Fidelity Sensory 9 Chess Challenger model number

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Tibono2
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Fidelity Sensory 9 Chess Challenger model number

Post by Tibono2 »

Hi,

just received a new toy - nice Sensory 9 which reveals to be a "B" one (serial 32xxxx, reply to 1.h4 is b6) and 2Mhz clock.
Up to this point everything is fine and I may consider myself lucky (40€ being a very reasonable price).
On back of the chessboard, the model number shows SU9
I would have expected SC9, am I wrong? Isn't SU9 the model number for Super-9?
It is NOT a Super-9; no way to be confused :)
According to the manual, it has been initialy purchased from a Belgium company (Cinem = Cie internationale d'Electro-Ménager, Bruxelles)
Any experience to share regarding this model number?

thanks & regards
Tibono
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Steve B
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Re: Fidelity Sensory 9 Chess Challenger model number

Post by Steve B »

Tibono2 wrote:Hi,

just received a new toy - nice Sensory 9 which reveals to be a "B" one (serial 32xxxx, reply to 1.h4 is b6) and 2Mhz clock.
Up to this point everything is fine and I may consider myself lucky (40€ being a very reasonable price).
On back of the chessboard, the model number shows SU9
I would have expected SC9, am I wrong? Isn't SU9 the model number for Super-9?
It is NOT a Super-9; no way to be confused :)
According to the manual, it has been initialy purchased from a Belgium company (Cinem = Cie internationale d'Electro-Ménager, Bruxelles)
Any experience to share regarding this model number?

thanks & regards
Tibono
Hi Tibono
i just checked my SC9's(a and b)..both have the SC9 model number
i checked the Super 9-model number SU9
i Checked the Deluxe Super 9- model number-DS9

could be one of two possibilities...
someone placed a Super 9 sticker on your SC9 because the real sticker fell off
OR
the mistake was made at the Fidelity Factory

Very Strange Indeed Regards
Steve
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Tibono2
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Post by Tibono2 »

Thanks for the check, Steve.
Strange and funny!
Kind regards, Tibono
yoyo_chessboard
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Post by yoyo_chessboard »

Hi

it could be , as steve, supposed that someone stick a wrong label.

but could it be, that it is an 'upgraded' SC9 with a CBxx built-in, directly on the main PCB ?
so it could justify that strange labelling.
could you open it and make a photo or give the reference and datecode (if any) of the ROM chips.

may be we could have a surprise.
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

yoyo_chessboard wrote:Hi

it could be , as steve, supposed that someone stick a wrong label.

but could it be, that it is an 'upgraded' SC9 with a CBxx built-in, directly on the main PCB ?
so it could justify that strange labelling.
could you open it and make a photo or give the reference and datecode (if any) of the ROM chips.

may be we could have a surprise.
an integral part of the SU9 was the display screen...SC9 has no display
sticking an SU9 label on an SC9 and then removing the SC9 label because it might have the SU9 program with a book module built in seems like a stretch
i guess its remotely possible that someone did a homemade modification and then removed the SC9 label but i doubt this was done by Fidelity
if the Fidelity factory did perform that upgrade then i would expect to see two stickers .. as in the case where the Fidelity factory upgraded the Prestige with an EAG program(by special order from a customer)..in that case there are two model stickers..the Prestige model and the EAG model(depending on the EAG Version)

Here is the model labeling of a Factory Upgraded Prestige to the EAG V5...

Image

Sticker Shock Regards
Steve
yoyo_chessboard
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Post by yoyo_chessboard »

a question not directly linked to that topic:

collecting about 250 serial numbers via ebay and google image and from my proper fidelity boards, i have determined (or supposed to) that the fidelity numbering with 8 digits has the following structure :
YDDDSSSS
Y: last digit of year from 1980
DDD : day in the year from 1 till 365/366
SSSS: from 1 till 9999.

from 1981 till 1989 not any problem
i have problems for :
years 1980 the first year with 8 digit serial.
i can't directly sort what is from 1980 and what is from 1990 with the serial number.
of course as ten years is a big gap, the reference determine which is from 1980 and which is from 1990. the boards from 1980 didn't exist in 1990.

and years 1990/1991, beginning with 0. i can't really see which board is from 1990 and which is from 1991.

on your photos i see
92570022
year 1989, day : 257, somewhere in mid-september

and 00000034:
do you have any idea how the precise date of birth of that upgrade ?

i know there were boards previously with another numbering structure, from start of Fidelity till 1980.
they had less that 8 digits.

maybe i could create another topic for that question.
i don't know if i am the only one interested by the precise datation of boards.
regards.
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

yoyo_chessboard wrote:
do you have any idea how the precise date of birth of that upgrade.

.
no sorry
we once tried to find a pattern in the serial numbers for the CC1 but were never ever to determine it

Pattern Recognition Regards
Steve
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spacious_mind
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Post by spacious_mind »

Yoyo,

I think you could make it a separate post and I will post some serial numbers.

Thanks
Nick
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Post by yoyo_chessboard »

thank you spacious mind

i have collected serials from steve's photos on flickr (or something like that).
i have also collected your serials from your web site.

i will start a new topic with what i have collected and your help will be usefull for 1986.
that year 1986 , fidelity moved from a part of Miami to another one, changing postal code from 33178 to 33014 and you have two serial number that interest me.

i have a serial+ postal code from the 33178 in early 1986
i have a serial+ postal code 33014 from mid 1986
and you have two serial of 1986 between mines, IIRC something starting with 6140xxxx
what would be interesting is to have the postal code with the serial in order to build the chronology.

this evening i will start that topic with my collected data, from early days in chicago to last days in Miami.

what is strange according to the postal code on serial labels :
the last adress of Fidelity is the first adress of Excalibur (IIRC : 33172 postal code).
i always supposed that they had different offices and that second started after the death of first.

regards.
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