If you have been watching the news on the new Checkmate as shown
by RetroManCave on YouTube you will have seen the very talented
Stephen Jones promoting the new Checkmate. This updated version of
the original Checkmate now can hold an A500, an A1200 and even a
PC motherboard. It is designed to give full modern capability
with a varying slot arrangement for differing drives. It would
seem that the Checkmate is destined to carry on. So pleased.
A big well done to Stephen for all his hard work. A true Amigan.
You have noticed in the video by RetroManCave that Stephen shows
an image of my Checkmate in the background. The picture is like
15 years old and rather small. So in true YouTube fashion I have
not simply added some newer larger pictures but also a series of
12 videos.
Just a couple of points of note. The monitor is not the same as I
swapped that out a good while back now. The mouse is still stationed
in the original mouse house on the other monitor. I also use the
mouse matt on the Amiga 500 featured only yesterday here. Other
than that she is pretty much as the photographs of the day.
There is a strange DF1???? on the screen and a KCS error which have
been there since day 1. The guy was trying to get a KCS PowerPC
card working on the machine but failed.
To the left of the computer is the other Checkmate's that I have
keyboard only. The Checkmate is Parnet linked to the Amiga 2000
that sits next door. To the right is a C64C on a 1701 with two
1541 IIs below. Below the C64C are two Electrons, one with the
rear expansion. And below the Checkmate is a Sharp MZ-80K which
I did test today and is working fine.
Here is the blurb from the day.... The pictures also show the
original computer in context from the Ebay auction.
The scuzz collection welcomes...
5th June 2004 additions
This week I ventured `up-north` to collect
a rare A1500 Checkmate computer and acquired
all of the below in the bargain....
A1500 System by Checkmate Digital Limited
An A1500 ( prior to Commodore version ) with A500 fitted
Included also is an A590 XT 20Mb version sidecar with half MB plus
additional external 50MB hard-drive, 5.25 and 3.25" external
floppy drives, and a 1084S monitor. The machine is fitted with
the 2.04 OS and version 2.0 Roms. Probably retailed for about
£1200 in its day
Other features for this machine include the Megachip 2000/500
giving 2Mb of chip RAM, the Multistart II which allowed the
installation of the Kickstart V2.0 ROMS, Workbench Management
System 2.0 by TTR, teletext add-on and scanner.
Evidently the popularity of this model concerned Commodore
sufficiently to warrant the release of the official A1500
to the UK market only
V I D E O S
Machine boots - Machine running
External floppies - Floppies and 1500
C64C neighbour - Monitor view
Keyboard - 5.25 inches
External Drives - Amiga 2000 booting
2000 neighbour - Checkmate 1500
Checkmate 1500 - To infinity and beyond
Stephen Jones referring to my original Checkmate
with his new Checkmate sitting below the monitor.
My original Checkmate image and the new image.
The original picture as shown on the Ebay auction.
And before you ask £49 plus a trip to St Helens.
I also got all of this for free for my efforts.
I call it my 'Wonderwall' [ Oasis are from Manchester ]
Seriously.... Go get some real kit why don't you ?
You won't regret it. Trust me.
