Hugo Holden
Veteran Member
I have recently finished a Test Card generator construction project. This one is a little unusual in that it can generate simultaneously 12 different Test pattern of different standards. For example it does NSTC, PAL, The old UK 405 line etc. Very helpful for repairing and adjusting vintage composite computer VDU's or vintage TV's.
It uses 12 of Richard Russell's (From the BBC) Test cards generator units. Since these units are no longer available I made 15 of them in a "production run". I had to buy the Xilinx software and a programmer head to program the CPLD (something I have not done before). It is programmed with a .JED file.
Currently I have it programmed with a number of test cards, including the famous Philips PM5544 pattern, and the classic American Indian head test pattern.
When I finished the unit, I did something I had not done before, inside it I put a USB drive (not connected to anything) which contains all of the design files, the software that is used to program the generators. So if it requires servicing in the future there will be no excuse for not fixing it. I have noticed that so many things get separated from their documentation, be it firmware, software, manuals etc over the years. So this time there is some insurance that will not happen.
The story behind it is here:
It uses 12 of Richard Russell's (From the BBC) Test cards generator units. Since these units are no longer available I made 15 of them in a "production run". I had to buy the Xilinx software and a programmer head to program the CPLD (something I have not done before). It is programmed with a .JED file.
Currently I have it programmed with a number of test cards, including the famous Philips PM5544 pattern, and the classic American Indian head test pattern.
When I finished the unit, I did something I had not done before, inside it I put a USB drive (not connected to anything) which contains all of the design files, the software that is used to program the generators. So if it requires servicing in the future there will be no excuse for not fixing it. I have noticed that so many things get separated from their documentation, be it firmware, software, manuals etc over the years. So this time there is some insurance that will not happen.
The story behind it is here:
