Cybermaster

I own a Lego CyberMaster kit that is labeled Copyright (c) 1998 Lego. It looks like this:

It is really old. But I want to play with it. Basically, I am following approaches:

• proove that it is not broken and batteries have enough power
• use wine to get the software to run
• use some Linux software that is written for MindStorms, partly with CyberMaster in mind
• install Windows 9x on an old PC and proceed from there

what works

proof that it is not broken

When you click on the power button no the green engine, an LED must turn green and the thing must beep twice. Then you know you have enough battery.

bricxcc

On 2012-06-09 I got CyberMaster moving using http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/ under Windows 7.

Using http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/wine/94500-serial-ports-wine.html I could get CyberMaster moving using http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/ under wine.

However you do it, be sure to select Cybermaster after starting the program.

what does not work

Below are some approaches that did not work, here for archiving purposes.

Linux tools

I am following this, especially cool is the perl part. It shows that I can transmit a command to my CyberMaster control station, but do not get a response over the wire. A read syscall simply lasts forever. Later on I discovered my CyberMaster was broken but I did not try again.

trying from LeGo CyberMaster CD

I tried to get LeGo CyberMaster moving using the CD delivered with the hardware but to no avail.

Wine

Wine gave me an error when starting the CyberMaster software:

Fataler Fehler!
Fehlercode: 806D0009
Ein Fehler ist aufgetreten. Bitte installiere LEGO TECHNIC
CyberMaster erneut. Wenn danach immer noch Fehlermeldungen
erscheinen, notiere Dir den obigen Fehlercode, und setz
Dich mit uns in Verbindung. Du findest die
Hilfe-Telefonnummer im Infomaterial zu Deinem LEGO TECHNIC
CyberMaster-Werkzeugkasten.

so I went on to native Windows. That gave me the same error msg :) http://www.yggenyk.dk/wiki/Make_Cybermaster_run_on_Windows_XP tells me to set HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LEGO Software\Products\Cybermaster\(Default) to "dummy". Under wine you can edit the registry using the program

regedit

This registry editing resolved that error for wine, but now I am requested to insert the CD which I have no idea how to do...

Windows 95

I am trying this on my arlt2001 computer because it has a floppy disk drive. I cannot install Windows 95 because the Window 95 install CD is not bootable. So I created a Windows 95 install floppy. Now I get an error msg when starting the software.

Windows 98 first edition

Even with the workaround from http://www.yggenyk.dk/wiki/Make_Cybermaster_run_on_Windows_XP I get an error msg when starting the software.

Windows 98 second edition

My CD is broken, I get an error during installation:

SUWIN caused a general protection fault in module SETUPX.DLL

Windows Milennium

ME setup complains that it cannot create a temporary folder on my hard disk.

Windows XP

After installing Windows XP I see a blank black screen. When I boot into secure mode, I see vertical lines covering half of the screen.

Windows Vista

The correction from http://www.yggenyk.dk/wiki/Make_Cybermaster_run_on_Windows_XP does not have any effect.