitry together mounted on a printed circuit board (PC ... and later still to home microcomputing in general - especially 8-bit machines. External linksINDUG entry on "Speccy Usergroups" page the actual magazine ZX Spectrum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floppy Disk
A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, or a diskette) is an obsolescent type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a fabric that removes dust particles from the spinning disk. Floppy disks store digital data which can be read and written when the disk is inserted into a floppy disk drive (FDD) connected to or inside a computer or other device. The first floppy disks, invented and made by IBM, had a disk diameter of . Subsequently, the 5¼-inch and then the 3½-inch became a ubiquitous form of data storage and transfer into the first years of the 21st century. 3½-inch floppy disks can still be used with an external USB floppy disk drive. USB drives for 5¼-inch, 8-inch, and other-size floppy disks are rare to non-existent. Some individuals and organizations continue to use older equipment to read or transfer data from floppy disks. Floppy disk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Printer
In computing, a printer is a peripheral machine which makes a persistent representation of graphics or text, usually on paper. While most output is human-readable, bar code printers are an example of an expanded use for printers. Different types of printers include 3D printers, inkjet printers, laser printers, and thermal printers. History The first computer printer designed was a mechanically driven apparatus by Charles Babbage for his difference engine in the 19th century; however, his mechanical printer design was not built until 2000. The first patented printing mechanism for applying a marking medium to a recording medium or more particularly an electrostatic inking apparatus and a method for electrostatically depositing ink on controlled areas of a receiving medium, was in 1962 by C. R. Winston, Teletype Corporation, using continuous inkjet printing. The ink was a red stamp-pad ink manufactured by Phillips Process Company of Rochester, NY under the name Clear Prin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electrical Connector
Components of an electrical circuit are electrically connected if an electric current can run between them through an electrical conductor. An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection between parts of an electrical circuit, or between different electrical circuits, thereby joining them into a larger circuit. Most electrical connectors have a genderi.e. the male component, called a ''plug'', connects to the female component, or ''socket''. The connection may be removable (as for portable equipment), require a tool for assembly and removal, or serve as a permanent electrical joint between two points. An adapter can be used to join dissimilar connectors. Thousands of configurations of connectors are manufactured for power, data, and audiovisual applications. Electrical connectors can be divided into four basic categories, differentiated by their function: * ''inline'' or ''cable'' connectors permanently attached to a cable, so it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colour'' and ''ZX82'', it was launched as the ''ZX Spectrum'' to highlight the machine's colour display, which differed from the black and white display of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was released as six different models, ranging from the entry level with 16 Kilobyte, KB RAM released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 KB RAM and built in floppy disk drive in 1987; altogether they sold over 5 million units worldwide (not counting List of ZX Spectrum clones, unofficial clones). The Spectrum was among the first home computers in the United Kingdom aimed at a mainstream audience, and it thus had similar significance to the Commodore 64 in the US and the Thomson MO5 in France. The introduction of the ZX Spect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miles Gordon Technology
{{unreferenced, date=August 2012 Miles Gordon Technology, known as MGT, was a small British company, initially specialising in high-quality add-ons for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was founded in June 1986 in Cambridge, England by Alan Miles and Bruce Gordon, former employees of Sinclair Research, after Sinclair sold the rights for the Spectrum to Amstrad. They moved to Swansea, Wales, in May 1989, became a public company in July 1989 and went into receivership in June 1990. The DISCiPLE and +D As the ZX Spectrum became hugely popular, the lack of a mass storage system became a problem for more serious users. While Sinclair's response, the ZX Interface 1 and ZX Microdrive, was very cheap and technologically innovative, it was also rather limited. Many companies developed interfaces to connect floppy disk drives to the ZX Spectrum, one of the most successful being the Opus Discovery; however, these were all to some degree incompatible with Sinclair's system. MGT's approac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DISCiPLE
A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in the Gospel of Luke * Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a Protestant denomination in North America descended from the Campbell movement * Disciples of Christ (Campbell Movement), a Christian group that arose during the Second Great Awakening * Disciples of `Abdu'l-Bahá, 19 Western Bahá'ís * The ten principal disciples of Buddha * Disciples of Confucius * Disciples of Jesus in Islam * Student of Kriya Yoga, of direct lineage to Mahavatar Babaji * Sahabah, the disciples of Muhammad * Follower of Paramahansa Yogananda * Śishya, the disciple in the Guru–shishya tradition of Hinduism * ''Śrāvaka'' (Sanskrit) or ''savaka'' (Pali), disciples in Buddhism and Jainism * Tarmida ('disciple'), a junior priest in Mandaeism Books, games, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Network
A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are made up of telecommunication network technologies, based on physically wired, optical, and wireless radio-frequency methods that may be arranged in a variety of network topologies. The nodes of a computer network can include personal computers, servers, networking hardware, or other specialised or general-purpose hosts. They are identified by network addresses, and may have hostnames. Hostnames serve as memorable labels for the nodes, rarely changed after initial assignment. Network addresses serve for locating and identifying the nodes by communication protocols such as the Internet Protocol. Computer networks may be classified by many criteria, including the transmission medium used to carry signals, bandwidth, communications pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joystick
A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal control device in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a centre stick or side-stick. It often has supplementary switches to control various aspects of the aircraft's flight. Joysticks are often used to control video games, and usually have one or more push-buttons whose state can also be read by the computer. A popular variation of the joystick used on modern video game consoles is the analog stick. Joysticks are also used for controlling machines such as cranes, trucks, underwater unmanned vehicles, wheelchairs, surveillance cameras, and zero turning radius lawn mowers. Miniature finger-operated joysticks have been adopted as input devices for smaller electronic equipment such as mobile phones. Aviation Joystic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
