Chess computer

Citrine is a great dedicated machine. Closest retro engine that the Phoenix has of it is the TASC R40. It emulates the clock faces as well.
Just do not lose that special wooden piece you need to select the options on the board with!

I, too, am old-fashioned as my favorite dedicate chess computer has been the Excalibur Grandmaster with the unlicensed Ultimate Chess Set design on the full size tournament green and white vinyl board. The Citrine would have been the second favorite after the upgrade to the royal chess piece set by ChessBarron based in UK because it was the largest wooden chess computer at that time.

https://www.chessbaron.com/product/X4001/ 

I regret not being able to afford to buy the Citrine when it was still sold in retail on chesshouse.com. 

Call me old fashioned but I've just ordered a Novag Citrine, quite hard to find and if I find a nice Mephisto exclusive I might indulge myself and have the occasional holiday from my Millennium 820.

Citrine is a great dedicated machine. Closest retro engine that the Phoenix has of it is the TASC R40. It emulates the clock faces as well.
Just do not lose that special wooden piece you need to select the options on the board with!

I, too, am old-fashioned as my favorite dedicate chess computer has been the Excalibur Grandmaster with the unlicensed Ultimate Chess Set design on the full size tournament green and white vinyl board. The Citrine would have been the second favorite after the upgrade to the royal chess piece set by ChessBarron based in UK because it was the largest wooden chess computer at that time.

https://www.chessbaron.com/product/X4001/

There's an Excalibur Grandmaster online and I was a bit tempted but where do you stop?! Thought I would grab the Citrine before someone else did. I will have to go after a Mephisto so what in your opinion is the best one to go after (board and module)? Thanks.

The best Mephisto board would be any of their large wooden Exclusive cabinets with fully working lights and reed switches underneath. 
As far as the modules are concerned, the later engine and processor that competed in the chess computer championships, the better. The last of the original Mephisto modules that was strong and fast was the RISC II. You can read more about the differences from this collector:
http://electronicchess.free.fr/heroes.html#risc

This site also points out that the original Mephisto Polgar chess computer kit is still a collectible due to the Polgar branding.

If you wanted the strongest engine that worked in a Mephisto chassis, then you would likely covet the Resurrection II module by Ruud Martin. He only made a small batch.
 http://electronicchess.free.fr/good.html#resurrection

Fun fact 1 - Ruud Martin’s Revelation II project eventually evolved to what we now know as the Millennium Phoenix. I remember reading this years ago and completely forgot about this partnership.
So what does this mean? The Phoenix Chess System is practically a modern Mephisto chess computer that is manufactured by Millennium. They are scheduled to release their Phoenix Exclusive module later this 2024. No-brainer choice for me.

https://phoenixcs.nl

Fun fact 2 - Ruud STILL makes modules for the Mephisto cabinets now marketed as Reflection II

https://phoenixcs.nl/products/reflection-ii-module-set/

Here is the list of all the chess programs that you can interface with through the Phoenix module:

https://computerchess.com/Schachprogramme/

it even includes “Python library for integration into chess software” for those who want to develop the interface to the lesser-known/unknown chess apps.

Here is the list of online chess services that you can use the Phoenix module with:

https://computerchess.com/Online-Schach/

They even feature the Chrome extension Chessconnect for chess.com by Dr. Jörn Gehring who is an active member of the chess.com forums aka @joernupbde

Here’s an idea:

1. Download all the ROMs by Mephisto, Saitek, Novag, etc from here:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-wonderful-world-of-chess-machine-emulators

2. Use the chess engine interface options of Millennium Phoenix to connect to WinBoard which is used by the CB-Emulator package

https://computerchess.com/Schachprogramme/#chessmaster

https://goneill.co.nz/chess.php

Should this work, there will be a way to play on a real wooden chess set with the retro chess engines that come with the Chessbase Emulator package. 
For me this scratches the itch to play against the dedicated machines that came to market.

Now I see... for sure it worth every penny (brand, functionality, etc...) but I would not give more than 300€ short term or 500€ long-term for any chess computer in this stage of my life... "Novag Superconstellation" is interesting for me but... almost impossible to find at decent price...

I have till this moment:

------------------------------------

Mephisto Maestro

Mephisto Mini

Mephisto "Chess Challenger"

Kasparov Turbo 16K (Travel size)

Shachpartner 2

Delighted to see there are emulators for chess computers!

The Evo made the new engine v retro engine easier using the Chessnut socket driver for PCs.

chessroboto sure knows how to squeeze all the fun out of playing those charming, and in some cases very capable vintage chess computers. Emulation simply aren't the same thing.

I've written a couple of emulators myself and am well aware of the hatred some vintage collectors have for emulators. Emulators are great fun and can do helpful things like run at x100 speed to speed up moves that take minutes on the machine. Not everyone can afford or want to own the old machines. At the same time I appreciate the fun of using the original hardware and the memories they bring back.

There are still dedicated computer ROMs that have not been dumped, so there is still a secondary market to get the actual retro hardware for them.

Also, it is BECAUSE I have been coveting to play those charming dedicated chess computers that are financial non-starters to procure that I celebrate the emulation of the strongest and rarest models while being able to play them using modern technologies.

Did you get the Citrine yet? How does it play for you? Pictures?

I like nice quality fully sensory wooden chess computers, so what's your opinion on the Novag Citrine?

Hi, the Citrine is indeed nice and fully sensory. Even the menu commands are input using squares sensors; this being a bit cumbersome but avoiding the need for a keyboard. Once used to it, no concern. The embedded chess program is strong but somewhat lacks strength of character, as most latest Novag H8 programs do. I mean: plays solid strong passive chess as long as keeping up with a strong opponent, and won't do much to enforce a win. Only after getting an advantage against a weaker opponent will it sparkle some nice attacking chess.

But: the main and much appreciated use it provides to me is: as a connected chessboard to Arena. You just need a serial-to-USB adapter, a bit of initial setting in Arena, and you can play over the board any engine you would like to, of course including each and every CB-Emu chess computer emulations (as referred to above). Just enable the referee mode on the Citrine to disable the Novag internal engine and substitute the Arena engine you chose. Many other settings can achieve the same, as mentioned within this thread, but a used Citrine is the less expensive, still very nice, way to do it.

With the Citrine being Novag’s last dedicated computer in 2006, does it finish all its games against a person regardless of the strength or search depth settings?

The later Novag machines, all based on one version or another of Dave Kittinger's engines, were toned down from his breakthrough "SuperConny" engine, which played stunningly aggressive tactical chess for the day, in order to get a more even balance in style. The later engines are stronger, but play far more conservative chess than the "SuperConny". The Super Constellation did manage a win over women's IM Diane Savereide, even on tournament level, which indicates what the level of US women's chess was like back in the day.

Diane Savereide (ELO 2240) vs SuperConstellation (ELO 1730) here: https://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Novag_Super_Constellation

Concerning the Novag Citrine, if you can find one used in classifieds, be aware that early boards suffered from soft wood veneer and easily attracted scratches and dents.

At the very least, the Citrine should still be good for game analysis.