Chess Machines

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Channel Hopper

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I've acquired a number of these over the years, usually more for curiosity than actual playing, the relatives have additionally found a few in among their belongings, which may have been mine at some point, though I cannot verify this.


Now I have time to unleash them upon the world.


First up, a Fidelity 6120, better known as Chesster. sporting a 6502 processor and a host of words that are not sportsmanlike.20180915_200019.webp
 
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We need to hear how these things sound.
 
Where's the mechanical Turk?
 
I'm not entirely sure how Invicta has made the processor function on a 3V supply, sonce the Rockwell specification says 15V is required.

Rockwell 1.webpRockwell 2.webp
 
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I remember reading some time ago that the BBC hadn't trademarked Mastermind (perhaps not able to as it's a commonish term?) and this company was able to use the name for its totally unrelated game. And also why there's a photo of two people with nothing to do with the BBC Mastermind on the front.
 
The Mastermind programme on BBC was first aired 11 September 1972, but the game (according to the manufacturer) had been released the year before. The two on the front cover, along with the chair, might not have been on the orignal packaging though I would need to check.


If you look at the wording on the game I have, Invicta has used two words on the packaging, though the original board game was as one.

Mastermind game.webp
 
About those two.

Bill Woodward was catapulted into global recognition as he went on many promotional tours for the game – in fact even his passport was under the name Mr Mastermind!

He discloses some of his secrets behind the photo-shoot including the fact that he was called upon to sit in only after a male model, originally booked, failed to turn up.

Bill, who despite now being in his late seventies, looks remarkably unchanged from 1972, says that in addition to the photograph that was selected some were also taken with a cat sitting on his lap. The idea was scrapped, but not before the moggy had wet itself on his trousers.

Cecilia said that while strolling in Leicester with friends she was approached by people from an agency who wanted her for the shoot. “I was the usual impoverished student and jumped at the chance,” she says.


E-Bulletin: University of Leicester

mastermind2.webp
 
Fabulous follow-up there.
 
Bill died in 2013. I kind of suspected it given the article was from 2003.

www.imdb.com

Bill Woodward

Known for: I Love 1970's
www.imdb.com www.imdb.com
 
The Space Invader Game, from Entex Tokyo (first edition) manufactured in 1980. At the heart is a Texas Instruments MP1211 processor running a very simple LED matrix and counter, that is cleverly edited by the display mask from a four to three digit display. Unfortunately the case has been neglected and stepped on by the previous owner along with the battery compartment lid and connections suffering acid damage. But once reassembled with a thorough clean and replacement of the sellotape retainer over the display, everything works, though the gameplay is rudimentary.

High score so far is 230 on the beginner setting.

Some reports say the original manufacturing contract was for 100,000 units, eventually selling over 750,000 worldwide.

MP1211 is a TMS1100 series chip (or possibly a 1000), which I believe also powered the original BigTrak, posted earlier in this section.

Bigtrak and bigtrak jr - coding from the 70s

I found one of the - later - desktop ones in a charity shop at the weekend , boxed with manual, complete apart from the battery cover. It works, the programming command structure is almost identical to the coding my daughter learnt on an Apple app a couple of years ago. So I did a little...
www.satellites.co.uk www.satellites.co.uk


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The Mephisto Talking Chess Trainer, from Saitek / Hegener & Glaser, circa 2002/3. Not sure what processor is inside but it does make mistakes

Three languages (which all sound the same). The pieces , whilst cheap, plastic and non-magnetic are safely stored in a compartment next to the batteries. Pressure on the board is required to register the moves.

A history of the company

www.schach-computer.info

Hegener + Glaser En – Schachcomputer.info Wiki

www.schach-computer.info
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Somebody on Amazon is extracting the urine

Talking Chess Trainer : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

Shop Talking Chess Trainer. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders of £20 or more.
www.amazon.co.uk
 
A Craig M100 translator from around 1979. Made in HongKong by Texas Instruments, overshadowed by the first on the block, the Lexicon LK3000.

Microprocessor installed - the 2k of memory and 64 bytes of executable RAM Mostek 3870

full specification here http://nice.kaze.com/MK3870.pdf

The first version allowed a translation from English, to Spanish, Dutch, German, Russian, Italian or French, though only three languages could be installed in the machine at any one time. A later upgrade increased the wordcount to around 2400.

Originally on sale at $259-299 depending on how many languages came as standard. Upgrades were done by pluging in a DIL chip posted out to the user, between $25-35 each.


One of the original adverts

books.google.co.uk

New York Magazine

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the...
books.google.co.uk

The manual

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Clones/similar machines included the Philips HL3695 and the Panasonic RL-T500
 

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