MAMEWorld Forums - EmuChat - what do Fujitsu MB8841 chip, a Kangaroo pcb, and Lexor’s Scrabble have in common?

* could have started with a walking into a bar type unfunny comedy bit, but that would have gone nowhere *

Anyway this was added…

New working machines
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Scrabble Lexor - Computer Word Game [hap, Sean Riddle]

https://github.com/mamedev/mame/commit/9e76c4c65a7bd7fd55d1a58c5a34bebfa1d81a80

I recalled seeing one at someone’s residence back in early 1980s

I never played it and Scrabble isn’t my type of game. hap’s work is good, but the game really could use
artwork support so it makes it easier to see what is going on when playing the game.

Some links with decent photos of what it looks like. Too bad that likely no talented artists will want to work on this.

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Scrabble Lexor

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124752784309

Scrabble Brand Lexor Computer Word Game 1980 Made in USA Tested Works

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/scrabble-brand-1980-lexor-computer-1869051677
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This now leaves with where do Fujitsu MB8841 and a Kangaroo pcb come into play.

Read hap’s post. I copied best part here.

https://forums.bannister.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=120835#Post120835

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The interesting thing is that this is on a Fujitsu MB8841, first time I've seen a handheld/tabletop using this. The MCU was already emulated in MAME. Sean figured out how to dump it.

This might also mean good news on the arcade side soon, it's possible to dump MB8841 protection MCUs now.
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Copying a bit of text from Guru’s site, here are some entry examples of games that use the MB8841 chip.
One of the chips was done with Atari Arabian, but chip was destroyed to get the data.

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Fujitsu MB8841

PCB: N/A
Game: Arabian (Atari)

Decap and photograph the mask ROM
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Since that won’t sit well with pcb owners, it took Sean’s work to show that maybe the Fujitsu MB8841 can be read and data finally extracted instead of damaging the chip.

Here are some of the Atari / Namco brand games from 1980s era that use the chip.

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Fujitsu MB8841

PCB: Loose donated chip
Game: Dig Dug II, Gaplus, Grobda, Libble Rabble, Motos, Pac & Pal, Pacman & Chomp Chomp, Phozon, Super Pacman, Tower Of Druaga, Toy Pop
Label: CUS56XX

Fujitsu MB8841

PCB: Loose donated chip
Game: Dig Dug II, Gaplus, Grobda, Libble Rabble, Mappy, Phozon, Super Pacman, Tower Of Druaga, Toy Pop
Label: CUS58XX

Fujitsu MB8841

PCB:
Game: Pac & Pal, Pacman & Chomp Chomp
Label: CUS59XX
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Oddly enough that it is mentioned in Kangaroo.cpp driver, but not mentioned in other
source files such as Gaplus.cpp and Toypop.cpp

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Fujitsu MB8841

Game: Kangaroo

https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/kangaroo.cpp

TODO:
- There is a custom MB8841 microcontroller on the original Kangaroo board which
is not emulated. This MIGHT cause some problems, but we don't know of any.

ROM_REGION( 0x0800, "mcu", 0 ) // internal ROM from the 8841 custom MCU
ROM_LOAD( "mb8841.ic29", 0x0000, 0x0800, NO_DUMP )

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This leaves an original Kangaroo pcb that should have a Fujitsu MB8841 as the first game that could be tested
with Sean’s dumping style method. Hope it works so other games that use same chip could also be worked on.

Good to know that handheld emulation does something for the coinop side.

* didn’t have to use a ‘walk into a bar unfunny bit’ this time around *