What is it?

The addition of a video card takes the RC2014 to another level.

Why did you make it?

I love the RC2014's modular form factor and the fact that it's an 8-bit computer built from new parts. However, my own nostalgia is for character graphics and bitmapped screens rather than terminals and serial i/o.

What makes it special?

The TMS9918A is a very capable chip (as used in many '80s computers including TI-99, Colecovision, Memotech MTX and MSX). It has a text mode, tile mode, multicolour bitmap mode and 32 16x16 sprites. Video RAM is 16k of dedicated RAM which is in addition to your machine's regular RAM and communication with the video ram is very fast.

J B Langston has designed this board and many of the demos. It's with his kind permission that I'm making and selling these. I'm linking to my own repository of software builds for 32k and CP/M RC2014 machines. This may make things easier for you, but you'll also find a link there to his repository for the source.

There is a small library of software and example code for RC2014+TMS video card and I am actively adding to it. Porting programs and games from other systems with similar screen resolutions or the same video chip is easy and I found porting 3D Monster Maze lots of fun and I'm currently working on Mazogs, perhaps + a bit of colour.

Important note: All of the components in my assembled cards are new, except in this case for the TMS chip itself. This chip isn't manufactured any more but new old stock is currently easy and not too expensive to get. I will be supplying this module complete with a chip that I believe is genuine new old stock and that I have tested thoroughly. For these reasons, I can't guarantee this chip. Please trust me that the one I supply is thoroughly tested and works when it leaves here. I've found these chips to be robust - all of the ones I've bought (so far) have been good and (so far) I haven't had one turn up its toes.