Demand for a new TT / MSTe graphic card?

[dark willow]

Just giving a heads up to users here - trying to gauge if there is any interest in a new VME graphics card for the TT / MSTe. I can't design or produce it, just putting ideas and show of hands out there for any bright young hardware gurus who might be interested.

 

The discussion thread (and poll) is over at Atari Forum - LINK TO THREAD

[Tempest]

I've always wondered what software supported these graphics cards. There can't be much since they were pretty rare.

[dark willow]

Games don't, but since the TT and Mega were and are mostly used for applications, most software benefits from having a much larger work area and better colour depth. It gives a much better working environment, particularly if you are multi-tasking.

[lp060]

I've always wondered what software supported these graphics cards. There can't be much since they were pretty rare.

 

Not as rare as you might think, yes rare NOW, but see here:

http://gfa.atari-use...030/htm/vme.htm

 

Add to this the Atari clones, Milan and Hades, more or less use the same concept for the video. Plenty of software works on them. Games don't as noted, becuase they hit the hardware directly, but most any GEM/Window based app works ok. Its not so much that the software supported the card, all the coder has to do is follow the proper guidelines for GEM coding and tada the app just works.

Edited July 23, 2012 by lp060

[Carl_R]

I'm definitely interested in a card for my mega ste.

[Tempest]

I might get one if it was cheap enough just to use that slot.

[+poobah]

I wonder how difficult it would be to implement the Falcon's videl in an fpga for tt/mega/mste

[dark willow]

I wonder how difficult it would be to implement the Falcon's videl in an fpga for tt/mega/mste

 

An improved Videl in FPGA has been done already - see the SuperVidel project by Nature. However, as it's designed for CT-6x upgraded Falcons, it doesn't need drivers as such (Falcon TOS 4.x supports it natively), so software would have to be written from scratch for it to be usable on a TT / MSTe. Also the SuperVidel is a highly complex design which is consequently very expensive - it's somewhat "overkill" for the TT/MSTe.

 

LP has suggested (over on the thread at Atari Forum) that an FPGA based ET4000 might be a good option, since NVDI already supports ET4000 on VME. That takes a lot of uncertainty out of the driver issue, though I've got no idea what sort of cost that would be - FPGAs are like the saffron of technology. So good and so many uses, but damn expensive.

[Charlie_]

Would it work like the falcon. Let you use VGA monitors and the games / low / medium res stuff gets output to VGA?

Is that how the Falcon works?

 

If so, I'd be in

[dark willow]

Would it work like the falcon. Let you use VGA monitors and the games / low / medium res stuff gets output to VGA?

Is that how the Falcon works?

 

If so, I'd be in

 

See earlier replies re: games. As for VGA, the TT already uses it.

[+poobah]

I wonder how difficult it would be to implement the Falcon's videl in an fpga for tt/mega/mste

 

An improved Videl in FPGA has been done already - see the SuperVidel project by Nature. However, as it's designed for CT-6x upgraded Falcons, it doesn't need drivers as such (Falcon TOS 4.x supports it natively), so software would have to be written from scratch for it to be usable on a TT / MSTe. Also the SuperVidel is a highly complex design which is consequently very expensive - it's somewhat "overkill" for the TT/MSTe.

 

LP has suggested (over on the thread at Atari Forum) that an FPGA based ET4000 might be a good option, since NVDI already supports ET4000 on VME. That takes a lot of uncertainty out of the driver issue, though I've got no idea what sort of cost that would be - FPGAs are like the saffron of technology. So good and so many uses, but damn expensive.

 

Yes, I ordered one of the SuperVidel cards. But I was suggesting a *normal* non-Super Videl. Less complex, the TOS infrastructure is already there, backwards compatible with the old Atari screen modes, and a line doubler to get onto modern screens.

[dark willow]

Yes, I ordered one of the SuperVidel cards. But I was suggesting a *normal* non-Super Videl. Less complex, the TOS infrastructure is already there, backwards compatible with the old Atari screen modes, and a line doubler to get onto modern screens.

 

Good on you, the SV is a great project - I imagine youll have a lot of fun with that

 

Actually I did wonder at the time the Falcon was released why Atari didn't use the Videl to make a VME graphics upgrade for the TT, combined with a TOS upgrade kit to drive it and give the TT and the TOS 4.x desktop. There's more discussion on the ET4K and other alternatives over the the Atari Forum thread, so I won't fork off that, but have a look over there to see what ideas are being kicked around.