Project Page for Visual Matrix

Problem: You have tons of usable displays (big ole tube TVs, old NTSC monitors both bw AND color, etc) and no output to display on them.
Solution: Visual Matrix to the rescue!

Apple II side (Server): Custom 6502 assembly initializes a serial card to receive prompting from the server as well as initializing text and graphics screens to a blank state. The Apple II then waits for instructions such as "switch graphics mode", "draw glyph", "draw line", "plot point", etc from the client side. After it's finished performing a single or series of operations, it notifies the client it's finished and ready for the next instruction.

Ruby script (Client): The script knows the physical position of each Apple II monitor and creates a virtual screen that is as large as the monitors put together. It then reads from a script file and allows the user to select a visualization at will (flash, scroll message, glyph, animation, etc).

Code!

Coming soon!

First Videos

Some quick runs of the first tests to see if it works at all. Please note that the "next frame update" is extremely slow because the Apple serial ports are connected to a Livingston Portmaster 11, an antique 8088 beast. Framerates on a more direct serial connection would be a lot, LOT faster (Will prove in emulation as soon as an Apple emulator is modified to receive serial port data through a socket.)

Video 1

A demonstration of the trusty spinning cursor, some lines that map the entire height and width of the virtual display, Apple Kaleidoscope, and synchronized flashing

Video 2

Second demonstration, to show scroll and some interesting sun glyphs.

Thanks!

Thanks for looking. -m