Re: SVGA PC on Apple IIGS

[keithhar@eb5ts4.EBay.Sun.COM (Keith Hargrove)]

In article <2i2tdiEo3v@uni-erlangen.de> fn0730@cd4680fs.rrze.uni-erlangen.de (Kurs-30) writes:
>
>
>Hello,
>
>In my personal opinion one major point where theIIGS has a lack against those
>MS-DOS machines is the graphic resolution (at least the vertical one) ,
>Speed isn't anymore a problem since there are TWGS and ZIP GS out rated
>at high speeds.
>
>
>So I'm working on a project in which I use ine of those PC ET4000 SVGA cards,
>to connect to my IIGS.
>
>I know tha would be a poor (and for some of you even an pervert ) thing, but 
>it's easier to complete than to design an whole new powerful graphiccard (using an intelligent graphicproc.)
>
>I won't connect the PC card to any of the standard GS slot, since the 
>
>bandwidth is very limitet due the 1MHz signal, instead I thought about 
>using the Memoryexp. connector, and using the ROM area to get speed improvenmts
>
>What do others think about this p[roject, ... ????
>
>
>Alex.
>

I think it is a great idea!! 
I have thought about this before but did not have the time to do it.
I think the best place would be to pull the cpu and plug it there 
and plug the cpu into it.  This way you could plug it into a zip or twgs 
and get full speed to the cpu. And for about $30 you could add one of 
those RISC microcontrollers around 20 mips. The microcontrollers would be 
great for doing the translation and have some speed leftover.
Useing the leftover speed for DMA and any other things that might be needed 
that is not in the vga card already. Most of the SVGA cards do blits and 
have many accredited features that should speed up the gs even if runing 
at a much higher resolution. I would like to see this project become a reality.
I think this project could be expanded to use a pc ethernet card.
And if the microcontrollers could do some X translations it might be possible
to put the gs on the net. And be able to use it on any X machine or use the gs
as a X windowing machine. Just think a gs workstation :)  

I hope Alex completes this project. I think it would keep the gs useable for 
some time.












        -Keith