Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!Ciccarelli.pa@PARC-MAXC.ARPA From: Ciccarelli.pa@PARC-MAXC.ARPA Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Combined Graphics/Monochrome Boards Message-ID: <16661@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 14:00:16 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16661 Posted: Tue Feb 14 14:00:16 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 04:13:57 EST Lines: 36 Lauren, Look into the Tecmar Graphics Master. I'm investigating it myself for a color application. No mouse input, but supports both the IBM color and monochrome modes, with substantial enhancements on both. The board uses the Motorola 6845 (same as the IBM Color board, I think) and a 2764 EPROM as a character generator (supports both 9x14 and 8x8 character sets). It has on-board 14.3 MHz and 16.2 MHz dot clock oscillators for the two IBM-compatible modes. $695. The User's Manual that comes with the board is only minimally useful; it describes only a graphics terminal emulator which Tecmar provides with the board -- no low-level access information. However the release of the Technical Reference for the board is imminent (I obtained a preliminary version by calling Tecmar customer support at their plant in Ohio). The Tech Ref is excellent, full of information about programming modes, and frank in its explanation of the board's limitations. Other around-$1K PC-compatible color graphics boards: Graphics Dazzler, from Sigma (Santa Clara, CA) which has a 640x400x4-color window on a 1024x1024 display space (with hardware pan and 1x..16x integer zoom -- I've seen it and it's amazing; uses the NEC 7220 chip). The board looks like two I/O ports to the PC, unlike the IBM boards which are memory-mapped, so Sigma includes programs to use the board as the main DOS display. $895. I just learned of several boards called the Revolution series, from Number Nine Computer Corp., 691 Concord Ave., Cambridge MASS 02138, (617) 492-0999. They are described on pages 87 and 98 of the latest (Feb. 13) E.E.Times. The boards use the new Intel 82720 Graphics Display Controller for displays from 512x512 up to 1720x1200 (!). $945 to $1395. /John