Fidelity Elegance...

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Larry
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Fidelity Elegance...

Post by Larry »

Only $2000...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fidelity-Intern ... SwPxRZ01fk
These things are sought after, but not that sought after.
I bought one new, and I've still got it. I guess it will be part of my estate.
L
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dedicate computers
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Elegance

Post by dedicate computers »

Hello,

who buy for this price, let me know, I'll play a harp for the buyer.
Regards
Oswaldo
Mike Watters
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Re: Fidelity Elegance...

Post by Mike Watters »

Larry wrote:Only $2000...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fidelity-Intern ... SwPxRZ01fk
These things are sought after, but not that sought after.
L
Some sellers seem to be happy to wait for someone who has more money than sense or stumbles onto Ebay in a drunken stupor and clicks a few buttons. art-at-interswiss-org also has a Milton Bradley Phantom for the same ridiculous price and an engine for $500,000. :shock:

Too many zeros regards
Mike
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

I just bought one for $85. (Not $850,000.00!)

Cosmetically very nice, but minor malfunction that should be repairable if the ROM is not corrupted. It's a very nice looking machine and should be the right size for my desk. (Full tourney sized boards are nice, but I don't have a table they'd fit on!)
Cheers,

Jeff B.
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

Computer arrived and it's very nice looking and feels solid. But it seems to be stuck in what appears to be a diagnostic mode. Anyone have any info they can share about Fidelity diagnostic tests and codes? Thanks!
Cheers,

Jeff B.
Larry
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Post by Larry »

JeffB wrote:Computer arrived and it's very nice looking and feels solid. But it seems to be stuck in what appears to be a diagnostic mode. Anyone have any info they can share about Fidelity diagnostic tests and codes? Thanks!
Hi Jeff, Something you might like to try. The Elegance is 34 years old, and
sometimes problems are time related. It sounds like your Elegance has
not had too much voltage put into it. Hopefully it's a simple oxidation issue.
Try this: take the back off and remove the mainboard. There are some
chips that are a simple push fit. Taking each in turn, slightly pry them
loose, without removing them from their sockets completely, and
then gently push them back in place. You have to do each end of each
chip separately. I say don't pull them out completely because it can cause
a real problem. The legs on the chips are made of soft metal which bends
and can snap off as you try to straighten it. Don't use a chip remover. They
tend to suddenly make the chip come loose unevenly. Find a tiny
screwdriver for the job.
It's worth a try. Hope it works...
Larry
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

Hi, Larry - Thanks for the tip. That's usually the first thing I try when old tech malfunctions. Unfortunately these chips are all soldered, not socketed, which also makes copying the ROM a little tricky.

I suspect that the computer uses normally-open reed switches and that one or more of the squares has a stuck contact. I may just replace all the reed switches if any test bad. (It's possible that it's not in a diagnostic mode but in setup because of detecting a piece in one of the squares on rank 3, 4, 5 or 6. The reason I think this is that pressing any of the piece buttons acts just like setup: the led for the square flashes until I pick up the piece and set it back down, which causes the led to stay on, like the computer's acknowledging the placement.)
Cheers,

Jeff B.
Larry
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Post by Larry »

Sounds like you've located the fault. On my Elegance I replaced all
the reeds. That's better than just the bad ones. The working ones will
fail over time too.
happy soldering regards...
Larry
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

The processor seems to be working correctly, so it and the memory are likely intact. The I/O pins are probably okay, or I'd lose an entire row or column. So that leaves the reed switches as the likely failure.

I'll probably order 200 name-brand switches because I also have an Exclusive and an Excalibur Grandmaster with dead squares. I'll replace all the reeds in this machine and in the Exclusive, but probably just the bad ones in the GM.

It's ironic that my Conchess Ambassador and Monarch both work fine, considering their reputation for reed failures.

I'll post an update after the patient's out of surgery. May take a while, though, depending on how long it takes for parts to arrive and for me to find a block of free time.
Cheers,

Jeff B.
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

JeffB wrote: May take a while, though, depending on how long it takes for parts to arrive and for me to find a block of free time.
While waiting for the Reed Switches...
Howz That Tmaster Doing?

Multi-Tasking Regards
Steve
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

Steve B wrote:While waiting for the Reed Switches... Howz That Tmaster Doing?
That'll be a project for late Fall/early Winter when the days are short and cold. Probably same for this group of projects and my attempt at building a bluetooth interface card for my Mephisto Exclusive so I can record games on my PC. I wrote a driver for a USB version that's mostly working, then I realized, hey, why go wired when I can go

Wireless Regards,
Cheers,

Jeff B.
JeffB
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Post by JeffB »

UPDATE

Elegance High-quality reed switches are on the way. I'm going to just replace all of them on the theory that another failure lurks just around the corner.

Travel Master I haven't repaired one of those cables since the late 80's, and my supplies have, um, not aged well (unlike me, ha-ha). New repair supplies are on the way.


If the Scheduling Gods allow me to keep my current plans, I should be able to finish the Elegance within two weeks, the Travel Master maybe by the end of the month. (I also have an Excalibur Grandmaster and a Mephisto Exclusive with bad reeds, so I may just do all those repairs at the same time, strike while the soldering iron's hot, you know. Stilll surprised that neither of my Conchess computers have a bad reed, considering their reputation! Maybe I should take them apart and see if someone has already replaced them.)

I'll post updates as I make progress.
Cheers,

Jeff B.
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