What does it take to interface the F18A, a modern FPGA-based clone of the venerable TM9918A Video Display Processor (VDP), to an Apple II? Short answer: not much. Here’s the long answer. Let’s start with analyzing the design of the E-Z Color Graphics Interface, a TMS9918A-based “sprite board” with the design published in the August [...]
Archive of posts tagged video
Where are the sprites in my Apple?
The Apple II, first announced in 1977, had in-built color graphics capabilities. Certainly, these capabilities are rudimentary by standards even five years later, but graphics capabilities were a big deal in 1977. Previously, hobbyist accessible computers like the KIM-1 and the Altair 8800 had absolutely no video or graphics output. At best, the owner could [...]