nikola-wan
Veteran Member
Today, I experimented with using my Tektronix 4052 and 4054A graphics computers as emulators of the Tektronix 4010 and 4014 graphics terminals.
This is very easy to accomplish - since the Tektronix 4050 graphics computers with Option 1 RS-232 interface adding terminal emulation into the BASIC ROMs.
The operators manual for the 4050 RS-232 Communication Interface is posted on bitsavers.org:
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/405x/070-2066-01_4050_CommIntfOper_Jan80.pdf
The manual describes three modes of operation for the 4050 graphics computers with this option:
I have heavily used the BASIC I/O Mode, where the Option 1 RS-232 Communication Interface is mapped to I/O address 40.
In this mode many BASIC I/O commands can now be used with the RS-232 interface instead of the screen or tape drive, such as PRINT, INPUT, OLD, APPEND, SAVE, LIST and TLIST.
Example: LIST@40: would list the program in memory to the RS-232 interface.
I have not experimented very much with Terminal Mode, where the 4050 emulates either a Tektronix 4010 graphics terminal (12" storage tube display with 1024 x 780 vector graphics) or the 4054A added the ability to emulate a Tektronix 4014 graphics terminal (19" storage tube display with 4096 x 3072 vector graphics).
A couple of weeks ago, I did discover how to get my Tektronix 4041 Computer to use my 4052 computer as the terminal and for graphics, and ported my ARTILLERY game to the 4041. However, although I did put the 4052 in Terminal mode, the port of my BASIC program to the 4041 used CALL "MOVE" and CALL "DRAW" commands - almost identical to the 4050 BASIC syntax. This means the 4041 GRAPHICS ROM was translating the MOVE and DRAW to the ESCAPE sequences used in the 401x graphics terminals.
I wanted to see my 4052 run the Tektronix "plt" plot files designed for the Tektronix 4010 series terminals.
Most of these files are posted in a Tektronix 4010 terminal emulator github repository in a pltfiles folder:
https://github.com/rricharz/Tek4010
You only need to configure the 4050 RS-232 data rate,
set XON/XOFF (4052/4054 only, you must use 2400 baud rate and no handshake with 4051)
and CALL "TERMIN":
4050 TERMINAL Mode includes three submodes:
Alpha submode is text mode with 128 characters and is the default mode when you have executed CALL "TERMIN".
There are many other terminal configuration parameters than the two above - you can list these parameters in BASIC mode by typing CALL "PRLIST".
You can also list these parameters in TERMIN mode by pressing the user definable key (UDK) 4 (Figure 4-2).
My latest tape capture program requires I change the TSTRIN and RSTRIN parameters to prevent the 4050 from modifying transmitted or received characters.
All the plt files I tested required the 4050 to be in Graph submode of Terminal mode.
Graph submode is entered from Alpha submode by typing: CTRL ]
When you type this - the blinking text cursor disappears.
Now you can send a plt file from your favorite PC serial program - I like Realterm - to the Tektronix 4050 graphics computer to execute.
Some of the plt files include a carriage return at the end - that CR changes the Graphics submode back to Alpha with a blinking cursor. To send another plt file from the PC, you should press the PAGE key to clear the screen (which also returns to Alpha submode) and then type CTRL ] to enter Graphics submode before sending the plt file to the 4050.
Caveat - the 4050 Terminal Emulation does not include point plot - so none of the files with the FS control character will work with the 4050 Graphics submode.
But a lot of the interesting vector files do work.
Most of the Tektronix 4010 plot files were originally posted on the no longer available Chuck Forsberg's site omen.com (he worked on the Tektronix terminals), and all the omen.com files have been saved on Jos Dreesen's ftp site, and also now on the 4010 emulator site.
Here is a gallery of photos I took of my 4052 (12 inch flat screen) and 4054A (19 inch rounded screen) running several of these .plt or .tek files in Graphics submode:
First up - the Tektronix Logo on my 4052:
All of these .plt or .tek files are from 1KB to 100KB and execute very quickly with a 9600 baud transfer rate on my 4052 and 4054A computers - probably 10x faster than the original 4051 computer, and faster than my BASIC program conversions of these plot files in my repository:
https://github.com/mmcgraw74/Tektronix-4051-4052-4054-Program-Files/tree/master/4114-Plot-Files
The Tektronix 401x terminals and successor 411x series and the 4050 graphics computers of the 1970's and early 1980's enabled software programs on mainframes and mini-computers (and directly on the 4050 microcomputers) to provide sophisticated business graphics like the following screenshots from my 4052:
Decision Maker:
ISSCO Disspla:
ISSCO Disspla - 3D Graphics!
And enabled 3D Architecture CAD!
2D Mapping and Astronomy
ISCO Disspla Mapping with projections
Integrated Circuit (IC) mask layout (4052 1024x780 rendering)
Integrated Circuit (IC) mask layout (4054A 4096 x 3072 high resolution rendering)
Although all my screenshots have been reduced to 25 percent or less of my iPhone 7S 4032 x 3024 photo resolution so they can be posted on this forum, remember that the Tektronix 4054 graphics computer had this 4K resolution 40 years ago.
Here is a side by side comparison of the same plt file displayed on my 4052 (12 inch screen) on the left and 4054A (19 inch screen) on the right.
The 4x higher resolution of the 4054 results in finer lines, so you see more details in the areas that the 4052 shows as solid green.
The 4054 and 4054A also had faster graphics than the 4052, and also had an option for a Refresh Accelerator that could display complex refresh (not stored) objects in two colors (orange and green) for CAD.
The 'jaggies' you see on the lines in this plot are individual vector segments generated in the plt file by the mainframe or mini computer and the digitization by the iPhone camera and digital resizing in MS Paint program.
The Tektronix storage tube terminals and 4050 graphics computer storage tube screens were vectors drawn by high speed Digital to Analog (D/A) converters in a straight line.
I do want to create a program on my 4054A to emulate the point-plot capability of the 4014 terminal. I may be able to port the source code of rricharz' 4010 emulator to either a 4050 BASIC program or 4054A assembly language program.
For example - the left image is a dithered dot plt file image of Star Trek - Mr. Spock that was on Chuck Forsberg's site, and a 'NEW' 'greenscale' 4014 plt file I created from the same color photo using rricharz MakeImage program (and screen captured from his 4010 emulator running in Linux on my PC:
This is very easy to accomplish - since the Tektronix 4050 graphics computers with Option 1 RS-232 interface adding terminal emulation into the BASIC ROMs.
The operators manual for the 4050 RS-232 Communication Interface is posted on bitsavers.org:
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/405x/070-2066-01_4050_CommIntfOper_Jan80.pdf
The manual describes three modes of operation for the 4050 graphics computers with this option:
- BASIC I/O Mode
- Terminal Mode
- Tape Communications Mode
I have heavily used the BASIC I/O Mode, where the Option 1 RS-232 Communication Interface is mapped to I/O address 40.
In this mode many BASIC I/O commands can now be used with the RS-232 interface instead of the screen or tape drive, such as PRINT, INPUT, OLD, APPEND, SAVE, LIST and TLIST.
Example: LIST@40: would list the program in memory to the RS-232 interface.
I have not experimented very much with Terminal Mode, where the 4050 emulates either a Tektronix 4010 graphics terminal (12" storage tube display with 1024 x 780 vector graphics) or the 4054A added the ability to emulate a Tektronix 4014 graphics terminal (19" storage tube display with 4096 x 3072 vector graphics).
A couple of weeks ago, I did discover how to get my Tektronix 4041 Computer to use my 4052 computer as the terminal and for graphics, and ported my ARTILLERY game to the 4041. However, although I did put the 4052 in Terminal mode, the port of my BASIC program to the 4041 used CALL "MOVE" and CALL "DRAW" commands - almost identical to the 4050 BASIC syntax. This means the 4041 GRAPHICS ROM was translating the MOVE and DRAW to the ESCAPE sequences used in the 401x graphics terminals.
I wanted to see my 4052 run the Tektronix "plt" plot files designed for the Tektronix 4010 series terminals.
Most of these files are posted in a Tektronix 4010 terminal emulator github repository in a pltfiles folder:
https://github.com/rricharz/Tek4010
You only need to configure the 4050 RS-232 data rate,
set XON/XOFF (4052/4054 only, you must use 2400 baud rate and no handshake with 4051)
and CALL "TERMIN":
Code:
CALL "RATE",2,0 ; 9600 baud, 7E1
CALL "FLAG",3 ; enable XON/XOFF
CALL "TERMIN" ; switch from BASIC to TERMINAL MODE4050 TERMINAL Mode includes three submodes:
- Alpha submode
- Graph submode
- GIN Submode
Alpha submode is text mode with 128 characters and is the default mode when you have executed CALL "TERMIN".
There are many other terminal configuration parameters than the two above - you can list these parameters in BASIC mode by typing CALL "PRLIST".
You can also list these parameters in TERMIN mode by pressing the user definable key (UDK) 4 (Figure 4-2).
My latest tape capture program requires I change the TSTRIN and RSTRIN parameters to prevent the 4050 from modifying transmitted or received characters.
All the plt files I tested required the 4050 to be in Graph submode of Terminal mode.
Graph submode is entered from Alpha submode by typing: CTRL ]
When you type this - the blinking text cursor disappears.
Now you can send a plt file from your favorite PC serial program - I like Realterm - to the Tektronix 4050 graphics computer to execute.
Some of the plt files include a carriage return at the end - that CR changes the Graphics submode back to Alpha with a blinking cursor. To send another plt file from the PC, you should press the PAGE key to clear the screen (which also returns to Alpha submode) and then type CTRL ] to enter Graphics submode before sending the plt file to the 4050.
Caveat - the 4050 Terminal Emulation does not include point plot - so none of the files with the FS control character will work with the 4050 Graphics submode.
But a lot of the interesting vector files do work.
Most of the Tektronix 4010 plot files were originally posted on the no longer available Chuck Forsberg's site omen.com (he worked on the Tektronix terminals), and all the omen.com files have been saved on Jos Dreesen's ftp site, and also now on the 4010 emulator site.
Here is a gallery of photos I took of my 4052 (12 inch flat screen) and 4054A (19 inch rounded screen) running several of these .plt or .tek files in Graphics submode:
First up - the Tektronix Logo on my 4052:
All of these .plt or .tek files are from 1KB to 100KB and execute very quickly with a 9600 baud transfer rate on my 4052 and 4054A computers - probably 10x faster than the original 4051 computer, and faster than my BASIC program conversions of these plot files in my repository:
https://github.com/mmcgraw74/Tektronix-4051-4052-4054-Program-Files/tree/master/4114-Plot-Files
The Tektronix 401x terminals and successor 411x series and the 4050 graphics computers of the 1970's and early 1980's enabled software programs on mainframes and mini-computers (and directly on the 4050 microcomputers) to provide sophisticated business graphics like the following screenshots from my 4052:
Decision Maker:
ISSCO Disspla:
ISSCO Disspla - 3D Graphics!
And enabled 3D Architecture CAD!
2D Mapping and Astronomy
ISCO Disspla Mapping with projections
Integrated Circuit (IC) mask layout (4052 1024x780 rendering)
Integrated Circuit (IC) mask layout (4054A 4096 x 3072 high resolution rendering)
Although all my screenshots have been reduced to 25 percent or less of my iPhone 7S 4032 x 3024 photo resolution so they can be posted on this forum, remember that the Tektronix 4054 graphics computer had this 4K resolution 40 years ago.
Here is a side by side comparison of the same plt file displayed on my 4052 (12 inch screen) on the left and 4054A (19 inch screen) on the right.
The 4x higher resolution of the 4054 results in finer lines, so you see more details in the areas that the 4052 shows as solid green.
The 4054 and 4054A also had faster graphics than the 4052, and also had an option for a Refresh Accelerator that could display complex refresh (not stored) objects in two colors (orange and green) for CAD.
The 'jaggies' you see on the lines in this plot are individual vector segments generated in the plt file by the mainframe or mini computer and the digitization by the iPhone camera and digital resizing in MS Paint program.
The Tektronix storage tube terminals and 4050 graphics computer storage tube screens were vectors drawn by high speed Digital to Analog (D/A) converters in a straight line.
I do want to create a program on my 4054A to emulate the point-plot capability of the 4014 terminal. I may be able to port the source code of rricharz' 4010 emulator to either a 4050 BASIC program or 4054A assembly language program.
For example - the left image is a dithered dot plt file image of Star Trek - Mr. Spock that was on Chuck Forsberg's site, and a 'NEW' 'greenscale' 4014 plt file I created from the same color photo using rricharz MakeImage program (and screen captured from his 4010 emulator running in Linux on my PC:
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