The RCA (cinch) lead for a ZX Spectrum Neo, or for any computer built on a Sizif-512 motherboard. Three plugs at the far end — video, audio left, audio right — carrying composite video and stereo sound to any television or monitor with ordinary phono inputs.
This is the lead for the sets that never had a SCART socket and the ones that have long since lost it: portable televisions, small monitors, capture cards, the little screen in the workshop, and a great deal of equipment outside Europe where SCART was never the standard fitting. If the display has three coloured phono sockets on the back or the side, this plugs straight into them and you are running.
What to expect from the picture
Composite carries the whole picture down a single wire, which means the television has to separate the colour information out again at the other end. It works everywhere, and it is how most people watched a Spectrum in the first place — but it is softer than RGB, with a little colour bleed where two bright attribute cells meet. If your television has a SCART input, the RGB SCART lead will give you a sharper image. If it does not, this is what you want, and the machine will look exactly as you remember it looking.
One warning: this lead is not for Harlequin computers. They use a different socket to the Sizif-512.
Do you need one?
If you have bought a ZX Spectrum Neo, no — an RCA lead comes in the set along with a SCART one. This listing is for people building their own machine on an assembled Sizif-512 board, and for anyone who wants a second lead so the computer can move between rooms without a cable hunt.
Questions people ask
Which sockets does it need on the television?
Three phono (RCA) inputs: composite video, audio left and audio right. They are usually colour-coded yellow, white and red.
Is the picture worse than SCART?
Slightly, yes. Composite combines the colour signals into one, so edges are softer and colours can bleed a little where cells meet. RGB over SCART keeps them separate and looks sharper. Use composite when the display has no SCART input — it is a perfectly good picture, and it is the one most of us grew up with.
Will it work with my ZX Spectrum Neo?
Yes. It is made for the Neo and for any machine on a Sizif-512 motherboard, and a lead of this type is already included in the Neo set.
Does it carry sound?
Yes — stereo, on the white and red plugs.
Can I use it with a Harlequin?
No. Harlequin boards use a different socket type. This lead is for Sizif-512 machines.
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