Handpicked Software

zxsp is a simulator for the historic Sinclair ZX home computer families. Main supported platform is Mac OS X. Versions for classic MacOS and old versions of Mac OS X are still available from the zxsp download page.

zxsp supports “.sna” and “.z80″ snapshot files, “.tap”, “.tzx”, “.80″, “.81″, “.o”, “.p” tape files, excellent sound, precise screen and border effects, joysticks, mouse, a virtual tape recorder and virtual keyboards.

zxsp can load from and save to a built-in virtual tape recorder or a real-world cassette recorder or a real-world Specci. It also can dup real-world cassette tapes to “.tap” files or vice versa.

zxsp supports the black&white models ZX80 and ZX81, the ZX Spectrum models with 16K and 48K ram, the +128, +2 and the +2A/+2B; including the Spanish and French versions. If you still own one of the emulated machines and find that the simulation does not match the original, you are welcome to contact me for further improvement. Just keep the original thing ready for tests. :-)

zxsp comes with a debugger with register edit for the main chips, a video beam position indicator, single stepper and memory disassembly. The machine can be throttled down to 1 Hz or overdrived to 20 MHz cpu clock. You can directly load Z80 assembler sources into zxsp.

Supported machines:

• ZX Spectrum 16k, 48k, 128k, +2 and +2A.
• Inves ZX Spectrum+ and Spanish Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ 128K, +2 and +2A.
• French +2.
• ZX80 and ZX81 (emulated).

Features:

• Multiple instances
• Screen zoom factor x1 to x4
• Fullscreen mode
• Excellent sound
• Precise screen and border effects
• Virtual tape recorder and keyboards

Supported file formats:

• Load .sna, .z80, .tap, .80, .81, .o, .p, .tzx, .tzx v1.20, .rom, .ass and .scr files
• Save .sna, .z80, .tap, .80, .81, .o, .p, .rom, .scr and .gif files
• Instant-loading .tap, .o, .p, .80 and .81 files
• Load .sna, .tap, .o, .p, .80, .81 files from assembler source

Supported real-world machinery:

• Load from and save to real-world Specci or cassette recorder
• USB joysticks and game pads

Supported virtual peripherials:

• Kempston joystick interface
• Built-in joystick ports of the +2, +2A and TC2048
• Interface 2 for joysticks and rom cartridge
• Kempston mouse interface

Integrated debugger:

• Speed control from 1 Hz to 20 MHz
• Load assembler source files
• Z80, Ula/CRTC/MMU and AY sound chip register edit
• Single stepper
• Memory disassembly
• Breakpoints for exec, read or write access
• Video beam position indicator

What’s New:
Version 0.7.1:

• Kempston mouse interface emulation
• Saving “.z80″ files in version 3.0 now.
• Save “.80″, “.o”, “.81″ and “.p” tape files for ZX80 and ZX81
• Save and load “.z80″ snapshots for ZX80 and ZX81
• Save highres and flashing Gif screenshots.
• Save highres Gif movies

Developer’s website: Kio