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Session 2520

Using the Rasterizing Capability of the AMD 29205 Microprocessor

Christopher R. Carroll University of Minnesota Duluth

Abstract The AMD 29205 32-bit RISC microprocessor includes many input/output features that can form the basis for lab experiments in academic settings. One of these features is the rasterizing shift register built into the processor. This feature allows generation of raster images, as in CRT displays, or capture of images supplied externally in raster form as from image scanners. This paper details the techniques used in a microprocessor laboratory to generate a CRT image of both text and graphics using the rasterizing hardware built into the AMD 29205 processor.

Background This paper is an extension of a paper presented previously at the 1995 ASEE annual conference1 that detailed the techniques for designing a microprocessor lab around the 29205 processor. The lab station described in that paper included both the SA-29205 demonstration board for the processor and a separate terminal for interaction with a host computer. The lab station in that microprocessor laboratory is evolving away from the need for the separate terminal by using the processing power available in the 29205 itself to perform the terminal functions of keyboard input and CRT screen output. In order to complete that transformation in the lab station, generation of a text and graphics image on a standard CRT must be accomplished.

The SA-29205 demonstration board provides a generous amount of memory on the board to support bit-mapped graphics, and that facility is used in the techniques described here to generate the rasterized image. Many other features of the 29205 processor, such as the internal Direct Memory Access (DMA) capabilities and the simple support for external peripherals added to the processor, are used extensively. Using the rasterizing feature of the AMD 29205 not only demonstrates that particular capability of the processor, but also provides a good example of the overall capabilities that are available in a lab based on the 29205.

Detailed below are the techniques in both hardware and software that have been used successfully to generate a raster image for a standard CRT display using the rasterizing capability of the AMD 29205 microprocessor. Also included are some experiments assigned to students using this interface, and some ideas for future applications of this improved lab station.

Hardware The hardware in the 29205 microprocessor that supports raster image generation is centered around a 32-bit shift register. Bits in this shift register are shifted out one end or the other,

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Carroll, C. R. (1997, June), Using The Rasterizing Capability Of The Amd 29205 Microprocessor Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6889