CEBoard's connection to an external board or chess computer

CEBoard can be connected to the following external board or chess computers to enter moves :

DGT board (serial version)
Novag Universal Chesboard
Novag Star Diamond
Novag Sapphire II
Novag Sapphire
Novag Super VIP
Novag Super Expert

In addition, CEBoard is able to import the game in memory (i.e. played without a connection to CEBoard) from the Star Diamond, Sapphire II and the Sapphire.

Play a game with an external board or computer

There are three places where an external board can be connected:

from the main window : click on the following icon
from the game window : select "Menu", "Tools", "External Board"
from the setup position windows : click on the "Import button"

The following dialog box appears :

Select the right options and click Connect.

Note : When all pieces are put back to their initial position or the "New game" button is pressed on a chess computer, the boards send a command to CEBoard in order to start a new game. The option "When the board triggers a new game" sets the behavior of CEBoard in this case and is meant to allow the use of an external board (which can of course be combined to the use of an engine) for several games without having to interact with CEBoard's user interface. The values possible for this option are :

Ask me...
CEBoard does not automatically start a new game
Drop current game
CEBoard drops current game and starts a new one
Save in 'CEBoard Autosave.pgn'
Saves the current game in the '\My Documents\CEBoard Autosave.pgn' file and starts a new one.

Note : If an engine is running, it is automatically restarted with the same level for the new game.

When a board is connected, several actions are possible to start a game :

pushing the "New Game" button on a Chess Computer or putting all pieces back to the original position will send a "new game" command to CEBoard (see above),
triggering a new game from CEBoard (with the toolbar button or menu item) will create a new game and send the command to the external board,
setup a custom position : if the "Import" button is pressed, the position in the board's memory is loaded into CEBoard (not with UCB). If the position is setup inside CEBoard, it is sent to the board when the game starts (not with DGT nor UCB)
opening a game stored in a PGN file with a custom start position : the position is send to the board (not with DGT nor UCB).

In the game window, when a board is connected, it is possible to enter moves in CEBoard or on the board itself.

Note an interesting feature of the Star Diamond :

if the human move is played on the board by pressing the squares, it is also necessary to press the squares of the computer's move
if the human move is played withing CEBoard, it is not required (and will even be refused by the SD) to press the squares on the Star Diamond's board.

During the game, move the pieces on the board for both sides. If an engine is running, the UCB displays its moves with its leds. For the DGT, it is necessary to activate the Voice announcements feature (in CEBoard's options).

Taking back a move is done simply by doing the reverse move. Of course, if an engine is running, you have to wait for its reply first.

Lifting and then posing back the King of the side not to move will trigger a "Move Now" command.The Star Diamond, Sapphire and Sapphire II are able to send to CEBoard (which can then store them in the PGN files) their evaluations, the number of nodes evaluated each second as well as the current line. The Super VIP is able to send its evaluation and line but not the node's rate.

Finally, as an external board is not considered by CEBoard as an engine, it is possible to start an engine :

with the UCB and the DGT, the goal is to play for example against Fruit or Crafty Classic while using a real chess board,
and it is possible to make the chess computers play against CEBoard's engines (not really fair, given the difference in hardware).

Import a game from a Star Diamond or Sapphire / Sapphire II computer

When no connection has yet been established from CEBoard (or the current connection has been closed), select "Menu", "Tools", "Import Chess Computer Game" from the main window, then select the COM port and the board type, click "Connect" then "Import".

Board notes

DGT Board

The DGT Board must be connected with a serial cable to the Pocket PC. Some Pocket PC have problems to initialize the DGT and send commands to it (in this case, it may help to configure the DGT with a PC and connect it after to the Pocket PC). Here are the configurations I now about :

Axim X50 + Socket Serial CompactFlash card : works OK,
Qtek 9090 + Bluetooth connection to an Air2U Bluetooth<->Serial converter : need the DGT to be configured by a PC first
Qtek 9090 + Serial cable (+ cross over) : works OK

As the DGT Board recognizes the pieces put on the board, it can be used to setup a position in CEBoard and not only to play a full game. In the "Setup" dialog box, press "External" button to get the connection dialog.

The DGT support is not yet perfect and it may happend that CEBoard and the DGT are not synchronised anymore. If CEBoard does not recognize a move, put the piece back in its position, select with CEBoard's interface an old position and then the current position again : it will resynchronize CEBoard and the DGT and the move should then be recognized.

Novag Universal Chessboard

The Universal Chessboard has both an advantage and a disadvantage compared to the DGT :

it has leds to indicated engine's moves and therefore does not need voice announcements,
but it cannot recognize the pieces and therefore cannot be used to setup positions.

As fas as I know, the connection between the UCB and any pocket pc with any serial link works OK.

Novag Star Diamond

Activate the interface by pressing "Option 1/2" to display "Opt 1" and then "Referee/Print Moves" twice to activate the external interface : "Inter" followed by three dashes. Quit Option mode by pressing "Go"

Note : it seems sometimes necessary to turn the Star Diamond on after having connected the serial cable and turned the Pocket PC On.

Novag Sapphire II

Activate the interface by pressing "Option 1/2" and then "A1" to display "Inter" followed by three dashes. Quit option mode with "Go"

Novag Sapphire

The Sapphire needs the Novag Super System Distributor to be connected to a PC or Pocket PC.

Activate the interface by pressing "Option 1/2" and then "A1" to display "Int" followed by three dashes. Quit option mode with "Go"

Novag Super VIP

The Super VIP needs the Novag Super System Distributor to be connected to a PC or Pocket PC.

Activate the interface by pressing "Level" and then "Easy/Moves" to display "Int" followed by three dashes. Quit option mode with "Go". Select "9600" bauds with "Level" and then "Solvemate/Baud".

Novag Super Expert

The Super Expert can be connected directly to the serial port of the Pocket PC

Activate the interface by pressing "Set Level" and then "Interface", and then "No" to turn the interface on (my French manual tells to use "Yes" but it is false), and then "Yes" to check other options such as Mode (turn "Human" on) and speed (9600 bauds). Press "Go" to leave interface configuration.

Troubleshooting

When CEBoard is unable to connect to a computer or does not seem to receive information, it is possible to try the serial connection with a PC or a Pocket PC : with a PC, launch "Hyperterminal", with a Pocket PC, launch "PocketSerial.exe" which is installed in the same folder than CEBoard.

Establish the COM connection : 9600 bauds for all Novag computers, except 57600 for the Star Diamond, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.

A "new game" pressed on the computer should be displayed on in the PC or PPC program. Send a "N" from these programs should trigger a "New game" from the Pocket PC.

Send a "H" from the PC/PPC to be sure that the chess computer is in "Human mode" (and not Video mode).

Send "M e2 e4" from the PC/PPC and check if the computer answers.

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