05 December 2020, 07:32 | #1 |
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Nova's new Amiga build - Checkmate 1500+
My new Amiga build!
Specs: Checkmate 1500 Plus case 19" Sony Trinitron CRT 020 @ 40 Mhz (fast enough for WHLOAD games) RTG/AGA output 256 MB FASTRAM LAN USB I was after a new Amiga but didn't feel like messing about with 30 year old motherboards again trying to get something running properly (my last few A1200's all had issues). Also considered a Vampire stand alone but decided that wasn't the direction I was interested in. After watching the [ Show youtube player ] showing how to mount a MisTer FPGA computer into a Checkmate 1500 case I decided to do the same thing. Really loving the MiSTer! It's great to be able to play Genesis/SNES games in 640*480 on a CRT and also classic 486 PC games using real general MIDI The best part of the Amiga side is being able to run a sharp RTG Workbench and have it automatically switch over to PAL 50Hz for smooth gaming using WHDLOAD Hasn't been cheap though, I could have got a PS5 or two for the same price [ Show youtube player ] Last edited by NovaCoder; 27 December 2020 at 13:08. |
05 December 2020, 09:08 | #2 |
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Looks great! Very neat.
MISTer seems like a nice product, but considering you have a desire for PC games too, a PC running Windows/DOS natively and running WinUAE for Amiga (at native resolution) would have also worked. CRT is the way forward - I have a 15kHz compatible LCD and the pixels are an eye sore... not how I remember gaming other than DOS (though 480i for DOS looks very nice!) Nice SONY 19" Trinitron. I use a 28" 4:3 CRT to have the same setup as you but also runs all emulators at their native resolution - which are not 640x480: SNES : 256×224, 512×448 (NTSC), 256×240, 512×480 (PAL) Genesis : 320×224, 256×224, 320x240 (some PAL games) Last edited by lesta_smsc; 05 December 2020 at 09:18. |
05 December 2020, 09:40 | #3 | |
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Yep I could have gone for an old PC build but I prefer the flexibility of the MiSTer. I can also run a perfect C64 with stereo SIDS or a plus4 etc etc. Yep the MiSTer is very flexible with the display, I can run all old consoles at native resolution but prefer to scan double... looks much better in my opinion. |
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05 December 2020, 09:43 | #4 | |
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Have you tried MAME? The 1st time I saw Final Fight run pixel perfect with no flicker I just went back to how much money I spent playing that game. |
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28 December 2020, 13:13 | #5 | |
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Nice machine though, and I've been looking for one of those Sony Trinitron displays for a long time.. And size-wise, it looks like a perfect match for the Checkmate box. |
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28 December 2020, 20:02 | #6 |
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@ NovaCoder
sweet tidy setup |
31 December 2020, 05:32 | #7 |
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Thanks guys
I'm really enjoying it so far, currently playing old PC space sims like Tie Fighter and Wing commander 2 with that awesome midi soundtrack, also getting into some awesome Genesis shooters (never had a Genesis back in the day but very impressed with it). Genesis games run at 640*480 at 60 Hz on this setup and look so damn good. I'll post up some more pics of my Checkmate build soon, just got to finish the last few tweaks |
31 December 2020, 08:37 | #8 | |
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Can I ask... Why 640*480? |
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31 December 2020, 10:38 | #9 |
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31 December 2020, 10:43 | #10 | |
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Damn, MiSTer is so tempting... |
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31 December 2020, 12:09 | #11 |
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31 December 2020, 12:18 | #12 |
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Beautiful. I would look at PC insides in the future but that is very cool. How fast is it compared to a REAL Amiga?
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31 December 2020, 12:35 | #13 |
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31 December 2020, 12:41 | #14 |
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Very sweet setup, I would love a similar one for my Vampire SA!
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31 December 2020, 13:04 | #15 |
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07 January 2021, 14:07 | #16 |
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Here are the completed pictures
Bit fiddly to get it to play nice with the internal SFX PS but got there in the end (and with only a few additional grey hairs!) Last edited by NovaCoder; 07 January 2021 at 14:15. |
15 May 2021, 21:13 | #17 |
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Missed the party, but nonetheless, this is so awesome! Nice work!
I originally bought a MiSTer because, while I ironically suck at games, I couldn't handle the obvious audio/video and controller input lag of the various commercial mini products (the TG-16 was in particular such a let down!). The MiSTer is FLAWLESS in that regard, and suddenly I don't suck so bad at Bonk's and Sonic anymore... Should work great! Mine outputs to an 15 kHz PVM, looks utterly fantastic. Been meaning to try one of the 31 kHz+ CRTs like Nova, but haven't got around to it yet. |
19 May 2021, 19:32 | #18 |
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Great setup! Looks nice! And a Super game Enjoy!
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17 August 2021, 08:50 | #19 | |
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Yes I've noticed that I'm no longer sh*t at Genesis games |
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17 August 2021, 08:51 | #20 |
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Thanks
I've just ordered a CheckMate Mini which is basically the same case just smaller, not sure which one I'll go with (maybe both ) Last edited by NovaCoder; 17 August 2021 at 09:01. |
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