Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Recommended Amiga Dealers => Topic started by: Darrin on December 01, 2011, 05:01:19 PM
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Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit AmigaKit's business in Cardiff and actually get to meet the team behind the website.
I have to give a big thank you to all of them for making me welcome and for spending so much time with me discussing their operations and available hardware.
I've finally got to see a real SAM and seen OS4.1 up and running. I've been in two minds about what to buy regarding OS4.x and after meeting with Mathew I've told him to put me down for an X1000 once they become available to the general public along with a Spider card as soon as he gets some in from Elbox.
Just for the record, this isn't a shady enterprise run from a garage in Splot, but a professional business taking up several units in an industrial park (that once used to be a brewery - perfect!). They've got more workstations than C-USA with another major difference - people are actually assembling and testing things at them.
The Christmas orders were being processed and large boxes of goodies were being wrapped up for posting around the world. If anyone fancies a refurbished A1200 then drop these guys a line. They had one on display that they had customised to add a DVD ROM to the rear, along with a CF Card drive. They can turn a "wedge" A1200 into the perfect all-in-one machine with no extra drives and dongles taking up space on your desk.
I managed to escape with the contents of my wallet mostly intact as I've decided to hold off on the SAM for the X1000, but these guys are obviously in this business for their love of all things Amiga and they're there for the long run. If you need any hardware then support businesses like AmigaKit and keep them going strong.
Thanks again to the team and I'll be sure to drop in again the next time I'm in Wales.
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During the stirkes and everything :)
Did you see the march through cardiff ?
I work just around the corner from them.
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Strikes? You mean the "Public sector's extra day off to go Christmas shopping?" :D
Didn't see a thing although the tunnel was closed.
Wish I knew you were there, we could have met up for a drink as I went to the pub next to the Cardiff Stadium for a late lunch after my visit.
I'm going to the Wales v Australia and Cardiff v Birmingham matches on the weekend too. Are you attending either?
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Very nice report. Thanks. It's always pleasant to hear of a success story.
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Oh, I also got to see something that I've only heard about via the BBoAH: They had one of those Amiga on a card thingies that was basically an 8MB AGA Amiga that fitted into a 5.25" bay. My credit cards were fighting to free themselves from my wallet, but Mathew said it had already been promised to someone else.
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Did their CEO ask you about your wife's favorite sex position?
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Did their CEO ask you about your wife's favorite sex position?
No, and for some strange reason he didn't attempt to sell me a 3 piece suite, coffee table or show me any pictures of his personal computer motherboard factory in China either. ;)
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No, and for some strange reason he didn't attempt to sell me a 3 piece suite, coffee table or show me any pictures of his personal computer motherboard factory in China either. ;)
HAHA.. +1 for AmigaKit.. my favourite Amiga retailer!!
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No, and for some strange reason he didn't attempt to sell me a 3 piece suite, coffee table or show me any pictures of his personal computer motherboard factory in China either. ;)
Were any high priced fruit juices available for purchase?
:)
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Were any high priced fruit juices available for purchase?
:)
I missed this reference, you'll need to explain this one. :)
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Strikes? You mean the "Public sector's extra day off to go Christmas shopping?" :D
always suspected that u were a bit of a ****.
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always suspected that u were a bit of a ****.
Tory? Yes, I am. It comes with the flawless education and desire to pay my own way in life without stealing from others. Now piss off and go and play with some semtex.
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any pictures???
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any pictures???
Yeh, that would be cool to see what the place looks like.
tj
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Cool! did they say if there were going to be more of these made or was this leftover from some past project?.
Oh, I also got to see something that I've only heard about via the BBoAH: They had one of those Amiga on a card thingies that was basically an 8MB AGA Amiga that fitted into a 5.25" bay. My credit cards were fighting to free themselves from my wallet, but Mathew said it had already been promised to someone else.
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I missed this reference, you'll need to explain this one. :)
Dammy could explain better than I.
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Yeh, that would be cool to see what the place looks like.
tj
This is the building according to Google maps.
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While I haven't been to see the operation I have spoken to them over the phone. I have happily parted with close to £300 buying stuff from them. These guys do know how to keep their customers happy. Maybe I should arange a visit to see them. :D
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found the 5 1/4 inch amiga its the Index Information: Access computer clone.
its on the http://www.amiga-hardware.com/
if look
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I've got a lot of Amiga gear from Amigakit, too: my Amiga 1200, several Minimigs for me & friends, Minimig memory expansion... Always diligent, serious and with a great and patient support :)
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People striking?
Nah this is what a real Tory thinks:
"Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they have these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?"
Yeah why not?
PS: This is the comment made by TV presenter (Top Gear) Jeremy Clarkson who is a friend of the unelected Prime Minister (another tory).
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Going slightly off topic but....
I am a nurse and I might be having my wage capped yet again. Which means my wage will be staying the same untill possibly 2015. fantastic....
They are also trying to force me into a new pension scheme where I lose a large chunk of it almost straight away then get raped every year with it.
trust me when I say a job at asda has better prospects right now. Those of us on the front line get shafted every which way but loose. While the managers and higher get to keep their little golden nesteggs.
Maybe they should cap their wages and get more staff in with the money they would be saving. Or how about kicking them bank heads into touch and taxing them more on their bonuses. I don't work 50 hours nearly just to get screwed over by people in an office at the government.
Rant over......
Anyway amigakit rule. My package is on its way from Cardiff as I type.
Yay! :D
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Amen. :)
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any pictures???
Here are my photos when I visited them in June - http://retro-link.blogspot.com/2011/06/here-are-some-photos-i-took-at-my-visit.html
As always, Matthew was kind and generous.
Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
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any pictures???
No, sorry. They had some things that were under a NDA so I didn't ask to take any snaps in case I cought something I shouldn't (assuming there was something I could have).
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Cool! did they say if there were going to be more of these made or was this leftover from some past project?.
It was some old project by a now dead company. They just happened to stumble across one or two.
Before the days of WinUAE, it would have been a great bit of hardware to stick in a PC's 5.25" bay (especially using something like Siamese). Today it would make a great mobo to use with a DIY Amiga laptop project.
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found the 5 1/4 inch amiga its the Index Information: Access computer clone.
its on the http://www.amiga-hardware.com/
if look
That link goes back to the main menu. What I believe I saw was the "Index Information: Access" (under the Amiga clones menu), although it wasn't in that case.
Here's a pic of the mobo (which from memory was identical):
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/download_photos/access5.jpg
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Going slightly off topic but....
I am a nurse and I might be having my wage capped yet again. Which means my wage will be staying the same untill possibly 2015. fantastic....
They are also trying to force me into a new pension scheme where I lose a large chunk of it almost straight away then get raped every year with it.
trust me when I say a job at asda has better prospects right now. Those of us on the front line get shafted every which way but loose. While the managers and higher get to keep their little golden nesteggs.
Maybe they should cap their wages and get more staff in with the money they would be saving. Or how about kicking them bank heads into touch and taxing them more on their bonuses. I don't work 50 hours nearly just to get screwed over by people in an office at the government.
Rant over......
Don't worry, I do understand. My wife is a nurse.
Anyway amigakit rule. My package is on its way from Cardiff as I type.
Yay! :D
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It wasnt aimed at anyone mate let alone you my good friend. ;) just eats me up a little inside. Anyway just checked the status of my package and it's been sorted at the delivery agents main sorting site. WOOO IT'S GETTING CLOSER!!!
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It wasnt aimed at anyone mate let alone you my good friend. ;) just eats me up a little inside. Anyway just checked the status of my package and it's been sorted at the delivery agents main sorting site. WOOO IT'S GETTING CLOSER!!!
Thanks. I only made the original comment because I went shopping that day and this morning and the shopkeepers all said that the day of the strike was their busiest all year and today's was crap again. :D
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lol. I had just got back from Germany when the strikes were on. No issues getting through though which was a bonus.
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lol. I had just got back from Germany when the strikes were on. No issues getting through though which was a bonus.
British customs always seems to be non-existant. I arrived week last Friday and apart from a friendly "hello" when I showed my passport, the customs area of Heathrow didn't seem to have anyone working in it and it was the same last April.
When I fly back to Houston I'll be lucky if they don't give me an anal probe!
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British customs always seems to be non-existant. I arrived week last Friday and apart from a friendly "hello" when I showed my passport, the customs area of Heathrow didn't seem to have anyone working in it and it was the same last April.
When I fly back to Houston I'll be lucky if they don't give me an anal probe!
They said hello? You're lucky...they must have really liked you!
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@Darrin
In Europe you must be very unlucky to be stopped at customs. They do monitor people though and if you act suspiciously you will be called in.
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They had some things that were under a NDA so I didn't ask to take any snaps in case I cought something I shouldn't...
:) I always ask Matthew's permission before I take photos of the place.
Anyways, here's my report (the latter half of the article) of AmigaKit from 2008.
http://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1356
Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
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Now piss off and go and play with some semtex.
Any particular reason for insulting the entire population of N.Ireland with that remark?
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Yes I do support Amigakit
With my latest order due to be dispatched shortly I added
3*x 4GB CF IDE HARD DISK for A4000
and
1*x 4GB CF IDE HARD DISK for A1200 for good measure
simply for good measure, not sure when I'll actually install them... one day though, keeps the business ticking over in a little way...
and an X1000 Darren? How extraordinary :-)
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I support Amigakit yes
With my latest order due to be dispatched shortly I added
3 x 4GB CF IDE HARD DISK for A4000 and
1 x 4GB CF IDE HARD DISK for A1200 for good measure
not sure when I'll actually utilise them, one day perhaps, keeps the business ticking over in a little way
and an X1000 Darren? How extraordinary :)
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just received my delivery from them. Must send them a mail to say how happy I am with the stuff. :D
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It was some old project by a now dead company. They just happened to stumble across one or two.
Before the days of WinUAE, it would have been a great bit of hardware to stick in a PC's 5.25" bay (especially using something like Siamese). Today it would make a great mobo to use with a DIY Amiga laptop project.
I remember being on their mailing list since I was _very_ interested in getting one. It went quiet for a while then they announced that they had cancelled the project. This would have been close to 15 years ago if I remember rightly. I was very bummed about it being cancelled.
I had completely forgotten about the project until seeing it mentioned here.
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Strikes? You mean the "Public sector's extra day off to go Christmas shopping?" :D
Didn't see a thing although the tunnel was closed.
Wish I knew you were there, we could have met up for a drink as I went to the pub next to the Cardiff Stadium for a late lunch after my visit.
I'm going to the Wales v Australia and Cardiff v Birmingham matches on the weekend too. Are you attending either?
I could have got free tickets to the egg chasing through work, as we sposnor the welsh team. But its my teams xmas pi55up this afternoon/evening and figured I wouldnt be in any fit state to do anyhting tomoz.
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Going back to Jeremy Clarkson's comments once again and the strikes again, this is purely my opinion of course, but the following group of workers in the public sector are ALL overpaid from what I see.
* Teachers, great pay, great pension, great hours, nice long holiday in the summer - DESERVE PAYCUTS, long overdue
* Nurses and Doctors, great pay, long hours, no holidays - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Police - great pay, great pension, long unsocial working hours at times, unless your a pen pusher, holidays like the rest of us - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Fireman - great pay, great pension, they hardly do any real work sat all day in the station, DESERVE PAYCUTS more then all the above
* Politicians - great pay, great benefits and allowances, great pension, they hardly do any real work, they have a massive summer holiday - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
* Higher tiers of council, management positions - great pay, job for life, great benefits, possibily pension plans, mostly paper work/bureaucracy, holidays - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
In short vast swathes of the public sector need reforming to bring salaries in-line with the private sector.
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When I fly back to Houston I'll be lucky if they don't give me an anal probe!
That's a quaint way to say hello. But I guess it is Texas....
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Going back to Jeremy Clarkson's comments once again and the strikes again, this is purely my opinion of course, but the following group of workers in the public sector are ALL overpaid from what I see.
* Teachers, great pay, great pension, great hours, nice long holiday in the summer - DESERVE PAYCUTS, long overdue
* Nurses and Doctors, great pay, long hours, no holidays - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Police - great pay, great pension, long unsocial working hours at times, unless your a pen pusher, holidays like the rest of us - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Fireman - great pay, great pension, they hardly do any real work sat all day in the station, DESERVE PAYCUTS more then all the above
* Politicians - great pay, great benefits and allowances, great pension, they hardly do any real work, they have a massive summer holiday - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
* Higher tiers of council, management positions - great pay, job for life, great benefits, possibily pension plans, mostly paper work/bureaucracy, holidays - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
In short vast swathes of the public sector need reforming to bring salaries in-line with the private sector.
Let's step outside (to teh coffeehouse)
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That link goes back to the main menu.
Yeah, the Amiga Hardware site uses frames which makes it terribly difficult to bookmark or share links. Old school ;)
Great report, good to hear they're doing well! I've only ever bought smaller stuff from them, but have always had a good experience in my dealings with them...
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Here's some other things I've bought:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC11039s.jpg)
Now I need another suitcase to take the stuff back that I came over with.
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Mmmm...Marmite :-)
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Marmite = dirt!
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Going back to Jeremy Clarkson's comments once again and the strikes again, this is purely my opinion of course, but the following group of workers in the public sector are ALL overpaid from what I see.
* Teachers, great pay, great pension, great hours, nice long holiday in the summer - DESERVE PAYCUTS, long overdue
* Nurses and Doctors, great pay, long hours, no holidays - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Police - great pay, great pension, long unsocial working hours at times, unless your a pen pusher, holidays like the rest of us - LESS DESERVING OF A PAYCUT
* Fireman - great pay, great pension, they hardly do any real work sat all day in the station, DESERVE PAYCUTS more then all the above
* Politicians - great pay, great benefits and allowances, great pension, they hardly do any real work, they have a massive summer holiday - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
* Higher tiers of council, management positions - great pay, job for life, great benefits, possibily pension plans, mostly paper work/bureaucracy, holidays - DESERVE A BIG PAYCUT
In short vast swathes of the public sector need reforming to bring salaries in-line with the private sector.
The thing is wherever you go the people at the top will always screw the ones at the bottom, it happens in the private and public sector.