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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Colour Maximite Logo
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Nick Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
This will be good for games and educational stuff. Also good for more serious work that needs a faster screen update for the display of realtime data. Can I suggest a software Blitter command to make moving areas of the screen around faster and easier than what BASIC currently can do? Example: BLIT (X1,Y1),WIDTH,HEIGHT TO (X2,Y2),MASK X1,Y1 = Top left corner of chosen box area to copy X2,Y2 = Top left corner of new box area WIDTH = Width of box HEIGHT = Height of box MASK = Operand for logical masking and manipulation of bits. Leave out for none. Nick |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
I was reading APC (Australian Personal Computer) June 2012 issue and on page 113 is a method for creating a pseudo B&W composite output from a colour VGA signal. Could be useful for the Colour Maximite if you really wanted a composite out and you didn't mind B&W. The technique is to combine the vertical and horizontal syncs with any ONE of the colour signals. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
This is getting off topic, but if its true there wont be a composite out on the next Maximite, I hope it wasn't sacrificed for the sake of colour VGA. I use the Maximites composite out on a couple of projects, because its easy to find small cheap composite monitors. Unless I can find a 12v small sub $50 VGA monitor, I'll have to stick to using the earlier Maximites. Inspired by BobD's post, I found a couple of VGA to composite circuits, might be worth a try on one of my existing Maximites. http://www.geocities.ws/podernixie/htpc/cables-en.html#vgavi deo http://alistairsserver.no-ip.org/public/vgatv/vgatv.html Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
It's easy finding 4:3 aspect aspect ratio LCD monitors now that everyone is moving to wide screen. If anything, composite is hard to find. Try the second hand ex-government computer disposal store. Try Cash Converters too. Nick |
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djuqa Guru Joined: 23/11/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 447 |
Good advice. Plus Opshops are good source of cheap displays. I recently scored a couple of 15inch (4:3 ratio, 800x600 max resolution ) LCD screens for 10$ the pair. Both run on 12v and have built-in speakers. Ideal for Maximite monitors VK4MU MicroController Units |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
Isn't composite normally 15Hz versus VGA at 31Khz? That sound like it's creating a composite sync (which some monitors need) by combining the horizontal and vertical syncs. It does nothing to convert 31Khz VGA line frequence to 15Khz...unless you have a monitor with a built in scanline conversion. Nick |
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| djuqa Guru Joined: 23/11/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 447 |
Most LCD Monitors can handle Auto-Syncing over a large range of freq. VK4MU MicroController Units |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Nick your not listening. A "small" VGA screen. The reversing camera type of displays I've been using fit nicely on the front of project cases, its makes a neat little self contained microcontroller with graphic display thats half the size of a shoebox. The display runs on 12v, drawns next to no current and cost $25 new. If we do loose composite, then we loose these neat little displays. I have dozens of VGA monitors, but the only 12v one I have draws over an amp and is 4 times the size of the box I would to mount it on. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
Gizmo: Oh, *that* small. In todays world, my 15" 4:3 aspect monitor would be classed as "small" compared to the 20" monitors that is becoming the norm. Maybe you should say "mini" or "micro" screen. 
Good point though. They are available in that size as VGA but cost more than $25. 
Should be a matter of time before they drop in price... hopefully. Nick |
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| aargee Senior Member  Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
The trouble with op shops now days is that they are steering away from electrical goods because of the safety issues of selling them (perceived or not). For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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| djuqa Guru Joined: 23/11/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 447 |
Yes that is why the 2 I got were 12v models as they don't keep any 240v ones. Bargain and Ideal for maximites. And the main reason they don't have Electrical is the Regulations in some states. VK4MU MicroController Units |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Glenn, I dont think either of those will work due to the VGA needing to have PAL/NTSC timings... But converters like this may suit the job better.. VGA-TV Regards mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
Mick, what a good find and it outputs in colour too. Bob |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
Here is yet another idea of how colour could be of benefit to the use of the Maximite. Below is a mock-up screen of a sample program listing. Colour is being used to highlight line numbers and labels (purple), REMark lines (green), MMBASIC commands (yellow), variable (cyan) and everything else is white. This makes the listing, especially a complex one, a bit clearer when using the maximite to program directly on. This colour listing option should be turned off by default to the standard B/W text and be turned on/off by pressing a Function Key. (The colour assignments shown are only a mock-up and could be better defined, but it's just done this way to convey the idea) 
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Nick, That is just a perfect idea, and because the text is tokenized it should not be that difficult either. Just brilliant! edit: That should be possible with terminal mode too doesn't it. There are codes for color in the protocol. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3194 |
A great idea... a few practical considerations though. I thought of colour coding the text for the full screen editor but then I realised that the editor needs as much memory as it can get. As a result the editor now switches to monochrome when it loads (this frees up the memory) and then on exit switches back to whatever colour mode the user had set (there are four modes; monochrome, 2-bit colour, 3-bit and 240x216 3-bit). I could colour code just straight LISTings on the screen but I am not sure that people use LIST much now that the full screen editor is available. Another factor is that the colour coding would only work if the MM was in a 3-bit colour mode. On Gizmo's concern regarding composite video. I could not implement colour composite video, it is far too complex - so I left it out of the Colour MM. But that is not a problem as the Colour MM will not replace the monochrome versions. Products like the CGMMSTICK should be around for a long time and I plan to have two versions of MMBasic 4.0 - one for the mono MM and one for the colour MM. It just means that you will not be able to have colour composite. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
I'm a bit confused. I thought 2-bit and monochrome are essentially the same (monochrome meaning 1 colour from the Greek words mono=one chrome=colour). Is there even a need for monochrome/2-bit? Apart from memory usage, MMBasic programs not written for colour should be oblivious to the different mapping. Unless colour commands are used, the default colours should be Black and White anyway. Also, doesn't the larger 100 pin Pic32 have more memory? Maybe we only need 2 modes... 480x432x8(colors) and 240x216x8(colours). 240x216 would still be suitable for most applications while consuming half the memory of the 480x432. And I think colour would be the desired mode to work in when you consider that every VGA monitor connected to the Maximite is colour. I can see that the editor could get in the way though. Shame. |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
I understand composite colour is going to be too difficult to implement, its a feat of engineering brilliance that we have B/W video from a chip with no built in video circuitry at all! My concern was we will loose a composite output of any kind in future Maximites. I'm more than happy with the current low resolution B/W composite output, it makes the Maximite a more versatile little computer for my applications, like control and interfacing. You cant beat a combination like a CGMMSTICK and a $25 composite monitor, its a awful lot of microcontroller for something that fits into the palm of your hand. It's brilliant! This combination of a tiny microcontroller programmed in easy to follow BASIC, a composite output and keyboard interface is unique as far as I know, and to me opened up a lot of doors for future projects. I'm worried that we'll loose that for the sake of a few vocal users wanting more and more graphics features that can easily be found with any cheap 2nd hand laptop. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
Geoff a few posts back Mick refers to a device on eBay for about $15 (postage included) which will convert colour vga to colour composite. If people want Maximite colour with composite then that would be the way to go. It may also allow simultaneous vga and composite. Bob |
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| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
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