Video provisions on S-100 frames (was Re: 80 col Apple ][)

From: Rob Kapteyn <kapteynr_at_cboe.com>
Date: Thu Jan 31 14:47:07 2002

I soon I got my Altair 8800 working in 1975, I bought a Processor Technology VDM-1 card. (Video Display Module)
We converted a black and white portable TV to be the monitor.

I believe that the VDM-1 provided the prototype for PC character graphics and extended-ascii "special" characters.
I noticed that the Commodare 64, which came later, pretty much copied it, with a few additions.

>From memory, I think it was only 64 columns wide (by 32 lines ? )

We modified our VDM-1 with a homemade light-pen attachment. (there is an article in Byte? how to do this).

-Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Erlacher [SMTP:edick_at_idcomm.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 9:38 AM
To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
Subject: Video provisions on S-100 frames (was Re: 80 col Apple ][)

I'd be really interested in knowing specifics about this, if you have them.
I've got several S-100 boxes, and not a one has any accomodation for video
signal from an internal source. I did, in the rar distant past, own a couple
of systems, at least one of which was from Vector Graphics, that used an
external moitor+keyboard combination resembling a terminal, which it wasn't,
but most of the S-100 arrangements I've got, including a combination from SD
Systems, which uses a video display/keyboard port board not only has no cable
that came with it, but simply provides pads to which a video cable was to be
soldered. Though I've got this hardware, I've never tried it out, as I've
always been satisfied with a serial terminal.

Additionally, I've actually never seen a 3rd-party S-100 box that made any
provision for video signal to an external monitor at all. The ones I have are
all Integrand boxes, so that's not a good example, being from only one maker,
and the CompuPro boxes I've junked had no provision for video connectors
either.

I'd be interested in knowing about

----- Original Message -----
From: "M H Stein" <mhstein_at_canada.com>
To: "'ClassicComputers'" <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 3:57 AM
Subject: 80 col Apple ][


> Any ideas from you Apple experts how I tell CP/M software
> to use an 80 column card? Display is 40 col from motherboard,
> all I get from 80 col card is a blinking cursor.
>
> No switches or id on 80 col card; it has 3 EPROM sockets,
> but only ROM2 & ROM3 are present. No reason why ROM1 should
> have been removed, so I'm hoping it was an option.
>
> Both video outputs and the built-in RF out all use RCA
> connectors, BTW :)
>
> And in reply to the question about SO239 (AKA UHF or 83 Series)
> connectors for video, the commercial (as opposed to homebrew)
> video out adapter on my PET uses one; other than that, in my
> experience the mass-produced systems used either RCA or
> proprietary connectors, and S100 & similar multi-card chassis
> used BNCs when they had internal video.
>
> mike
>
>
Received on Thu Jan 31 2002 - 14:47:07 GMT