Dgt e-board, Bluetooth, & smartboard feature differences?

I’ve been looking into getting a dgt board to play with and help learn but am having a tough time finding a concrete answer to the differences between the regular eboard, Bluetooth version, and the smartboard besides the materials. From what I understand, the smartboard does everything the same as the regular eboard, it’s just plastic, right?

Does the Bluetooth eboard have features or capabilities (besides the ability to be wireless) the regular Eboard doesn’t have? For example, would the Bluetooth version be able to connect to my iPhone, whereas the reg eboard couldn’t?

The bluetooth board has a battery and thus the ability to store played games even when not connected. One can take it, say, to the club (without a computer) and retrieve the games later at home. That's a no go with USB and Serial DGT boards.

Yes, it can connect to a phone. Can confirm for android with AcidApe app, don't know for iPhone as I did not find any app that does it. But theoretically it, of course, can. It's standard bluetooth after all.

USB board *can* also connect to android via special cable, but it never worked for me, connection always dropped. It has something to do with the nature of the connectors (of *this particular cable*), as USB 2.0 has trouble defining which end of the cable connected acts as a host and which one acts as a slave. Normal USB 2.0 cables of course never have this problem, as the connectors on both ends are usually very different. (Just look at one, you'll see what I mean.)

-Izmet

Thank you, that’s helpful! So there’s basically no difference between them (minus the battery and shoddy wired connection) and they all have the capability to do the same things. For the lower price, I can live with wires if they can all do the same thing, I just want to make sure I’m not missing out on other features if I don’t go with one over the other.

I must try it again. Thanks for info.

-Izmet

itrenix wrote:

No problem. Like I say, this is with the free app

What app do you use? I'm thinking about purchasing an Android tablet to use with it. I see they have a Fritz for Android but I'm not sure how similar it is to the full windows version. Do you use the board for analysis as well?

Apple really suck when it's comes to chess , Being like that for years ?

Apple would have you buy a new electronic chess board and pieces as well as the latest chess database software every two to three years if they owned the IP to chess.

What issues are you having with it?

a who,e range of issues start

started when I noticed damage to one corner of the board. I have also had nothing but issues with the drivers and also ghosting and sensitivity issues. I have spent more time trouble shooting than enjoying its use.

Ghosting and sensitivity issues are not typical for DGT boards, after all, they are used in tournaments all over the world withouth a glitch.

Problems you describe are usualy caused by interference. Check for nearby electrical equipment disturbing the sensitivity of the board. As a test try to use it in some other room in the house.

Of course, you simply may have purchased a faulty board.

-Izmet

I bought a used serial board used that was obviously dropped on one of its corners. It did not show those any of issues.

Do you know you can easily turn the serial into a USB board (simplifying connection to a computer)? Yes, there's a cost to this, but I fixed this way many an (electronically) broken serial board I rutinely find in chess clubs and put them to use again. What you need is a USB insert board you can get from DGT webshop and swap the electronics. (Not on their page, need to email them for it.)

-Izmet

ifekali: Yes. I have seen the official DGT hardware mod of their serial boards to USB. Before I knew of such an option, I simply used a serial to USB adapter which has worked for every version of Windows and macOS since 2010.

Lol, I have this exact adapter also.