The SCART lead for a ZX Spectrum Neo, or for any computer built on a Sizif-512 motherboard. It carries RGB video and stereo audio from the machine’s video socket to a television with a SCART (Euroconnector) input, and it is the best picture this computer can give you.
The difference is worth explaining, because it is larger than people expect. RGB keeps the red, green and blue signals separate all the way to the screen, so the eight Spectrum colours arrive as the machine generated them: flat, saturated, with hard edges between attribute cells. Composite video mixes those three signals into one and the television has to pull them apart again, which softens edges and smears colour boundaries — exactly where a Spectrum picture lives. On RGB, text is readable, loading screens are crisp, and the pixel grid is a grid rather than a suggestion.
What it connects to
- televisions and monitors with a SCART / Euroconnector input — RGB video plus stereo sound down one lead
- a SCART-to-HDMI converter, if your television only has HDMI inputs — the lead goes from the computer to the converter, and the converter to the set
One warning, because it catches people out: this lead is not for Harlequin computers. They use a different socket to the Sizif-512, and the plug will not do what you want it to do.
Do you need one?
If you have bought a ZX Spectrum Neo, no — a SCART lead is already in the set, along with a composite one. This listing is for people building their own machine around an assembled Sizif-512 board, for anyone who wants a second lead for a second television, and for the day the first one disappears behind a desk and does not come back.
Questions people ask
Will this work with my ZX Spectrum Neo?
Yes — it is made for the Neo and for any machine on a Sizif-512 motherboard. A lead of this type is already included in the Neo set.
How do I get the picture onto an HDMI television?
Put a SCART-to-HDMI converter between the two: this lead runs from the computer to the converter, and an HDMI lead from the converter to the set.
Is RGB really better than composite?
On a Spectrum, noticeably. RGB keeps the colour signals separate, so edges stay sharp and colours stay where they were put. Composite combines them and the television has to separate them again, which blurs precisely the fine detail a Spectrum screen is made of.
Can I use it with a Harlequin?
No. Harlequin boards use a different socket type to the Sizif-512. This lead is for Sizif-512 machines only.
Does it carry sound as well?
Yes, stereo audio travels down the same lead as the picture, so one cable does both.
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