YoYo's Fidelity Serial Number Theory

[spacious_mind]

hi
this one is from Ebay :
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Ajedrez-Electron ... bBZPuvsNcw

a granada cxg 247

with serial 008590 datecode: 0890

for me the datecode is :
two digits for the week two digits for the year

Here is mine which came from England:



It looks like my Granada was same year but in week 36.

Also I created this list based on CXG's where I show a serial number on the website.



If you look at Star Chess it has a higher number than Computachess III that was labeled 2 weeks before.

I think that maybe 3 different China factories were used between 1982 and 1990 and each factory had their own sequential count maybe for the whole year or maybe continuous until they got to 999999. This might explain the higher number for Star Chess. Maybe one production was used for the Portable computers and a different production place for the Tabletop computers. The Super Crown production place reversed their date stamp with 8618?

Also these factories could have built anything so the numbering sequence might be just a number for them to track what they made and has not so much to do with chess computers.

From 1990 the Sphinx factory maybe did a reset for their count to 0 or maybe the first digit means 0 for 1990 and 1 for 1991 ?

CXG is very difficult to follow through the years with the exception being the year and month it was made.

Best regards

[Dave C]

Your analysis of the Fidelity serial numbers is very interesting.

Here is some additional info for your examination:

Model, Serial #, Zip Code

SC9, 32100705, 33178
MSC, 12968265, 33178
CSC, 12852574, 33178
EWC, 41185055, 33178
DS9, 42790903, 33178
6086, 62566632, 33014
6087, 61999176, 33014
6098, 82590025, 33014
6098, 82590365, 33014
6106, 00065554, 33014

Good luck....regards,
Dave

[Mike Watters]

Hi mike,

Thank you for your help in collecting serials.

but may be your deep historical knowledge could permit to solve some problems :
1990/1991 :
i have not found any way to identity what is from 1990 that what is from 1991 and i stamped them all manually on1990 for the moment.
chesster challenger serials for example are higher than kishon's , and your timeline suggest that chessster was first.

years ending by 0 : 1980 versus 1990/1991 : i identify them by the postal code on labels and of course by the model.
but didn't found any other trick using the serial.

prior to 1980

i have the same problem on the first serials prior to 8digits.
i haven't found any other logic than a pure numeric order but may be there is something to do on thats serials.

i have no particular historical knowledge and collected what i have from your website and many others, and i have opened all my boards and looked at the datecode of all the IC.
may be you can find the logic i missed.

Hi Guys

Here's my list of Fidelity serial numbers.

Yoyo I am not sure that I can throw any light on the 90/91 numbering.
Fidelity were taken over by Mephisto in September 1989 and it looks like a different numbering system quickly followed. Although I do not collect many from that period the Timeline should be reasonably accurate as it's backed up by plenty of published material from Selective Search, CSS and Computer Chess Reports. The Chesster Challenger and Little Chessters I know quite well because I wrote items for Schachcomputer.info on them.

The most popular theory pre-1980 is that Fidelity numbered every manufactured item in sequence as they came off the production lines. So CC1 serial numbers are mixed up with the serial numbers of prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, other electronic games and allsorts. In this period the higher the serial number the later the chess computer, although there may be some exceptions caused by upgrades?

Chess Challenger (CC1) - 1977 - 8302
Chess Challenger (CC1) - 1977 - 22516
Chess Challenger (CC1) - 1977 - 32132
Chess Challenger (upgraded to CC3) - 1977 - 40709
Chess Challenger (CC3) - 1977 - 24659
Chess Challenger 10A - 1978 - 71313
Chess Challenger 10B - 1978 - 172259
Chess Challenger 10C (CC3 upgrade) - 1979 - 14314
Chess Challenger 10C - 1979 - 34749
Chess Challenger 7 - 1979 - 12683325
Chess Challenger 7 (German) - 1979 - 33082576
Chess Challenger 7 (French) - 1979 - 558709
Voice Chess Challenger - 1979 - 393661, 394056
Advanced Voice Chess Challenger - 1979 - 20395207
Sensory 8 - 1980 - 11702966
Grandmaster Voice - 1980 - no sticker
Voice Sensory Chess Challenger - 1980 - 810854
Decorator Challenger - 1981 - no sticker
Champion Sensory Chess Challenger - 1981 - 13170089, 13171859, 13172460
Champion Elite - 1981 - 00000045
Champion + Super 9 upgrade - 1981/83 - 12851275
Mini Sensory Chess Challenger - 1981 - 13161390, 13458637
Mini Sensory Chess Challenger II - 1982 - 42936527
Sensory 6 - 1982 - 21623447
Sensory 9 - 1982 - 23301339
Prestige - 1982 - 00000216
Super 9 - 1983 - 32240867
Super 9 De Luxe - 1983 - 40120103
Champion Septennial - 1983 - 12754953, 33432261
Sensory 9B - 1983 - 33295753
Playmatic S - 1983 - 764631 (made in Germany)
Poppy - 1983 - 31401827
Elite A/S 'A' - 1983 - 33298900
Elite A/S Glasgow (ex'A' upgrade) - 1984 - 33298654
Elite Privat - 1984 - 764888 (made in Germany)
USCF Special Edition - 1984 - 40691648
Elegance (AS12) - 1984 - 43425160
Sensory 12 (SC12) - 1984 - 42656722
Sensory 12 (SE12) - 1984 - 42654266
Sensory 12B (6086) - 1985 - 62566746
Classic (6079) - 1985 - sticker missing
Excellence (EP12) - 1985 - 53124060
Voice Excellence (6092) - 1985 - 72544948
Elite Avant Garde Mobile Master (6081) - 1986 - 60388222
Par Excellence (6083) - 1986 - 62415309
Silver Bullet (6087) - 1986 - 70514334
Elite Avant Garde 2100 (6088) - 1986 - 72541583
Micro Chess Challenger 12 keys (6096) - 1987 - 975315 (CXG Date Code 8726)
Micro Chess Challenger 16 keys (6096) - 1988 - A248043 (CXG)
Gambit (6084) - 1987 - 62567270
Gambit Voice (6095) - 1987 - 71216509
Excel Display (6093) - 1987 - 73529268
Excel 68000 Club B (6094) - 1987 - 72054082
Excel 68000 Mach IIC+ (LA) (6097) - 1987 - 80646801
Excel Mach III Master (6098) - 1988 - 82590701
Phantom (Brown/Gold) (6100) - 1988 - 83446017
Phantom (Green/White) (6100) - 1988 - 00047758
Designer 1500 (6111) - 1988 - 83539771
Designer 2000 (6102) - 1988 - 83091666
Designer Display 2100 (6106) - 1988 - 91250029
Designer Mach III Master (6113) - 1989 - 00520151
Chess Card (6115) - 1990? - 208125 (CXG)
Tiny Chess Challnger (6118) - 1990? - T177016 (CXG)
Eldorado (6119) - 1990? - 087912 (CXG Date Code 4190)
Chesster Challenger (6120) - 1990 - 02642930
Travel Master (6122) - 1991 - 156444, 156618 (CXG Date Code 3391)
Chesster Phantom (6124) - 1991 - 00095386
Chesster Phantom Eyeball (6126) - 1991 - 00063110
Designer 2325 Master (6129) - 1991 - 00055040
Little Chesster (33 levels) (6125) - 1991 - L101226 (CXG)
Little Chesster (25 levels) (6125) - 1992 - no SN (CXG successor)
Chess Mate (6136) - 1992 - F203234 (CXG successor)
Avanti (6137) - 1992 - F300487 (CXG successor)
Elite Premiere (6131) - 1992 - 00050628
Elite Avant Garde v.11 (ex 2100) - 1986/2007 - 61997643

Printers
Thermal - 1981 - 03260410
Impact - 1980 - 31962114, 40419010

Cartridges
Mini Sensory Advanced - ? - 21900244, 21900578, 23164796
Mini Sensory Book Openings - ? - 23021290
Mini Sensory Greatest Games - ? - 22530447, 22880113
CB9 - 1982 - 22530972, 23447276
CB16 - 1982 - 22390573, 33640252
EOC - 1984 - 40271270

(Years of release come from the current Timeline and will be reviewed)

All the best
Mike

[yoyo_chessboard]

Hi Mike
thank you for your serials.
your timelien was also a great source of informations when i started my puzzle.

according to the 'serial number' theory, here are some serials that are interesting for the timeline:

Thermal - 1981 - 03260410
it could be from novembre 1980 instead of 1981

same problem on other years
Elite A/S Glasgow (ex'A' upgrade) - 1984 - 33298654
Gambit (6084) - 1987 - 62567270

they seems to appear earlier than you thinked.
that might help to update your timeline

[Steve B]

Labeling day at the Fidelity Factory:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923819227/


Lunch time at the factory during a frantic day of labeling:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923819227/



Enigma Code Regards
Steve

[Mike Watters]

Hi Mike
thank you for your serials.
your timelien was also a great source of informations when i started my puzzle.

according to the 'serial number' theory, here are some serials that are interesting for the timeline:

Thermal - 1981 - 03260410
it could be from novembre 1980 instead of 1981

same problem on other years
Elite A/S Glasgow (ex'A' upgrade) - 1984 - 33298654
Gambit (6084) - 1987 - 62567270

they seems to appear earlier than you thinked.
that might help to update your timeline

Hi Yoyo

I think that you are right about the Thermal Printer. Hein Veldhuis has it as released September? 1980. The printer I sold in the last Sale & Swap also had a serial number starting 0. Unfortunately I don't have the number or a photo clear enough. Incidentally Berger did a great repair job on that printer and you can see it working here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHd56PG ... e=youtu.be Working ones seem to be very rare these days.

The Elite A/S Glasgow is a machine I bought new as an 'A' in early 1984 and had it upgraded to a Glasgow later. So my list should have said 1983.

My list is also wrong on the Gambit. I corrected the Timeline on that a few weeks ago. The first Gambit version is 1986 and there is at least one other 1987 version.

Should be able to place most of the Fidelitys to the month by the time we've finished.

All the best
Mike

[Mike Watters]

Labeling day at the Fidelity Factory:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923819227/


Lunch time at the factory during a frantic day of labeling:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923819227/



Enigma Code Regards
Steve

How they must have looked forward to Fridays, Steve.
40 years this month since the first chess comp label.

Enigma Variations Regards
Mike

[microhenri]

Here are the serials of my three CC7’s (BCC)
Model, Serial #, Zip Code, ROM datecode
CC7, 617913, 33178, 8019
CC7 BCC, 33082822, 33178, 8339
CC7 BCC, 33082872, 33178, 8339
I did open these computers and noticed that the datecode of the ROM of the first CC7 and also the datecodes of all other IC’s on the PCB are from spring 1980. Could it be possible that Fidelity did start the 8-digit serial numbers only half way 1980?

microHenri

[yoyo_chessboard]

your serials are interesting because you have also datecode of ROMs.

for the smallest 8digits serial : 02550344 is for a sensory challenger 8
which is from september 1980 week 37.

with your CC7 serial 619913 with ROM date 8019, that could signify that Fidelity started that numbering that way at mid-1980 or maybe in september , after the holidays.

maybe if somebody having a serial in 7xxxxx or even 8xxxxx open his board, we could have a more narrow window of the start of that numbering

[Steve B]

40 years this month since the first chess comp label.

Yes Mike...40 years...we both have been collecting for.. 40 ..looooong... years
not like most of these other guys..collecting for 10-15 years at most ..newbies all i tell you...

Pffft Regards
Steve

[Berger]

Hi all!

I have data from 2 Voice Sensory CC with s/n beginning with 8...

Model: VSCC
Zip Code: 33178
1)
s/n: 855565
ROM datecodes: (8)033, (8)027, (8)031
2)
s/n: 866469
ROM datecodes: (8)031, (8)031, (8)030

So the earliest date is 1980, Week 27

Regards,
Berger

[spacious_mind]

40 years this month since the first chess comp label.

Yes Mike...40 years...we both have been collecting for.. 40 ..looooong... years
not like most of these other guys..collecting for 10-15 years at most ..newbies all i tell you...

Pffft Regards
Steve

Ha! Hey I may have not been collecting them as long as you old f..ts but I do remember well spending about DM 400,00 around 1979 for a Novag Mark III in a store called Herties in Germany. It lasted about 2 weeks before I got tired of it. I used to set it up at around an hour a move and still I thrashed it back then... was more of a chess player than a computer player back then. You are right it was only about 15 years ago that I started to appreciate them again when I picked up a Morsch cheaply if I remember and it quickly gained some respect with me.

So I went from poopooing them for all these years to respecting them as soon as I realized I couldn't beat them all so easily

And here I am now.... religiously converted... regards

[Berger]

Model: VSCC
Zip Code: 33178
1)
s/n: 855565
ROM datecodes: (8)033, (8)027, (8)031
2)
s/n: 866469
ROM datecodes: (8)031, (8)031, (8)030

So the earliest date is 1980, Week 27

The datecodes belong to the program ROMs. I have omitted the speech ROM, because I think it could distort the study.

[spacious_mind]

Here are some more Fidelity:

Voice Sensory Challenger VSC 02911964
Voice Chess Challenger Advanced UVC 31752254
Elite A/S EAS 32731201
Impact IFP 33080134
Voice Chess Challenger UVC 41184625
Elite A/S Budapest EWC 41185044
Elite A/S 6117-11 43285636
Excel 68000 6094 72544249
Elite Premiere 6131 00050655

I think the V11 was original and EAS-C before it got modified into a V11.

Elite A/S 6117-11 43285636
Elite EAS-C EAS-C 43285952

@ Mike W. here is another CC1 for your list:

CC1 - # 22604

Best regards

[yoyo_chessboard]

hi Mike,

Berger's IFP is this one :
Fidelity Printer IFP 03260017

you say that you sold yours : did you sold to Berger or are you speaking of another one.