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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : 16 colour CMM?
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Nick Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
That looks to me to be exactly what the 16 colour mod woul;d be for the Maximite. Tjhe 4th pin from the AVR is essentially the output from this 4th bitplane that we have been talking about to supply the intesity information. Now you've got me wanting 16 colours again! Damn you!! 
Nick |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
If 16 colors is possible without using more video memory because the amount was reserved anyway, i think there is no obstacle to do it. The difference for games is as dramatic as going from black and white to 8 colour as Nick showed in his example screens. The qvga and PIC32 as another poster mentioned is made with an LCD. This is actually extremely simple because Microchip provides a graphics library that supports this. The 16 bit PMP is made for this and can support many displays, even the ones without a controller chip. The reason is that manufacturers can lower their cost even more by using the PIC32 as a controller. The timing needed is well within the range of the PIC32. Microchip Graphics Library I have only seen one case of VGA and then i mean the anologue through a VGA connector type solution on a PIC32 here. This is not open source but looking at the board and unclear schematics and layout it seems that he is using the PMP. For generating the screens shown in the video probably a tile systems has to be used with the images stored in flash otherwise it would be impossible to do as memory would be not enough. It does however show that it is possible to have video in another way then using the SPI peripherals. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| cosmic frog Senior Member  Joined: 09/02/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 284 |
So can someone get the 4th pin thing working and give this a go? We could have half-bright colours with impressive shading! |
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Juri74 Senior Member Joined: 06/02/2012 Location: ItalyPosts: 162 |
i do not agree.. i think that if it is possible then it should be done, then it's a choice of programmers to use the 16 colour mode or not, i would have it even if it leaved 12 kb of memory free...... even the commodore 64 was built to give 16 colours, 8 sprites and 3 voices... at the end of his life it was be able to bring 132 colors, 64 sprites and 4 voices (1 digitized). the main programmer here is Geoff... so please if it is possible in terms of hardware&firmware please Geoff make it! the speed of maximite will drop if a 16 colour mode is used? where is the problem? if i need speed i've the 8 bit modes available, let me choose please... however that's a great work Geoff Juri |
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Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3194 |
It is not about the memory, The practical reality is that it is not worth while designing a new Maximite in order to to get just 16 colours in mode 4 and with interference every time the SD card is used. Note that this interference would be present in all modes, not just mode 4. Very few people would build it and the magazine and suppliers (Altronics/Circuit Gizmos) would not support it for just a few customers. Something with 64K colours in high resolution plus Ethernet and more might be be worth a new design - but not this. This does not mean that someone cannot make their own version of a CMM to add this feature. It is just that it is not worth cranking up the whole production chain for it. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
I don't think the thought was for a new CMM with 16 colours. Yes, that is overkill. More so, it was more in keeping with the hardware "hacking" spirit, adding 16 colour functionality to the existing CMM. Maybe as an inline VGA plug if it's too difficult to tap the VGA connections off the board? Or a second VGA output? Anyone want to have a hack at implementing this 16 colour mod circuit?... 
Of course, it will need the 4th spi channel switched to running that extra intensity control bit. It could initialy be activated/tested by sending this line high/low manually to switch all 8 CMM colours to the half intesity versions. Later once proof-of-concept is achieved, a MODE 5 can be created in firmware that controls this at the pixel level. The trick is, can the 4th spi channel be switched between running the SD card and the intensity control so that only mode 5 cannot use SD simultaneously with video? Nick |
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| Juri74 Senior Member Joined: 06/02/2012 Location: ItalyPosts: 162 |
hello Nick, i'm actually programming a port of timetrek to maximite (i called maxitrek) when finished i start to play with hacks to try to implement 16 colours, i would have at least 2 palettes of 8 colour intensities selectables by changing a pin of maximite, that partitor mod however is very interesting... Juri |
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| shoebuckle Senior Member Joined: 21/01/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 189 |
I couldn't agree more. Hugh |
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| TinkersALot Regular Member  Joined: 20/11/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 72 |
I wonder if another way to address this, would be to provide some firmware tutorials on how to replace the CMM video drivers with code that would offload the video generation to an arduino card. Give a man a fish....teach a man to fish.... |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
9 resistors too complex for you? 
Where's the fun of discovery? The challenge of innovation? But yeah, I partially agree. No point taking things too far when a netbook with screen and harddrive can be had for under $200. But like I said in my opening, we're potentially only talking about 9 resistors here. Nick |
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| TinkersALot Regular Member Joined: 20/11/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 72 |
Not sure who that reply is to, but will offer this: Some enjoy the adventure of slinging innovations in code as much as (or in some case more than) melting solder. Cheers! |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
To save a lot of web brousing, and to promote a bit if interaction/learning, can someone give (to start with) an outline on how the colour graphics and indeed, the whole video output works. I only ever played with composite monochrome B&W converting TV sets to to direct video in rather than via the antenna with a messy modulator. David M. |
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| greybeard Senior Member Joined: 04/01/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
And don't forget the free part, software, testing, PCB layout, prototyping, debugging, documentation.......  |
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