Lex Bailey’s Luggable Laptop computer Is Powered by a Sinclair ZX Spectrum — and Boasts Its Personal Telephone

Maker and PhD pupil Lex Bailey has constructed a laptop computer with a distinction: it is powered by a Sinclair ZX Spectrum microcomputer, full with tape drive for storage, and comes full with a working phone for voice and information calls.

“[I] completed constructing my ZX Spectrum laptop computer able to take to [Electromagnetic Field] 2024,” Bailey writes of the luggable machine — fitted with a rainbow guitar strap to boost its portability for the occasion, often called EMF Camp, which gathers hackers, artists, makers, and tinkerers in tents in a literal subject. “It has a Prism modem for Viewdata companies, and may hopefully hook up with the DECT community [at the event].”

The Sinclair ZX Spectrum launched in 1982 as an inexpensive eight-bit dwelling pc constructed across the well-liked Zilog Z80 processor — since, sadly, discontinued in standalone CPU type, by way of doubtlessly set for an open-hardware revival. With a shade video output and as much as 48kB of reminiscence in its preliminary type, the machine proved well-liked amongst programmers and avid gamers alike — regardless of its rubbery keyboard, semi-affectionately known as “lifeless flesh” by its customers.

It is an unique ZX Spectrum, full with that iconic keyboard, which types the center of Bailey’s construct — with as little trendy {hardware} added as potential. Probably the most trendy is a shade LCD show, which accepts a composite video enter from the Spectrum — instead of the inventory RF modulator, which might require a show machine with an analog TV tuner. To the left of the Spectrum is an unique cassette deck, for saving and loading applications.

To the precise is one thing surprising: a phone handset and quantity pad. “I took aside an affordable landline telephone and reconfigured it just a little,” Bailey explains. “The keypad is totally customized, the handset is 3D printed and incorporates the mic and receiver from the telephone I took aside. The [original Prism] modem connects to the telephone system through DECT, and the telephone is linked to the modem in order that it might probably do the dialing — the modem cannot dial by itself.”

The challenge wasn’t all the time easy. The show seen within the completed machine is the fourth to have been bought for the challenge, the opposite three having been dead-on-arrival. Getting the modem and handset speaking to a DECT telephone system additionally took just a little trickery, involving the usage of a BT Digital Voice Adapter designed for these moved off Plain Outdated Phone Service (POTS) connections to trendy IP-based exchanges however who nonetheless wish to use their current analog telephone {hardware}.

These attending Electromagnetic Discipline between Could thirtieth and June 2nd inclusive will have the ability to see Bailey’s creation in motion, whereas extra data is out there on the challenge’s Mastodon thread; Bailey is planning a video or challenge write-up to comply with, with further particulars on the construct.