Steve

Hi Everyone,

I created a simple video card recently and have almost finished
displaying a test image on a prototype. Im posting this to see if any
of the carte blanche owners
would be interested in this card? If so we can organise to make a few
boards and connect it up to Alex and Charlies Carte Blanche code
designs. The card delivers an
HDMI video output and two audio channels.

Anyway, if there is enough interest, we can get something underway.

Steve

...a bit of info

- carte blanche plug on HDMI/DVI AV card (CBAVPB01)
- generic video controller (TFP410)
- up to 24 bit video
- standard HDMI or DVI output
- HDMI CEC
- HDMI/DVI DDC
- left/right delta sigma audio outputs
- operates independantly of onboard video controller (dual head/dual
display)
- sort of cheap - (~$90)

Picture here:

http://www.applelogic.org/CBAVPB01_ASSY_TOP.png
http://www.applelogic.org/CB+AVPB01.png
http://www.applelogic.org/tfp410.pdf

Antoine Vignau

Please, Steve, for the non hardware guy I am, tell me if that would
display the IIgs video modes? If so, I would be interested in your
card. Unless your card deals with video output and not with Apple II
video modes. I don't know, I don't understand!
Thank you,
antoine

Daniel Kruszyna

Steve <srkh28@gmail.com> wrote:
> I created a simple video card recently and have almost finished
> displaying a test image on a prototype. Im posting this to see if any
> of the carte blanche owners
> would be interested in this card? If so we can organise to make a few
> boards and connect it up to Alex and Charlies Carte Blanche code
> designs. The card delivers an
> HDMI video output and two audio channels.

To clarify: the FPGA does not generate DVI directly?
It generates RGB which is converted to DVI by the TFP410?

In this case, the resultant DVI signal has the same frame layout (h/v sync,
pixel clock, etc..) as the input RGB. Did you encounter any trouble getting
monitors to sync to this timing? Or is the TFP410 able to convert to a standard
frame format?

-- Daniel

Steve

Hi Daniel,

>
> To clarify: the FPGA does not generate DVI directly?

No. The FPGA is interfaced to the TFP controller.
> It generates RGB which is converted to DVI by the TFP410?
Yes. Im using Alex's code. He's got a VGA timed (31khz) frame, and ive
just connected into that. Most of the testing has been static test
screens, not from the apple II video memory.
>
> In this case, the resultant DVI signal has the same frame layout (h/v sync,
> pixel clock, etc..) as the input RGB.

Yes - VGA in this case.

Did you encounter any trouble getting
> monitors to sync to this timing?

Yes, and still am. Mainly because im learning this as i go.

Or is the TFP410 able to convert to a standard
> frame format?

Not that im aware of.


Steve

>
> -- Daniel

Steve

On Jan 15, 5:35*am, Antoine Vignau <antoine.vig...@laposte.net> wrote:
> Please, Steve, for the non hardware guy I am, tell me if that would
> display the IIgs video modes? If so, I would be interested in your
> card. Unless your card deals with video output and not with Apple II
> video modes. I don't know, I don't understand!
> Thank you,
> antoine

Hi Antoine,

I dont know yet. ive been using an apple IIe to get it up and running
- but only with test screens at this point. I hope to give it a spin
on the IIgs at some point. Charlie has done some work on the IIgs
version for carte blanche.

Steve

Mark McDougall

On 17/01/2012 3:35 AM, Daniel Kruszyna wrote:

> It generates RGB which is converted to DVI by the TFP410?

To clarify, the FPGA produces digital RGB, so there's no signal degradation
between the FPGA and the TFP410.

Regards,

--
| Mark McDougall | "Electrical Engineers do it
| <http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug> | with less resistance!"

Mark McDougall

On 15/01/2012 10:55 PM, Steve wrote:

> Anyway, if there is enough interest, we can get something underway.

I'd be interested in a board if you get some made up!

Regards,

--
| Mark McDougall | "Electrical Engineers do it
| <http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug> | with less resistance!"

Mark McDougall

On 18/01/2012 12:51 AM, Steve wrote:

> Or is the TFP410 able to convert to a standard
>> frame format?
>
> Not that im aware of.

No, you need a frame buffer to do that. The TFP410 simply takes a parallel
digital RGB signal and multiplexes it onto the HDMI bus; data and sync
signals included.

FWIW the project I'm working on atm (@work) uses a TFP410. It's a
proprietary video mixer card with two (2) FPGAs and VGA/DVI output. Ideal
for mucking about with FPGA emulations of old micros and games... we
actually convinced the client to add 'development' build options so we could
power them in stand-alone mode (didn't take much convincing). I kid you not
- we tested the video output during bring-up by porting Space Invaders to it!

Anyway, my point was, I've had some experience with it. We have it hooked up
with I2C enabled, driven by the FPGA. But to be honest, with that chip
there's not much you need to configure - it's a set-and-forget type deal...

Regards,

--
| Mark McDougall | "Electrical Engineers do it
| <http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug> | with less resistance!"

Charlie

On 1/17/2012 8:55 AM, Steve wrote:
> On Jan 15, 5:35 am, Antoine Vignau<antoine.vig...@laposte.net> wrote:
>> Please, Steve, for the non hardware guy I am, tell me if that would
>> display the IIgs video modes? If so, I would be interested in your
>> card. Unless your card deals with video output and not with Apple II
>> video modes. I don't know, I don't understand!
>> Thank you,
>> antoine
>
> Hi Antoine,
>
> I dont know yet. ive been using an apple IIe to get it up and running
> - but only with test screens at this point. I hope to give it a spin
> on the IIgs at some point. Charlie has done some work on the IIgs
> version for carte blanche.
>
> Steve

Hi Antoine and Steve,

From what I've seen and heard my code would probably work with only
changes to the output pins. Give it a try. For what it's worth all my
testing was done on a ROM 01 GS and it may have problems with a ROM 03.
I say this because Bill Garber who is testing my 6 bit, fixed palette
code is getting errant pixels on his ROM 03. I've also gutted all the
code that is unrelated to video output (including the code to flash the
Carte Blanche) so that I would have room in the FPGA BRAM for the
palettes and for faster access when in the //e DHR mode.
The picture I'm getting for normal 640 and 320 GS modes is as good as
any I've ever seen. Better than the Apple IIgs RGB monitor if you can
take the facts that there are no side borders and the picture is so
sharp that there is no dithering. The 320 Fill mode has a bug (I'm
working on that). Weird modes that do over-scanning don't work
correctly and for some reason 3200 color pictures are a mess.

Charlie

Steve

On Jan 17, 1:08*pm, Mark McDougall <msmcd...@no.spam.iinet> wrote:
> On 18/01/2012 12:51 AM, Steve wrote:
>
> > * Or is the TFP410 able to convert to a standard
> >> frame format?
>
> > Not that im aware of.
>
> No, you need a frame buffer to do that. The TFP410 simply takes a parallel
> digital RGB signal and multiplexes it onto the HDMI bus; data and sync
> signals included.
>
> FWIW the project I'm working on atm (@work) uses a TFP410. It's a
> proprietary video mixer card with two (2) FPGAs and VGA/DVI output. Ideal
> for mucking about with FPGA emulations of old micros and games... we
> actually convinced the client to add 'development' build options so we could
> power them in stand-alone mode (didn't take much convincing). I kid you not
> - we tested the video output during bring-up by porting Space Invaders toit!
>
> Anyway, my point was, I've had some experience with it. We have it hookedup
> with I2C enabled, driven by the FPGA. But to be honest, with that chip
> there's not much you need to configure - it's a set-and-forget type deal....
>
> Regards,
>
> --
> | * * * * * * *Mark McDougall * * * * * * * *| "Electrical Engineers do it
> | *<http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug> * | * with less resistance!"

Hi Mark,

Thats great info. Thats exactly why I chose it. I simply wanted to
interpret the existing memory map into a HDMI framed data stream. I
did make available dual edge triggering so as only 12 of the FPGA's IO
can be used for transferring data to the device and the remaining 12
FPGA IO's can still be used on carte blance's IDE connector. The last
chip I used for HDMI was an analogix anx9804 - very nice device -
produced both display port and HDMI/DVI, but way too fancy for a
simple Apple II HDMI video card.

thanks

Steve