Scally wrote:
Hi Steve,
There’s a couple on US eBay around the $80 range at the moment..
Cheers,
Al.
Yes i know Al
Ive given up on Robotic chess computers
never had any luck with them..
these were all bought brand new .....
3 Novag Adversary's-Motors all kaput..after 2-4 hrs of playing time
2 Novag 2Robots-1 working 1 dead(after 10-15 games)
2 Phantom Forces-both broken-after about 50-75 games each
3 Excalibur Mirages-1 working 2 dead-after about 50-75 games
Amazingly ..the Milton Bradly Phantoms(3 models),Fidelity Phantoms (3 models)and Mephisto Phantom are all still working
This does make some sort of sense as Fidelity bought the rights to the Phantom from MB and Mephisto sold the Phantom by just putting their label on it after aquiring Fidelity..so same hardware on all 7 robots
my guess is that the Mirages and Phantom Forces have about a 2 Yr lifespan and then the motors go bad
even after all this .i would still consider buying the upcoming Square Off Robot(if it is ever really released) but sadly it is not a dedicated chess computer(needing a smart phone connection)..
even then ..i would wait a good two years before buying one .. to see what defects will rear their ugly heads and how the fledgling company deals with them
Robotic Tales From The Crypt Regards
Steve