|
|
Frunobulax
Newbie
 Offline
Posts: 14
I love Boardnation!
|
 |
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2006, 08:22PM » |
|
I owned the Tryom back in the 80s and it was a real dog. I swear that it would cheat and move its queen to the other side of the board when I wasn't looking...:)
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Watters
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 1605
Another day, another blunder.
 
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2005, 08:22AM » |
|
Quote:I see the Tryom dates back to 1981. I'd hoped it was older. I must confess that - until yesterday - I always thought its name was Tyrom. So you're not alone there.
 Tyrom 
I don't know if the TimeLine can easily be converted into HTML, but if you want, I can try to. I suppose it should fit into a standard table of 8 columns and some thirty rows.
By the way, it's not so much the scanner which causes problems, but the tendency towards boorish behaviour that some of our fellow human beings seem necessary to exhibit.
I hope you have my home address to send the manual to. If you tell me the expenses and your email address, I can use PayPal to reimburse you.
best regards,
tom
|
Tom
I have had another look at the Tryom and I think you are probably right about the date. When I looked back at Harding's book, written in 1981, he only says that he tested the Tryom and it soon malfunctioned, giving the impression this was too recently to have tested another.
The machine has certain similarities to a Boris Diplomat (display), Novag Mk I (program front end) and Novag Chess Partner 2000 (keypad). More late 1979 or, most likely, 1980 than 1981. I took it apart but could not gather anything about chip dates.
I shall put it in 1980 with a "?".
Yes I still have your home address. It is a very short manual and will cost next to nothing to post.
All the best
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2005, 06:28AM » |
|
Quote from: Mike Watters on November 14, 2005, 01:25PM
.....
It should have been in 1981 where it says Tyrom CC-700 Electronic Chess. 
I do not have a scanner so I will send you a paper copy of the manual. The possession of a scanner can be a mixed blessing it seems.
On the Timeline it was always the idea to put the list up on this website. Until Ismenio's employer and other commitments relent I do not think that it will happen. The Timeline is tricky to format and may need some work to set it up as a webpage? Surely Ismenio will once again have days off. :-
All the best
Mike |
I see the Tryom dates back to 1981. I'd hoped it was older. I must confess that - until yesterday - I always thought its name was Tyrom. So you're not alone there.
Tyrom
I don't know if the TimeLine can easily be converted into HTML, but if you want, I can try to. I suppose it should fit into a standard table of 8 columns and some thirty rows.
By the way, it's not so much the scanner which causes problems, but the tendency towards boorish behaviour that some of our fellow human beings seem necessary to exhibit.
I hope you have my home address to send the manual to. If you tell me the expenses and your email address, I can use PayPal to reimburse you.
best regards,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Watters
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 1605
Another day, another blunder.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2005, 01:25PM » |
|
Hi Tom
You are correct as usual. It is because I cannot type you must have looked straight passed it. 
It should have been in 1981 where it says Tyrom CC-700 Electronic Chess.
I do not have a scanner so I will send you a paper copy of the manual. The possession of a scanner can be a mixed blessing it seems.
On the Timeline it was always the idea to put the list up on this website. Until Ismenio's employer and other commitments relent I do not think that it will happen. The Timeline is tricky to format and may need some work to set it up as a webpage? Surely Ismenio will once again have days off. 
All the best
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2005, 10:36AM » |
|
Quote from: Mike Watters on November 14, 2005, 06:30AM
Quote:
Hi Tom
The Timeline is very good at answering your first question. The answer I found in one of Tim Harding's books.
....
The manual has this to say on castling :-
"To castle, move either the king or castle, press the "XMV" key, then move the other piece and press "XMV". Then press PLY to tell the computer to make its move.
Don't you just love the Oldies. So intuitive. 
XMV = extra move
RST = reset, new game, change levels
WSD = white side
All the best
Mike
PS If you want a copy of the manual let me know and I will send one. |
Mike,
Thanks a lot! I have not been able to try it all out - being rather busy painting the family bathroom (and scraping off and filling the old paint - which is a lot more work).
If it's only a matter of how to operate the Tryom computer, I think the information you gave should be enough.
I do, however, receive requests for copies of manuals, about one a week, so if you could scan the manual, I would be very much obliged, on behalf of all those who need it and who sometimes don't even take the trouble to confirm they received their manual
Another matter is your timeline, which you suggest should contain the Tryom. Well, to be honest, I can't find the name of Tryom in the version you once sent me.
By the way, I suppose quite a few people will be interested in your timeline. So wouldn't it be possible for you to put up your list somewhere for all those interested to download? And if you haven't a place to put it, I could put it for download on my site - with a clear copyright notice, of course. Maybe, Alain, wouldn't mind having it on his site either ...
Well, once again, Mike, thanks so far and best regards,
tom |
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Watters
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 1605
Another day, another blunder.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2005, 06:30AM » |
|
Quote:
Would anybody know in what year it was produced?
And very important: does anybody have a manual or at least know how castling is performed on this computer (just E1-C1 doesn't do the trick).
Thanks in advance,
tom
|
Hi Tom
The Timeline is very good at answering your first question. The answer I found in one of Tim Harding's books.
The manual has this to say on castling :-
"To castle, move either the king or castle, press the "XMV" key, then move the other piece and press "XMV". Then press PLY to tell the computer to make its move.
Don't you just love the Oldies. So intuitive.
XMV = extra move
RST = reset, new game, change levels
WSD = white side
All the best
Mike
PS If you want a copy of the manual let me know and I will send one.
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2005, 05:42AM » |
|
Today, the Overtom Museum received a small computer from the USA:
It is the Tryom CC-700.
Would anybody know in what year it was produced?
And very important: does anybody have a manual or at least know how castling is performed on this computer (just E1-C1 doesn't do the trick).
Thanks in advance,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2005, 03:54PM » |
|
Ismenio/Mike,
I agree chess computers can be pretty confusing. I once saw a photograph of a chess computer collector (probably German Karsten) with a cabinet containing nothing but computers of the type that we are talking about. I suppose all these computers must have been a little bit different - different manuafacturer names, different displays, etc.
What I also found confusing was the spelling: after Mike mentioned traveler with one 'l', I thought: "Of course, these computers are not British - so traveller must be traveler". En passant, I discovered that the 'Intercontinental Traveller' had mistakenly been referred to as "International Traveller" on the overtom site, which has been corrected now, but you can still see my mistake if you type the words international, traveller and scisys into Google. But worse mistakes are possible, e.g. "incontinental", as 611 people seem to have done, again according to Google.
So I changed all instances of "traveller" into "traveler" on the sites. And then I went upstairs to look at the boxes - just to find out that the Acetronic is not called "Traveler", but spelled with double l.
Strange, I admit, but the general public will probably say they couldn't care less. So Ismenio, no weblogs about this, I'm afraid.
Best regards,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Endspielgott
Moderator
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 656
I blunder Endgames.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2005, 05:13AM » |
|
Quote from: Overtom on October 21, 2005, 02:10AM
By the way, an ELO of 666? Sounds rather ominous. But thanks a lot!
Best regards,
tom
|
Tom,
I remember a match of two games we set up a year ago:
Novag Pocket Chess Champion against Boris the invincible
I tell you it took us LOTS of beer to get out of this without severe mental damage 
It is just painful watching these two machines trying to beat each other...
Christian
|
|
|
|
|
Ismenio
Horsie to pointy guy 6
Administrator
Offline
Posts: 1753
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2005, 04:51AM » |
|
Tom,
I can’t wait to see another entry on your web log on this
This almost reminds me of some of the crazy DVD versions we see out there: Collector’s edition, Special edition, Director’s cut special edition, 10th anniversary special edition ... all for the same movie
Ismenio
|
Map of chess computer friends: http://www.frappr.com/chesscomputers
|
|
|
Mike Watters
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 1605
Another day, another blunder.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2005, 04:36AM » |
|
Quote:It's a good thing that so many pictures are to be found on the Internet, or we would have dozens of computers with no more difference than their brand names.
tom
|
Tom/Christian
News travelled too slowly for me.  I have a Novag Champion Pocket Chess and an Acetronic Chess Traveller. Which is, of course, the same as the Scisys Chess Traveler (only one 'l' ) and the Tandy Computerized Chess Tom has.
But it doesn't stop there. Don't get suckered into doubling or tripling up with the Prinztronic (Proztronic?) Chess Traveler :-
though you are safe with the Scisys Intercontinental Traveller which looks very similar but is an updated version :-
This also has at least one clone, a Tandy.
Pocket portable pickle regards
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2005, 02:10AM » |
|
Quote from: Endspielgott on October 20, 2005, 11:53AM
Quote from: Overtom on October 20, 2005, 10:16AM
A new one in the series "Do you know this computer?" ...
I saw a Novag Pocket Chess Champion at Ebay. But I haven't got the faintest idea what it looks like. And I don't fancy buying a specimen I already have with no more difference than the name "Novag" on it.
Does anybody have a picture?
Best regards,
tom
|
Tom,
just check out Alain Zanchetta's site. He has got one of this strange devices in his collection.
As one of my fellow collectors too, and I distantly recall having played against this computer. I would estimate his search depth around one move...and an Elo of 666 should be a fair value.
Christian
|
Christian,
Thanks! My suspicions are confirmed that this was the same type as the Acetronic Traveller by Scisys:
Another one that looks the same is the Tandy Computerized Chess:
It's a good thing that so many pictures are to be found on the Internet, or we would have dozens of computers with no more difference than their brand names.
By the way, an ELO of 666? Sounds rather ominous. But thanks a lot!
Best regards,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Endspielgott
Moderator
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 656
I blunder Endgames.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #13 on: October 20, 2005, 11:53AM » |
|
Quote from: Overtom on October 20, 2005, 10:16AM
A new one in the series "Do you know this computer?" ...
I saw a Novag Pocket Chess Champion at Ebay. But I haven't got the faintest idea what it looks like. And I don't fancy buying a specimen I already have with no more difference than the name "Novag" on it.
Does anybody have a picture?
Best regards,
tom
|
Tom,
just check out Alain Zanchetta's site. He has got one of this strange devices in his collection.
As one of my fellow collectors too, and I distantly recall having played against this computer. I would estimate his search depth around one move...and an Elo of 666 should be a fair value.
Christian
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2005, 10:16AM » |
|
A new one in the series "Do you know this computer?" ...
I saw a Novag Pocket Chess Champion at Ebay. But I haven't got the faintest idea what it looks like. And I don't fancy buying a specimen I already have with no more difference than the name "Novag" on it.
Does anybody have a picture?
Best regards,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Overtom
Moderator
Co-admin
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 628
"Life is too short for Chess" (Lord Byron)
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #15 on: June 3, 2005, 10:13AM » |
|
Quote from: Endspielgott on June 2, 2005, 09:57PM Tom,
at Kurts site somebody offered a variety of Sphinx units. Maybe your unknown child can be found there:
Maybe not.
Christian
|
Yes, it must indeed be the Comet (CXG 902). Never heard of it before! By the way, at a Dutch site, it was claimed that in Germany, Kasparov Atlas was once sold under the name of "Comet". Seems to be an ELO-1100 supermarket gadget.
Thanks a lot!
Best regards,
tom
|
|
|
|
|
Endspielgott
Moderator
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 656
I blunder Endgames.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #16 on: June 3, 2005, 01:33AM » |
|
Quote from: Mike Watters on June 3, 2005, 01:29AM
Sorry Christian
It was an obscure play on words.
Shooting star = Comet -> Sphinx Comet
I didn't know you were a soldier.
Mike
|
Ahhhaahhhhh...
so if you had known you would have avoided complicated jokes and wordplays, wouldn´t you?
Even jokes should be SOLDIERPROOF!
Bear that in your mind....
C.
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Watters
Hero Member
Offline
Posts: 1605
Another day, another blunder.
|
|
Re:Do you know this computer?
« Reply #17 on: June 3, 2005, 01:29AM » |
|
[quote]
Mike,
excuse my poor knowledge of the English language...
What does "shooting variety" mean 
Shooting is clear, since I have been a soldier for some 12 years...variety is clear also. But the composition?
Christian
|
Sorry Christian
It was an obscure play on words.
Shooting star = Comet -> Sphinx Comet
I didn't know you were a soldier.
Mike
|
|
|
|
Author
Logged