Zitat von
berger
Hi,
As you may know, the ROM in these chess computers is mainly internal (with some exceptions in which part or all of the ROM is external), that is, it's embedded in the H8 microcontroller. It turns out that when we have reverse engineered many computers with H8 microcontroller we have found the same model with different types of microcontrollers. For example this has happened with Excalibur Mirage, Ivan the Terrible, Novag Aquamarine RISC II, Systema Challenge... and also many situations where different models share the same microcontroller (and therefore same ROM). It's all quite confusing.
For example, on the subject you mention: I have owned, and analysed, two Systema Challenge: One with a 1993 MCU and one with a 1996 MCU from Krypton Regency! See attached pictures.
I've been able to do ROM dump of the second unit mentioned, but unfortunately I gave away the first unit and hope to get it back (temporarily) in September to do the ROM dump of what we believe to be the "genuine" Krypton/Systema Challenge.
hap is doing a lot of research on this, and including all this information in the MAME drivers themselves. We will discover even more interesting and surprising things.
Gerardo "Berger"
Hi Gerardo,
I know you are replicating the computers by using the original hardware. Please don't consider what I wrote as a self-experienced observation anything other than the chess software programs themselves (inside the ROMs). The fact that you are showing two ROMs for Regency possibly explains my experience with my Regency. It has occasional tendencies to move too fast or almost instantly which results in moves of possible lesser quality. Who knows there may be even third or fourth ROMs for Regency. You would know this better than I, as my interest is more about the chess programs other than being interested in how the different hardware influences the results of a program. The hardware is your domain.
In my tests I have only ever been able to 100% over 5 original tests replicate 226 positions with Legend and Concerto, every other one has a move deviance here and there. But even that would be difficult to state as a fact if there are multiple versions ROMs used with Legend and Concerto.
Therefore, just as you are doing it is important to separate and play on the computers under their original conditions (identify the different ROMs and separate them), unless you can 100% prove that two computers are 100% the same hardware and software. Because in my opinion one or the other would never = 100%. It requires both to be 100%. Your Mess approaches show this through your V1, 2, 3 versions, where many of them if not most provide different chess results. Otherwise, why bother with V1, 2 etc.
Based on what you are all doing with Mess I think you would be in agreement with this.
Best regards
Nick