Traditional "Beeper", 3 × General Instrument AY-3-8910 programmable sound generators, and 2 × 8-bit DACs implemented in FPGA Up to 128 hardware sprites of 16 × 16 pixels Z80N ( Zilog Z80 compatible with additional instructions) implemented in FPGAġ024 KiB base (768 KiB free), 2048 KiB maximum (1792 KiB free), in 8 KiB banks paged in and out of Z80's 64 KiB address space 256 KiB is reserved for ROMsĭepending on mode and layer, 16 or 256 colours with no colour clash in certain modes Overview of the Next hardware specifications A Raspberry Pi Zero unit can be installed as an "Accelerator" into the Next Plus.Wi-Fi module relocated to avoid audio interferenceīoth models are cased, include a real-time clock, Wi-Fi, and 2048 KiB RAM (1792 KiB free), use board revision 2C, and can be upgraded by the owner
The second Kickstarter offers just two models. Any of the higher models' optional extras can be installed.An internal "beeper" speaker can be installed.Adding two 512 KiB chips brings the RAM to 2048 KiB (1792 KiB free).Only board revision which can fit in an original, modified, ZX Spectrum caseĭoes not require modification, with a capacitor, to eliminate electronic "noise" Īccelerator will enable loading compressed tzx tape images from SD-card and provide emulation of the MOS Technology 6581 SID soundchip.Īll models include 1024 KiB RAM (768 KiB free) and can be upgraded by the owner Raspberry Pi Zero "Accelerator" installed Models įour models of the Next were produced in the first Kickstarter: Overview of the Next Issue 1 models Retro Gamer featured an 8-page interview with the creators of the machine about the highs and lows of creating a "true successor to the much-loved Sinclair micro".
In PC Pro magazine, columnist Gareth Halfacree called the Next "undeniably impressive" while noting that the printed manual lacks an index, and that some features are "not quite ready". In the official Raspberry Pi magazine " MagPi", Lucy Hattersley called it "a lovely piece of kit", noting that it is "well-designed and well-built: authentic to the original, and with technology that nods to the past while remaining functional and relevant in the modern age". The Next has received generally favorable reviews in the specialist press. It takes design cues from the Spectrum+ and Spectrum 128, not the later Spectrum +2 or +3 manufactured by Amstrad. The Next's case design is by Rick Dickinson who designed the original 48K Spectrum and Spectrum+, but passed away during the development of the keyboard of the computer. The campaign closed on 10 September 2020 with £1,847,106 (738% funding) Industrial design After some design and production delays, the first batch of finished units were delivered to backers in March 2020.Ī second Kickstarter launched on 11 August 2020 at 21:00 BST and reached 100% funding (£250,000) within minutes. The board-only computer was delivered to backers in December 2017. Īlthough initially intended to use the original ZX Spectrum's Z80 chip, the design was altered to use the Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA, to allow "hardware sprites, scrolling, and other advanced features to be incorporated within the machine itself". Due to what campaign creators call "bad tax advice" the production of the machines ended up causing costs instead of revenue to the creators. While the campaign was successful in creating a userbase for the new platform, it wasn't a commercial success. At the end of the campaign 3,113 backers pledged £723,390. A crowdfunding campaign was launched on the Kickstarter platform in January 2017 with an initial funding goal of £250,000.
The Next was first announced as a distinct product in 2016 after the participation of original Spectrum industrial designer Rick Dickinson was secured. With the help of Henrique Olifiers the duo wanted to export the TBBlue to the UK, the ZX Spectrum's original home, having received moderate success with the board in Brazil. In 2016, Victor Trucco and Fabio Belavenuto announced the "TBBlue" firmware, named after the two creators and the colour of the solder mask of the motherboard, a bare circuit board implementation of the product for advanced hobbyists. The Next started life in 2010 in Brazil, as a variant of the TK95 Spectrum clone. 6 Personalities and alternative FPGA cores.