From jdarling at eonclash.com Tue Jul 26 16:37:58 2005 From: jdarling at eonclash.com (jdarling@eonclash.com) Date: Tue Jul 26 16:38:33 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] Information on Micro VGA Message-ID: <20050726133758.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.6729b3b978.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> I sent a message to Don about the Micro VGA video card, but after reading some on the site I've figured out quite a few things that I think make my project impossiable due to the bandwidth. So I would like to suggest a few things that would make high speed (30-60 fps) applications feasiable. 1) Allow "Texture" uploading to the video card. Even as few as 10 textures would make life easier. 2) Allow buffer copying (IE from the front buffer to the back buffer offset by X and Y) 3) Allow for full screen pushes (Something like: [PUT SCREEN][DATA0..ScreenX*ScreenY]) 4) Figure a way to allow for multiple viewing buffers that can be merged down. 5) Allow for palette rotation and selective palette rotation. This all sounds impossiable I know, but it really isn't. Two tricks could be used: 1) External memory interface (SPI would work well) 2) Allow for two command sets, one for basic existing commands and one for expanded commands. I am quite interested in the Micro VGA and will probiably pick one up with the 640 comes out as I have an old 640x480 LCD monitor laying around that I would like to turn into a gamming system, but I see the need for expansion and the ability to expand the existing architecture. All the tricks are things we used to do in the old dos days with slower processors, what made the difference was the support provided by the graphics systems. Of course then we could also just switch a pointer in local memory and your screen would change. Really hope to see the 640 and 800 versions released. Jeremy Darling From jdarling at eonclash.com Tue Jul 26 18:14:31 2005 From: jdarling at eonclash.com (jdarling@eonclash.com) Date: Tue Jul 26 18:15:07 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions Message-ID: <20050726151431.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.55d4f3043f.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> Ok, I've pretty much figured out that I can't use a canned VGA interface in my case. I need too much control over the actual video generation. I was hoping that someone could point me in the direction of where I could learn how to drive a VGA monitor from my ARM7 processor. The DAC isn't a problem (its built) but I can't figure out how VGA itself works. Please any information would be more then greatly appriciated. Jeremy Darling From support2005 at dontronics.com Wed Jul 27 02:35:50 2005 From: support2005 at dontronics.com (Don McKenzie) Date: Wed Jul 27 02:36:37 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions In-Reply-To: <20050726151431.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.55d4f3043f.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> References: <20050726151431.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.55d4f3043f.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <42E72B46.60305@dontronics.com> jdarling@eonclash.com wrote: > Ok, I've pretty much figured out that I can't use a canned VGA interface > in my case. I need too much control over the actual video generation. > I was hoping that someone could point me in the direction of where I > could learn how to drive a VGA monitor from my ARM7 processor. The DAC > isn't a problem (its built) but I can't figure out how VGA itself works. > Please any information would be more then greatly appriciated. > > Jeremy Darling Hi Jeremy, just to let you know your email is getting through, however Atilla, the designer of u-VGA seems to be having email problems, so I have done a cc of this message to him directly. Cheers Don... -- Don McKenzie E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.e-dotcom.com/ecp.php?un=Dontronics VoIP USB/RJ11 Use Any Phone http://www.dontronics.com/phoneconnector.html USB to RS232 Converter that works http://www.dontronics.com/usb_232.html From jdarling at eonclash.com Wed Jul 27 08:58:43 2005 From: jdarling at eonclash.com (jdarling@eonclash.com) Date: Wed Jul 27 08:59:01 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions Message-ID: <20050727055843.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.4947a94306.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> I really appriciate that Don, thanks. Jeremy Darling > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions > From: Don McKenzie > Date: Wed, July 27, 2005 1:35 am > To: Micro-VGA Group > > jdarling@eonclash.com wrote: > > > Ok, I've pretty much figured out that I can't use a canned VGA interface > > in my case. I need too much control over the actual video generation. > > I was hoping that someone could point me in the direction of where I > > could learn how to drive a VGA monitor from my ARM7 processor. The DAC > > isn't a problem (its built) but I can't figure out how VGA itself works. > > Please any information would be more then greatly appriciated. > > > > Jeremy Darling > > > Hi Jeremy, just to let you know your email is getting through, however Atilla, > the designer of u-VGA seems to be having email problems, so I have done a cc of > this message to him directly. > > Cheers Don... > > > -- > Don McKenzie > E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.e-dotcom.com/ecp.php?un=Dontronics > > VoIP USB/RJ11 Use Any Phone http://www.dontronics.com/phoneconnector.html > USB to RS232 Converter that works http://www.dontronics.com/usb_232.html > > > > _______________________________________________ > Micro-VGA mailing list > Micro-VGA@dontronics.com > http://mail.dontronics.com/mailman/listinfo/micro-vga_dontronics.com From atilla at 4dsystems.com.au Wed Jul 27 20:47:59 2005 From: atilla at 4dsystems.com.au (Atilla) Date: Wed Jul 27 20:48:31 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions In-Reply-To: <20050727055843.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.4947a94306.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <000801c5930e$03fd14f0$363165dc@atilla1> Sorry for my delayed response, just been very very busy. Jeremy, there are lots of sites that explain the principles of VGA, just do a google search. Sharp and Samsung have ARM7 based processors with LCD control but you need to find the LCD modules and drive them directly. You'll need to add RAM, Flash ROM, and glue logic to drive the LCD directly and a whole lot of code. You won't find anything out there with a simple interface. Another alternative is an FPGA and if you choose this path then be prepared to pay anything upto $40 for a chip to fit a VGA core + external SRAM + glue logic and not to mention PCB layout to accommodate the SMD package. Then you'll need to write lots of VHDL code to synthesise the VGA as well as code for all the graphics functions. We've gone thru this exercise ourselves and hence decided to come up with an incredibly user friendly and a simple interface which is now the microVGA. The uVGA may not be suitable for 100% of all design requirements but it more than satisfies 90%. PS: If you can wait a week or so the microVGA hi-res core specs will be out. These offer lots more features such as double buffering (2 video RAM pages), etc etc. Regards, Atilla Aknar 4D Systems Pty. Ltd. -----Original Message----- From: Micro-VGA-bounces@dontronics.com [mailto:Micro-VGA-bounces@dontronics.com] On Behalf Of jdarling@eonclash.com Sent: Wednesday, 27 July 2005 10:59 PM To: Micro-VGA Group Subject: RE: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions I really appriciate that Don, thanks. Jeremy Darling > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions > From: Don McKenzie > Date: Wed, July 27, 2005 1:35 am > To: Micro-VGA Group > > jdarling@eonclash.com wrote: > > > Ok, I've pretty much figured out that I can't use a canned VGA interface > > in my case. I need too much control over the actual video generation. > > I was hoping that someone could point me in the direction of where I > > could learn how to drive a VGA monitor from my ARM7 processor. The DAC > > isn't a problem (its built) but I can't figure out how VGA itself works. > > Please any information would be more then greatly appriciated. > > > > Jeremy Darling > > > Hi Jeremy, just to let you know your email is getting through, however Atilla, > the designer of u-VGA seems to be having email problems, so I have done a cc of > this message to him directly. > > Cheers Don... > > > -- > Don McKenzie > E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.e-dotcom.com/ecp.php?un=Dontronics > > VoIP USB/RJ11 Use Any Phone http://www.dontronics.com/phoneconnector.html > USB to RS232 Converter that works http://www.dontronics.com/usb_232.html > > > > _______________________________________________ > Micro-VGA mailing list > Micro-VGA@dontronics.com > http://mail.dontronics.com/mailman/listinfo/micro-vga_dontronics.com _______________________________________________ Micro-VGA mailing list Micro-VGA@dontronics.com http://mail.dontronics.com/mailman/listinfo/micro-vga_dontronics.com From jdarling at eonclash.com Wed Jul 27 22:56:55 2005 From: jdarling at eonclash.com (jdarling@eonclash.com) Date: Wed Jul 27 22:57:15 2005 Subject: [Micro-VGA] VGA interface questions Message-ID: <20050727195655.9076eb320a95bc9289631bd33c297b9e.d2194f9bf1.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net> My only concern with the hi-res version is that it is still limited on the frame rate. I've just about figured out that I'm going to have to use an FPGA or CPLD to pull off my needs. I am awaiting the hi-res versions thou as I do have some low fps stuff that I want to do. Unfortunately I need something very powerful (I'm working with true color images and image editing as well as streaming graphics). So I believe that I'm hosed into needing a parallel interface to minimize the update times. Because of the resolution I'm working with I'm also going to need at minimum 16Mb of "Video Memory". Basically what I thought I was going to do has grown way beyond my origional idea. Searching google didn't turn up anything useful on VGA (but then again I'm not very google savy) but msging to some other groups basically cleared my vision of illusions of a single chip solution. Let me know if you are comming out with a parallel interface and when the Hi-Res come out, as I said I am interested in them as I still need a video controller for my small AVR projects. Jeremy Darling