487 lines
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487 lines
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HTML
<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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<META NAME="Author" CONTENT="Joshua Neal">
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<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Pure VGA/SVGA hardware programming (registers, identification, and otherlow-level stuff.)">
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<META NAME="KeyWords" CONTENT="VGA SVGA hardware video programming">
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<TITLE>FreeVGA Project Home - Hardware level VGA and SVGA programming info</TITLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY>
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<CENTER><A HREF="home.htm">Home</A> <A HREF="#news">News</A> <A HREF="#mirrors">Mirrors</A>
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<A HREF="#preface">Preface</A> <A HREF="#background">Background</A> <A HREF="#vga">VGA</A>
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<A HREF="#svga">SVGA</A> <A HREF="#tricks">Tricks</A> <A HREF="#references">Links</A>
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<A HREF="#warn">Disclaimer</A> <A HREF="#product">Products</A> <A HREF="#feedback">Feedback</A>
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<A HREF="home.htm">Back</A>
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<HR><B>Hardware Level VGA and SVGA Video Programming Information Page</B></CENTER>
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<CENTER>Home
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<HR WIDTH="100%"></CENTER>
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<CENTER> </CENTER>
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<CENTER><TABLE BORDER WIDTH="600" CELLPADING="2" >
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<TR ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=CENTER>
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<TD WIDTH="75">7</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">6</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">5</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">4</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">3</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">2</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">1</TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75">0</TD>
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</TR>
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<TR ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=CENTER>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>F</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>R</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>E</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>E</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4> </FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>V</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>G</FONT></TD>
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<TD WIDTH="75"><FONT SIZE=+4>A</FONT></TD>
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</TR>
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</TABLE></CENTER>
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<CENTER>This page is home to the <A HREF="freevga.htm">FreeVGA Project</A>
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-- dedicated to providing a totally FREE source of information about video
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hardware. <A HREF="freevga.htm">Additional goals/information are
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located here.</A></CENTER>
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<CENTER>"Keep on rocking in the free world." - Neil Young</CENTER>
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<P><A NAME="news"></A><B>Latest News</B>
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<BR><B> 08/01/1998</B> -- More
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information is now up, including a large portion of the "standard" VGA
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reference. Some other minor changes have been made to other information.
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Expect more updates in the not too far future.
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<P> <B>06/20/1998</B> -- The
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work contiues. Added three new mirrors. Some of the information
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that was located in the VGA reference, but really applies to video programming
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in general has been moved to the new Background Information (formerly Introduction)
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section of this page, and has been released. Also, a glossary has
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been added defining terms related to video programming, but is not very
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comprehensive at the moment, although this should improve over time. Many
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minor corrections have been made to the released material after being pointed
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out by the insightful people reading the information. Thank you!
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<P><B> 06/08/1998</B> -- The
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mirror list has been updated with the new entries. Special thanks goes
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out to all those who have donated their personal resources to advance the
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project's goals. Also, the first section of *real* information is
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online, the low-level programming introduction. This section has
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been relatively stable for quite some time, and seems to be releasable.
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It is my goal to release the information after it stabilizes, and has been
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verified for accuracy.
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<P><B> 06/04/1998</B> --<B> </B>If
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you are looking for the current work-in-progress, and have been given the
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passwords for the archive for review purposes, it can be downloaded <A HREF="http://www.goodnet.com/~tinara/wip.zip">here</A>.
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For those with current problems/questions that this page addresses, please
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feel free to use the <A HREF="#feedback">Feedback Form</A> to contact the
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author. If a link is marked with <B>(WIP)</B>, it is not posted online
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and at this time is available only for review, upon request, and under
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specific limitations.
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<P><A NAME="mirrors"></A><B>Mirror Sites</B>
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<BR> At this time, the project
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is experimenting with the feasibility of maintaining mirror sites to make
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this information more widely available. The following mirror sites
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are provided for your convenience. If you are interested in hosting
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a mirror site of this information, please contact the author for more information.
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If you are experiencing problems with any of these mirrors please use the
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<A HREF="#feedback">Feedback Form</A> to contact the author, as it is likely
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my fault that the problem has arisen.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://www.goodnet.com/~tinara/FreeVGA/home.htm">USA, Arizona,
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Phoenix</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="feedback.htm">Joshua Neal</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://sf.znet.com/~vhold/FreeVGA/home.htm">USA, California, San
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Francisco</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://sf.znet.com/~vhold/">Marty Price</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://hardware.doa.org/FreeVGA/home.htm">USA, Massachusetts,
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Boston</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://hardware.doa.org/">Leif Hardison</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://www.pacwest.net/byron13/FreeVGA/home.htm">USA, Oregon,
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Eugene</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://www.pacwest.net/byron13/">Byron
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Miller</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://hups.apana.org.au/~scuffer/FreeVGA/home.htm">Australia,
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Canberra</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://hups.apana.org.au/~scuffer/">David
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Murn</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://nightmare.euroweb.hu/~ytiddo/FreeVGA/home.htm">Hungary</A>
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-- hosted by <A HREF="http://nightmare.euroweb.hu/~ytiddo/">Justin Doiel</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://www.inter.uunet.nl/hcc/S.Weijgers/FreeVGA/home.htm">The
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Netherlands, Apeldoorn</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://web.inter.nl.net/hcc/S.Weijgers/">Simon
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Weijgers</A></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://n152.apeldoorn.telekabel.euronet.nl/FreeVGA/home.htm">The
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Netherlands, Nijmegen</A> -- hosted by <A HREF="http://web.inter.nl.net/hcc/S.Weijgers/">Simon
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Weijgers</A></LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="preface"></A><B>Preface</B>
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<BR> This page's purpose is to
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provide free low-level programming information to programmers interested
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in the low-level details of programming the VGA and Super VGA adapters,
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in a format independent of operating environment or programming language.
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This page is not intended to be a reference to graphics or game programming
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algorithms but rather a reference for those people attempting to implement
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such algorithms in whatever environment they are using. This page is not
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intended to be a showcase of web technology and thus will use HTML features
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and graphics only when it is necessary to convey information. For example,
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I have left the colors and fonts set to the default, so you can actually
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use the default preferences in your browser. I am continuously adding material
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to this page and have tried to incorporate links to other sites with valuable
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information.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#intro">Introduction</A> -- An introduction to low-level programming</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#vga">Standard VGA Chipset Reference</A> -- Documents the common
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functionality of all VGA and SVGA adapters.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#svga">Super VGA Hardware Chipset Reference</A> -- Documents the
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specifics of VGA and SVGA adapters.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#other">Other Video Hardware Reference</A> -- Documents video
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related hardware other than VGA and SVGA adapters.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#tricks">Tricks and Techniques</A> -- Articles detailing the use
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of low-level programming for optimization or special effects.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#references">Other References</A> -- Gives pointers to other related
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material.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="#warn">Warnings and Disclaimer</A> -- Reading this section before
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utilizing any information contained within is both recommended and required.</LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="background"></A><B>Background Information</B>
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<BR> Foremost, this page is meant
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to be a place online where one can learn about low-level programming (If
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everyone knew all of this information then this page would be redundant!)
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This section contains general information that can be very helpful when
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attempting to use the programming information located on this site.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="llintro.htm">Introduction to Low-level Programming</A> -- Answers
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general questions about the topic. <B>(Released 6/08/1998)</B></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="hardovr.htm">Overview of Video Hardware Functionality</A> -- Describes
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the job of the video hardware and what components it uses to perform that
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task. <B>(Released 6/15/1998)</B></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="vtiming.htm">Video Timing Information</A> -- Gives information
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about video timing that is useful for video programmers.<B> (Released 6/15/98)</B></LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="glossary.htm">Video Programming Glossary</A> -- Defines terms
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that are related to video programming. <B>(Added 6/15/1998)</B></LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="vga"></A><B>Standard VGA Chipset Reference</B>
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<BR><B> </B>This section documents
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the subset of functionality present on nearly all computers today. The
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VGA BIOS utilizes only a fraction of the capability of the VGA hardware.
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By programming the hardware at the lowest level, one gains the flexibility
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to unleash the hardware's full potential.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="vga/vga.htm">VGA Chipset Reference</A> -- Documentation of the
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"Standard" VGA implementation. <B>(Released 8/01/1998)</B></LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="svga"></A><B>Super VGA Hardware Chipset Reference</B>
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<BR> This section documents the
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known functionality of specific VGA/SVGA chipsets. Because developers of
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chipsets and video cards face incredible competition, they have added features
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and functionality far beyond the standard VGA hardware. Unfortunately to
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programmers, these features have been implemented differently in each particular
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chipset, and even differently between products by the same manufacturer.
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It is difficult to obtaining information on these chipsets and their implementations,
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particularly so if the chipset is considered "obsolete" by the manufacturer.
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Because of the open-ended nature of this topic (chipsets are under constant
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development) this page will be updated constantly as new information becomes
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available.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="svga/svga.htm">SVGA Chipset Reference</A> -- Documentation of
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specific VGA/SVGA hardware implementations. <B>(WIP)</B></LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="other"></A><B>Other Video Hardware Reference</B>
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<BR><B> </B> This section is for
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video hardware that does not specifically fit into the category of VGA
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or SVGA, such as MPEG hardware, video capture hardware, non-integrated
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3D accelerators, virtual reality gear, digital video cameras, stereoscopic
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3D goggles, TV tuner cards, non-VGA compatible video adapters and the like.
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This is another open-ended topic but is not the primary focus of this page.
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<P><A NAME="tricks"></A><B>Tricks and Techniques</B>
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<BR> This section contains useful
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information on how to utilize the VGA/SVGA hardware to optimize specific
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tasks or implement visual effects. Many of these techniques have been utilized
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by game and demo programmers alike to push the envelope of the hardware's
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capacity.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="tricks/tricks.htm">Tricks and Techniques</A> -- Details on using
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the hardware to your advantage. <B>(WIP)</B></LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="references"></A><B>Other References:</B>
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<BR><B> </B>This section gives
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some pointers to other available VGA hardware information available. Note
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that they are listed here because
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<B>Online Information</B></LI>
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<UL>
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<LI>
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The <A HREF="http://www.heartlab.rri.uwo.ca/vidfaq/">COMP.SYS.IBM.PC.HARDWARE.VIDEO
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)</A> document, although not programming
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oriented does contain much useful information about video hardware. The
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site also includes links to nearly every vendor of video cards and monitors,
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as well as links to pages covering monitor specifications. If you are looking
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for video hardware related information not covered by the FreeVGA Project's
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goals, you will likely find it or a link to it here.</LI>
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<LI>
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Finn Thøgersen's <A HREF="http://www.datashopper.dk/~finth/">VGADOC
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& WHATVGA Homepage</A> -- An excellent collection of information for
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programming VGA and SVGA.</LI>
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<LI>
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Boone's <A HREF="http://www.strangecreations.com/library/hardware/vgaregs.txt">Programming
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the VGA Registers</A> -- Contains a very sketchy "Documentation Over the
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I/O Registers for Standard VGA Cards" by "Shaggy of The Yellow One." It
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is free and distributable over the "Feel free to spread this to whoever
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wants it....." licensing agreement.</LI>
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<LI>
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Andrew Scott's <I>VGA Programmers Master Reference Manual</I> (<A HREF="ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/demos/code/hardware/video/vga-info.zip">click
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here to download from ftp.cdrom.com</A>) -- A dated ('91) document that
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is interesting if only because it attempts to document the VGA hardware
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(actually the Trident TVGA8900 hardware) in a form useful for "writing
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an applications specific BIOS." Begins with a very general description
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the topic (a wordy definition of computation in general) and ends with
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detailed register descriptions. Unfortunately, it lacks much material between
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these areas. Worse, far from being a free resource, it requires shareware
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registration fees that must be sent to the U.K. by means of a check drawn
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from a U.K. bank only!</LI>
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<LI>
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Richard Wilton's <I>Programmer's Guide to PC and PS/2 Video Systems</I>
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(<A HREF="http://www.dc.ee/Files/Programm.Docs/videoprg.arj">click here
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to download from www.dc.ee</A>) An older reference, covers MDA, Hercules,
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CGA, MCGA, and VGA. Not much VGA material but does have some register documentation.</LI>
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<LI>
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IBM's RS/6000 <I>CHRP I/O Device Reference</I> <A HREF="http://www.rs6000.ibm.com/resource/technology/chrpio/vga_app.mak.html">Appendix
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A: VGA Programming Model</A> -- A good VGA reference from the makers of
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the IBM VGA. Better than most on-line references as it contains programming
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information in addition to a register description of the hardware; however
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it is still vague in many areas. Especially interesting as it begins with
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an acknowledgment of the many "clones" of the VGA hardware.</LI>
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<LI>
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Some brief VGA register info is available from the <A HREF="http://www.hitex.com/chipdir/reg/vga.txt">Chip
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Directory</A>, also mirrored at other sites (see <A HREF="http://www.hitex.com/chipdir/">Chip
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Directory home page</A>).</LI>
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<LI>
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Eric S. Raymond's <A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/XFree86-Video-Timings-HOWTO.html">The
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XFree86 Video Timings HOWTO</A> -- explains video mode and timing information
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used in configuring XFree86 to support a given monitor, intended to be
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used by the end user. Much of the information is not sepcific to
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XFree86, and can be used by a programmer as an example of how a low-level
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video routine can allow the end-users to setup video modes that pertain
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to their monitors, as well as being useful to an end-user of such a program
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attempting to configure such a routine to work with their monitors.</LI>
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<LI>
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Tomi Engdahl's <A HREF="http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/docs/">electronics
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info page</A> has some information about video and vga timings, as well
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as a section on VGA to TV converters and homemade circuitry. The
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<A HREF="http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/cindex.html">VGA
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to TV converter page</A> contans much information that pertains to driving
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custom TV and monitors with a VGA or SVGA card that doesn't have the capability
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built-in.</LI>
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</UL>
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<LI>
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<B>Offline Information</B></LI>
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<UL>
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<LI>
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Richard F. Ferraro's<B> </B><I>Programmer's Guide to the EGA, VGA, and
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Super VGA Cards, Third Edition</I> -- A good text, one of the few good
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books on a subject as broad and as complicated as low-level I/O.</LI>
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<LI>
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Frank van Gilluwe's <I>The Undocumented PC, Second Edition -- A Programmer's
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Guide to I/O, CPUs and Fixed Memory Areas</I> -- An excellent book, which
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is the likely the most complete PC technical reference ever written, and
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includes 100+ pages of video programming information, although very little
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VGA register information.</LI>
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<LI>
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Bertelsons, Rasch & Hoffman's PC Underground: Unconventional Programming
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Topics -- I bought this book on markdown, due to it having some VGA information
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in it. I was surprised to find that not only did it have a register
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description, but it also described some possible effects that can be done
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with that register.</LI>
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</UL>
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<LI>
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<B>Miscellaneous Information (Information not specific to video hardware,
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but useful to video programmers.)</B></LI>
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<UL>
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<LI>
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Norman Walsh's <A HREF="http://nwalsh.com/comp.fonts/FAQ/index.html">The
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comp.fonts FAQ</A> -- An excellent resource on fonts, typefaces, and such.
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Particularly helpful is the section on intellectual property protection
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for fonts, as the copyright legality of fonts and typefaces is somewhat
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confusing. Note -- Norman Walsh has ceased maintaining the FAQ, however,
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this link will remain until a new version of the FAQ is produced.</LI>
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</UL>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="product"></A><B>Product Recommendations</B>
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<BR> The FreeVGA Project does
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not make hardware recommendations as pertains to hardware covered by the
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documentation, in an attempt to prevent any conflicts of interest.
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However, there are other products that can be extremely helpful when implementing
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the information found here, such as monitors, test equipment, and software.
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I will not refuse any request to list a product on this page, however I
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will categorize it depending upon its importance and suitability for video
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related software development using opinions of myself and others.
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If you disagree with the opinion here, please use the Feedback Form to
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voice that opinion, such that it can be taken into account.
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="hardrec.htm">Product Recommendations</A> -- Listing of products
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that can be beneficial to the target audience of this site.</LI>
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</UL>
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<A NAME="warn"></A><B>Warnings and Disclaimer</B>
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<UL>
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<LI>
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<B><U>Danger</U>: </B>Monitors are designed to operate within certain frequency
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ranges, or for fixed frequency monitors at certain frequencies.<B> <U>Driving
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a monitor at a frequency that it is not designed for is not recommended
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and may cause damage to the monitor's circuitry which can result in a fire
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and safety risk</U>. </B>It is wise to know and understand the specifications
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of the monitor(s) that you will be driving in order to prevent damage.
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Consult the manufacturers documentation for the monitor for the information,
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or if not available, contact the manufacturer directly. If the monitor
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makes unusual noises, or the internal temperature exceeds the rated temperature
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of its components, the monitor is likely to experience failure. This
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failure may not be immediate, but is under most circumstances inevitable. <B>
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<U>Monitor failures can be violent in nature, and can explode and produce
|
|
shrapnel, as well as overheat and catch fire</U>. </B>In no circumstance
|
|
should one leave a monitor unattended in an uncertain state. Furthermore,
|
|
exceeding the rated maximum frequencies of a monitor may cause the phosphors
|
|
to age prematurely, as well as<B> <U>increase the amount of harmful radiation
|
|
projected towards the viewer beyond the specified maximums</U>.</B></LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
<B><U>Warning</U>: </B>Clock chips and RAMDACs as well as other components
|
|
of the video card are designed with a maximum frequency.<B> <U>Programming
|
|
these chips to operate at a frequency greater than they were designed for
|
|
causes the chips to run hotter than they were designed to operate, and
|
|
may cause the component to fail</U>. </B>It is wise to know and understand
|
|
the maximum operating frequency of the components of any video subsystem
|
|
you will be programming. Do not assume that the component is safe to operate
|
|
at a particular frequency because it can be programmed to operate at that
|
|
frequency. The rated frequencies are rated and verified according
|
|
to batch yield. As clock frequencies increase, the failure rate of
|
|
the chips during manufacturing testing increases. It is impossible
|
|
to predict the actual point at which a given semiconductor will fail, thus
|
|
manufacturers monitor the failure rate statistically to determine the frequency
|
|
that gives an acceptable batch yield. <B><U>These failures are typically
|
|
unobservable and require a method of testing every gate on the chip, as
|
|
many failures may only be observable under very specific circumstances,
|
|
typically resulting in intermittent failures, although complete "meltdown"
|
|
due to a newly formed short is also possible.</U></B> If they
|
|
occur, the entire semiconductor must be rejected due to these failures
|
|
being irrepairable. As you exceed the rated frequency you are taking
|
|
a semiconductor that has passed a thourough test at its rated frequency
|
|
and entering the realm of statistical probability. Attempting to
|
|
find the maximum frequency is impossible, as by the time a failure is noticable
|
|
the semiconductor has already been permanently damaged. Cooling the
|
|
external package by using a heat sink and/or fan may increase the frequency
|
|
at which a semiconductor can operate; however, there is still no way to
|
|
determine the frequency at which a specific semiconductor will fail as
|
|
it can only be done statistically and practically undetectable without
|
|
being able to determine the proper operation of every gate on the semiconductor.
|
|
Semiconductors such as fast CPU's are rated with the required heat sink
|
|
and/or cooling fan in place. Aftermarket cooling devices are sold
|
|
as "performance coolers" due to the inability to determine the statistical
|
|
likelyhood of failure and the inability of the end user to simply reject
|
|
failed semiconductors. <B><U>Under no circumstances should a programmer
|
|
develop software that overclocks an end-user's hardware without the end
|
|
user being warned of the statistical likelyhood of failure.</U></B>
|
|
Making any claims about the safety of the software's operation can leave
|
|
the programmer with legal liability that cannot be excluded by disclaimer.</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
<B><U>Disclaimer</U>: The author presents this information as-is without
|
|
any warranty, including suitability for intended purpose. The author is
|
|
not responsible for damages resulting by the use of the information, incidental
|
|
or otherwise. By utilizing this information, you as the programmer take
|
|
full liability for any damages caused by your use of this information.
|
|
If you are not satisfied with these terms, then your only recourse is to
|
|
not use this information. While every reasonable effort is made to ensure
|
|
that this information is correct, the possibility exists for error and
|
|
is not guaranteed for accuracy, and disclaims liability for any changes,
|
|
errors or omissions and is not responsible for any damages that may arise
|
|
from the use or misuse of this information. License to use this information
|
|
is only granted where this disclaimer applies in whole.</B></LI>
|
|
</UL>
|
|
<A NAME="feedback"></A><B>Feedback</B>
|
|
<BR> I can be reached online
|
|
via the <A HREF="feedback.htm">Feedback Form</A>. Consider it your
|
|
moral obligation to send feedback about the page, including inaccuracies,
|
|
confusing parts, missing info, questions/answers and other feedback type
|
|
thingies.
|
|
<BR>
|
|
|
|
<P>Notice: All trademarks used or referred to on this page are the property
|
|
of their respective owners.
|
|
<BR>All pages are Copyright © 1997, 1998, J. D. Neal, except where
|
|
noted. Permission for utilization and distribution is subject to the terms
|
|
of the <A HREF="license.htm">FreeVGA Project Copyright License</A>. <IMG SRC="http://www.goodnet.com/~tinara/cgi-bin/imgserv.cgi?logo.gif" >
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