Skat champion
Novag Industries Ltd. Scientific Systems Ltd.
Erich Winkler (Hardware) David Levy (Software)
October 1980 for 398 DMThe Skat Champion is an early skat computer that was brought to market in 1980 and was developed by Novag Industries Ltd., which specializes in the manufacture of chess computers . (short: Novag) and Scientific Systems Ltd. (SciSys for short) from Hong Kong was developed and produced. The function of the Skat Champion is to replace two missing human Skat partners. The introductory price of the skat console, which was specifically tailored to the West German consumer, was 398 DM . With the help of a separately purchased additional device called Skat Champion Partner , the missing third player can be replaced with two human players. The partner module, often offered in combination with the base console, cost a further DM 198.
The Skat Champion has an 8-bit microprocessor , a RAM of 256 bytes SRAM and a permanent memory of 16 KB ROM for the built-in Skat program. The device is operated by means of a keyboard field responsible for entering trains. The train is output via a digital display and numerous light-emitting diodes. The technical-historical relevance of the now largely forgotten Skat Champion is that it is the first mass-produced device of its kind. In contrast to the chess computers that are still used today, the skat computers were not able to establish themselves in the field of entertainment electronics and led to an evolutionary dead end. Computer skate has remained a marginal phenomenon to this day and is now practically exclusively, if at all, played on personal computers under MS Windows .
The exact time of the cessation of production of the Skat Champion and the partner module is just as little known as the number of units of the first Skat computer actually sold. In 1983 the manufacturer Novag brought an improved successor model onto the market.
history
The history of the Skat Champion and thus of the first commercially available Skat computer is closely linked to advances in the field of microelectronics as well as the advent of chess computers developed for home use in the late 1970s. By the progressive miniaturization and availability of low cost semiconductor for the first time the opportunity afforded computer chess playing without profound computer knowledge in handy and affordable desktop devices.
In early 1978 consisting founded Nuremberg native German Canadian toy manufacturer Peter's eye, which specializes in chess computer electronics company Novag Industries Ltd. (Novag) and took over the management. In this capacity, Auge turned to the Swiss- born technician and electronics expert Erich Winkler with the order to build the hardware for a chess computer that was to compete with the market leaders who had already appeared, such as the Fidelity Chess Challenger I. Auge himself promised to look for a skilled chess programmer. The cooperation between Auge and Winkler resulted in several successful chess computer models within a short time, such as the Novag Chess Champion Mk. I (1978), which was sold 180,000 times, or the Chess Champion Super System III (1979).
Scientific Systems Ltd. founded
At the end of 1979 the graduate physicist Winkler left the Novag company in a dispute. The Swiss then founded his own electronics company in Hong Kong, which was booming at the time, and named the new company Scientific Systems Ltd. (SciSys).
This situation gave rise to legal problems with the chess computers, which were about to be ready for series production, which first had to be clarified. In the course of 1980, Auge and Winkler agreed that the chess computer models developed together before Winkler's departure could be sold by both companies under their own company names. When Chess Partner 2000 was brought to market at the end of 1980 , two technically identical versions appeared, namely the Novag Chess Partner 2000 and the SciSys Chess Partner 2000 . Both model variants were offered in different packaging, but did not have any company logos. Obviously the devices had been made before Auge and Winkler settled their differences.
Development of the Skat Champion
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The development of the Skat Champion , which was launched on the market a little earlier than Chess Partner 2000 in October 1980, apparently goes back to the collaboration between Auges and Winklers under the umbrella of Novag. The company Scientific Systems, from which the electronics company Saitek would later emerge, contributed the microprocessor and the ROM chips for the main board of the Skat Champion , which suggests that Winkler also designed the hardware of the Skat computer.
As with the Chess Partner 2000, there are no company logos on the Skat Champion . Instead, there is only a stylized device logo and lettering emblazoned on the skat computer without any clear reference to Augen's company. The packaging also provides no information about the manufacturer. Only the instruction manual shows that Novag was responsible for selling the Skat computer. Obviously, the skat champion had already gone into production before the aforementioned agreement had been reached between Auge and Winkler, and Novag had, out of caution, refrained from stamping a company logo on the devices before clarifying the legal situation.
Market launch and market success
The skat champion was presented to the world in the fall of 1980 at a press conference organized by the Horten department store chain in the Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg . At the time of the market launch, Novag managing director Peter Auge planned to sell 18,000 units of the Skatcomputer in 57 Horten branches and other sales outlets throughout Germany. How many copies of the not exactly cheap Skat Champion were actually sold is not known. Since the skat computers were generally unable to establish themselves on the market, the sales figures are likely to be well below this forecast.
Cessation of production and successor model
In November 1982, Fidelity Electronics Ltd. , a US competitor of Novag, brought the Skat Challenger to the market. This new skat computer offered a wider range of capabilities than the skat champion . The newly developed device from Fidelity does not need a partner module to simulate the second or even the third missing Skat partner. In addition, the Skat Challenger provides game options that the Skat Champion does not have, such as the ability to play junk . On top of that, the Skat Challenger cost 549 DM and was around 50 DM cheaper than the complete package from Novag, which consisted of the Skat Champion and the Skat Champion Partner.
In order to maintain its market share in the field of Skat computers, Novag developed a new Skat computer called Microskat , which should replace the Skat Champion . The successor model released in 1983 is much more compact and housed in a much smaller housing. It also has an improved digital display, has a clearer control panel with significantly fewer buttons and also no longer requires any additional device to simulate the third player. With the introduction of the successor model, production of the Skat Champion was discontinued, as was that of the partner module.
hardware
casing
The Bingo Champion as well as the partner module has a rectangular housing in beige and dark brown plastic. The housing of the skat calculator measures 27 cm × 25 cm × 11 cm (length × width × height). The control panel, which is equipped with a brown plastic screen, is slightly angled and significantly lower at the front than at the rear to make it easier to use the buttons. The model name is printed on the right-hand side of the screen. To cool the electronics there are ventilation slots in the housing on the front, rear and underside. The control panel of the Skat Champion fulfills the function of a user interface and has a complete playing card table, a multifunctional display , a display for the seating arrangement, a zero-ouvert display and an operating keyboard.
Control panel and interface
The multifunction display is located in the upper right corner of the control panel and has a digital display with six seven-segment digits . It provides information about the selected skill level, the bid values and the current score. It also serves as a map display. The zero overture display has its place in the upper left corner of the control panel. It consists of another complete sheet display and therefore also has 32 red light-emitting diodes , one for each card on the panel. In zero or grand ouvert games you can read the hand of the corresponding player from the burning LEDs. The display for the seating arrangement is located at the top of the control panel, framed by the multifunction display and the zero-crotch display. It consists of nine light-emitting diodes in the colors red, yellow and green, which can be used to read which players are currently playing the roles of dealer, player or forehand.
The playing card board occupies the main part in the middle of the control panel. It serves as a hand indicator and has thumbnails of all 32 cards. Each miniature card has its own red light-emitting diode . The control keyboard takes up the lower third of the control panel and has a total of 14 function keys. The Enter key and a delete key are located at the bottom right . Another twelve buttons are u. a. for the selection of colors, the desired level of play, bidding , passing, shuffling the cards, announcing the game and calling up the current scores . In addition, the operating keyboard has a power switch , a slide switch for sound output and eleven red light diodes.
On the underside of the Skat Champion has a removable cover behind which there is a 15-pin circuit board connector . This serves as a connection interface for the skat computer to exchange data with the skat champion partner . Apart from the missing power switch, the control panel of the Skat Champion Partner is identical to that of the basic console.
electronics
The electronics of the Skat Champion are factory-equipped with a microprocessor , a read-only memory and a small working memory . In addition, the device has an I / O module and a buzzer that functions as an acoustic signal generator (English beeper ).
The electrical components of the Skatcomputer are distributed on two single-sided boards with green solder mask only on the underside using push - through mounting . While the smaller main board houses the microprocessor and the memory chips , all the components responsible for input and output are housed on a separate, significantly larger sub- board . The main board is firmly screwed to the underside of the computer housing, while the secondary board is screwed to the upper part of the housing. Both boards are connected to one another via a pin header with 17 contacts and a corresponding bundle of cables.
Motherboard
The system control in the Skat Champion is handled by a socketed 8-bit microprocessor of the type MOS Technology 6502A , which was also used in some popular home computer models such as the Apple II or the Atari 800 . The microprocessor, equipped with 40 connection pins, was manufactured under license by Scientific Systems in Singapore and can be operated with a clock frequency of up to 2 MHz .
The motherboard also has two 8-bit ROM chips of the types C55109 N-HROM and C55116 N-LROM, which are also socketed and manufactured by Scientific Systems in Singapore. These two ROM chips, equipped with 24 connection pins, have a storage capacity of 8 KB each and form the read-only memory of the Skat computer, which therefore has a total storage capacity of 16 KB ROM. The two mentioned ROM chips contain the actual Skat program of the Skat Champion with all routines and algorithms necessary for the game operation .
A small working memory , which consists of a single 8-bit RAM chip of the type 3539UCP with a storage capacity of 256 bytes , enables the Skat Champion to temporarily store and add up the scores of several previous game rounds. The 256-byte RAM chip was manufactured by the US American General Telephone & Electric Corporation (GTE) and has 22 connection pins.
In addition, on the main board of the Skatcomputer there are two NAND logic gates of the type DM7400N equipped with 14 connection pins with four times two inputs (English Quad 2-Input NAND Gates ) as well as a non-logic gate of the type DM7404N with six inverters, which also has 14 connection pins ( engl. hex inverting gate ) by the US semiconductor manufacturer National semiconductor , various transistors and capacitors , as well as a tiny, designed as a piezo transducer speaker diaphragm in order to generate acoustic signals through the buzzer.
Slave board
The heart of the Skat Champion's secondary board is an I / O module of type INS8255N with 40 connection pins, 24 of which are programmable. This module supports the CPU in processing entries via the keyboard and controls the output functions via the digital display, the 84 light-emitting diodes arranged in fields and the buzzer.
In addition, the side board two BCD - decoder of the type DM74145N six Schmitt triggers and 16 connection pins, which for the transmission of decimal numbers into binary numbers are responsible. All of the semiconductors on the side board are also from National Semiconductor. The digital display is permanently connected to the secondary board via a 13-core ribbon cable .
In the lower area of the secondary board there is a small keyboard board with a gray silicone key pad for the 14 keys. The two slide switches for power and sound output are also located in the same area .
Power supply
The Skat Champion is supplied with power via an external power supply unit that is included in the scope of delivery , which is tailored to the 220 V alternating current common in Germany and provides an input voltage of 8.8 V direct current . The power connector is on the back and is directly connected to the motherboard. The skat computer has a power consumption of 6.6 W at a current of 750 mA. The Skat Champion Partner, which is also equipped with a 15-pin circuit board connector, cannot be operated alone and must be connected to the Skat Champion via an additional cable. The power supply for the partner module runs via the base console.
software
Skat program
The 16 KB ROM comprehensive read-only memory of the Skat Champion contains both the actual Skat program and the system software required to configure the hardware and the Skat program . The skat program essentially consists of a move generator, an evaluation function and a sub-program for controlling the search and selection of the next move. In addition, the skat program also functions as a user interface and is ready for use with all game functions immediately after switching on the console. The Skat Champion is designed exclusively for playing Skat and therefore does not have a programming environment . The skat program cannot be changed and is an example of firmware .
The Skat Champion's skat software was programmed strictly according to the rules of the German Skat Association . The built-in skat program does not allow rule violations when playing. In principle , the Skat Champion also does not allow popular game variants such as Contra, Re, Bockrunden, Ramsch or Schieberamsch , which are not provided for by the official rules of the German Skat Association . This also applies to special games or the use of alternative game values. In the event of illegal entries, the built-in buzzer generates a short double tone. By pressing the Enter key, the inadmissible entries are then deleted from the display and the game can continue.
Individual actions of the human player such as shuffling, bidding, announcing the game, etc. are initiated by pressing the Enter key. The skat program then takes over control until it is the human skat partner's turn again. When stimulating, eight different settings can be selected in terms of willingness to take risks of the skat partners simulated by the console. The possible stimulus levels range from "very careful" to "optimal" to "daring", whereby the Skat Champion is preset to "optimal". The score is also automatically taken over by the skat computer, both for the human as well as the skat partners controlled by the console. Saved scores are irretrievably lost when the device is switched off.
The skat program is also designed in such a way that the skat champion can neither see nor compare the cards of the human skat partner nor those of the skat partner he controls himself. According to the manufacturer, this should ensure a fair, balanced game.
Authorship
In a 1980 review in the renowned German weekly magazine Der Spiegel , the well-known Scottish chess master David Levy is named as the programmer of the skat program implemented in the Skat Champion . Levy was probably more involved in an advisory role in the development of the Skat software and was probably named as the originator of the Skat program for marketing reasons. After all, in an interview from 2006, the Scot himself stated that he had not actively programmed himself since 1972, but rather participated in the development of new algorithms in the course of programming chess computers and other devices with artificial intelligence . For this purpose Levy founded the London- based company Philidor Software Consultants Ltd. together with the Irish chess expert and programmer Kevin O'Connell in 1979 . founded, which in addition to chess programs also developed computer bridge and gin rummy software and whose most important business partner was Erich Winkler from Scientific Systems, who played a key role in the development of the hardware of the Skat Champion .
Presumably, the Skat Champion's skat program is a commissioned work that was taken over by an external development team. It is currently not clear whether the programmers are employees of Philidor Software, even if David Levy's involvement suggests this. Levy often advertised in national magazines for capable programmers who were willing to develop software in assembly language on his behalf . It is therefore not known who exactly programmed the Skat Champion .
reception
Following the press conference, positive reviews of the first skat computer appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , the weekly Die Welt and the Hamburger Abendblatt . In the Hamburger Abendblatt, for example, it is said that the skat champion “thrills and squeezes, smears and bangs like a world champion”. In the FAZ , the reviewer said that the skat champion was "a real joy for the skat player". Prominent Skat players such as the then President of the German Bundestag, Richard Stücklen , also praised the Skat calculator.
The news magazine Der Spiegel published a rather skeptical review on October 13, 1980, in which various weaknesses of the Skat Champion are discussed. The main points of criticism identified are the sociability that has been lost through the computerization of the Skat game and deficits in the game strategy of the Skat computer, in particular with regard to the exhaustion of one's own hand and the jump-off. In addition, the skat champion's poor ability to play the game himself, as well as his “unrelated to the rules” are criticized .
literature
- Anonymous: “Pb sticht Cz and H9”, In: Der Spiegel , 34th vol., No. 42 (1980), pp. 250-251.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Anonymus: "Pb sticht Cz and H9", In: Der Spiegel , 34th vol., No. 42 (1980), p. 251.
- ↑ a b Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 10.
- ↑ a b c d e f Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 1.
- ↑ a b c d e Anonymus: "Pb sticht Cz and H9", In: Der Spiegel , 34th vol., No. 42 (1980), p. 254.
- ↑ a b Christa-Maria Sopart: Dictionary for the home computer. Munich: Knaur (1984), p. 160.
- ^ A b c Mike Watters: SciSys and Novag: The Early Years . www.chesscomputeruk.com, accessed April 20, 2014 (English).
- ^ Novag . chessprogramming.wikispaces.com, accessed April 21, 2014 .
- ↑ SciSys Electronic Chess computer . www.spacious-mind.com, accessed on April 20, 2014 (English).
- ^ Novag Chess Partner 2000 . www.schach-computer.info/wiki, accessed on April 21, 2014 (German).
- ↑ SciSys Chess Partner 2000 . www.schach-computer.info/wiki, accessed on April 21, 2014 (German).
- ↑ Tom Luif: Chess Partner 2000 (Double) . The Overtom Chess Computer Museum, accessed April 21, 2014 .
- ↑ Alwin Gruber: The history of the Fidelity company - Part 2 . www.schachcomputer.info, accessed on May 18, 2014 (German).
- ^ Hein Veldhuis: Fidelity - Skat Challenger . (PDF) www.schaakcomputers.nl, accessed on May 18, 2014 (engl./ndl.).
- ↑ Kb [unknown Author]: "Skat - sometimes on electronic", In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt , Volume 80, No. 45 (1983), p. 152.
- ↑ a b Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 3f.
- ↑ a b Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 2.
- ↑ Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 5.
- ↑ Michael Vogt: Atari 400 and 800 . www.atarimuseum.de, accessed on April 21, 2014 (German).
- ↑ a b Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 9.
- ↑ INS8255 Programmable Peripheral Interface. Edited by National Semiconductor Corp., Santa Clara (1980), p. 1.
- ↑ DM54145 / DM74145N: BCD-to-Decimal DecodersDrivers. Edited by National Semiconductor Corp., Santa Clara (1989), p. 1.
- ↑ a b c Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 6.
- ↑ Operating Instructions Skat Champion. Edited by Novag Industries Ltd., Hong Kong (1980), p. 7.
- ↑ Interview with David Levy (February 2006) . www.schach-computer.info/wiki, accessed on April 21, 2014 (English).
- ^ Philidor software . chessprogramming.wikispaces.com, accessed April 21, 2014 .