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Let's build a circuit that displays an image on a VGA monitor [video]
- exar0815 7y agoI can only recommend the "Veronica"-Series of Quinn Dunki, where she builds a complete graphics card for her 8-Bit-computer, as well as the computer itself http://quinndunki.com/blondihacks/?page_id=1761 http://quinndunki.com/blondihacks/?page_id=1761
- jaak 7y agoNot to take away from Quinn Dunki's accomplishments, one big difference is the Veronica used an ATmega 324PA - basically an 8 bit 20 MIPS RISC CPU. Generating a VGA signal is trivial for this powerful chip. Entire retro game consoles have been built with similar ATmega chips alone Ben Eater is building a VGA card from discrete components, a somewhat more difficult task. The first part covers building the H/V timing sync circuit (no programmable clock source here!). It's worth taking a look if you're into this kind of thing.
- kazen44 7y agoAlso, his video makes it seem rather easy aswell. The scanline circuitry is quite simple.
- mrob 7y ago>Ben Eater is building a VGA card from discrete components From 7400 series devices, which are very simple integrated circuits by modern standards, but still integrated circuits.
- tyingq 7y ago"From 7400 series devices, which are very simple integrated circuits by modern standards" So it's clear, a 74xx is just a bunch of NAND gates. Nothing at all higher level than that.
- yitchelle 7y agoAmong my group of SW engineering circle, we had a running joke that software is a series of 1s and 0s, it is the sequence that is important.
- mrob 7y agoAlthough NAND gates are universal gates (any combinatorial boolean logic function can be built from nothing but NAND gates), in practice it's usually more space efficient to use a mixture of different gates.
- dreamcompiler 7y agoAnd usually more power-efficient and faster in execution speed.
- metaphor 7y agoExcept they're not. He's using 74161 counters; that's a MSI device, not just primitive combinatorial logic and flip flops.
- tyingq 7y agoAhh, good catch. I was distracted with the 7400 description. Though a 4 bit counter isn't terribly high level either.
- 7y ago
- userbinator 7y agoGenerating a VGA signal is trivial for this powerful chip. Entire retro game consoles have been built with similar ATmega chips alone For comparison, a slightly less powerful microcontroller can do this: https://www.linusakesson.net/scene/craft/ https://www.linusakesson.net/scene/craft/
- dotancohen 7y agoEven more amazing, after watching Ben's video, I was thinking too myself "That wasn't so hard". Other than a few Arduino projects I've never used an IC, but I was able to follow along with Ben completely. In fact, I think that a tutorial dedicated just to explain the VGA standard, the same length as Ben's tutorial, would have been less clear and informative.
- Lowkeyloki 7y agoDepending on the definition of the word "image" in this context, I'd love to see people play the electronics component version of code golf to see what the fewest number of basic components would be required to put an "image" on a screen. No SOACs allowed.
- forgotmypw3 7y agoLet's just cut out the middle and build the minimum required board to project an image onto a retina. Or a signal into optic nerve ))
- makapuf 7y agoId try with a led illuminating the back of a pcb ? Still, nice project. The code golf fewest components to display a face is tempting ...
- nitrogen 7y agoLaser, spinning mirror, and a mask to draw a mouth at the bottom and two eyelids at the top.
- jacquesm 7y ago> Or a signal into optic nerve )) That you can do with a single LED.
- Cheyana 7y agoNah, let’s cut that out too and go even further: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/blindness-cure-brain-implant-vision-camera-technology-experiment-a9003386.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/blindness-cure-br...
- rasz 7y agoYou can get this to display "image" by just adding one wire between clock source and one/all of VGA analog inputs. It will be a random checkerboard, but still an image.
- TheRealPomax 7y agoWhy isn't this titled "let's build a video card [youtube]"?
- mepian 7y agoBecause it's not a video card yet, it's a circuit that syncs the monitor.
- glouwbug 7y agoWhy not with an AVR? https://youtu.be/sNCqrylNY-0 https://youtu.be/sNCqrylNY-0
- tyingq 7y agoSomewhat related, here's a video card for a MAC SE done with a BeagleBone and it's microcontroller like PRU secondary processors: https://trmm.net/Mac-SE_video https://trmm.net/Mac-SE_video
- atum47 7y agoI've been following ben eater for about 2 years now. I've learned so much from his well explained well illustrated videos. Right now it's kinda hard for me to get my hands on every component he uses, but soon I'll take a shot at building a 8 bit computer as well. I'll may start with a full adder built with transistors only.
- dreamcompiler 7y agoThat's gonna take a lot of transistors. I suggest doing it with gates instead. Using transistors is like programming a computer with machine language; using gates is more like a good macro assembler. Building yourself one NAND gate with transistors and resistors would be a valuable learning experience, but building 100 of them won't teach you anything new.
- atum47 7y agoI see, I just think it will be cool to have one on my desk. Take a look a this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xISG4nGTQYE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xISG4nGTQYE) I got the idea from it.
- dreamcompiler 7y agoI agree the end result would be cool. I just wouldn't have the attention span for that much low-level dinking :-)
- eatonphil 7y agoYes that's hard to debate. But if you want to get the experience without the physical complexity you can always build an 8-bit computer in a simulator like they do in many college courses. I used Logisim [0] at college for this following the Harris and Harris [1] textbook and it was a straightforward experience. [0] http://www.cburch.com/logisim/ http://www.cburch.com/logisim/ [1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13816512.David_Money_Harris https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13816512.David_Money_H...
- rkagerer 7y agoAm I the only one frustrated with how difficult YouTube makes it to find Part 2? Am I missing something obvious?
- peter_d_sherman 7y agoDesigning a VGA card precursor on breadboards -- Brilliant! Should be the very first video any would-be VGA card designer views... (I want to design one in the future...)