Thomson EF936x

The Thomson EF936x is a type of Graphic Display Processor (GDP). The chip could draw at 1 million pixels per second, which was relatively advanced for the time of its release (1982 or earlier). It was used on computers such as the Thomson TO8, Thomson TO9 and Thomson TO9+ (EF9369).

Full graphics card

Versions

Based on the 1989 data book published by the company, the EF936x series was split into Graphics Controllers and Color Palette models.[1]

Graphics Controllers

  • EF9364
  • EF9365 512×512 (interlaced), 256×256, 128×128, 64×64, 50Hz
  • EF9366 512×256 (noninterlaced), 50/60Hz
  • EF9367 1024×512
    • Thomson-EFCIS marketed a competing part, the EF 9367, that offered different features for the French market (which used a different video format).[2]
  • SFF96364

Color Palette

  • EF9369 - 4bit DACs (16 out of 4096 colors)
  • EF9370 - 4bit DACs (16 out of 4096 colors)

Capabilities
  • Integrated DRAM controller
  • Linedrawing, with delta-x and delta-y limited to 255 each. Support for solid, dotted, dashed and dotted/dashed lines.
  • Built-in 5×8 pixel ASCII font. Support for rendering tilted characters, and scaling by integer factors (no antialiasing)
  • Clear screen

The GPUs did not support direct access to the graphics memory, although a special command was provided to aid in implementing access to individual memory words.

See also

References
  1. http://www.bitsavers.org/components/stMicroelectronics/_dataBooks/Graphic_Processors_Data_Book_Mar89.pdf
  2. "West Europe Report: Science and Technology" (PDF). Foreign Broadcast Information Service. August 23, 1983. p. 7. Retrieved July 29, 2013.


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