Aquarius II Computer

Aquarius II

The Aquarius II (code named "Chess") was planned for release as a deluxe, business model of the original Aquarius (code named "Checkers"), offering a full-sized keyboard, Extended BASIC, a bundled 16k RAM cartridge, and (in some models) RGB video output through SCART. With the discontinuation of the Aquarius by Mattel Electronics in 1983, the stock of Aquarius II units that had already been manufactured went to Radofin, who released the product to the UK/European market in 1984.

Due to the low number of units manufactured (10,000 units?), current auction prices for working Aquarius II systems are high. Also, documentation on the Aquarius II has been thin, with relatively few good photos or other technical specifications available online. We were fortunate to acquire a unit that lacked a power supply, in that the seller had no way to test whether it was operational, which scared off many interested buyers. We were able to create a new power supply by modifying a donated one from an original Aquarius. On the motherboard, the electrolytic capacitors were replaced, and the 5v and 12v regulators were updated to modern, switched versions. The included RGB to SCART video board was reverse-engineered and documented for future expansion options.

The goal is to reverse engineer, photograph, measure, and recreate the system for the purposes of documentation.

Stay tuned as we explore!