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5-11under

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Posts posted by 5-11under

  1. Posted

    How many decks did they use? If one, that's only 52 bits of RAM. If 8, that's still only 52 bytes.

    Probably there's more efficient ways, but pick a random number (up to 52 or 416 for example), and if card/bit is already used (0), then repeat until you "pick" one that's not used yet (1). Set it as used (0), and carry on.

  3. Posted

    So, Poudade makes BootChess in 487 bytes...

    Oscar responds in short order by making Atomchess in 481 bytes... followed by 456, 446, and 392. He also makes a "reloaded" version in 831 bytes, with more features, such as castling, promotion.

     

    I think anyone who is naive enough to call nanochess anything near a cheat either doesn't realize he's been doing this most of his life, or has never visited AtariAge.

    • Like 7

  8. Posted

    At the moment there are 80 pre-orders. Thanks to all who have pre-ordered so far!

     

    That's enough to at least get started on the prototype stage. I'm planning to get this started this week with the supplier. Drawings will have to get finalized, followed by production of 4 prototypes. The prototypes will take about 7 weeks to arrive.

     

    Because these are just the prototypes, pre-ordering at the current special price can continue. Pre-orders won't end until it's time to order the production batch of screens.

     

    As always, post #1 has all the updated information.

    • Like 2

  13. Posted

     

    OK, back in the day I considered myself pretty nimble with mental math etc. however, the fact is I learned assembly language programming in a semester at college back in 1981/82 on a cyber 730. If I recall it was an octal machine with a ten bit word. Now after 35 years of "business" programming using high level languages, raising two kids and (maybe) drinking a bit too much. I can't even follow a lot of what you guys are talking about. It's still fun to read though. I mean I remember XOR and feel I should know exactly how that impacts things, but when I'm coding intyBasic I am at such a different level. a much dumber level, than that.

     

    Different story but similar result for me... I'm sure I could make a demo almost as good, except the code would be twice as long.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    I'm thinking 4 or 5 depending on the price break.

     

    How difficult is it to switch out? Will it have a longer lifespan and heat tolerance than the original?

     

    The maximum prices are shown. Shall I put you down for 4, or something else? Please let me know. You can always adjust that number later on if the price ends up going down based on overall quantity pre-ordered.

     

    I'll get more info on the switch out. I'll look into temperature specs, too... I've put these on my to-do list.

    Lifespan should be the same as other LCDs (besides the original Microvisone ones, of course).

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    1. When you say "drop in",just how easy are these to replace? Is there any soldering iron involved to get these new screens installed?

     

    2. Would these LCDs have a longer life than the originals? Are they made with the same materials or something that would have a longer lifespan? I'm asking because I'd need to know if I'm buying a replacement for the replacement as well, or if it's even worthwhile to get a spare if it would be the same lifespan.

     

    1. Going from memory, remove about 10 screws, place the LCD in position, including the reflector and polarizer, and put everything back together. It can sometimes be a bit tricky to put everything back together in the correct spot, but it's not too bad. When I get a chance, I'll post some pictures of what would need to be done.

     

    2. The LCDs will be new. They should last much longer than the originals... as long as any other LCD you have that isn't in a Microvision.

  21. Posted

    Current status (20-Feb-2021):
     

    I'm sending out PMs to those who have expressed interest. I'm doing this in the order that people responded.

     

    Initial Post (mostly) (10-Feb-2018):

    As many of you are aware, the Microvision by Milton Bradley is notorious for something people have called "screen rot", where the LCD screen becomes dark and unusable. Unfortunately, this effect is all too common. A fix for these would hopefully bring back to life these interesting and (I think) fun handheld systems.

    It took a few months or so, but I was finally able to get a couple of quotes for replacement LCD screens for the Microvision. These are intended to be drop-in replacements for existing screens.

    There's a number of costs related to this project. Some are known, such as engineering cost and production cost, and some are unknown, such as customs and duty, and shipping parts to me. Therefore, I've come up with some maximum prices in US dollars (shipping not included):

    • Quantity 1: $22.00
    • Quantity 2+: $20.50 each
    • Quantity 4+: $19.00 each
    • Quantity 8+: $17.50 each
    • [initial orders will probably be in the $17-$19 range each, regardless of quantity ordered (1+). This is because I'll be able to work on a bunch of orders one after the other, which will save time. Price later might be a few dollars more to account for time spent packaging single orders. Note that the exact price is to be determined, based on actual costs that I incur for the project].


    I should mention that once you've bought and received your replacement screens, they're yours to do whatever you want with them... resell them at any price you see fit, put them in systems and sell those at any price you see fit, keep them on your shelf to look at, etc.

     

    FAQ:

     

    1. Will the new screens be susceptible to screen rot? They shouldn't be. These will be brand new displays, built to high standards. We're used to the Microvision display being very poor, but most or nearly all other small LCD displays work well for many, many years.

     

    2. What is the operating and storage temperature of the display. Operating Range: 0C to +50C. Storage Range: -10C to +60C.

     

    3. Are the Zebra connectors (that connect the LCD screen to the board) reusable? Yes. They tend to stick a bit when they've been connected for a long time, but they seem to be robust in their ability to connect well with repeated use.

     

    4. Are there installation instructions? Is it easy to install? Here are some pictures of disassembly of a Microvision (re-assembly is basically the reverse, although the front  and back polarizer and reflector is not required). The green pad is still used, and the contact strips are still used. It's fairly easy, although sometimes the wires and other parts like to move around a bit, so plan on 20 minutes for a full upgrade.

    • Like 12

  22. Posted

    I think anyone who hasn't looked at and studied and played with the spreadsheet really needs to do so. It looks like it's accurate compared to the ROM (confirmed by a couple of smart people, in the least), and you can 1) try to find methods to improve the score, and 2) see that there's very few frames where there's no acceleration in the 5.57 score.

     

    It may not convince 100%, but it gives at least an understanding of what's happening in the game.

  24. Posted

    To hopefully clear up a few things, here's the status of Jr. Pac Man as I see it (I could be wrong in some of these, but I think I got most of it correct):

     

    1. Issue with RAM initialization - potential difference between emulation and hardware

    2. Software bug for dot counter - could move up level too early, or never

    3. Configuration/PCB timing issue - potential garbage on screen such as pink rectangles (worse for Model 2 than for Model 1) - PCB used was a new version to handle future EEPROM, but latching speed of some address lines was messed up

     

    All 3 of these have been addressed, and hopefully fixed. A couple of newly programmed boards are en route to Rev for testing.

    • Like 8
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