28 Sep
2006
28 Sep
'06
3:05 p.m.
I'm prototyping an LED display thingie and was trying to find a
representation of how folks used to do letters on a 7-segment display.
The two historical examples I came up with were the KIM-1 and a Byte
magazine article between about 1977 and 1981. I know there are
several modern Windows fonts out there, but as they differ somewhat, I
was hoping to be compatible with what was commonly done in the late
1970s.
To that end, does anyone have some representation of the KIM's
7-segment renderings or does anyone have a pointer to that old Byte
article about displaying ASCII on 7-segment displays?
Thanks,
-ethan
28 Sep
28 Sep
4:59 p.m.
Ethan Dicks wrote:
I'm prototyping an LED display thingie and was
trying to find a
representation of how folks used to do letters on a 7-segment display.
The two historical examples I came up with were the KIM-1 and a Byte
magazine article between about 1977 and 1981. I know there are
several modern Windows fonts out there, but as they differ somewhat, I
was hoping to be compatible with what was commonly done in the late
1970s.
How were the displays driven? I.e., were the segments individually
driven (each segment under software control) or were they driven
by a "7 segment LED driver"? In the latter case, you can lookup
the display pattern created by that driver chip and emulate it.
In the former case, you'd need a definitive source for the
patterns used. (given that, I can build you a TTF or PS font)
5:50 p.m.
On 9/29/06, Don <THX1138 at dakotacom.net> wrote:
Ethan Dicks wrote:
Individually driven from a 6520 port.
I'm prototyping an LED display thingie and
was trying to find a
representation of how folks used to do letters on a 7-segment display.
The two historical examples I came up with were the KIM-1...
How were the displays driven? I.e., were the segments individually
driven (each segment under software control) or were they driven
by a "7 segment LED driver"? In the former case, you'd need a definitive source
for the
patterns used. (given that, I can build you a TTF or PS font)
I don't need a TTF or PS font (I'm doing a bit-mapped emulation and I
already have the code done to render all possible patterns on some
simulated 7-segment displays), what I need is the definitive source
for the patterns.
-ethan
30 Sep
30 Sep
2:24 p.m.
Ethan Dicks schrieb:
On 9/29/06, Don <THX1138 at dakotacom.net>
wrote:
Look into the first book of Kim-1 (available from the net):
excerpt:
THE KIM-1 ALPHABET.
Some letters, like M and W, just won't go onto a 7-segment
display. Some, like B, are only possible in capitals; others,
like T, can only be done in lower case. So here's an
alphabet of possibles:
A - $F7
B - $FF b - $FC
C - $B9 c - $DB
D - $BF d - $DE
F - $F9
F - $F1 f - $F1
G - $BD g - $EF
H - $F6 h - $F4 1 - $86
I - $86 i - $84 2 - $DB
J - $9E j - $9E 3 - $CF
L - $B8 l - $86 4 - $E6
n - $D4 5 - $ED
O - $BF o - $DC 6 - $FD
P - $F3 p - $F3 7 - $87
r - $D0 B - $FF
S - $ED 9 - $EF
t - $F8 0 - $BF
U - $BE u - $9C minus - $C0
Y - $EE y - $EE
Guess it is obvious how to read this:
bit 7 = dot
bit 6 = segment g
bit 5 = segment f
...
bit 0 = segment a
Regards
Holger
Ethan Dicks wrote:
Individually driven from a 6520 port.
I'm prototyping an LED display thingie and
was trying to find a
representation of how folks used to do letters on a 7-segment display.
The two historical examples I came up with were the KIM-1...
How were the displays driven? I.e., were the segments individually
driven (each segment under software control) or were they driven
by a "7 segment LED driver"? In the former case, you'd need a definitive
source for the
patterns used. (given that, I can build you a TTF or PS font)
I don't need a TTF or PS font (I'm doing a bit-mapped emulation and I
already have the code done to render all possible patterns on some
simulated 7-segment displays), what I need is the definitive source
for the patterns.
-ethan
2:49 p.m.
Holger Veit wrote:
Ethan Dicks schrieb:
B can be done as a lowercase variant -- as a tail-less 6.
Lowercase D can be done with the same pattern mirrored
across the vertical axis. These are more readily
recognized.
Where you have some *choice* (A vs a, C vs. c, E vs. e, etc.),
you have to look at the whole character set to come to a
"best compromise"
(Of course, if the device in question has already made that
choice *for* you....)
On 9/29/06, Don <THX1138 at dakotacom.net>
wrote:
Look into the first book of Kim-1 (available from the net):
excerpt:
THE KIM-1 ALPHABET.
Some letters, like M and W, just won't go onto a 7-segment
display. Some, like B, are only possible in capitals; others, Ethan Dicks wrote:
Individually driven from a 6520 port.
I'm prototyping an LED display thingie and
was trying to find a
representation of how folks used to do letters on a 7-segment display.
The two historical examples I came up with were the KIM-1...
How were the displays driven? I.e., were the segments individually
driven (each segment under software control) or were they driven
by a "7 segment LED driver"? In the former case, you'd need a definitive
source for the
patterns used. (given that, I can build you a TTF or PS font)
I don't need a TTF or PS font (I'm doing a bit-mapped emulation and I
already have the code done to render all possible patterns on some
simulated 7-segment displays), what I need is the definitive source
for the patterns.
-ethan
like T, can only be done in lower case. So
here's an
alphabet of possibles:
A - $F7
B - $FF b - $FC
C - $B9 c - $DB
D - $BF d - $DE
F - $F9
F - $F1 f - $F1
G - $BD g - $EF
H - $F6 h - $F4 1 - $86
I - $86 i - $84 2 - $DB
J - $9E j - $9E 3 - $CF
L - $B8 l - $86 4 - $E6
n - $D4 5 - $ED
O - $BF o - $DC 6 - $FD
P - $F3 p - $F3 7 - $87
r - $D0 B - $FF
S - $ED 9 - $EF
t - $F8 0 - $BF
U - $BE u - $9C minus - $C0
Y - $EE y - $EE
Guess it is obvious how to read this:
bit 7 = dot
bit 6 = segment g
bit 5 = segment f
...
bit 0 = segment a
6439
days inactive
6441
days old
4 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
holger.veit＠ais.fraunhofer.de -
THX1138＠dakotacom.net