Chessnut Air - DIY Wooden pieces modification guide

Hi all, I spent the last week or so making this video about modifying (in my opinion) the best electronic chessboard on the market right now, the Chessnut Air. I swapped out the plastic pieces for wooden ones, and the experience has been near flawless so far. I hope this helps anybody interested in buying the set and making this modification themselves

#ChessnutDIYpieces #Chessnut

HeY Thanks  Kywa  , My only dislike is the  chess set is to big for the SQ's on both Chessnut air & yours , As I like the 4 pawn fit to a SQ rule , As this way you have a better over view of the board ,  Have been working on this for my set- waiting for my chips ,   Also chessnut need to update there software , For the rest great job & thank you for sharing .

This was really interesting.  I have found using cuticle cutters for trimming the felt is both looks nicer and is easier to use. Has anyone tried something similar with DGT pieces? I mean taking the DGT sensors out of the plastic pieces and installing them in wood pieces. 

@Kywa  Great video! Thanks for taking the time to post. Did you consider ordering a finished, and bottom drilled but unweighted/unfelted set of pieces from a manufacturer from India? ie, HouseOfChess? It would've saved you a few steps. And you retain the factory finish. 

@KineticPawn  I don't think boiling out DGT sensors would be a wise move. But if you do decide to proceed, GET IT ON VIDEO! Hah!

@Pawnerai DGT coils can be ordered from DGT directly, just e-mail them. On top of that, some Indian chess piece makers are willing to help you installing DGT coils (or Chessnut sensors) in their pieces.

@stevesun11001

I reached out to the DGT team for their E- coils but their answers seemed evasive. They were histant on providing the coils for use.

Which email id did you reach out to.

The drilling jobs gets a lot easier after you remove the silicon casings around the chips. Chessnut states that those silicon casings can be trimmed at the top, but it's actually possible to remove them completely.

What you get is small circuits about the size 8mm x 6mm that are quite robust. Drill holes about 8mm wide, insert the chips, put felt on it. Works perfectly .

The hardest part for me, was fixing the pawsn in a vice. I finally resorted to some free-handed drilling, well...