Excalibur Grandmaster

[afos99]

Hi

Could someone explain how the Auto Sensory board works. Can other chessmen (say magnetic) be used with it.

Thanks

Dave

[Fernando]

Hi

Could someone explain how the Auto Sensory board works. Can other chessmen (say magnetic) be used with it.

Thanks

Dave

Any magnetic thing will do it. The squares of GM does not detect this or that magnetic field of this or that piece, but just has in memory the initial array of the pieces and detect the movement of any magnetic field from one square to another.

Tesla send his regards
Fern

[afos99]

Thanks for the fast reply. Very useful advice.

Dave

[JeffB]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but ...

My experience with the GM is a little different. I've owned two of them and one day decided to try wood pieces, which looked surprisingly nice on the GM. Unfortunately, the magnets on two sets of large wood pieces -- one set from a Novag Tournament Auto-Sensory board and another set that I bought from Germany -- did not register on the GM. But the ugly plastic pieces that came with the GM worked fine, so it wasn't the board.

My conclusion: The GM's pieces have much stronger magnets than you'll find on other chess sets. The GM probably has a larger gap between the reed switches and the board than other autosensory boards have, or they align the reed switches differently than other manufacturers, hence the need for the stronger magnets. (Magnetic force dissipates according to the inverse square of the distance.)

So you could probably use another set, but you will likely have to replace the magnets with stronger ones. I'd suggest experimenting with just magnets (no pieces) until you find ones that work, then put those into the base of pieces. But when you experiment, you'll want to account for the thickness of the felt.

[Fernando]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but ...

My experience with the GM is a little different. I've owned two of them and one day decided to try wood pieces, which looked surprisingly nice on the GM. Unfortunately, the magnets on two sets of large wood pieces -- one set from a Novag Tournament Auto-Sensory board and another set that I bought from Germany -- did not register on the GM. But the ugly plastic pieces that came with the GM worked fine, so it wasn't the board.

My conclusion: The GM's pieces have much stronger magnets than you'll find on other chess sets. The GM probably has a larger gap between the reed switches and the board than other autosensory boards have, or they align the reed switches differently than other manufacturers, hence the need for the stronger magnets. (Magnetic force dissipates according to the inverse square of the distance.)

So you could probably use another set, but you will likely have to replace the magnets with stronger ones. I'd suggest experimenting with just magnets (no pieces) until you find ones that work, then put those into the base of pieces. But when you experiment, you'll want to account for the thickness of the felt.

Certainly an adequate magnet must be found. My answer was to signal that it was NOT a case of the specific magnets and/or pieces of GM.

[JeffB]

My answer was to signal that it was NOT a case of the specific magnets and/or pieces of GM.

I understand. I wasn't trying to negate what you said, just add to it, because I just thought that the OP needed more information garnered from my experience with the GM. Other people may have had different experiences. Your mileage may vary.

[Fernando]

My answer was to signal that it was NOT a case of the specific magnets and/or pieces of GM.

I understand. I wasn't trying to negate what you said, just add to it, because I just thought that the OP needed more information garnered from my experience with the GM. Other people may have had different experiences. Your mileage may vary.

I know, jeff, you was not trying to negate me. I wrote that in order to impede our pal could fall in confusion. I do not remember which, but I know there was a computer which pieces were one by one specifically designed to be recognized as this or that. That doubt has ben wiped out and now you contributed making clear that any magnet is useful, but provided is powerful enough

Fern

[JeffB]

I do not remember which, but I know there was a computer which pieces were one by one specifically designed to be recognized as this or that.

I believe that was the Tasc T30. The piece recognition feature caused the eventual downfall of the company because DGT sued them and won.

[ricard60]

Another thing that you can do if you have the original plástic pieces is to take those magnets out and put them into the wooden pieces.

Exchanging regards,
Ricardo

[JeffB]

Another thing that you can do if you have the original plástic pieces is to take those magnets out and put them into the wooden pieces.

That may not be as easy as it sounds. And if you destroy just one magnet in the process, you have a worthless set of pieces and a partial set of magnets. (I suppose you could sell individual pieces on eBay, but still...)

Magnets are cheap enough. And I think you'd want to practice on a cheaper wood set so that you can learn all the things that don't work without damaging your best set.

[ricard60]

There are cheap magnets on e-bay, some are very strong, some are not so strong. You have to test. If the magnets are too strong could actívate more than one square of the board if they are too weak maybe they will not actívate the square at all. You have to test.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ma ... s&_sacat=0

testing regards
Ricardo

[JeffB]

You have to test.

Exactly. (Unless you happen to have a magnetometer on hand, then you can measure. But I don't think most people have one of those in the kitchen drawer.)

[Fernando]

You have to test.

Exactly. (Unless you happen to have a magnetometer on hand, then you can measure. But I don't think most people have one of those in the kitchen drawer.)

Simply get two or three magnets and see what happens

[JeffB]

Simply get two or three magnets and see what happens

Too easy. If I took that approach I'd only have two or three chess computers. (Well, maybe I did take that approach, just with an order of magnitude or two more chess computers.)

[Fernando]

Simply get two or three magnets and see what happens

Too easy. If I took that approach I'd only have two or three chess computers. (Well, maybe I did take that approach, just with an order of magnitude or two more chess computers.)

It looks like I explained myself badly. I meant that with two or three magnets you can test which of them works and with that info you can get later any number of the same model.