Stellar GS-1000 Graphics Computer

Tony Duell ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk
Fri Jan 28 18:34:17 CST 2005


> Grr wrong side of the pond! I have a particular interest in early*
> graphics systems too.
> 
> *for suitable values of early :-)

Remind me to show you the manuals for my I2S 'image processor and 
display' units sometime. Late 1970's vintage, loads of TTL (a few 
thousand ICS!) and DRAMs The resolution is not great by today's standards 
(512*513 pixes, 24 or 30 bit colour), but they have some interesting 
features, like the 'feedback ALU' (regard 2 of the byteplanes as a 16 bit 
'accumulator plane', then combine (essentially any of the functions 
available from the 74x181 ALU chip) the contents with the contents of 
another byteplane, the result going back to the accumulator). 

And I should also show you the manual for my HP1350 'Graphics 
Translator'. A device that takes in simplified HPGL over an HPIB 
interface and outputs X/Y/Z analogue signals to a vector display. The 
interesting thing is that it's all done with random logic, there's no 
processor, or anything resembling a processor, in there.

-tony




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