[cctalk] Re: Silly question about S-100 and video monitors

Now that I'm thinking about it, there were also instructions for hacking the composite signal straight into the TV, bypassing the tuner... but Mom and Dad probably wouldn't go for that (mine didn't). -----Original Message----- From: William Sudbrink via cctalk [mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org] Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2023 4:54 PM To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Cc: 'W2HX' <w2hx(a)w2hx.com>om>; William Sudbrink <wh.sudbrink(a)verizon.net> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Silly question about S-100 and video monitors There were RF modulators. See the November 1976 review of the Poly-88 here (on page 16): http://cini.classiccmp.org/pdf/DrDobbs/DrDobbs-1976-11-12-v1n10.pdf Note the reference to the "Pixie Verter". It is a little cheap circuit board that takes the composite signal and modulates it onto channel 3. You will find references to the Pixie-Verter in a number of publications and user manuals for early video boards. The Matrox and the Cromemco Dazzler and the Ohio Scientific documentation all reference it. David Ahl in his "Saga Of A System" magazine article references it. With that, a TV, video board, RF modulator and a parallel keyboard were much cheaper than any serial terminal back then. The RF modulator was separate from the video board (usually hung on the back of the TV) for noise reasons. -----Original Message----- From: W2HX via cctalk [mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org] Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2023 3:39 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Cc: W2HX <w2hx(a)w2hx.com> Subject: [cctalk] Silly question about S-100 and video monitors Hi all, I recently acquired an S-100 computer, and it came with a video card and a keyboard (3rd party products, not originally equipped with these). I am trying to figure out the benefits of having a video card and keyboard vs just using a serial port and terminal. Certainly if the video card supported graphics, that would be a reason to go that route over a terminal. As for the keyboard, ok-maybe you need specific keys for a specific application. But I don't understand the video monitor. I could understand maybe if there was an RF modulator so that you could use a standard TV. That would save the builder some money. But this computer just provides composite. Other than graphics (and maybe some special function keys for an application on a keyboard), why would an S-100 builder in those days opt to buy a video card instead of a terminal? Thanks for the bandwidth. 73 Eugene W2HX Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@w2hx/videos -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com