TI990 VDT911 card running on a HDMI monitor using a RGBtoHDMI

[Jimhearne]

I've several VDT911 cards for my TI990 system but no monitors.

I've one 911 keyboard but that's got a parallel output and there is normally circuitry in the monitor to convert that to balances line serial (like RS485) to send to the VDT card.

The VDT911 card outputs a composite video signal and i've hooked it up to a RGBtoHDMI interface with the 6-12_BIT_YUV_Analog board.

This is the output after fiddling around with the settings.

The VDT911 outputs either 12 rows off 80 characters or 24 rows of 80 character, this is 24 rows at 50 hz

Next stage is to make a Parallel to serial adaptor for the 911 keyboard and also a PS/2 to serial adaptor (or maybe both in one).

 

Jim

 

[jbdigriz]

Woot!

[Jimhearne]

Next stage of the TI 990  VDT911 interface card project.

A VDT911 interface board for an original 911 keyboard or a PS/2 keyboard plus breakout for the video signal from the VDT911 card to send to a RGBtoHDMI and also 5V power on a USB port to power the RGBtoHDMI

 

Jim

 

[jbdigriz]

That looks incredibly useful!

[Jimhearne]

It's getting there, doing code for that board.

 

The 990 needs a fair bit of code to initalise the VDT911 card and display any characters received on the screen.

But, at the moment I need to type any code for the 990 into the programmers panel a bit at a time which is somewhat tedious.

 

So, I'm looking at connecting another PIC processor to the buttons and LED's on the 990 programmers panel so i can download code from a PC via the PIC and effectively type it into the 990.

It will be slow but at least it will be saved on the PC and i won't have to enter code a bit at a time !

 

[+FarmerPotato]

@Jimhearne  what's  your machine set up? Does it lack a console port, or no driver?  
 

In the batch of cards I got last June, the seller threw in several CI403 quad-port serial cards. Drivers would be another issue. You're welcome to one. 
 

Edited May 5 by FarmerPotato
"Quart size"

[Jimhearne]

I have a 990/10a processor card and a couple of 990/5 processor cards, both have at least one serial port which i assume could be used as a console port.

But, my (possibly wrong) understanding of the 990 systems is that until you boot from a floppy or hard drive and load appropriate drivers for the hardware, you won't get anything on the console or the 911VDT card.

 

At this point in time i'm trying to prove the 911VDT cards ( i have 2) work by loading some code to configure them through the programmers panel, and also make an interface to use a PS/2 keyboard and a RGBtoHDMI with the 911VDT card instead of the original keyboard and monitor. 

I do have one 911 keyboard (missing one keycap if anybody has a scrap keyboard) but no 911 monitor.

Once i get this working i can download some code to test the TFDC cards i have and figure out why they won't try booting from floppy or Gotek.

I have 3 TFDC cards now, 2 do the same thing, just sit there reading the status from the floppy drive but never turn the motor on even though all the signals seem go, and the other one fails the self test.

 

Thank you for the offer, i do have 4 or 5 7 port serial cards from Richard Norman so i assume i could use one of those as a console port if for some reason i couldn't use the one on the processor board.

That said, i wouldn't mind adding another different card to my collection, i can do a swap for a 7 port card ?

 

Jim