8 May
2006
8 May
'06
2:32 p.m.
I just received the first part of a shipment which
includes an IBM 5175 monitor. The PGA card and
possibly the AT box it resides in is on it's way. I
plugged the monitor into my Vermont Microsystems card
(essentially a PGA clone), and it worked like a charm.
Have yet to plug the monitor into a VGA card and
investigate that noise (the PGA card possibly has some
funky syncing scheme, like combined sync or
sync-on-green). But regardless, I'm desirous of docs
for these babies, technical or otherwise. Programming
infor-mation is of the utmost importance. Can anyone
help?
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22 May
22 May
3:07 p.m.
I just received the first part of a shipment which
includes an IBM 5175 monitor. The PGA card and
possibly the AT box it resides in is on it's way. I
plugged the monitor into my Vermont Microsystems card
(essentially a PGA clone), and it worked like a charm.
Have yet to plug the monitor into a VGA card and
investigate that noise (the PGA card possibly has some
funky syncing scheme, like combined sync or
sync-on-green). But regardless, I'm desirous of docs
for these babies, technical or otherwise. Programming
infor-mation is of the utmost importance. Can anyone
help?
I am reluctant to post this, because last time I posted something similar
I got flamed, but anyway...
I have the official IBM Techref for the PGC card (I believe that was the
official name, it was the Professional Graphics Controller), and the
monitor. Complete with schemaitcs (which I can't post, not having a
scanner) and programming info. I can extract useful bits from the
programming docs if you like.
I assume you realise it does a hardware emulation of the CGA card (not
including the 100*160 mode?). And that the 'better' mode is not memory
mapped at all, rather you send commands to the card to draw lines,
circles, etc.
-tony
30 May
30 May
4:08 p.m.
--- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
I just received the first part of a shipment which
includes an IBM 5175 monitor. The PGA card and
possibly the AT box it resides in is on it's way.
I
plugged the monitor into my Vermont Microsystems
card
(essentially a PGA clone), and it worked like a
charm.
Have yet to plug the monitor into a VGA card and
investigate that noise (the PGA card possibly has
some
funky syncing scheme, like combined sync or
sync-on-green). But regardless, I'm desirous of
docs
for these babies, technical or otherwise.
Programming
infor-mation is of the utmost importance. Can
anyone
help?
I am reluctant to post this, because last time I
posted something similar
I got flamed, but anyway... I have the official IBM Techref for the PGC card (I
believe that was the
official name, it was the Professional Graphics
Controller), and the
monitor. Complete with schemaitcs (which I can't
post, not having a
scanner) and programming info. I can extract useful
bits from the
programming docs if you like.
Yes, tis a pain doing a search for Professional
Graphics Adapter when others (seemingly IBM included)
chose to refer to it as the Controller. I was under
the impression it was referred to as the Options and
Adapters manual or something. I was going to have the
bloke send me the whole AT, so any s/w would be part
of the deal (I already snagged IBM Professional
Fortran 1.0 though, a true F77 implementation, written
not by M$, but Ryan-McFarland). Trouble is I'm running
out of space, so I e-mailed him last night and said
just the controller for now. When I get the thing
installed, I'll perhaps pester you for information
then.
I assume you realise it does a hardware emulation of
the CGA card (not
including the 100*160 mode?). And that the 'better'
mode is not memory
mapped at all, rather you send commands to the card
to draw lines,
circles, etc.
Better as in the hi-res analog color mode? The CGA
mode on the VM card can accept graphics commands in
BASIC, but at this moment I'm not able to ascertain
whether or not that means it's bit-mappable (sounds
like it though).
Going on the presumption that you mean it never takes
anything but special commands, as opposed to be
all-points-addressable, this would mean, ummm, some
sort of API is in play. Something burned into rom?
Very interesting. Not sure if I'm disappointed or not
though. I was kind of expecting a more mainstream type
of card, for which I could program some really funky
game or whatever.
-tony
__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
4:09 p.m.
--- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
I just received the first part of a shipment which
includes an IBM 5175 monitor. The PGA card and
possibly the AT box it resides in is on it's way.
I
plugged the monitor into my Vermont Microsystems
card
(essentially a PGA clone), and it worked like a
charm.
Have yet to plug the monitor into a VGA card and
investigate that noise (the PGA card possibly has
some
funky syncing scheme, like combined sync or
sync-on-green). But regardless, I'm desirous of
docs
for these babies, technical or otherwise.
Programming
infor-mation is of the utmost importance. Can
anyone
help?
I am reluctant to post this, because last time I
posted something similar
I got flamed, but anyway... I have the official IBM Techref for the PGC card (I
believe that was the
official name, it was the Professional Graphics
Controller), and the
monitor. Complete with schemaitcs (which I can't
post, not having a
scanner) and programming info. I can extract useful
bits from the
programming docs if you like.
Yes, tis a pain doing a search for Professional
Graphics Adapter when others (seemingly IBM included)
chose to refer to it as the Controller. I was under
the impression it was referred to as the Options and
Adapters manual or something. I was going to have the
bloke send me the whole AT, so any s/w would be part
of the deal (I already snagged IBM Professional
Fortran 1.0 though, a true F77 implementation, written
not by M$, but Ryan-McFarland). Trouble is I'm running
out of space, so I e-mailed him last night and said
just the controller for now. When I get the thing
installed, I'll perhaps pester you for information
then.
I assume you realise it does a hardware emulation of
the CGA card (not
including the 100*160 mode?). And that the 'better'
mode is not memory
mapped at all, rather you send commands to the card
to draw lines,
circles, etc.
Better as in the hi-res analog color mode? The CGA
mode on the VM card can accept graphics commands in
BASIC, but at this moment I'm not able to ascertain
whether or not that means it's bit-mappable (sounds
like it though).
Going on the presumption that you mean it never takes
anything but special commands, as opposed to be
all-points-addressable, this would mean, ummm, some
sort of API is in play. Something burned into rom?
Very interesting. Not sure if I'm disappointed or not
though. I was kind of expecting a more mainstream type
of card, for which I could program some really funky
game or whatever.
-tony
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
31 May
31 May
3:38 p.m.
Yes, tis a pain doing a search for Professional
Graphics Adapter when others (seemingly IBM included)
chose to refer to it as the Controller. I was under
the impression it was referred to as the Options and
Adapters manual or something. I was going to have the
The manul that covers it _is_ the 'Scientific Options and Adapters
Technical Reference' (which also covers the GPIB adapter, Data Aquisition
Adapter, the connector pannel for that, and the professional colour monitor)
An amusing typo (I assume). When I ordered the Options and Adapters
Techrefs from IBM, they could find no refernce to them on their computer
system. I eventually found a 'form number' for them, and attempted to
order them by that. THat they could find (and had stocks of the
appropriate manuals), so I asked them what it was the form number for.
They told me 'Questions and Answers technical references'. Presumably :
Options and Adapters -> O & A -> Q -> A (obvious typo) -> Questions and
Answers
I assume you
realise it does a hardware emulation of
the CGA card (not
including the 100*160 mode?). And that the 'better'
mode is not memory
mapped at all, rather you send commands to the card
to draw lines,
circles, etc.
Better as in the hi-res analog color mode? The CGA
mode on the VM card can accept graphics commands in
BASIC, but at this moment I'm not able to ascertain
whether or not that means it's bit-mappable (sounds
like it though). 
22 May
22 May
5:43 p.m.
On 5/8/2006 at 2:32 PM Chris M wrote:
I just received the first part of a shipment which
includes an IBM 5175 monitor. The PGA card and
possibly the AT box it resides in is on it's way. I
plugged the monitor into my Vermont Microsystems card
(essentially a PGA clone), and it worked like a charm.
Have yet to plug the monitor into a VGA card and
investigate that noise (the PGA card possibly has some
funky syncing scheme, like combined sync or
sync-on-green). But regardless, I'm desirous of docs
for these babies, technical or otherwise. Programming
infor-mation is of the utmost importance. Can anyone
help?
First off, you need to understand that the PGC was a bizarre creature,
unlike any other display adapter that IBM made. Because of this, there's
darned little software that's going to be able to use it in anything other
than CGA emulation mode.
To start with, the display in PGC native mode isn't memory-mapped. You
pass the 8088 onboard CPU drawing commands and it interprets them. Because
of this, the drawing speed of the PGC isn't terribly high and a PC AT with
an EGA can easily outdraw a PGC.
IIRC, the PGC, was power-hungry, took 3 cards and 2 slots(!) and very
expensive--and introduced not long before the PC AT, so it became an orphan
pretty quickly. Compared with the EGA, the PGC does offer a 256 color
display out of a 4096 color palette--but the VGA improved on this
considerably and pretty much rendered the PGC a dead duck. According to
the website below, there were clones from Matrox, Vermont Microsystems,
Orchid and Everex, although I can't recall seeing any of them.
At any rate, rather than scan the very long Techref, here's some useful
informaton. The first is from IBM that documents the whole idea behind the
thing:
http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/241/ibmsj2401D.pdf
Here's information about programming:
http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/pgc.html
Cheers,
Chuck
P.S. Is anyone else getting these messages more than a week after they were
sent?
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