Re: Playing Vector Games on the Big Screen

From: Aaron Howald <ahowald_at_w-link.net>
Date: Thu May 30 2002 - 04:59:35 EDT

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Mudryk" <rob@lasers.org>
To: <vectorlist@synthcom.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 7:31 AM
Subject: Re: VECTOR: Playing Vector Games on the Big Screen

>
>
> Aaron Howald wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Robert Mudryk" <rob@lasers.org>
> > To: <vectorlist@synthcom.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 12:10 AM
> > Subject: VECTOR: Playing Vector Games on the Big Screen
> >
> > > Last Weekend, we got permission to do a LaserMAME demo at 6 Flags Darien
> > > Lake, Buffalo NY... We havn't got the Video cut to images or mpeg's
> > > yet... but here is a daylight pic of the Screen we used... approx
> > > size of the screen is 40' x 60' (12m x 16m) in size and 20 feet off
> > > the ground. As for Audio, there is enough Bass Bins to feel the
> > > explosions from Asteroids at 300' away
> > >
> > Just too cool for words...
> >
> > Vector Viper
> > ahowald@w-link.net
> > BTW:The vector board I am building (driven with a PC) SHOULD be able to drive your laser system
> > (the line timing can be slowed as nessary) I'd love to see the 2 projects work together
sometime!
> > My board puts out all analog voltages, but digital is possible. X,Y is up to +-10 volts,10
bit;RGB=0
> > to 10V, 8 bit each.
> > It's totally homebrew....
>
> for Laser we are +/- 2.5V balanced (aka inverted signal for -) x/y/r/g/b so it should work...
If
> your board is a straight DAC's board, sending one point at a time... it won't work, at least with
a
> PC... every mouse movement or disk read/write you will get gitter in the image... I'd be glad to
test
> your board, for Laser or Vector Monitor, and write the MAME driver for it...

My board reads (will read :*) pixels drawn to the screen as data, with each pixel being 8 bits sent.
It is NOT a PC plug in card-you also need an older, special graphics card, I'm not sure why...(I
have 5 stockpiled!)
Each set of 9 pixels (1 marker, 8 data) is 1 draw command, with R,G,B,X,Y,? sent each time.
Each of these outputs drives 1 DAC,almost all can set each cycle. Max throughput possible is 2Mhz!
(I am not using DAC's anywhere near that fast...)
Line timing is set by intelligently spacing the pixel sets.
Refresh is automatic, at the screen refresh rate or lower multiples.
The PC sofware does do a lot of calculations for timing...
This board is real "dumb" all control is done by the PC.

I can't use H or V-blank time of course! It's on odd system, but I think it has great potential; for
vector artwork or games.
I will post first working pics as they happen.

I need to say-
my board needs a lot of work-it may be months before completion.
Finding time to work on it is the problem.

Robert, how much time have you spent on your laser system?
I'm at 100 hours easy...Designing the hardware AND the software to drive it...nice thing is, it's
all my own!

Aaron, AKA vector viper

>
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Received on Thu May 30 02:12:40 2002

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