Video output for microcontroller
Video output for microcontroller
(OP)
Hello all,
I was interested in having video (VGA-type) output capability added to some of my 8 or 32-bit microcontroller designs. I've spent the last few days looking around and doing research but I'm not coming up with anything useful. Basically, I'm looking for the controller chip which sits between a MCU parallel bus and the VGA-type connector of a standard monitor. Obviously, I don't have any experience with the video interface or I'd know what I'm looking for. Just for refernce, the types of MCU's I use are PIC, Hitachi SH2, ARM, 8051, etc. These all have your basic 8 or 32-bit data buses available.
Anyone have some ideas where to start?
I was interested in having video (VGA-type) output capability added to some of my 8 or 32-bit microcontroller designs. I've spent the last few days looking around and doing research but I'm not coming up with anything useful. Basically, I'm looking for the controller chip which sits between a MCU parallel bus and the VGA-type connector of a standard monitor. Obviously, I don't have any experience with the video interface or I'd know what I'm looking for. Just for refernce, the types of MCU's I use are PIC, Hitachi SH2, ARM, 8051, etc. These all have your basic 8 or 32-bit data buses available.
Anyone have some ideas where to start?





RE: Video output for microcontroller
You may need to buy one of their 'umpteen' issues on a CD.
Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Video output for microcontroller
A single chip solution is unlikely. There is a reason video cards cost and are as complex as they are.
Unless you learn vhdl/verilog and program an fpga etc.
I think this is about the simplest
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/home.php?cat=262
The obsolete motorola 6845 might have got you there
I don't recall what it need in the way of glue chips...
If you are using an ARM it should have enough horsepower
to generate the RGB directly, No?
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Just to screw around with it, I might plug a cheap VGA board into a passive backplane, and drive the PC bus signals (slowly) with addressable latches. I don't think I'd even try to adapt the MCU bus to drive the PC bus directly.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Basically it sounds like you just need a bog standard VGA video card. Each pixel location will be memory mapped, and video attributes entered directly from the MCU bus. The whole ram area is repetitively read to create continuous RGB video outputs, along with appropriate syncs and blanking. No point in reinventing the wheel. These cards are now so cheap as to make any other solution impractical and uneconomic.
All you need is address and data bus, read/write strobes and some power. Just treat it like an ordinary basic static ram card, and away you go.
RE: Video output for microcontroller
never had the time.
http://yusoft.kulichki.com/english/pic/my_proj.htm
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Curious to make another attempt at it some day, but that's a long way off.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Reminds me of the Timex Sinclair 1000 (aka ZX81) toy computer circa 1982. If you wanted it to actually accomplish anything, you had the option to turn off the SW-driven video.
Here's a link for laughs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_ZX81
RE: Video output for microcontroller
I used that for about a year and a half, when new neighbors moved in across the street. They brought along a Spectrum, which I purchased for $40(?). Then my games had color!
Great little machines, but the keyboard on the 1000 was a PITA... tough to type on, you had to be very deliberate in your keypresses. Surprised I didn't wear out the backspace key.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Video output for microcontroller
I was thinking of using one Pic for each color.Then
use another processor to talk to all 3 on the SPI bus.
Then I realized that I would probably run out of ram.
I think blcpro wants something like the Epson chip.
They have versions with onboard memory.
Epson vidio chip to TI processor.
http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/spra847/spra847.pdf
Ti also has a few Micros/dsps that have a vidio port.
If you want to do a fpga or asic.
http://w
RE: Video output for microcontroller
http://oldcomputers.net/index.html
Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Now that was graphics.
RE: Video output for microcontroller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's the questions that drive us"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RE: Video output for microcontroller
:)
RE: Video output for microcontroller
RE: Video output for microcontroller
RE: Video output for microcontroller
Essentially a serial input, and VGA output.
RE: Video output for microcontroller
RE: Video output for microcontroller
simple serial interaface, I drove it from a PIC18F part
RE: Video output for microcontroller
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/home.php?cat=262
hmm...
RE: Video output for microcontroller
http://www.parallax.com/propeller/index.asp