Msg: 1545 *Conference*

02-11-92 07:51:52

From: DREW BLANCHAR

To : ERIK FRANCIS

Subj: GRAPHICS

Dear Erik,
  Looking into my notes on the MDL 100, I can find where character data for the
screen is stored (memory FE00-FF40 which is only 320 bytes, not enough for the
1920 8-bit-bytes to store ALL the pixels)...
  So where is the pixel info stored?  In the LCD screen itself.  Huh?!?! 
  
Well (near as I can read it in the schematic) the MDL 100-style ascII code is
translated (thru the CPU using the ROM as the character generator) to dots
along the horizontal ........ (when the same system translates out for the bit
map to a printer it's 8 or 9 dots in the vertical.)
 
The pixcel info is fed to the LCD and is stored in the LCD cell, readalbe only
by visible means.  Sure, you can blink a cell, but the computer has no feed
back means of knowing what state (clear or black) that cell was in previously.
  
I know this is a let down, and I could have used the pixcel memory info for one
of my graphic projects, but such does not seem to be available to us.
  
-dB