KS5 Project

Knight-S5 (K-S5) is a B.S. Computer Engineering thesis project focused on human-machine interaction through an AI-driven chess robot.

Thesis Title

Human-Machine Interaction Using Artificial Intelligence through a Chess Robot under a Modern Application Architecture Computer Engineering (Batch 2005)

Abstract

This work presents Knight-S5 (K-S5), a chess robot designed to combine artificial intelligence with physical machine actuation in a real game environment. The project addresses the gap between software-only chess systems and embodied machine interaction by implementing a platform that can sense board activity, process chess decisions, and execute piece movement mechanically.

The system integrates a C#/.NET control application, a chess-engine interface, and microcontroller-based actuator control. Piece movement is performed through X, Y, and Z mechanical axes, while board and head-level sensing support state detection and movement coordination. Command flow is routed from the PC controller through parallel-port communication to dedicated PIC16F84A firmware modules responsible for axis and peripheral behavior.

Implementation covers actuator mechanics, board and sensor integration, controller circuitry, firmware communication logic, and software coordination. Validation emphasizes actuator repeatability, movement accuracy, and sensor reliability under controlled testing conditions. The resulting platform demonstrates a practical model for applying AI-guided decision logic to an embodied machine system for structured human-machine interaction.

System Overview

Primary software components:

• KS5.Main WinForms application for game flow and machine orchestration
• KS5.Controller parallel-port communication and low-level control logic (InpOut32.dll)
• KS5.ChessEngine chess engine process wrapper (ruffian.exe)
• KS5.ChessGame board and piece state modeling

Primary hardware and firmware components:

• PICX.asm for X-axis control
• PICY.asm for Y-axis and power/indicator control
• PICZ.asm for Z-axis, laser/electromagnet control, and sensing/report behavior
• PICX.HEX, PICY.HEX, PICZ.HEX compiled firmware images

Repository Structure

Path	Purpose
KS5CSharp/	Main C# solution and source code
KS5CSharp/ParallelPortC#/	Main application (KS5.Main) and control UI
KS5CSharp/KS5.BaseController/	Machine controller, data parsing, and movement properties
KS5CSharp/ChessEngine/	Chess engine process wrapper
KS5CSharp/ChessGame/	Chess board and piece state model
PIC16F84A/	PIC assembly source and compiled HEX files
docs/	Thesis chapters, appendices, datasheets
diagrams/	Schematics, PCB files, conceptual and control diagrams

Prototype Setup

• Windows environment with parallel-port access (or equivalent hardware interface setup)
• Visual Studio that can open the included solution/project format (VS 2005-era)
• InpOut32.dll in the application runtime folder
• Ruffian files in:
  • KS5CSharp/ParallelPortC#/bin/Debug/ruffian/ruffian.exe

Build and Run

1. Open KS5CSharp/KS5.sln.
2. Set KS5.Main as the startup project.
3. Build in Debug.
4. Make sure runtime dependencies are present in the output folder:
   • InpOut32.dll
   • Ruffian files under ruffian/
5. Run KS5.Main.

Thesis and Design Artifacts

The repository includes complete thesis and design materials:

• docs/Chapter I.pdf to docs/Chapter VI.pdf
• docs/appendices/ for protocol, diagram, and screenshot appendices
• docs/datasheets/ for component references
• diagrams/ for board, schematic, and system diagrams

Note on Ruffian

Ruffian is included because it is the chess engine used by the software implementation. Before redistributing packaged releases that include Ruffian binaries, review:

• KS5CSharp/ParallelPortC#/bin/Debug/ruffian/README.txt

Selected Appendix Plates

Appendix A - Main Circuit Schematic Diagram

Appendix D - Main Circuit PCB Layout

Appendix K - KS5 Console Screenshot

Appendix T - The KS5 Project