Amiga graphics card project
This is exactly the kind of project The Commodore Community Consortium exists to promote and enable.
Originally shared by Tony Sidaway
MNT VA2000, an Amiga 2000 Graphics Card (Zorro II).
Lukas F. Hartmann learned enough about the Zorro II bus, Verilog, and surface mount soldering techniques to design and build this modern graphics card prototype which brings high performance graphics to those cheap and cheerful Amiga 2000 systems you can still pick up on eBay.
https://github.com/mntmn/amiga2000-gfxcard/blob/master/README.md
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Friday, 8 April 2016
I hope you guys in the CCC are all following along with this great series on Ars Technica about the history of the...
I hope you guys in the CCC are all following along with this great series on Ars Technica about the history of the Amiga.
#Commodore #Amiga #ComputingHistory
Originally shared by Christopher Gaul
The History of the Amiga - Part 9
I posted on this series when it started, but I wanted to post an update for those that missed it.
The Amiga computers were some of the most innovative pieces of computer technology of their time. When it was introduced, the Amiga made the PC's and Apple's of the day look like stone age toys.
Many of the innovations in computing we take for granted today were first brought to life on the Amiga, or were perfected there. Whatever devices and brands you use today, you owe something of their functionality to the Amiga.
As for the Video Toaster, it brought in a revelation in broadcast computer graphics. It not only dominated the industry, but created the market. A huge number of TV stations, marketing companies, music videos, and television shows relied on Amiga's and Video Toasters for their livelihood. Shows like Babylon 5 would have been impossible without the Amiga / Video Toaster combo. Musician Todd Rundgren became so enamoured with the combo that he bought a stack of Amiga's with Video Toasters. He saw them as a tool to unlock a whole new area of his art. Giving him unlimited ability to express the visuals he wanted to use to complete the message of his music. Taking the music video from recordings of people singing and dancing to multimedia trips into the mind of the musician.
Here is Todd Rundgren's "Change Myself" video. Created by Todd himself entirely with Amiga's using NewTek's Lightwave 3D software and their Video Toaster package.
https://youtu.be/7mH8PaWbi1E
https://youtu.be/CSQs2boo4Sk
For more videos on the Video Toaster
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=video+toaster
Ars Technica's full History of the Amiga series
http://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-amiga/
#Amiga #Innovation #VideoToaster #NewTek
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/03/a-history-of-the-amiga-part-9-the-video-toaster/
#Commodore #Amiga #ComputingHistory
Originally shared by Christopher Gaul
The History of the Amiga - Part 9
I posted on this series when it started, but I wanted to post an update for those that missed it.
The Amiga computers were some of the most innovative pieces of computer technology of their time. When it was introduced, the Amiga made the PC's and Apple's of the day look like stone age toys.
Many of the innovations in computing we take for granted today were first brought to life on the Amiga, or were perfected there. Whatever devices and brands you use today, you owe something of their functionality to the Amiga.
As for the Video Toaster, it brought in a revelation in broadcast computer graphics. It not only dominated the industry, but created the market. A huge number of TV stations, marketing companies, music videos, and television shows relied on Amiga's and Video Toasters for their livelihood. Shows like Babylon 5 would have been impossible without the Amiga / Video Toaster combo. Musician Todd Rundgren became so enamoured with the combo that he bought a stack of Amiga's with Video Toasters. He saw them as a tool to unlock a whole new area of his art. Giving him unlimited ability to express the visuals he wanted to use to complete the message of his music. Taking the music video from recordings of people singing and dancing to multimedia trips into the mind of the musician.
Here is Todd Rundgren's "Change Myself" video. Created by Todd himself entirely with Amiga's using NewTek's Lightwave 3D software and their Video Toaster package.
https://youtu.be/7mH8PaWbi1E
https://youtu.be/CSQs2boo4Sk
For more videos on the Video Toaster
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=video+toaster
Ars Technica's full History of the Amiga series
http://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-amiga/
#Amiga #Innovation #VideoToaster #NewTek
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/03/a-history-of-the-amiga-part-9-the-video-toaster/
Creating a catalog of NEW 3D printable parts and designs
Creating a catalog of NEW 3D printable parts and designs
Before reading this post, read the linked post first...
https://plus.google.com/+ChristopherGaul/posts/FavKmtJjDAF
Done reading that? Good. Now, lets expand the idea to include new parts and designs.
Let's start with simple modifications to original parts to make them better, sturdier, or more useful today.
For example, how about an Amiga 500 trapdoor cover with integrated vent holes and mounts for a tiny cooling fan?
Or an Amiga drive bay face-plate with mounts and slots for other uses. Like an SD reader, or USB port, or switches and LED pairs.
How about a 1084 monitor control door with a sturdier hinge!
How about cases for various devices and expansions that don't have them or have inadequate ones?
The next step is to have 3D modelers and printers collaborate with hardware hackers and designers to create cases, mounts, etc. for their designs to help bring more complete, polished, and protected products to the community.
Before reading this post, read the linked post first...
https://plus.google.com/+ChristopherGaul/posts/FavKmtJjDAF
Done reading that? Good. Now, lets expand the idea to include new parts and designs.
Let's start with simple modifications to original parts to make them better, sturdier, or more useful today.
For example, how about an Amiga 500 trapdoor cover with integrated vent holes and mounts for a tiny cooling fan?
Or an Amiga drive bay face-plate with mounts and slots for other uses. Like an SD reader, or USB port, or switches and LED pairs.
How about a 1084 monitor control door with a sturdier hinge!
How about cases for various devices and expansions that don't have them or have inadequate ones?
The next step is to have 3D modelers and printers collaborate with hardware hackers and designers to create cases, mounts, etc. for their designs to help bring more complete, polished, and protected products to the community.
3D printed retro parts sharing
3D printed retro parts sharing
One of the problems with being a retro hobbiest, no matter what hobby, is the shortage of spare parts. Especially small or simple parts that were never in good supply when the product was new.
Today we are lucky enough to have a solution for replacing some of these parts. 3D Printing. Right now many plastic parts can be easily replicated and replaced with a 3D printed version. It's already being done. However, I'd like to see this community greatly expand on that idea.
Here's what I propose.
First, we create a listing or catalog of commonly needed parts for the various Commodore/Amiga computers.
Second, we find if any 3D models suitable for 3D priniting already exist for any of those models and include that resource in the catalog.
Third, we solicit volunteers with the skills and willingness to create new 3D models, by hand or from scans, of other parts in the catalog.
Fourth, we ask for volunteers to collaborate with those modellers by supplying (loaning) the parts in question for modelling and or 3D scanning.
Fifth, we get those models printed (by other volunteers or printing houses) and tested.
Sixth, we make those models available to everyone, with an open source license.
If there is an issue of cost or labour for some of these steps, we create bounties and solicit donations to pay for them.
One of the problems with being a retro hobbiest, no matter what hobby, is the shortage of spare parts. Especially small or simple parts that were never in good supply when the product was new.
Today we are lucky enough to have a solution for replacing some of these parts. 3D Printing. Right now many plastic parts can be easily replicated and replaced with a 3D printed version. It's already being done. However, I'd like to see this community greatly expand on that idea.
Here's what I propose.
First, we create a listing or catalog of commonly needed parts for the various Commodore/Amiga computers.
Second, we find if any 3D models suitable for 3D priniting already exist for any of those models and include that resource in the catalog.
Third, we solicit volunteers with the skills and willingness to create new 3D models, by hand or from scans, of other parts in the catalog.
Fourth, we ask for volunteers to collaborate with those modellers by supplying (loaning) the parts in question for modelling and or 3D scanning.
Fifth, we get those models printed (by other volunteers or printing houses) and tested.
Sixth, we make those models available to everyone, with an open source license.
If there is an issue of cost or labour for some of these steps, we create bounties and solicit donations to pay for them.
Please note the addition under "ATTENTION" in the "About this community" section.
Please note the addition under "ATTENTION" in the "About this community" section.
If you invite anyone to join, and you are encouraged to do so, then please make them aware that the community is by request for the reason that we want to invite all with a passion for moving the Commodore Community forward into the future while weeding out the highly negative elements that have caused so much damage and stifled so much creativity and new thinking in other Commodore forums and communities.
This is intended to be a fresh start where anyone and everyone with ideas and enthusiasm can come and collaborate with others to make their ideas happen, and to share those ideas so that they can inspire yet more new ideas and projects.
If you invite anyone to join, and you are encouraged to do so, then please make them aware that the community is by request for the reason that we want to invite all with a passion for moving the Commodore Community forward into the future while weeding out the highly negative elements that have caused so much damage and stifled so much creativity and new thinking in other Commodore forums and communities.
This is intended to be a fresh start where anyone and everyone with ideas and enthusiasm can come and collaborate with others to make their ideas happen, and to share those ideas so that they can inspire yet more new ideas and projects.
Saturday, 2 April 2016
Commodore 64 Cartridge competition
Commodore 64 Cartridge competition
For all you C= fans out there, this should be interesting stuff.
But Commodore Community Consortium members should jump on it as this is exactly the kind of thing that the CCC exists to promote. The collaborative development of new hardware and software, and the solving of technical issues with old hardware, including expansions and upgrades.
http://www.rgcd.co.uk/2016/04/rgcd-c64-cartridge-development.html
For all you C= fans out there, this should be interesting stuff.
But Commodore Community Consortium members should jump on it as this is exactly the kind of thing that the CCC exists to promote. The collaborative development of new hardware and software, and the solving of technical issues with old hardware, including expansions and upgrades.
http://www.rgcd.co.uk/2016/04/rgcd-c64-cartridge-development.html
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)