Alex from Reviving Retro recently hosted a special guest on his channel—Rob Sandry, a longtime friend and fellow collector with a talent for unearthing rare Commodore hardware. Their friendship began years ago through a Craigslist listing for Amiga gear, and ever since, Rob has been a go-to source for obscure and valuable finds. This time, he brought Alex something extraordinary: a CMD SuperCPU for the Commodore 128.
For those unfamiliar, the CMD SuperCPU is an accelerator that significantly boosts the performance of Commodore systems. While Alex owns an extensive collection, including dozens of SX-64s, a SuperCPU was something he didn’t have. Rob, always on the lookout for rare hardware, had picked up the unit as part of a massive Commodore haul in 2010 and decided it was time for it to have a new home.
Along with the SuperCPU, Rob provided a CMD RAM expansion module and a modified Commodore 128DCR. The modification included a crucial daughterboard that enables the SuperCPU to function in 128 mode. Without this component, acceleration would be limited to 64 mode. The 128DCR also had a set of switches added by its previous owner, allowing users to toggle JiffyDOS and configure the default drive—a setup designed for convenience in a professional desktop publishing environment.
As they explored the setup, Rob also shared a variety of software that complemented the SuperCPU, including different versions of GEOS and enhancements like GateWay and Wheels. He even showcased a rare Spanish-language GEOS version from Argentina, distributed under the name “Dream.”
Once the hardware was assembled, Alex powered up the system. The SuperCPU initialization sequence took a few extra seconds, but soon, the Commodore 128D was running in full 80-column mode with JiffyDOS enabled through the accelerator. With switches allowing various configurations, the setup was as versatile as it was powerful.
