ELeMeNt ZX: Expanding the Retro ZX Spectrum Experience

The ZX Spectrum era was defined by creative and affordable hardware solutions. Early enhancements included homemade joysticks and ’turbo’ devices to speed up loading from cassette tapes. More advanced users even replaced the ROM to support these faster loaders.

Floppy drives became widely popular in the mid-90s with units like the Didaktik, though they were once the domain of elite users or those who built their own, like the Betadisk replica. The eLeMeNt ZX allows you to connect all these nostalgic peripherals, from the floppy drive to the cassette recorder, complete with its iconic five-minute loading screech.

At its heart, the eLeMeNt ZX features a built-in divSD interface, the successor to the famous divIDE, offering two slots for standard and micro SD cards. For those who dislike handling tiny cards, a high-speed serial link allows for direct file transfer from a PC.

The system is managed by esxDOS, an operating system that provides direct access to the SD card using familiar commands like LOAD and SAVE. It supports numerous emulator file formats and works with FAT16/FAT32, though it lacks long filename support, a feature provided by the add-on LFN Browser. Crucially, esxDOS also maintains the classic feel, allowing users to save data into .TAP files as if using a vintage cassette tape.