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Low cost graphic display system
Computer Graph
its
70 symposium
Low cost graphic display system
56
Computer Graphics 70 is the title of a symposium and exhibition to be held at Brunei University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England, from 14-16 April 1970. Due to the success of the first international graphics symposium held at Brunel last July-August, this second occasion has been . planned on a much larger scale. It is claimed to be the biggest specialised graphics event ever staged anywhere in the world. There will be approximately 100 papers given in four parallel sessions. Each paperwill be video-recorded to enable delegates to see a repeat screening of anything they might miss due to timing clashes. Each of the sessions will have a theme,
such as ‘graphics in research establishments’ or ‘computer-aided design’. One session will be devoted to an explanatory course in graphics for the benefit of business execuin tives, showing specific applications industry and commerce. The exhibition to be held simultaneously will display about f3m. worth of graphics equipment. This will be operating, so that delegates can witness demonstrations of new hardware and systems. The 3-day symposium fee is f40, including lunches and a reception banquet. People interested in submitting papers are invited to contact Professor M. L. V. Pitteway of Brunel’s Computer Science Department.
The ETOM 2000, a new low cost interactive computer graphic display system, is now available on six months delivery from Graphic Displays Ltd. of 38a Cromwell Road, Luton, Beds., a British company specialising in the production of graphic equipment for the computer industry. Recognising the need of the user for more direct communication with today’s high speed computers to achieve real time control of problem solving programs, Graphic Displays Ltd. claims to have provided the facilities to achieve this at reasonable expense. It was also realised that all user requirements are not the same, therefore the display is produced on a modular basis to enable individual needs to be satisfied either initially or in stages. Whilst a computer manufacturer may choose to purchase a basic unit at under f3,OOOthe end user may specify a system the cost of which will be between that of the basic unit and a maximum of flO,OOO even with all the optional modules, controller and interface.
The display should find many uses in the fields of science, management information, computer-aided design and process control. Output data is presented immediately on the 12 x 12 screen, in the form of charts and line drawings and messages composed of alpha numeric text. Data is input directly to the computer by means of a digitiser, light pen or function keyboard. The user can make rapid decisions based on the results displayed before him and can then take immediate action by generating further data with the input controls. A basic display comprises the screen, a buffer store, a vector generator and a function keyboard. The screen has a 512 x 512 point resolution and is refreshed at 25 frames per second for flicker free viewing. A picture is composed from a sequence of vectors, produced by the vector generator, drawn on to the screen. The vectors can be up to 1.5 in. in length and longer lines are drawn using two or more vectors in series. To highlight parts of the display individual lines can be made to flash. The ETOM is a refreshed display and to hold the picture for refresh a 5 I2 (optional 1024) I6 bit word buffer store is provided. Each I6 bit word holds the x,y position of the end of a vector relative to the previous vector’s finishing point, using 6 bits for x and 6 bits for y. Therefore a total of 512 (1024) vectors can be stored at any one time. Data relating to a particular picture, is fed into the buffer store from a computer and is then scanned continuously to repaint the picture for as long as required. Thus computer processor time is not used for the refreshing process. The buffer has addressable locations making it possible to alter parts of the display at will. A function keyboard of 22 keys is used to input commands to the computer, the significance of which are predetermined by the computer program. The modular construction allows additCOMPUTER
AIDED
DESIGN
Computeraided integrated circuit design
SUMMER
1969
ional units to be inserted to perform functions other than basic vector drawing and the same buffer store is used to hold data relating to these functions. The additional modules provide character generation, circle generation, point plotting and rapid beam positioning to improve output efficiency. To operate as an interactive device a digitiser or light pen can be provided to enable data input other than by means of the basic function keyboard. The digitiser is in the form of a cursor mechanism which has its x,y position continually updated in two counters the contents of which can be input to the computer at any time. It is arranged for a marker to move on the display screen in sympathy with the digitiser movements. Thus a point on the screen can be indicated and sent to the computer as x,y co-ordinateds. In addition original charts and drawings may be digitised by the same mechanism. The light pen can be of the simple light pen picking variety or with hardware light pen tracking. With the former the light pen is pointed at a vector on the screen and
the address and status of the buffer word generating that vector are available for input to the computer. With light pen tracking a marker is made to follow the movements of the light pen across the screen and its position is recorded in x,y counters in a similar way to the digitiser. The display can be interfaced directly to a computer if situated locally and data is transferred at up to 70kHz. Interfaces to most computers or British Standard Interface are provided. Having a bufTer store, data can be accepted making it at lower rates suitable for operation over telephone lines using data transmission equipment supplied by Graphics Displays Ltd and G.P.O. Modems. The ETOM should bringcomputergraphics to a very much wider field of potential users as it now becomes economical to allow one designer to have exclusive use of a graphics terminal. Hitherto the savings in man hours provided by this direct method of communication have largely been ofTset by the high cost of equipment required.
SGS has developed a practical design technique which enables a small scientific computer to be programmed with all routine device design sequences to that requested e ectrical parameters result in an output tabulated as a function of geometry. Synthesis remains the responsibility of the design engineer but mathematical design sequences are automatic right through to the stage of diffusion mask design and fabrication. This
system is economical from the point of view of computer storage and running time. It also exploits the ingenuity of the experienced human circuit designer. A typical complex circuit, which would normally take about seven iveeks from design to the commencement of production, has been produced by SGS within one week including only one hour of computer time.
I
67
its
70 symposium
Low cost graphic display system
56
Computer Graphics 70 is the title of a symposium and exhibition to be held at Brunei University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England, from 14-16 April 1970. Due to the success of the first international graphics symposium held at Brunel last July-August, this second occasion has been . planned on a much larger scale. It is claimed to be the biggest specialised graphics event ever staged anywhere in the world. There will be approximately 100 papers given in four parallel sessions. Each paperwill be video-recorded to enable delegates to see a repeat screening of anything they might miss due to timing clashes. Each of the sessions will have a theme,
such as ‘graphics in research establishments’ or ‘computer-aided design’. One session will be devoted to an explanatory course in graphics for the benefit of business execuin tives, showing specific applications industry and commerce. The exhibition to be held simultaneously will display about f3m. worth of graphics equipment. This will be operating, so that delegates can witness demonstrations of new hardware and systems. The 3-day symposium fee is f40, including lunches and a reception banquet. People interested in submitting papers are invited to contact Professor M. L. V. Pitteway of Brunel’s Computer Science Department.
The ETOM 2000, a new low cost interactive computer graphic display system, is now available on six months delivery from Graphic Displays Ltd. of 38a Cromwell Road, Luton, Beds., a British company specialising in the production of graphic equipment for the computer industry. Recognising the need of the user for more direct communication with today’s high speed computers to achieve real time control of problem solving programs, Graphic Displays Ltd. claims to have provided the facilities to achieve this at reasonable expense. It was also realised that all user requirements are not the same, therefore the display is produced on a modular basis to enable individual needs to be satisfied either initially or in stages. Whilst a computer manufacturer may choose to purchase a basic unit at under f3,OOOthe end user may specify a system the cost of which will be between that of the basic unit and a maximum of flO,OOO even with all the optional modules, controller and interface.
The display should find many uses in the fields of science, management information, computer-aided design and process control. Output data is presented immediately on the 12 x 12 screen, in the form of charts and line drawings and messages composed of alpha numeric text. Data is input directly to the computer by means of a digitiser, light pen or function keyboard. The user can make rapid decisions based on the results displayed before him and can then take immediate action by generating further data with the input controls. A basic display comprises the screen, a buffer store, a vector generator and a function keyboard. The screen has a 512 x 512 point resolution and is refreshed at 25 frames per second for flicker free viewing. A picture is composed from a sequence of vectors, produced by the vector generator, drawn on to the screen. The vectors can be up to 1.5 in. in length and longer lines are drawn using two or more vectors in series. To highlight parts of the display individual lines can be made to flash. The ETOM is a refreshed display and to hold the picture for refresh a 5 I2 (optional 1024) I6 bit word buffer store is provided. Each I6 bit word holds the x,y position of the end of a vector relative to the previous vector’s finishing point, using 6 bits for x and 6 bits for y. Therefore a total of 512 (1024) vectors can be stored at any one time. Data relating to a particular picture, is fed into the buffer store from a computer and is then scanned continuously to repaint the picture for as long as required. Thus computer processor time is not used for the refreshing process. The buffer has addressable locations making it possible to alter parts of the display at will. A function keyboard of 22 keys is used to input commands to the computer, the significance of which are predetermined by the computer program. The modular construction allows additCOMPUTER
AIDED
DESIGN
Computeraided integrated circuit design
SUMMER
1969
ional units to be inserted to perform functions other than basic vector drawing and the same buffer store is used to hold data relating to these functions. The additional modules provide character generation, circle generation, point plotting and rapid beam positioning to improve output efficiency. To operate as an interactive device a digitiser or light pen can be provided to enable data input other than by means of the basic function keyboard. The digitiser is in the form of a cursor mechanism which has its x,y position continually updated in two counters the contents of which can be input to the computer at any time. It is arranged for a marker to move on the display screen in sympathy with the digitiser movements. Thus a point on the screen can be indicated and sent to the computer as x,y co-ordinateds. In addition original charts and drawings may be digitised by the same mechanism. The light pen can be of the simple light pen picking variety or with hardware light pen tracking. With the former the light pen is pointed at a vector on the screen and
the address and status of the buffer word generating that vector are available for input to the computer. With light pen tracking a marker is made to follow the movements of the light pen across the screen and its position is recorded in x,y counters in a similar way to the digitiser. The display can be interfaced directly to a computer if situated locally and data is transferred at up to 70kHz. Interfaces to most computers or British Standard Interface are provided. Having a bufTer store, data can be accepted making it at lower rates suitable for operation over telephone lines using data transmission equipment supplied by Graphics Displays Ltd and G.P.O. Modems. The ETOM should bringcomputergraphics to a very much wider field of potential users as it now becomes economical to allow one designer to have exclusive use of a graphics terminal. Hitherto the savings in man hours provided by this direct method of communication have largely been ofTset by the high cost of equipment required.
SGS has developed a practical design technique which enables a small scientific computer to be programmed with all routine device design sequences to that requested e ectrical parameters result in an output tabulated as a function of geometry. Synthesis remains the responsibility of the design engineer but mathematical design sequences are automatic right through to the stage of diffusion mask design and fabrication. This
system is economical from the point of view of computer storage and running time. It also exploits the ingenuity of the experienced human circuit designer. A typical complex circuit, which would normally take about seven iveeks from design to the commencement of production, has been produced by SGS within one week including only one hour of computer time.
I
67