Excalibur electronic 417 User Manual

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Excalibur

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Bridge

OPERATING MANUAL

utor

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Model No. 417

ongratulations on your purchase of Excalibur Electronics’ Bridge Tutor. You’ll have hours of fun playing against the

computer.

Your Bridge Tutor is programmed with the most commonly used system for bidding and playing, the Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) system. The 300 hands included in the computer were carefully researched to provide you with entertaining and instructional hands to play. Commentaries on the bidding and play of each hand can be downloaded from our website shown below or can be sent for at our address located on page 12.

Bridge Tutor is easy to use, but be sure to use it safely. Before starting, please read this manual thoroughly, especially noting safety, care and battery information. Keep this manual for reference.

Installing the Batteries

Your Bridge Tutor requires three AAA batteries, not included. To install the batteries, carefully turn Bridge Tutor over so that the unit is face-down on a soft surface. Find the battery compartment on the back of the unit. Use a small Phillips screw-

driver to remove the screw. Lift off the battery compartment lid. Install the batteries, making sure to match polarity (+ and -). Place the tab of the battery compartment lid in its slot and close the compartment door. Replace the screw and tighten.

If you need to review the

rules of bridge or the

meaning of special bridge

terms, just go to:

www.ExcaliburElectronics.com

Layout of Bridge Tutor

DISPLAY

ON/NEW GAME key

SOUND key

HINT/SCORE key

AUCTION REVIEW

key

HAND SELECT

key

PASS/CLAIM key

Functions of Buttons

ON/NEW GAME: Press to turn the unit

on. The current game will be retained in memory when the computer is turned off. Press and hold the button for one second to begin a new game.

SOUND: Press to turn the sound on or

off. (The sound defaults to on when the unit is turned on.) A sound icon is displayed on the LCD when the sound is on.

LEVEL: Press to select whether you

would like to play at the Beginner or the Intermediate level.

RESET: If your Bridge Tutor locks up

RESET key

LEVEL key

CARD VALUES

(A THROUGH K)

SUITS

UNDO key

TRICK REVIEW key

NT key

NO TRUMP)

(

DBL/REDBL key

ENTER/DEAL key

or malfunctions, use a ballpoint pen to

RESET. Also press RESET after

press inserting new batteries.

HINT/SCORE: Press to get the comput-

er’s suggested bid during bidding or the computer’s suggested card to play during a game in progress. Each time

HINT/SCORE is used, your E-Bridge

score will decrease by either 5 or 10 points and (-5 or -10) will display in the right hand corner of the LCD. After all the tricks are played, press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm the game and

then press different kinds of scoring: Score,

HINT/SCORE to see three

which is your contract bridge score; E-Bridge Score, which displays the skill with which you played a hand (100 points is perfect play); and EBridge Av Score, which averages the E-Bridge Scores for all the hands you have played.

AUCTION REVIEW: Press to review

the bidding. If there were more than four rounds of bidding, continue pressing this key to see all the bids.

HAND SELECT: Press to select the spe-

cific hand you would like to play. When the icons “

are flashing, press the

Level” or “Hand”

HAND SELECT

button and then the number of the hand you would like to play.

PASS/CLAIM: Press to pass during bid-

ding. Also press to claim the tricks you expect to win during the game in progress. You can claim only the number of tricks that remain to be played. If you press

PASS/CLAIM to

claim the rest of the tricks when not all of them are yours, then five points will be subtracted from your EBridge Score.

UNDO: Cancels your bid during bid-

ding or the card played during the play of the hand.

UNDO must be

pressed before confirming your bid or play with the

TRICK REVIEW: During the play of

ENTER/DEAL button.

the hand and during tricks 2 to 12, you may press the button to review the cards played on the last trick.

DBL/REDBL: Press to select Double or

Redouble during bidding.

ENTER/DEAL: Press either to confirm

the selected function, bid or led card displayed on the screen or to deal the cards. Also, when you’re playing a hand, you may press

ENTER/DEAL

and the computer will play for you the lowest card of the suit in play.

NT: Press to bid No Trump during

bidding.

SUITS (SPADES, HEARTS, DIAMONDS OR CLUBS

): Press to select the suit to

be bid or played.

CARD VALUES (A THROUGH K): Press

to select the value of the card to be bid or played.

Playing Bridge Tutor

Your Bridge Tutor was especially designed to allow you to learn the game and also improve your playing skill. You may choose between two levels of difficulty in the bidding and playing of the hands, and after the hand is over, you can check three different scores to judge your skill.

Bidding your Hand

1. After inserting new batteries, press

ON/NEW GAME to

RESET and then press

turn on the unit. “Level” and “

Hand” will flash in turn. If

you would like to select the Level of play, go to step 2. If you would like to select a specific Hand, go to

step 3.

2. Press the “

Beginner” is displayed. Pressing

the play the flashing “

(Press “

Beginner.”) Press ENTER/DEAL

LEVEL button.

LEVEL button again will dis-

Intermediate.”

LEVEL again to return to

to select one of the levels. The number of the hand that you are now playing is displayed. Please

go to step 4.

3. Press the “

Hand” is now displayed along

with a number. Press the

VALUES

HAND SELECT button.

CARD

buttons to select a specific

hand from 1 to 300. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

selection. The Hand number you selected will be displayed along with the associated level of play of the hand, either “

Intermediate.” (Note: If you

“

Beginner” or

change your mind and would like to select another hand, press the

UNDO button before pressing the ENTER/DEAL button. Then enter in

the number of the hand you would like to play and press

ENTER/DEAL.)

4. Press

ENTER/DEAL. The cards are

now dealt to each player. You are in the South chair.

5. Because the computer assigns who the dealer is according to which hand is selected, you might open the bidding or might have to wait

for the other players to bid. Press

ENTER/DEAL until the “S” and

Auction” flashes on the

“ LCD. It’s now your turn to bid.

Note: At any time during the bidding, you may press the

GAME

button for one second to

ON/NEW

stop the bidding. In that case, please return to step 1 above for instructions on starting a new game.

6. The upper right hand corner of the display gives you information for bidding. The first display shows who dealt the hand (for example,

N” for hand 1). The display to the

“ right of the first display shows

who is vulnerable. The possible values are “

EW” for

one, “ East-West, “ and “ To bid, press a

NT button, followed by a CARD VAL- UES button (you may also press the CARD VALUES button first and then

SUITS button or the NT button).

the

NS” for North-South

ALL” for both partnerships.

SUITS button or the

You can also press the

NIL” for no

DOUBLE but-

ton to double your opponent’s bid, or press

PASS/CLAIM.

Note: If you change your mind

and would like to make another

UNDO button before

ENTER/DEAL button.

7. Press

bid, press the pressing the

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

bid. The computer has established

what your best bid should be. If you don’t make that bid, “

Invalid” will flash

for one second, and if the sound is on you will hear a “Beep,” and “E-Bridge Score” with a

score of -10 will be displayed. This means that 10 points have been subtracted from your EBridge Score (see the function of

HINT/SCORE button for details).

the You then will need to make another bid. If you make the correct bid, a “Beep” will sound and the bidding will continue. If you don’t make the best bid, you again will see 10 points subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. If you want to take the computer’s advice for a bid, press the

HINT/SCORE button.

The recommended bid will be displayed for you, “

Hint” will flash

on the screen, and 10 points will be subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. Press

ENTER/DEAL to

confirm your bid.

Note: You may review the bidding at any time by pressing the

AUCTION REVIEW button. Press ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.

8. Every time the “

S” and “Auction”

flashes on the LCD, it’s your turn to bid again. The bidding will continue until there have been three consecutive passes. The “

Auction” icon will stop flashing

on the display. Bidding is then

over and the playing phase of the game begins.

Note: If a bid is doubled, an “ is displayed as that player’s bid.

If a bid is redoubled, “

XX” is dis-

played as that player’s bid. After the bidding is over, the “X” or “

XX” will be displayed next to

the declarer’s contract.

Playing your Hand

Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm the bids and enter into the playing phase of the game. The contract and the declarer will be displayed. If you are the Declarer (if the Declarer is shown as “

S”), go to the “Playing as the

Declarer” section. If you are the Declarer’s partner (the dummy, if the Declarer is shown as “

N”), go to the

“Playing as the Dummy” section. If one of your opponents is the Declarer (if the Declarer is shown as “ “W”), go to the “Playing against the Declarer” section.

Playing as the Declarer

1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick

0” will display. This indicates

“

that you haven’t won any tricks yet. The player who is supposed to lead the first card has their icon flash- ing (“W”). Press

ENTER/DEAL to see what

card they play.

2. When the “

N” icon flashes, it’s

your turn to lead a card from your

dummy. You will play both the

X”

E” or

North and South hands, and the 13 cards of the dummy hand will be displayed at the top of the screen. You may select a card by using the

SUITS and CARD VALUES buttons

(see

Bidding your Hand, step number 6 above). You may also press

ENTER/DEAL to play the low-

est card of the suit led.

Note: At any time during the play of the hand, you may press the

ON/NEW GAME button to quit the

game. Also, if you change your mind and would like to make another card play, press the button before pressing the

ENTER/DEAL button.

3. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

card choice. The computer has established what your best play should be. If you don’t make that play, “

Invalid” will flash for one

second, if the sound is on you will hear a “Beep”, and “

Score

” with a score of -5 will be

E-Bridge

displayed. You then will need to make another play. If you play the correct card, a “Beep” will sound and the play will continue. If you don’t make the best play, you again will see 5 points subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. If you want to take the computer’s advice for a card, press the

HINT/SCORE button.

The recommended card will be displayed for you, “

Hint” will

flash on the screen, and 5 points

UNDO

will be subtracted from your EBridge Score. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your play.

4. The “

E” icon will flash and then

the card played by East will be displayed. The “

S” icon will flash and

then you must select the card you will play as South. You may select a card by using the

VALUES ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest

buttons or press

SUITS and CARD

card of the suit led. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

card choice. The computer has established what your best play should be. If you don’t make that play, “

Invalid” will flash for one

second, if the sound is on you will hear a “Beep”, and “

Score

” with a score of -5 will be

E-Bridge

HINT/SCORE button.

The recommended card will be displayed for you, “

Hint” will

flash on the screen, and 5 points will be subtracted from your EBridge Score. Press

ENTER/DEAL to

confirm your play.

5. If you won the trick, one will be added to the “

Trick” count dis-

played on the LCD. Press

ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of

cards and start the next trick. From tricks 2 to 12 you may review the last trick by pressing the

REVIEW

button. Press ENTER/DEAL

TRICK

to exit this mode. Note: You may

PASS/CLAIM to claim the rest

press of the tricks to be played at any time. If the computer agrees that all the rest of the tricks are yours, the computer will play the rest of the hand for you. If the computer disagrees with your claim, it will subtract 5 points from your EBridge Score and play will continue.

6. The play continues until all 13 tricks have been led and won by one of the partnerships. The computer will automatically play the

13thcard for you. After the last trick has been played, the number

of tricks that your partnership won is displayed, along with whether or not the contract was made or went down.

ENTER/DEAL to see

Press your contract score. Press

HINT/SCORE once to see your E-

Bridge Score, and twice to see your Average E-Bridge Score.

ENTER/DEAL to start the next

Press game. Make your selections as outlined above.

Playing as the Dummy

1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick

“

0” will display. This indicates

that you haven’t won any tricks yet. The player who is supposed to lead the first card has their icon flashing (“

E”). Press ENTER/DEAL.

The card from East will then be played.

2. When the “

S” icon flashes, it’s

your turn to lead a card. You may select a card by using the

SUITS

and CARD VALUES buttons (see Bidding your Hand, step number 6 above). You may also press

ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest

card of the suit led. Because you are the Dummy, your cards have

been switched and are now at the top of the display (the icon “

Shift Sides” displays on the

LCD). T h e Declarer’s hand (North) is at the bottom of the display.

Note: At any time during the

play of the hand, you may press

the

ON/NEW GAME button to

end the game. Also, if you change your mind and would like to

make another card play, press

the

UNDO button before pressing

the

ENTER/DEAL button.

3. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

card choice. The computer has established what your best play should be. If you don’t make that play, “

Invalid” will flash for one

second, if the sound is on you will

hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge

Score

” with a score of -5 will be

displayed. You then will need to

make another play. If you

play the correct card, a “Beep” will

sound and the play will continue. If you don’t make the best play, you again will see 5 points sub-

tracted from your E-Bridge Score. If you want to take the computer’s advice for a card, press the

HINT/SCORE button. The recom-

mended card will be displayed for

Hint” will flash on the

you, “ screen, and 5 points will be subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your play.

4. The “

W” icon will flash and then

the card played by West will be displayed. The “

N” icon will flash

and then you must select the card you will play. You may select a card by using the SUITS and CARD

VALUES

press

buttons. You may also

ENTER/DEAL to play the low-

est card of the suit led. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your card

choice. The computer has established what your best play should

be. If you don’t make that play,

“Invalid” will flash for one

se- cond, if the sound is on you will hear a “Beep”, and “

Score

” with a score of -5 will be

E-Bridge

displayed. You then will need to make anoth-

er play. If you play the correct card, a “Beep” will sound and the play will continue. If you don’t make the best play, you again will see 5 points subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. If you want to take the computer’s advice for a card, press the

HINT/SCORE button.

The recommended card will be displayed for you, “

Hint” will

flash on the screen, and 5 points will be subtracted from your EBridge Score. Press

ENTER/DEAL

to confirm your play.

5. If you won the trick, one will be added to the “

Trick” count dis-

played on the LCD. Press

ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of

cards and start the next trick. From tricks 2 to 12 you may review the

previous trick by pressing the

TRICK REVIEW button. Press ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.

Note: You may press

PASS/CLAIM

to claim the rest of the tricks to be played at any time. If the com

- puter agrees that all the rest of

the tricks are yours, the computer will play the rest of the hand for you. If the computer disagrees with your

claim, it will subtract 5 points from your E-Bridge Score and play will continue.

6. The play continues until all 13 tricks have been led and won by

one of the partnerships. The computer will automatically play the

card for you. After the last

trick has been played, the number of tricks that your partnership won is displayed, along with whether or not the contract was made or went d o w n .

ENTER/DEAL to see

Press your contract score. Press

HINT/SCORE once to see your E-

Bridge Score, and twice to see your Average E-Bridge Score.

ENTER/DEAL to start the next

Press game. Make your selections as outlined above.

Playing against the Declarer

1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick

“

0” will display. This indicates

that you haven’t won any tricks yet. The player who is supposed to lead the first card has their icon flashing (either “

N” or “S”). If

“N” is flashing, press ENTER/DEAL again. Then the card for East will be played.

2. When the “

S” icon flashes, it’s

your turn to lead a card. You may select a card by using the

SUITS

and CARD VALUES buttons (see Bidding your Hand, step number 6 above). You may also press

ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest

card of the suit led (if at least one card has been played).

Note: At any time during the play of the hand, you may press the

ON/NEW GAME button to quit

the game. Also, if you change your mind and would like to make another card play, press the

UNDO button before pressing the ENTER/DEAL button.

3. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your

card choice. The computer has established what your best play should be. If you don’t make that play, “Invalid” will flash for one second, if the sound is on you will hear a “Beep”, and “

Score

” with a score of -5 will be

E-Bridge

HINT/SCORE

button. The recommended card will be displayed for you, “

will flash on the screen, and 5 points will be subtracted from your E-Bridge Score. Press

ENTER/DEAL to confirm your play.

4. The play will proceed around the table. After the dummy plays his card, all of the dummy’s cards will be displayed at the top of the LCD. If you won the trick, one will be

added to the “

Trick” count dis-

Hint”

played on the LCD. Press

ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of

cards and start the next trick. From tricks 2 to 12 you may review the last trick by pressing

TRICK REVIEW button. Press

the

ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.

5. The play continues until all 13 tricks have been led and won by one of the partnerships. The com-

puter will automatically play the

13thcard for you. After the last

trick has been played, the number of tricks that your partnership won is displayed, along with whether or not the contract was made or went d o w n . Press ENTER/DEAL to see your contract score. Press

HINT/SCORE once to see your E-

Bridge Score, and twice to see

Special Care & Handling

• Avoid rough handling such as bumping or dropping.

• Avoid moisture and extreme temperatures. For best results, use

• Clean using only a slightly damp cloth. Do not use cleaners with chemical agents.

between the temperatures of 39ºF and 100ºF (4º C and 38º C).

Battery Information & Special Care

• Batteries should be installed or replaced only by an adult.

• Your Bridge Tutor uses 3 AAA batteries, not included.

• Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc) or rechargeable (nickelcadmium) batteries.

• Do not mix old and new batteries.

• Do not use rechargeable batteries.

• Remove exhausted batteries from the unit.

• Do not short circuit battery terminals.

• Remove batteries and store them in a cool, dry place when not in use.

• To avoid explosion or leakage, do not dispose of batteries in a fire or attempt to recharge alka

line or other non-rechargeable batteries.

Due to continuing improvements, actual product may differ slightly from the product described herein.

Bridge Tutor may lock up due to static discharge

or other electrical disturbances.

If this should happen, use a slim, pointed object to press

the button marked “

RESET” on the front of the unit.

Limited 90-Day Warranty

EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., warrants to the original consumer that its products are free from any electrical or mechanical defects for a period of 90 DAYS from the date of purchase. If any such defect is discovered within the warranty period, EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., will repair or replace the unit free of charge upon receipt of the unit, shipped postage prepaid and insured to the factory address shown at right.

The warranty covers normal consumer use and does not cover damage that occurs in shipment or failure that results from alterations, accident, misuse, abuse, neglect, wear and tear, inadequate maintenance, commercial use, or unreasonable use of the unit. Removal of the top panel voids all warranties. This warranty does not cover cost of repairs made or attempted outside of the factory.

Any applicable implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness, are hereby limited to 90 DAYS from the date of purchase. Consequential or incidental damages resulting from a breach of any applicable express or implied warranties are hereby excluded. Some states do not allow limitations on the duration of implied war-

ranties and do not allow exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations and exclusions in these instances may not apply.

The only authorized service center in the United States is:

Excalibur Electronics, Inc.

13755 SW 119th Ave

Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.

Phone: 305.477.8080

Fax: 305.477.9516

Play games live at:

www.ExcaliburElectronics.com

Ship the unit carefully packed, preferably in the original carton, and send it prepaid, and adequately insured. Include a letter, detailing the complaint and including your daytime telephone number, inside the shipping carton.

If your warranty has expired and you want an estimated fee for service, write to the above address, specifying the model and the problem.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND

YOUR UNIT WITHOUT

RECEIVING AN ESTIMATE FOR

SERVICING. WE CANNOT

STORE YOUR UNIT!

We make you think.

Excalibur electronic 417 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual