An inline power switch for ZX Spectrum 48 and ZX Spectrum Neo computers. A 5.5 / 2.1 mm plug at one end, a matching socket at the other: it sits in the lead between the power supply and the computer, and gives you something to press.
As anyone who has owned a rubber-key machine knows, the ‘rubber keys’ models and their relatives were never given a power switch. You turned a Spectrum off by pulling the plug out of the back — which wears the socket, occasionally takes the solder pad with it, and means the machine either sits powered up all evening or gets unplugged a dozen times a night. Neither is good for it. Hence this.
Why it is worth bothering with
The barrel socket on a Spectrum is soldered to the board and takes the full mechanical force of every disconnection. Forty years of that is one of the commoner reasons an otherwise healthy machine develops an intermittent fault, and repairing a lifted pad is a considerably longer job than fitting a switch. Move the wear to a component that costs almost nothing and is trivially replaced, and the socket on the board is only ever connected once.
It also makes the machine pleasant to use. Cutting the power is the one way to clear a Spectrum completely, and being able to do that with a thumb, rather than by feeling around the back of the case for a plug, changes how readily you experiment on it.
What it fits
- ZX Spectrum 48 computers
- ZX Spectrum Neo
- any machine fed through a 5.5 / 2.1 mm barrel connector
It matches the 9 V power adapter for Sizif-512, which uses the same plug.
Questions people ask
Where does it go?
In the lead between the power supply and the computer. The plug end goes into the computer, the supply goes into the socket end, and the switch sits in between.
Does my ZX Spectrum really not have a switch?
The ‘rubber keys’ models and similar machines were never fitted with one. Sinclair expected you to pull the plug out, which is exactly the habit this is meant to replace.
Does it fit my power supply?
If your supply ends in a 5.5 / 2.1 mm barrel plug, yes — that is the size used here, and the same size as our 9 V adapter for the Sizif-512.
Do I need to solder or modify anything?
No. It plugs in between two things that were already plugged into each other. Nothing about the computer is altered, and it comes straight out again if you change your mind.
Does the ZX Spectrum Neo need one?
The Neo set already comes with a power supply that has a switch. This listing is useful for original ZX Spectrum 48 machines, for self-builds, and as a spare.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.