Anyone using Cyrel Sunrise or Nova Graphics cards?

[crash]

I could use some help configuring a video mode for either of these. I'm not sure if the Sunrise is 100% functional, as the top of the screen is twisted in every built-in video mode I have tried. On the Nova, I can't get anything higher than 1024x768 working (even in 2, 4, or 16 colors) as this would require that I design my own configuration.

 

I have never been able to figure out all of the parameters needed to create a customized video mode for either of these, as no monitor I have found publishes things like the sync pulse width, front and back porch, etc...

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[wongck]

I have a Nova card for my TT, but it's only 1MB vram so I can only get 256 colours at 1024x768.

I can get 64K colours with 640x480 but that's too small (or too large on the screen) for my liking.

You can go to my web page, under Hardware Hints to get the BIB files for it.

http://phsw.110mb.com/hw-nova-tt.html

Not sure if they are any use to you, but there is already alot of definitions included.

[crash]

Thanks very much. I'm pretty sure mine is a 4mb Mach64 SuperNova (ATI Graphics Pro Turbo if I remember correctly). Also, I haven't succeeded in creating any of my own resolutions. I would be happy if I could manage 1280x1024x2, but can't seem to get any color mode to work higher than 1024x768. There are some configurations that show the test screen in the video mode generator program, but once the CPX is used to attempt to switch to such a resolution, the screen goes blank and the monitor turns off.

 

I've tried entering the specifications for VESA standard resolutions (like 1280x1024) which also doesn't work. Part of the problem may be that the units needed are not specified, so I could be entering pixels or lines when us or ms are called for. Also, the terminology is not standard, so some tables list things like sync, when the program asks for sync width. I don't know of these are the same thing. Basically I'm just kind of blindly trying to substitute numbers from various sources on the Internet, and not one of the resolutions I've made has worked.

 

In the modes I've succeeded in displaying, I've noticed that the screen gets all wiggly whenever I reposition a window or several other common operations. I don't know if this is normal, but it has always done this and always bothered me.

 

The Cyrel is displaying 1024x768, with the top of the screen sort of bending over to the left. I hope this is a video timing problem rather than a hardware defect. Other than that, the Cyrel crashes if the TT cache is turned on. I can't recall if this is normal. The Cyrel utility for creating resolutions is a more cryptic non-graphical program, and hasn't produced any successful output either.

 

Thanks for the information and links to your site, I'll be trying some of the bib files as I only have a couple from that set.

[wongck]

CPX? I think that only changes the size on the fly.

Colour depth changes needs a reboot????

 

Anyway, For Nova, there is a program call VMG_TT.PRG that you use to define.

Is that what you're using?

[carmel_andrews]

what about the Parsec graphics board/card...or were'nt they that successful or popular (i recall that there were 2 versions)

[lp060]

I had a Cyrel for about a week and then returned it. Found it to be the most unfriendly thing to setup that I ever seen for the money. At the time it was still being manufactured and was very expensive. I can't remember but there was some issue, it might of been the cache, that really ticked me off, enough to return it.

[crash]

Regarding changing color depths from reboot, thanks! Knowing this led me to some of what I've been missing.

 

From what I can tell, on the Nova card, there is supposed to be a way to get the resolution menu to appear on startup: a key combination - but I didn't what it was and the several that I tried did not work. The Nova documentation that I have doesn't discuss the MENU.PRG, which is a problem since this is so important. Since I wasn't seeing a menu, I didn't know it was there and could not select a starting resolution. After poking around a little I deleted the menu.inf file and was able to get this to appear on first restart.

 

From this point, I found that the default keys for bringing up the menu are to hold down both shift keys. I set the menu to use VGA display without GDOS, chose a resolution, saved, and was able to switch to different color depths. Still, the highest resolution that can be displayed cleanly on the LCD is 1152x864. If I try 1280x1024, the display is unstable. I tried putting several sets of values into the VMG.PRG, and could not produce a stable display. I'm sure it is because I just don't know what the correct numbers are. I'm interested in 1280x1024 mostly because I can get a monitor in that resolution.

 

I don't think the program I have is called VMG_TT.PRG, but rather VMG.TT; any suggestions with regard to creating an appropriate video mode for an LCD monitor (probably 60hz is needed) would be most appreciated.

 

Upon connecting the Cyrel to an LCD monitor, the display is no longer warped, so the problem is possibly related to incorrect timings in the preset video mode. I've found some tables and sources of video timing information, but the terminology used does not correspond to what Cyrel used, so I have no idea what the corresponding values would be to create a working video mode. The Cyrel still crashes if the cache is enabled.

 

I have never heard of the Parsec, but will try to look that up. I'm guessing (like most of these) it is quite rare.

 

Thanks

[wongck]

Regarding changing color depths from reboot, thanks! Knowing this led me to some of what I've been missing.

 

After poking around a little I deleted the menu.inf file and was able to get this to appear on first restart.

 

I don't think the program I have is called VMG_TT.PRG, but rather VMG.TT; any suggestions with regard to creating an appropriate video mode for an LCD monitor (probably 60hz is needed) would be most appreciated.

 

 

How to get the MENU program to work is mentioned on my website http://phsw.110mb.com/hw-nova-tt.html.

You should have just follow the MENU CONFIGURATION section as that's the most important one to at least get the screen working.

 

The package I received was from the creator, so if there is another VMG.TT program I am not sure.

 

Saw your posting on Atari-Forums (UK) asking for some information on setting a video mode. The best bet is dexterslab as he done this for his other graphic card (not a Nova). I do not really know the value as I did play around wiyth it but by trial & error only, and up to 1024x768 only.

Edited March 6, 2010 by wongck

[crash]

I did get the menu program to work by deleting the menu.inf and was able to reset the key combination and can now choose a resolution. The LCD monitor I'm trying out seems to work with several of the built in Nova video modes, including 1280x1024 24b. The main problem that still remains is how the screen gets noisy whenever I resize a window, or various other screen operations. I don't know if there is a timing that needs to be adjusted, or something that requires shielding somewhere.

 

I took a look at the dexterslab information, although his calculations are in lines or pixels rather than the milliseconds or microseconds used by the Cyrel card, and I haven't tried to convert them. I can get the Cyrel to display on the CRT with a warped picture up to 1280x1025x256, but cannot determine what timing element could be causing the image to bend at the top of the screen. On one LCD monitor (that I can't use for the TT) the Cyrel will display correctly. I got an LCD specifically to use with the TT, but cannot get anything to correctly display from the Cyrel other than a 640x480 which comes and goes. I've tried entering the standard VESA timings for 1280x1024x256 at both 60hz and 75hz with no success. I'm not sure if the timings have to be changed for 256 colors, since the VESA timings are probably not for 256 colors.

 

Thanks

[wongck]

You sure if there is no electronic EM interference from some near by hardware/transformer ?

alexh had this problem over at the Atari-Forum.

[crash]

I'm not sure what you mean... the interference only happens when I do specific things like resize a window. If I am not moving things around on screen (or presumably changing video memory) the picture is perfectly clear.

 

Thanks

[crash]

I'm not sure what you mean... the interference only happens when I do specific things like resize a window. If I am not moving things around on screen (or presumably changing video memory) the picture is perfectly clear.

 

Thanks

 

Just a quick follow up... I decided that the interference could be coming in on one of the ribbon cables that connect the internal VME port to the motherboard, or the ribbons from the Nova card to the video card. To fix this, I ordered self-adhesive copper shielding foil from a company that sells it for electric guitars I think.

 

In order to prevent causing a short if the shielding accidentally touched something it should not, I first applied a layer of plastic sheeting or plastic tape to surfaces such as the Nova card itself, then a layer of shielding, then another layer of plastic/tape to seal it in. I surrounded all ribbons and both sides of the Nova card. The video card that attaches to the Nova is already in a shielded project box.

 

After careful reassembly (don't want any pin poking into that copper!), I noticed that one of the TT memory boards has a chip directly over one of the internal VME ribbons - this was probably the source of the interference. In any case, I already covered everything for good measure, including this area.

 

Once re-assembled and tested, no interference is visible at all, even when moving or resizing a window.

 

Problem solved!

[anzac]

though i never had a TT, let alone one with any of the ultra rare graphic cards made for them, i followed this topic out of curiosity.

 

 

i am glad the source was tracked down and solved, the last thing being the cause in true murphy law style...

[crash]

Hopefully I'll figure out the Cyrel card too one day, as it is currently not something that is useable, so I can't even sell it to someone else.