[comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware] VGA programming

andrew@otago.ac.nz (06/13/91)

Hi,

Anyone know how to directly program the DAC registers on the VGA without going
via the BIOS?  All the books I have on the VGA avaid the subject like the
pague!  They only give examples of DAC programming by calling the BIOS!

Andrew.

frank@cavebbs.gen.nz (Frank van der Hulst) (06/14/91)

In article <1991Jun13.173332.536@otago.ac.nz> andrew@otago.ac.nz writes:
>Anyone know how to directly program the DAC registers on the VGA without going
>via the BIOS?  All the books I have on the VGA avaid the subject like the
>pague!  They only give examples of DAC programming by calling the BIOS!

Get hold of "Programmer's Journal" from about '88 or so. There was a long
series of articles by Michael Abrash about programming VGA, including source
in assembler. I translated some to C, and now have a 320x400x256 colour x 2
page VGA mode!

I think Abrash has also written a book.


-- 

Take a walk on the wild side, and I don't mean the Milford Track.
Kayaking: The art of appearing to want to go where your boat is taking you.

dmillar@monsoon.Berkeley.EDU (Derek Millar) (06/15/91)

In article <1991Jun14.082056.7579@cavebbs.gen.nz> frank@cavebbs.gen.nz (Frank van der Hulst) writes:
>In article <1991Jun13.173332.536@otago.ac.nz> andrew@otago.ac.nz writes:
>>Anyone know how to directly program the DAC registers on the VGA without going
>>via the BIOS?  All the books I have on the VGA avaid the subject like the
>>pague!  They only give examples of DAC programming by calling the BIOS!
>
>Get hold of "Programmer's Journal" from about '88 or so. There was a long
>series of articles by Michael Abrash about programming VGA, including source
>in assembler. I translated some to C, and now have a 320x400x256 colour x 2
>page VGA mode!
>
>I think Abrash has also written a book.
>
He did.  The title is _Power Graphics Programming_ , published by Que, and it
is basically a collection of his columns from "Programmer's Journal",
including the one you mentioned.  I couldn't find anything about programming
DAC registers in it, though.

        -Derek Millar

zisi@opal.cs.tu-berlin.de (Andreas Zisowsky) (06/18/91)

Hi!

I've found a very good book for you:
"Programming the VGA" by Uphoff
published by Addison-Wesley

But be careful! It is very complex (and sometimes complicated), only use
this book if you have a good monitor that won't break down when receiving
wrong signals!