Relay noughts and crosses machine

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Folks, I've recently seen a neat relay and uniselector noughts and crosses machine that you can play against.
I quite fancy building one, does anyone have details or a circuit for this equipment?

Thanks, Ed

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Folks, from some further research it appears that there was a design in one of the magazines in the 60's. I'm unable to track it down so does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks, Ed

[mole42uk]

That reminds me of the fruit machines I helped design in Nottingham in the late 1970's - a chassis full if relays, lots of solenoids and cam timers!
I've never seen a o-x-o machine though.

[TonyDuell]

I think there was something in the Philips book 'Practical Robot Circuits' from the 1960s. I can't remember if complete circuit diagrams were given, or if it used valves as well as relays (the robot dog that takes up most of the book was stuffed with valves). I don't know where you could find said book now, but it might give you something to look for.

[peter_scott]

No circuit but you can count the relays!

http://www.computerhistory.org/revol...mes/16/187/780

Download Tic Tac Toe machine:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rc...838211&cad=rjt

http://www.electro-tech-online.com/a...ctoe-png.4031/
http://www.ez260.com/wp-content/uplo...e-relay-lg.png

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi agents, thanks for that.
Peter, the one I've seen is pretty close to the computer history article, but has 2, uniselectors on the relay rack.
Tony, I remember the Philips book well, we had it in the school library and the electronics club started building the robot dog, from memory it used a lot of DL and DF series valves.
I don't remember the OXO machine though.
I have a good collection of the Philips Tech Library, but I've never managed to get a copy of the Robots book.

Ed

[Dekatron]

Ed, there is a noughts and crosses machine in the Philips book but I can't see that it uses any uniselectors though. You can buy that book at Abesbooks, it is quite expensive in English there, but if you can read German it is a lot cheaper!

[KeithsTV]

Ed. I've found one in a 1965 Practical Electronics but it doesn't use relays just switches. I can scan it tonight if you're interested.

In the back of my mind I think there may be one in one of the 70s issues. if I get a chance tonight I'll look for it.

Keith

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Martin and Keith, thanks for that.
My German is not too rusty so I may give it a try from Abe.

Keith, this is for a museum use, and you are meant to play against the machine, so I'm really looking for a relay version where I can display the works.

Many thanks, Ed

Try here
http://www.vintagecomputer.net/cisc3...ic-tac-toe.pdf

MM

[julie_m]

The game logic isn't all that hard. The board has both mirror and spin symmetry, and "winning" and "spoiling" moves are of course very similar -- the difference being whether you place your O with two Os, or two Xs. If ever you don't need to spoil (because of bad play by the human opponent), play to create a fork and so give yourself two winning opportunities -- the opponent can only spoil one of them. You will need 18 main relay banks (2 per square; one for an O there and the other for an X there) -- I say relay banks because you will need lots of contacts operated by each coil.

Actually, the hardest thing might be building in a way to let the machine lose sometimes!

[kalee99]

Hi all,
My cousin had one when I was a child. I remember it well. It worked off a big 6 Volt battery. He built as an exam project at school. I do not think he has it now and I know not where he got the circuit. I remember the relays on the back clicking in and out as you made your selection.
Happy days.
Paul.

[bc312]

This link shows a clip of the Donald Davies machine in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlNxBb_27CA

I remembered there was an ad in Practical Wireless in the early 1960's for a schematic of a noughts and crosses machine using Yaxley switches. These switches were easy and cheap to purchase back then and I built the machine. It worked well but had the advantage of always starting the game first. Later as a Post Office apprentice I managed to get hold of some relays and uniselectors and rebuilt the machine much to the amusement of colleagues. Sadly the machine was dismantled years ago and I don't know what happened to the schematic.
Mention above of the book Practical Robot Circuits had me searching my bookshelves. Having found the book I looked at the chapter on the noughts and crosses machine; something of a 'colossus' with at least 25 valves!

[saddlestone-man]

I seem to remember a NIM machine being described in Practical Electronics sometime in the 1960s. Does anyone have that article / circuit? I think it worked with switches and lamps.

Best regards. Stef.

[KeithsTV]

Yes I found that article while looking for the noughts and crosses machine. As you said it uses some quite complex switching with lamp indicators.

Keith

[Andrew2]

I can't recall ever coming across an OXO machine, but there was a fad in the mid 60's (I think) for electronic combination locks of various complexities, some with timers that booted you out if you took too long to set the numbers.

[Karen O]

As a child I remember seeing a noughts and crosses machine at Birmingham Science Museum though it was not operational on the occasion I visited.

Many years later I hoped to see it at Millenium Point but alas I couldn't find it.

To be honest, I don't know whether it was electromechanical or not.

It saddens me to think that machine might be buried in a landfill

[MrElectronicman]

I remember this as well, it had a big heavy handle to move the pointer across the board, and you could hear the relays clicking. Later on I used to go to the museum occasionally as I worked for the GPO in Newhall Street.

I went to Millennium Point as well about 10 years ago now and also looked to see if it was still there. Sad!

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Folks, many thanks for the inputs.
The one I saw in a museum in Melbourne had a 3*3 keypad as well as a series of buttons so you could select your symbol and if you wanted to play first, etc.
The telecom style relays were all on a rack and did not appear to have too many contats. there were also 2, uniselectors, but only single plane of operation types, looked about 6 pole.
The display was about 50mm square for each of the 9 cells and appeared to be incandescent behind a ground glass screen. The whole lot was housed in an 800*800 display case.

I am hoping to replicate this for a display in the Newcastle Discovery museum.

Ed

[Viewmaster]

Nombrex made a Crosso machine in the 1950's.

http://puzzlemuseum.com/month/picm07/2007-04-crosso.htm