CRT Display Technology

Cathode Ray Tube

Electron gun fires electrons at the screen
Electric field steers the electron (X field and Y field)
Screen phosphor emits light when electron hits

Electron beams scans the screen, left-to-right, top-to-bottom

As the beam moves, we can set the brightness of each color
We turn on each pixel for the right about of time

We set the horizontal and vertical scan rate using SYNC

signals
HSYNC - horizontal scan frequency
VSYNC - vertical scan frequency

VGA - Video Graphics Adapter

Ancient PC CRT interface standard
But still used, just like the 8086 ISA

VGA Interface

VGA Timing

VGA Interface

One Frame
Vertical Synch tells the monitor when to go back to the top
The Blanking Interval turns off the video at the top and
bottom of the screen

VGA Interface

One Line
Each frame is divided into many lines
Horizontal synch tells the monitor to go back to the start of the
next line

Each line is divided into pixels

No timing signal: just change the value from one pixel to the
next

VGA Interface

VGA Interface
This is what the image really looks like

Horizontal retrace during HSYNC

Vertical retrace during VSYNC
Front porch
Back porch

HSYNC

V is ib le
Im a g e

VSYNC

VGA Interface

Timing with a 12 MHz clock (XS40 clock)

Line: 31.77 usec x 12 MHz = 381 clocks/line
we will display 256 pixels/line
one pixel/clock
rest is front porch, back porch and HSYNC

Frame: 16.784 msec x 12 MHz = 201,406 clocks/frame (!)

201,406 / 381 clocks/line = 528 lines
we can display 480 lines
rest is front porch, back porch and VSYNC

VGA Interface

VGA Interface
Row and column counts
0

x+255

381

HSYNC

V is ib le
Im a g e

y+479

?
527
VSYNC

VGA Interface

VGA Interface
Simple counting will work!
HCNT
VCNT

381

HCNT

255

527
0

HSYNC

V is ib le
Im a g e

VCNT

479

?
?
VSYNC

VGA Interface

VGA Interface
When HCNT is (0, 255) and VCNT is (0, 479)
Display the pixel at (x, y) = (VCNT, HCNT)

When HCNT > 255

When VCNT > 480

VGA Interface

VGA Interface
Where does the pixel value come from?
The image to be displayed is stored in memory
frame buffer
XS40 SRAM is 32Kx8
max image size =
6 bits/pixel = 2 bits each of RGB (modest color)

Frame buffer model

User fills memory with image
User can change the image by just writing to memory
Monitor reads memory whenever it needs a pixel
Memory is shared, but user doesnt need to know what monitor is
doing
modularization, information hiding
VGA interface only needs to worry about reading the memory

VGA Interface

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