Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!gatech!hubcap!ncrcae!ncr-sd!serene!pnet12!gbell
From: gbell@pnet12.cts.com (Greg Bell)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: CRT vs Video Controller
Message-ID: <920@serene.UUCP>
Date: 8 Sep 89 02:36:06 GMT
Sender: root@serene.UUCP
Organization: People-Net [pnet12], Del Mar, CA
Lines: 27

>> The only chip I've looked at so far is Intel's 8745 CRT controller.  But, this
>
>	I've never heard of the 8745, (work in a Motorola shop) but a chip like
>the 8276H (page 6-32 of the 1988 Intel Perhipherals book) is probably similar.

Whoops... yep, the 8276H is what I was thinking of.  The idea of having to
have an external character ROM was a bit discouraging....    

>All of these chips have outputs like /HRTC and /VRTC, which you can simply logically
>AND (or OR, depending on the sense) to obtain your sync signal; and /VSP, which you
>use as blanking.  The output of the dot clock shift register you then use as the
>video signal for modulation.
>

Thanks for the info.  Now that I know its possible to use the 8745, I'll take
a closer look at the databook.
>	Surely someone makes (by now) a cheap CRT controller with a built - in
>character ROM?

You're probably right... looking through the Jameco catalog, I spotted several
$20+ controllers that must have some nice features.


    Greg Bell_________________________________________________________
      Hardware hacker          |
      Electronics hobbyist     | UUCP:  uunet!serene!pnet12!gbell
      EE major at UC San Diego |