Saitek Kasparov Sensor Model 165h Electronic Chess Computer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 19, 2023, 12:10:08 pm
content: I have an old Saitek Kasparov Sensor Model 165h Electronic Chess Computer.-https://www.spacious-mind.com/html/sensor.htmlI tried playing with it after 30 years, but apart from some electronic issues (it resets itself when pieces are pushed too hard), it's too slow.I want to extract the binary data and decompile it, then port the code to C/C++ if necessary, so I can use it on any modern computer.I'm not familiar with extracting binary data. I've seen how it works but have never done it myself.Where should I start?

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2023, 12:57:02 pm
content: Quote from: zero on December 19, 2023, 12:10:08 pmThere are a lot of chess programs that you can get for the modern computer. You just install them and then use them. Much simpler. They vary in cost from around $10 USD to over $100 USD depending on playing strength.The old Chess Master series was pretty decent but I have not followed that for many years now.They have so many others though it pays to look for them and then decide.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2023, 01:42:08 pm
content: The first thing to do is to open it up and see what's inside.Some questions you'll need to answer:- What processor is used? The web page you linked to says it uses a MC68C05 but thre are several variants. Some variants come with internal EPROM memory which you'll likely need to extract in order to emulate the system.- Are there any ROM/EPROM/EEPROM chips on the pcb?Quote from: zero on December 19, 2023, 12:10:08 pmTaking a peek inside might also reveal out what's causing the resets.

author: Zenith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2023, 02:23:33 pm
content: What's the objective? Is this a first exercise in hacking, or do you want a chess program which is up to modern expectations and runs on a current PC/Mac?If you want a chess program, there are a few open source ones which are reckoned to be very strong, or there are commercial ones.As an exercise in hacking, it's not a place I'd start from. As for porting the algorithm to C++/C, I'd say that was challenging and the end result likely to be far less satisfactory than any of the current chess programs.

author: zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 19, 2023, 03:10:24 pm
content: I have opened the board, and I did some research.Here what I can read (seems from Harris LLC):90 SAITEX860600-40BCISX11.B12lH9540> Taking a peek inside might also reveal out what's causing the resets.It seems that the reset button is somehow malfunctioning. Pushing "too hard" a piece on the board, or even not so much, trigger it.For your information, I am a developer, with more than 20 years of experience. The objective? This is a first exercise in hacking. And just want it to run on Linux.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 04:57:39 am
content: Why don't you show us a pic of the entire PCB? That would allow us to give you the most help!Here are the steps I would take:1. Determine exactly what all of the chips are. The "860600-40BCI" probably is the main CPU but is it really a 68HC05?2. Get in touch with the person at spacious-mind.com. That page says the "ROM" is 7740 bytes long. That is a very specific number and suggests to me that someone already has extracted the program from the CPU or other memories.3. Download and read this datasheet for the 68HC05:https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/download/4174/MOTOROLA/MC68HC05.htmlSee if the pinout of the 68HC05 matches your PCB in function.4. Assuming the CPU is a 68HC05 starting on page 29 the above datasheet describes a way to load a program into RAM and execute it ("Serial RAM loader"). That could be a way to read out the contents of the ROM.

author: zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 01:29:54 pm
content: Sorry, here the picture of the PCB.QuoteThe first thing I did was to read the manual. We can read from it that the memory program is 7740 bytes. They probably get the information from it too. Indeed, they wrote on their website:QuoteBut I do not see anything related to the CPU, neither in the manual, nor on the box.Only this in the manual:QuoteAnyway, I have emailed spacious-mind.com.And maybe I am all wrong, but it seems that the pinout of the 68HC05 does not match the PCB in function. The chip has 40 pins (CDIP40), while, if I am not mistaken, the 68HC05 has at least 42.Moreover, in page 26 of the datasheet you have provided, we can read that the MC68HC05B6 has only 5936 bytes of user ROM plus 14 bytes of user vectors. Even if we add the 256 bytes of byte-erasable EEPROM and, even more improbably, the RAM, we do not reach the 7740 bytes of internal ROM.Concerning the reset issue, well, it seems that there is some rust between the layer of the membrane keypads. It probably causes a wider contact zone when the chess board is pressed.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 02:39:33 pm
content: Quote from: zero on December 20, 2023, 01:29:54 pmIs that the only chip?

author: zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 02:47:03 pm
content: Yes, there is only one microcontroller.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 09:13:39 pm
content: Do you have an idea of what the switch is used for? What pins is it connected to? It doesn't seem to be user accessible.There are 40-pin DIP versions of the 6805, e.g.:https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/1614563/NXP/MC6805P2.htmlHere's a huge page of 6805 info and links especially pertaining to dumping the contents of the internal ROM:http://matthieu.benoit.free.fr/6805.htmFor instance, it has a link to this page which describes how the ROM of a MC6805P2 was dumped:https://www.seanriddle.com/mc6805p2.html

author: Manul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2023, 09:30:36 pm
content: Nowadays, when people mostly play blitz, these old computers for sure feel slow, but it's a nice device. It would be interesting to restore it and possibly overclock. 1Mhz seems low, you might be able to push it up to 4 or 5, that would be a massive speedup.

author: zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2023, 09:42:14 am
content: @ledtesterThis is the power switch, accessible from the top of the board. It connects to pins 32 and 33 of the microcontroller.The MC146805E2 isn't a match; it has only 112 bytes of RAM.@ManulI used levels 7 and 8, and they were already considered very slow 30 years ago. By today's standards, they are practically a nightmare.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2023, 10:12:58 am
content: Quote from: zero on December 21, 2023, 09:42:14 amI mentioned it to point out that Motorola made 40-pin DIP versions of the 6805 and that the datasheet suggests possible pin assignments. It is a common practice to make a family of devices which are pin-compatible the only differences being things like the amount of RAM/ROM, the number and type of internal peripherals, etc.