old tech

[handrawn]

or game

that it is larry

Othello/Reversi around 1986, made by Digital

spot on with the date, but Othello/Reversi it is not

Is it some kind of pocket chess game?

have a cigar Jono [you don't need to smoke it]...

anyone any idea of the make.....

[Acorn]

1986 Kasparov Pocket Chess Electronic Computer Game


it was the 12 switches for the type of chess piece that threw me - I miscounted!
The two banks of LED paired pins is the clincher.

I recall a very techie training course in 1984 where we were given parts of PCBs to determine original function.
I think I even played against the beast in a shop in Gloucester and won. I thereafter shunned all computer games as not up to much.

Acorn

[handrawn]

model is spot on.... but we still need the make... and as it's you, the chip number ....

[Acorn]

OK.

Saitek Karparov MK 14 coach or SciSys Pocket Chess Model No. 114.


Chip is HD44868 with 5 kBytes ROM & 80 Bytes of RAM:



Hard to work out but I think your Serial # is A18345.



Acorn

[handrawn]

almost a full house there, but as you say serial number not easy to guess...




the top label that has mostly worn away was the QA: 'PASS OK'

I am impressed by how long it has lasted, the icons above the button strip have faded [and btw the photo above is pre-clean ], but the strip itself [neoprene?] is as good as new and apart from a slight crack in the cover it is fine - not bad for what I understand was 250 Fr when new and when such things were not cheap and this would have been an inexpensive model

I really like this device because on a challenging setting it can take hours to decide a move, so I am not tied to it when I should be doing other things; also I find it easier to think the move patterns as opposed to a flat screen [2 or 3D]

I understand that the program on the chip is by Julio Kaplan, but i have no verification of this...

[Acorn]

http://www.spacious-mind.com/html/pocket_chess.html

What is fascinating is the shear volume of designs that erupted all in a decade.

Glad you still enjoy it,
Acorn

[handrawn]

nice link - thanks for the confirmation

one of my dreams is to build a valve hifi amp, like I built from scratch as a kid [well no, better hopefully ] - kits are available at a reasonable price for what they are - but I have to get other half to agree to where it should go - no room in my studio which already has digital monitor equipment, excellent, but valve sound is something special