PicoChessV3.4 - Certabo Bluetooth Classic

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Unfortunately, my friend Wesley and I were unable to connect PicoChess V.3.4 to our Certabos via Bluetooth Classic. We tried several different methods, but to no avail. Can anyone help us? Thank you very much, Waldomiro.

Em quarta-feira, 24 de setembro de 2025, RandyR <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

When starting the chromium browser under X11 on the Desktop image the display initially loads a blank screen (on the attached monitor) and it takes about 15 seconds (on my Pi5) before the PicoChess page appears. Sometimes it will stay as a blank page until you can perform a refresh of the browser (F5 on an attached keyboard or 'DISPLAY=:0 xdotool key F5' via ssh).

To fix this, edit the kiosk.sh file in the pi home folder and add the flag '--password-store=basic' to the following line:

/usr/bin/chromium-browser --enable-features=OverlayScrollbar --password-store=basic --display=:0 --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --kiosk http://127.0.0.1 &

Save and reboot. I'll add the fix to the images the next time I update them.

Randy

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[gkalab]

For Certabo eboards, the Bluetooth protocol is not implemented. You can only connect via USB.

Gerhard

On Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 9:35:09 PM UTC+2 pet...@gmail.com wrote:

Unfortunately, my friend Wesley and I were unable to connect PicoChess V.3.4 to our Certabos via Bluetooth Classic. We tried several different methods, but to no avail. Can anyone help us? Thank you very much, Waldomiro.

Em quarta-feira, 24 de setembro de 2025, RandyR <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

When starting the chromium browser under X11 on the Desktop image the display initially loads a blank screen (on the attached monitor) and it takes about 15 seconds (on my Pi5) before the PicoChess page appears. Sometimes it will stay as a blank page until you can perform a refresh of the browser (F5 on an attached keyboard or 'DISPLAY=:0 xdotool key F5' via ssh).

To fix this, edit the kiosk.sh file in the pi home folder and add the flag '--password-store=basic' to the following line:

/usr/bin/chromium-browser --enable-features=OverlayScrollbar --password-store=basic --display=:0 --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --kiosk http://127.0.0.1 &

Save and reboot. I'll add the fix to the images the next time I update them.

Randy

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[Oswaldo Monteiro]

Hello all

But this is the problem, I can't connect Certabo via USB, picochess version 3.4! Could you give me some brief instructions or insights into why I can't connect?

Oswald Monteiro

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[RandyR]

Debug log would help.

Turn ON Pi but leave board OFF.

Via ssh or in a terminal on the Pi:

sudo systemctl stop picochess

rm /opt/picochess/logs/*

Set logging level to debug in picochess.ini:

nano /opt/picochess/picochess.ini

Near line 169:

log-level = debug

Near line 361:

board-type = certabo

Save and exit nano.

Reboot the Pi:

sudo reboot

Turn ON the board before the Pi boots up.

See if it connects. If no, exit PicoChess via the menu or via ssh/terminal with 'sudo systemctl stop picochess'.

Zip the picochess.log file (in /opt/picochess/logs folder) and attach to your next post.

Randy

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Randy, could you be so kind as to make these changes and make them available in a future 3.4 image so I can download and test them? These steps are easy for you developers, but very difficult for me, a regular user. Thank you, Waldomiro.

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[Randy Reade]

This is info we need from you, Waldomiro. Without the log it would be very difficult to understand what is wrong on your system. Perhaps you can ask someone to help that knows a bit of Linux. 

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[RandyR]

Hi Gerhard,

Dirk integrated your Tabutronic Spectrum code into his repo (master branch). That's what I use for my images. Did those changes replace Certabo USB support or does the certabo folder code now support both eboards? I can't test it myself as I don't have a Certabo board. But, it would definitely cause Waldomiro's issues if it now only supports Tabutronic.

Randy

[gkalab]

Hi Randy,

I tested the code with all three eboard types (Certabo, Tabutronic and Tabutronic Spectrum) but of course, I might have introduced a bug.

The only change in the protocol was in the LED handling, so pieces should still be recognized.

I will download and try the image in the upcoming days.

Gerhard

[Randy Reade]

Ok. Thanks, Gerhard.

Perhaps someone else with a Certabo board can test the USB connectivity with my last v3.4 image and report if it is working or not for them. I won't revert any code unless it becomes necessary.

Randy

[gkalab]

I just tried and it works for me (I only tested with my Certabo board).

Here are the steps I took:

- Downloaded the PicoChessV3.4 Desktop image [20 Aug 2025], extracted it, and wrote it to an SD card using Rufus.
- Set the Wi-Fi username and password according to the documentation by starting up with a network cable.
- Changed the e-board type in the picochess.ini file to certabo.
- Rebooted the system.
- After PicoChess started up, I connected the Certabo board via USB.
- The LEDs immediately lit up to register the pieces. I placed all the pieces on their respective squares, and the LEDs turned off afterward.
- Selected CT800 as the engine.

- Played a game.

Gerhard

[Randy Reade]

Thanks for the quick test, Gerhard. Hopefully this will help Waldomiro or he can share his debug log.

Randy

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[Aldo Bleeker]

Hi,

I don't have a Certabo, but I have tried to connect a Millennium eOne, and The King Competition to the Raspberry Pi 5, running this image, and I'm unable to connect these over a USB cable. Everything is working great, and I can play games on the RPi against a lot of engines. There are no issues connecting PicoChess the boards over bluetooth, but when I try to connect over USB, it looks like it just keeps using bluetooth. If I disable bluetooth and use a USB cable, it's just keeps saying there's no ChessLink eboard, and the board never is recognised. I've included a Zip with the debug log. Hope it's helpful.

Thanks,

Aldo

[RandyR]

See this post, Aldo.

Randy

[Aldo Bleeker]

Thanks for the pointer, Randy! It doesn't say why support for USB is disabled, is it possible that it will be enabled later?

Aldo

[RandyR]

I think Gerhard might know the answer to that question.

Randy

[Aldo Bleeker]

@gkalab

Hi, Gerhard!

Randy just pointed out that you have implemented the support for other eboards, for instance Millennium boards via the ChessLink. Amazing job!

I'm very happy with PicoChess now it's supporting the ChessLink. I've played a couple of games over bluetooth, and it's working simply great. But I'd like to use a USB-cable, I feel data exchange by cable is more robust and reliable, compared to wireless, and bluetooth in particular can be quite fiddly. But when I connect the eboard with a USB-cable, it still seemed to be using bluetooth. When I disabled bluetooth, it lost connection and kept saying there's no ChessLink eboard connected, even when I was using the USB-cable.

I've mentioned this in here, and in response Randy referred me to your post. I noticed then that you had mentioned there that one of the restrictions is that USB is disabled for the ChessLink.

Are there issues with the ChessLink? Will USB for the ChessLink be enabled later? It would be great if I could connect PicoChess to the Millennium eboard with an USB-cable!

Thanks!

Aldo

[gkalab]

It is possible to use USB with ChessLink, but you need to manually modify a file. When you select ChessLink in the PicoChess menu, a file named /opt/picochess/chess_link_config.json is created. Since you've already connected via BLE, it should already exist.

Replace the contents of this file with the following:

{
    "transport": "eboard.chesslink.chess_link_usb",
    "address": "/dev/ttyUSB0",
    "btle_iface": 0,
    "autodetect": false,
    "orientation": true,
    "protocol_debug": false
}

Then reboot PicoChess.

If you want to switch back to using BLE, simply delete the file and reboot.
I don't remember the exact reason why I didn't enable USB by default, but there was an issue when switching between BLE and USB. I would have needed to implement some logic in the PicoChess menu to handle the file changes automatically.

Gerhard

[Randy Reade]

Hi Gerhard,

Would you also need chess_link_usb.py from mchess?

[gkalab]

Hi Randy,

no, it's already included in Picochess ;-)

Gerhard

[Randy Reade]

Ahh, how did I not see that yesterday? 😮

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[Aldo Bleeker]

Hi Gerhard,

Thanks for the tip! The file was available. I've tried it, and after the switch USB was working beautifully. So the thing is, every time you'd want to switch, you'd have to change the contents of the file manually? This isn't the same as with the other boards? Apart from that it's great to be able to run PicoChess with the ChessLink over USB.

Thanks,

Aldo

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Gerhard, 

Any news about connecting Certabo via Bluetooth Classic?

 I'm really looking forward to using it in Picochess, which is wonderful! 

Thanks, Waldomiro

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[gkalab]

Hi Waldomiro,

Here’s a list of connection methods currently implemented in PicoChess for various e-board types, apart from DGT e-boards:

* Chessnut: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
* iChessOne: BLE
* Certabo: USB
* ChessLink: BLE (and USB with manual configuration)

As far as I know, there are currently no plans to implement Bluetooth (Classic or BLE) for Certabo e-boards.

Gerhard

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Gerhard, thank you very much for your reply. 

I tried to connect my Certabo via USB to PicoChess V.3.4 and was unsuccessful. 

Could you or someone else teach me how to do this?

Thank you again, 

Waldomiro.

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[gkalab]

Hi Waldomiro,

Above I mentioned the steps I took to test the connection. If these steps don't work on your end, we would need to look at the picochess debug log file from your system. Please look at the note from Randy above on how retrieve the log file.

Gerhard

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hello Gerhard, 

I tried to connect my Certabo via USB cable as you instructed in PicoChess V.3.4, unfortunately I was unable to do so. 

See the message that appeared on my Picochess display. 

Regards, 

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[Randy Reade]

Waldomiro,

Was Certabo USB working on a previous image?

Do you have anything plugged in to other USB ports?

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[bychamp]

Hi Randy 

Is Oswald in the previous version , 3.3 and , 3.2 certabo works fine!

Oswald

Enviado do meu iPhone

Em 10 de out. de 2025, à(s) 20:04, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:



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[Randy Reade]

Do you know approximately when you downloaded the last image that worked? I keep all the images so if I know the last one that worked for you I can compare that to the latest one. I think there were some changes but they happened a whole back. If you still have the downloaded v3.3 image just look at the date. 

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[Oswaldo Monteiro]

Randy

The december I think

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[Randy Reade]

Ok. The Tabutronic Spectrum support was added since then. I assume you tried a new image and a new cable? It sort of looks like a rights issue. But, python is given extra rights via the setcap command. I think the pi user needs to be in the dialout group but not sure if that even matters if Python has elevated rights. But, we really can't do much without the debug logs. At least I can't since I don't have a Certabo.

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

When I tested Certabo with the USB cable, I had a keyboard and mouse adapter in the other black USB port of the Raspberry Pi 4, could that be it?

Waldomiro 

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[Randy Reade]

I don't think so. I looked at the code and it appears that it checks all ports for the board, to my non-programmer eyes. I can try something tomorrow to see if the new code is causing your issues. 

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[gkalab]

Hi Waldomiro,

I tried to reproduce the error message you posted, and I only get that message when the e-board was already connected and I unplug the cable. Otherwise, the message simply says "no Certabo e-board."
The USB connection is quite stable for me. I can unplug and replug the cable during a game without issues. I see the error message from your screenshot when I unplug the cable, but once I reconnect it, the message disappears and I can resume playing.

Try this:

- Unplug all other devices from your Pi
- Reboot the device
- Wait for Picochess to display the message "no Certabo e-board"
- Plug in the cable - what happens?

If you still get the same error message you posted, try using a different USB cable.

Gerhard

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hello Gerhard, 

Thank you very much for your reply. I'm traveling right now, so I'll take these tests tomorrow and post the results here. 

Thank you again! 

Waldomiro

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[RandyR]

Here's a version of the Desktop image using the old Certabo code to test. I doubt it will make a difference since Gerhard isn't having any problems with his modified code. Here is the link.

It also shouldn't be a power issue but make sure you are using an adequate power supply for the Pi you have.

Randy

[Oswaldo Monteiro]

Thx Randy

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

Today I downloaded the Certabo test image via USB, and Certabo worked perfectly, but Chessnut didn't.

 Does Certabo's functionality prevent Chessnut from working? 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

Em sábado, 11 de outubro de 2025, Oswaldo Monteiro <omper...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Thx Randy

Em sáb., 11 de out. de 2025 14:55, RandyR <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Here's a version of the Desktop image using the old Certabo code to test. I doubt it will make a difference since Gerhard isn't having any problems with his modified code. Here is the link.

It also shouldn't be a power issue but make sure you are using an adequate power supply for the Pi you have.

Randy

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[Randy Reade]

No. I didn't touch the Chessnut code. You'll probably need to reset Bluetooth on your Chessnut board.

I'm not sure why your Certabo is working now but not with the new code from Gerhard. I hope seone else can test the new code besides you and Gerhard.

On Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 3:44 p.m. waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Randy, 

Today I downloaded the Certabo test image via USB, and Certabo worked perfectly, but Chessnut didn't.

 Does Certabo's functionality prevent Chessnut from working? 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

Em sábado, 11 de outubro de 2025, Oswaldo Monteiro <omper...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Thx Randy

Em sáb., 11 de out. de 2025 14:55, RandyR <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Here's a version of the Desktop image using the old Certabo code to test. I doubt it will make a difference since Gerhard isn't having any problems with his modified code. Here is the link.

It also shouldn't be a power issue but make sure you are using an adequate power supply for the Pi you have.

Randy

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

I also don't know why my Certabo doesn't work well with the new code. 

The one you provided works perfectly! I select Certabo directly from the PicoChess menu and don't need to do anything else. 

I tried everything to connect to my Chessnut's Bluetooth, but it didn't work. 

How do I reset my Chessnut's Bluetooth? 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro

Em domingo, 12 de outubro de 2025, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

No. I didn't touch the Chessnut code. You'll probably need to reset Bluetooth on your Chessnut board.

I'm not sure why your Certabo is working now but not with the new code from Gerhard. I hope seone else can test the new code besides you and Gerhard.

On Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 3:44 p.m. waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Randy, 

Today I downloaded the Certabo test image via USB, and Certabo worked perfectly, but Chessnut didn't.

 Does Certabo's functionality prevent Chessnut from working? 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

Em sábado, 11 de outubro de 2025, Oswaldo Monteiro <omper...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Thx Randy

Em sáb., 11 de out. de 2025 14:55, RandyR <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Here's a version of the Desktop image using the old Certabo code to test. I doubt it will make a difference since Gerhard isn't having any problems with his modified code. Here is the link.

It also shouldn't be a power issue but make sure you are using an adequate power supply for the Pi you have.

Randy

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[Randy Reade]

I have an Air+. I just keep the power button pressed when I turn it ON until it turns back OFF. It takes about 5 seconds or so. I don't have access to it right now to check.

Randy

On Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 8:36 p.m. waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Randy, 

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi again, Randy. 

Mine is the Chessnut Air. I tried connecting again and couldn't. 

I did the same procedure on the Chessnut with the PicoChess turned off, restarted, and then turned it on—in other words, I tried everything possible. 

I remember that in version 3.3 it worked perfectly, but unfortunately I no longer have that version. I should have kept it to test again. 

The yellow LED is on, and the battery is low. I'm charging it to see if that's the problem. I have to try everything before giving up. 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro

Em domingo, 12 de outubro de 2025, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

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[Randy Reade]

You'll probably need to delete the chessnut json file in the picochess folder, or reflash the SD card with the test image. I've always had issues with the Chessnut board. But, eventually I got it to work. Then it would always work.

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

Good news! Today I tested version 3.3 with Chessnut and Certabo, and both worked perfectly! I connected to Chessnut on the first try. When I selected Chessnut in PicoChess V.3.3 with the chessboard turned off, when it rebooted, I turned on Chessnut, and it connected.

 With Certabo, after the full reboot, I inserted the USB cable with the 34 chess pieces in the correct places, and the error message appeared. I followed Gerhard's instructions to remove the cable and reinsert it, and the message disappeared, and I played normally! 

The PicoChess V.3.3 image, which was provided to me by a friend, was dated June 9, 2025. I hope this information helps resolve these issues with version 3.4. If you need to test new images, let me know here; I'll be happy to help. 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

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[gkalab]

Hi Waldomiro,

you should only get the error message when you unplug the cable after a successful connection. I still believe you might have a faulty USB cable.

Gerhard

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[RandyR]

Waldomiro,

To figure out what is happening, we really need to see debug logs as explained here. Without them there's not much that can be done.

Randy

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Gerhard, 

I bought a good-quality 1-meter cable to check if the problem with the message on the display is actually the cable. 

I'll give you feedback when I test it. 

Thank you, 

Waldomiro

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

Unfortunately, I don't know how to perform these procedures to send you. 

I only know how to download the images, burn the card, and test with Certabo and Chessnut. 

Sorry I can't help you. The only thing I'm sure of is that Chessnut and Certabo work very well with PicoChess V.3.3! 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hello Gerhard, 

Today I installed a good quality USB cable and the error message continued to appear on my PicoChess V.3.3 monitor display. 

The most important thing is that after I replaced the cable for the second time, the message disappeared and I can play several games using Certabo without any problems! 

Thank you, 

[Randy Reade]

Hi Waldomiro,

I thought it was v3.4 that wasn't working for you? Maybe it's a port issue on the Pi or board?

Randy

[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy. 

Version 3.4 isn't working properly with Certabo and won't connect to Chessnut. 

Version 3.3 is working correctly with both! I actually received the 3.3 version I'm using on June 9, 2025. 

If I've made any mistakes, I apologize. 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

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[Randy Reade]

It's just that you said "the error message continued to appear on my PicoChess V.3.3 monitor display".

So it now sounds like the new cable didn't fix the v3.4 Certabo issue?

On Thu, Oct 16, 2025, 9:35 a.m. waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Randy. 

Version 3.4 isn't working properly with Certabo and won't connect to Chessnut. 

Version 3.3 is working correctly with both! I actually received the 3.3 version I'm using on June 9, 2025. 

If I've made any mistakes, I apologize. 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

Em quinta-feira, 16 de outubro de 2025, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Hi Waldomiro,

I thought it was v3.4 that wasn't working for you? Maybe it's a port issue on the Pi or board?

Randy

On Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 4:22 AM waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Gerhard, 

Today I installed a good quality USB cable and the error message continued to appear on my PicoChess V.3.3 monitor display. 

The most important thing is that after I replaced the cable for the second time, the message disappeared and I can play several games using Certabo without any problems! 

Thank you, 

Waldomiro

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Randy, 

Yes, the message appears on the display when I insert the new cable into the PicoChess V.3.3 USB port, but the message disappears when I remove the cable and insert it again. After that, I can play several chess games with Certabo on PicoChess V.3.3! 

Unfortunately, I can't play without problems with Certabo in Version 3.4, and Chessnut also won't connect. 

For these reasons, I'm using version 3.3, which is working fine with Chessnut and Certabo! 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.
Em quinta-feira, 16 de outubro de 2025, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

It's just that you said "the error message continued to appear on my PicoChess V.3.3 monitor display".

So it now sounds like the new cable didn't fix the v3.4 Certabo issue?

On Thu, Oct 16, 2025, 9:35 a.m. waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Randy. 

Version 3.4 isn't working properly with Certabo and won't connect to Chessnut. 

Version 3.3 is working correctly with both! I actually received the 3.3 version I'm using on June 9, 2025. 

If I've made any mistakes, I apologize. 

Thanks, 

Waldomiro.

Em quinta-feira, 16 de outubro de 2025, Randy Reade <randy...@gmail.com> escreveu:

Hi Waldomiro,

I thought it was v3.4 that wasn't working for you? Maybe it's a port issue on the Pi or board?

Randy

On Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 4:22 AM waldomiro dias machado junior <pet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Gerhard, 

Today I installed a good quality USB cable and the error message continued to appear on my PicoChess V.3.3 monitor display. 

The most important thing is that after I replaced the cable for the second time, the message disappeared and I can play several games using Certabo without any problems! 

Thank you, 

Waldomiro

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[gkalab]

Hi Waldomiro,

Did you also try the same procedure (unplugging and re-plugging the cable) that worked on v3.3 with the 3.4 image?

Gerhard

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[waldomiro dias machado junior]

Hi Gerhard, 

Yes, I performed the same procedure in PicoChess 3.4 with Certabo. 

In my case, it worked and then stopped. During a chess game, the error message would appear and disappear, meaning it worked intermittently. 

Thank you, 

Waldomiro.

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