Hi

So this is what the inside of the Checkmate looks like. What !!! No signatures on the case !

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_december17/scuzzblogddecember17_2601.htm

scuzz
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog.htm

@scuzz

Thank you for the inside look of a Checkmate 1500. I always wanted one.

Last edited by Barret on 27-Dec-2017 at 01:15 AM.

@scuzz

Quote:

What !!! No signatures on the case !

You could rectify that.

http://amigaworld.net/userinfo.php?uid=8963

@scuzz

Good effort on your part taking the time for this. It does seem strange putting an A500 in a metal case. It's almost like going backwards from the 80's. Metal, thet's so 70's .

BTW, the A1500 panel on the left, looks like it has it's own tiny title bar.

Where was the Check or mate?

@Hypex


There appears to be atleast two different versions of the machine. My other machine is the one featured in the Checkmate Digital Limited advert . The one in my recent blog is the one in the box.

When you see the Checkmate fire up fully loaded with two hard drives, two external floppies one which is a 5.25" and with the monitor sitting on top and the external keyboard it is a dream 500 to use. The unit also has scanner and in its day TV text on screen. Inside is the KCS plus the MegaChip. Way easier to expand and great having the monitor sitting on top. The unit is much thinner than the 2000.

The Checkmate runs on 2.0 and is parnetted to the 2000 which now sits next door. It is fun watching the machine fire up with the LEDs on the floppy, lights on the external drives and then there is the noise of the 590 kicking in. Uses a special power supply unit with fan and always runs generally without fault. I have a slight issue with the one external SCSI with a dodgy drive. That is why I parnetted the machine. Generally finds the drive but sometimes misses it.

I won a whole attic full of gear including the Checkmate for £42 back in 2006 I think. Man how things have changed on Ebay. Crazy bonkers now.

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_august17_9/car_sbd_290817_22.jpg

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz86.htm

Checkmate Digital Limited

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/car_1216_05/car_jam_58q.jpg

@Hypex

Quote:

Hypex wrote: Good effort on your part taking the time for this. It does seem strange putting an A500 in a metal case. It's almost like going backwards from the 80's. Metal, thet's so 70's .

Mounting this huge A500 board with external HD RAM(?) and accelerator into a pizza case and using it with an external keyboard, seemed to be more logical than all the extensions mounted on the original board.

@scuzz

This is mine

Checkmate

Mine has the simple A1500 name on the front where as yours seems a lot more busy in that area. I had to fit my own hd led and there is no power led, I wonder if it was a cost cutting exercise.

Last edited by eroom on 28-Dec-2017 at 10:33 AM.

_________________
AmigaOne X5000

@eroom

I was so troubled by the images of the battery that I decided to pull my bestest second Checkmate onto the workbench and take a look inside. This is what happened.....

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_december17/scuzzblogddecember17_2901.htm

And in respect of the 1200 in a 1500 I also have one of those.

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_december17/scuzzblogddecember17_2902.htm

scuzz


PS Man it was enjoyable looking at those pictures of yours. Wonderful work you did with the Checkmate. I do hope there are a lot more of these machines in existence.

Last edited by scuzz on 29-Dec-2017 at 03:16 PM.

@scuzz

My similar Varta battery tried to kill my memory expansion nearly 20 years ago. Never replaced it, got a Clock Cartridge but it just worked about 5 years. Then I just did use time servers from the net.

@scuzz
Quote:

I was so troubled by the images of the battery that I decided to pull my bestest second Checkmate onto the workbench and take a look inside.

I think you should be just as concerned with the capacitors on the A1200 motherboard. They can cause just as much damage and its not always as visible, just a little dulling of the solder joints to start with.

@scuzz

Always enjoy reading your blog posts. I have wasted hours browsing your website and the BBOAH site over the years.

That yellowing is weird on the external floppy and that 1200 in a 1500 is strange but inventive.

My 1500 still has its original board but now looks like a 2000 because when I got it something weird had happened to the badge. It was covered in some sort of glue and was hanging off, when it came off completly the original A2000 badge was still there in perfect condition.
Known for a long time that they just rebadged 2000 cases in the factory for the A1500 but until the badge came completly off I was holding my breath in case there was nothing there.

_________________
AmigaOne X5000

@eroom

Rumour has it that the 1500 was a response by Commodore to the Checkmate. Not sure in truth. The first 1500 I got I was also offered an Amiga 3000T by the seller. He was using the T as a door stop. I kinda haggled and said I wasn't really interested in towers. We agreed £100 for the 1500 and the 3000T.

There is no difference between the two units. It really was a promotion thing. I have a boxed 1500 and you can see how they were trying to reinvent the 2000 to just sell the units. Great kit all the same.

I do like the 2000 and the Checkmate. They go well together on the Parnet. They support each other with backups.

scuzz