Peter Misenko (Bobricius to his friends on GitHub, and YouTube, is the brain behind the original design for PicoZX, and PicoZX Handheld – the Raspberry Pi Pico-based Spectrum emulator that inspired Ken.

Peter’s short and snappy demo video explains the project, but Ken’s longer build video, goes into more detail on how he made his version.

Reason number one why I personally would argue [are you sure you want to do this – Ed.] that PicoZX might be even better than the original ZX Spectrum: it exists in the now. Reason number two: it’s cuter because it’s smaller, meaning you can also use it as a handheld device and carry it around in your pocket. Reason number three: it’s built on Raspberry Pi Pico.

Seeing as Sinclair was a pioneer of affordable home computing with the ZX Spectrum, it’s pretty cool to see a modern-day emulator running on a microcontroller which costs just $4/£4.

How is it made?

PicoZX is made up of several custom PCBs, but the Pico and most of the device’s parts are soldered onto one main board. There’s also a faceplate, which is largely cosmetic and holds everything in place nicely, and a backplate, which holds the battery and the charge controller. The other four PCBs frame the device around its edges, leaving openings for the microSD card and USB ports.

A 2.8-inch IPS display soldered directly onto the main PCB is the screen for the device. Fifty 7mm tactile switches give the tiny QWERTY keyboard its clickety tactility. PicoZX can also be used with a joystick; Ken showcases an Atari 2600 joystick in his build video.

How does it work?

The Raspberry Pi Pico runs Fruit-Bat’s ZX Spectrum emulator and Jean-Marc Harvengt’s Multi-Computer Machine Emulator (M.CU.M.E). So not only do you have all of the original ZX Spectrum programs at your fingertips, but you can also emulate other devices – such as the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, and ColecoVision – all in one compact handheld device. You’ll have 1980s nostalgia coming out of your ears after a couple of hours with this thing.

Remembering Clive Sinclair

I’d wager you’re an admirer of Sir Clive Sinclair, the inventor of the ZX Spectrum, who died in 2021. Raspberry Pi co-founder Liz Upton wrote a short but sweet note on the day we heard the news, and the comments section quickly filled with stories from people who had been inspired by his work. Have a look if you’d like to take a scroll down memory lane.