Fidelity Super 9 Sensory Chess Challenger

The Super Nine is a chess computer prized by many collectors. Unfortunately, many of them experience damage to the sensory board internally, due to oxidation of the tracks.

This article aims to show that with patience and skill, it is possible to resurrect it.

Disassembling:

Detaching the sensory board with hot air:

Cleaning and reconditioning all parts:

Making a new sensory board:

Structure of the sensory membrane to be reproduced...

I use copper tape, 6 mm wide. On this computer the matrix is 9 x 8 (the ninth column is the controls).

Correct alignment is checked using the transparent template:

Holes must be drilled to pass the cables:

Once the row tracks have been completed, the cables are attached at the bottom:

The first layer of double-sided adhesive is now applied:

Row/column spacer film already attached:

The tracks of the columns are placed directly on the top film (the chessboard):

The second layer of double-sided adhesive is applied:

And the trickiest part is when the paper has to be removed from the adhesive and the top film has to be attached. It is important to practice beforehand to avoid making mistakes:

The sensory board is now checked to ensure that it is working correctly, and then the final connections are made:

Job done!