 My name is Rainer Glaszczyk, I'm affiliated with the Heinz-Dix-Dofmels-Dürms-Forum and about one year ago the director came back from the MIT and told me about Wildwind and Guy Fedoko and I found this a very fascinating subject because as some of you, at least, didn't know anything about Wildwind so I started to working on it It is, I will just give you a slight overview of what I'm going to present This is the, I'm going to show you, explain you the Why do I speak English? Sorry It's in German Okay, I will show you the hardware It is a graphics interface for the Wildwind with points, vectors and numbers The Wildwind had a lot of graphics displays You have to imagine that For this demo that Guy mentioned there were only 256 words and later it had 2K and then you added a banking, 8K, finally but definitely a mini, mini, mini computer with a lot of graphics displays, we'll see in a minute The interaction with the light grid has already been mentioned Analog tasks on cathode-strikes, no screen raster and it can flicker, it will also flicker and the nice thing about it is that we have original programs like Guy has already given How did it all start? I just sat in my cell and said what does it actually look like if I just show a point display like the Wildwind and for that I made a digital analog walk with an Arduino and here I have a voltage converter because I used my old IO12 Heskit, pure tube oscilloscope and you also have everything in the tube and there you are, I found the jumping ball I wrote it myself, not the original code just how it looks like and I was so excited that I said we have to perfect it a little How was the situation? I repeat a little bit of what Guy already said that is this poster that he mentioned where it clearly says what the Wildwind actually was at this time you have calculated numerically and only later you have calculated the commercial you have few speakers Graphical systems on raster bases were of course impossible with 256 words I can't imagine a raster of 4k and the Wildwind was also the first computer that was designed for real-time operation and graphics and I will take care of the graphics now here again two pictures we already know one and the other is an artifact in a museum in Cambridge Wildwind has many peripherals we have already heard here there is a whole amount and there is a whole amount that is input that is output as it stands here you find the light gun that is an original picture from one of the documents and here you also find the scopes back there that is what I am now concentrating on what is very interesting is that there was also somewhere and I haven't found it yet where it was but I will find it so if you want to know where this diagram is you have to ask me permanently I will find it sometime it is very interesting that you had imagined that you are doing a purely graphic programming here you have the scope and the lift handle and then you build the commands here and so on and then you give it to the card so that's as far as I know the first idea is that you can make a graphic programming environment and it was intended for the Wildwind to see what you are doing from the graphic I already told you that Wildwind had a lot of displays one of the important documents is this one here it is found under pit savers and there you write that you have three displays in the test center a normal oscilloscope five inches is the usual size a 16 inch radar base and another 16 inch with the camera that's already mentioned you would like to use it as a line printer or you could also use graphics and now it starts and then in the so-called direction center there were 19 small oscilloscopes and 30 large displays everything on this small machine I don't know if there really were 19 but it was a lot more than 2 and more than 4 large just used it as a number what did you have for graphics on the device at the time? the oscilloscope, the radar maybe a pen and everyone had brightness control the pen, yes, if I put the pen down it becomes black or white that was the starting point with which you wanted to make graphics and you had a light grid the pictures you just saw up to the right, it comes from the SAGE project and what I found here when you tried out a light grid you had an oscilloscope picture and that's the rest of the grid that goes into a real hand and you just had that wasn't with Wildwind it was a test machine where you just tried to cut light points that's actually the origin of all graphics of the light grid the first attempt you had because you used these storage tubes the Williams tubes also made pictures at the time but none of the computers was designed to do that it was more or less a side effect how does it work with the display? Guy already indicated it in his video there is an oscilloscope there is an x and a y-bass where you determine the point on which the light grid should be and then you can use the z-light to determine which oscilloscope should do that so it's all about the corners there are only points or lines that means a vector graphic the z-intensity to tell which line the impulse should be the output commands control and now comes a complicated system to translate it they first have 6 bits to indicate which display is meant and then comes the half again a cross-chain distributor and I'll leave that out and last but not least each oscilloscope has a series of switches that you want to have and that means you put yourself on the scope and say okay, my program is on channel 1 and on channel 2 Modulo the cross-chain distributor there it is the solution was plus minus not bit but plus minus 23 plus minus 10 bit so 11 bit from the center of the display the one-round calculator was meant to be a fixed-point calculator all numbers maybe one or the other saw the sampler example was meant to be a fixed-point calculator between minus 1 and plus 1 and that's exactly what you do with the oscilloscope so there was a number between minus 1 and plus 1 for the whole length on a 16 inch screen a solution of 0.1 millimeter so very nice and there's also an extra document how to make a 12-bit da-wander or plus minus 11 bit da-wander with tubes that's not that easy to have this precision and there's another one that means it was a fixed-point calculator between minus and plus 1 for the exclusive or the plus 1-inclusive now I'm going to do a little or a longer excursion about the A command of the wireless the I.O. system was relatively simple from the number of connected devices and their abilities very complex the first command you needed was called select I.O. so you chose the next periphery device for the subsequent commands always the old the previous periphery device is selected, now comes the new then read reads a 16-bit word from the periphery device record then it's called as a machine command writes a 16-bit word plus everyone else but in the essential and block in, block out so you could write and read then it was important for the magnetic drum and of course for our case it is uninteresting here the command select I.O. has a 11-bit address in which the device and the modus of the device was selected so with this 1024 you could choose the card reader whatever there is a long big table what you could do with it among other things also the graphic output in the modus part so quite a lot of the other space is the graphic output then you have 6-bit in which you choose the category that is actually the class or the category of the oscilloscope these are the lines that then become the Z lines the accumulator already sets the Y address and plus minus 1 in the middle and this command takes 30 microseconds in the documents then comes record and now it gets interesting because now the first point is written the accumulator now sets the X-head that means we already defined Y and now the X-head then when you write there are three options point vector or sign of a point so we defined 100 microseconds time and a 70 microsecond light in the pulse so that means when I say record and the X-head in the accumulator and said and as a periphery before I chose the point then I get a point on the screen for 70 microseconds and after 200 microseconds the thing is over again and at some point if I want to write a vector I can't make a whole vector over the whole screen about this we can discuss in peace why it was like that in any case it has 2x 5 bit and could maximum of 32nd the screen width and here again 100 microseconds 70 microseconds light in the pulse but then for the whole vector which is therefore much darker than the single point you took the purchase and then there is the sign generator which transfers 7 bit for 7 segments that means with the 7 segments I didn't have a fixed sign but I just transferred the bit again 100 microseconds time 32 microseconds per segment and then the sign on the screen hmm I don't like that the read command would only be needed in the graphic area to see the light grid and that was only immediately after the sign of a point no no 7 segments sign no vector, nothing after that the accumulator read was a bit a word of the periphery in the accumulator the sign is there was a light grid and the remaining 13 bits are free one of them is reserved you could control up to 13 light grid and the documentation is called exactly where the light grid was then what I later saw the light grid has a trigger button so when I press it once the coordinates are transferred and then there is peace that's interesting because like the mouse also there is only a feedback per program that means I don't get from the computer not from the light grid an indicator now I have the computer has recognized that the computer has to do that but of course the problem when I have a point and press it then I either have to let the point disappear or take another point or ignore it like with the mouse also with the mouse I have today enough feedback behind that can even change the shape I didn't have the only program the light grid has entered and this trigger button says until the next sign point vector graphics or whatever this information is ready because I have to see how I get that with the hardware moment and what I have now done is here an interface here is an Arduino originally it was an Arduino but that was only for testing should always be the Raspiri Pi where the emulator is running so that we can connect it here is the hardware that makes the xy that helps the hardware that makes the Heldtast Impulse and then it goes to the display bus and for each sight device and we can now connect a whole lot of sight devices we also have two installations one with three and one with two sight devices here you can choose which set signal you want so now we have made it half way as it might be close to the original the vector interface is the interface module which we saw before has the 40-pole connection to the Raspiri Pi via SPI I get the digital analog and GPIO for the rest and then there is on the right side the 16-pole display bus where I can connect a lot of displays I can only do two because I don't have Arduino anymore then there is a 4A and what is important is that I need a time-uncritical control because try to make an exactly 70 microsecond long impulse that is difficult so I do this on my interface and hold this bus coupler where I can slide the bus from right to left the three core axles have two light handles and because we already said the Wildwind was served a lot with switches and lamps we don't have we have to run again as a replacement I have 4 switches and 4 LEDs so that at least a few can simulate a little bit of it now again the interface motor guide do you have your pointer ready for me I have forgotten mine don't don't hurry this is the Raspiri Pi via SPI I have 2 DA switches that go to 2 integrers very normal as in the analog range and now I have 2 commands the one command is MOV that sets the initial value of the integrers that means I give the address that I got about the SI and RD command and then I have the draw command that makes the report there is a 50 microsecond that starts the integrers I do the vector direction the speed new in the DA switch and give it out here I do it a little bit different than in the original in the original they did the following but I read that later I was already so far the vector length again in a small DA switch from 5 bit this time and then took a ramp that runs exactly from the start to the goal and then multiplies it but that also works very well and then there are the bits from the record command that say which of the lines I want to set of course I have no no cross-stitch distribution between and that goes on this display bus for the light guns comes from the display bus here a signal on and there I only get the flank that means in this moment where my light gun sees that it has a light point sets a flip flop that can read the raspy and with the next move command it is set back again so far to the hardware that is the final switch that I do not get into the big one who wants to visit me what do I do with an integer with a fast start instead of a multiplier and the flank I have a brightness impulse of 50 to 70 microseconds I had thought at the beginning I had read the documents and then said that could come at a total time that it is not so important now I also only have a swing time of 35 microseconds it works with restrictions also shorter and much more has no sense but my interface can only make a vector all the other we have to make per software in the raspy if we need a point we have to write a vector of length 0 and if we have a number then we have to make these individual segments also per software in the raspy in this case I have made it this is the integrator with a fast start system because when you are in the analog range on your way you know the setting of the start of a condenser takes sometimes quite a long time there are the usual switches here I will not continue to do that here we have this bus coupler again there you see the three coaxial connections for the for the scopes and here the two light grid connections and there goes in there goes out or vice versa it is a pure bus down here you can choose which display you always mine and there you have a little IO we will need that later with the track and scan program as I said it was there a switch in the computer what was meant to be next when the light grid comes and we will simulate that here through the switch the light grid by the way I stole the whole idea to take an integrator I also have one of the Vectrex consoles one of the few if not even the only console that works with vector graphics and they then took an integrated sensor and then I did something extra if you remember the pictures I do not get them now you had the IBM variant had such a long pen as a target thought I have now just made an idiot that lights up when we see a point at all that means if I it is not so easy to get it on the small screen I would have a big radar screen that would be something else but it only shows that there is no feedback that the program has understood and that is the switch and the rest is made by software in the raspy what do we have for the program Guy has already mentioned we have the usual jumping ball that is now a picture of the original program we have a mad game that was a pre-production for someone who wanted to play a game you can single the bits on or off but they disappear here you can do the whole series and here you can do a reset you can see the original letters are a bit difficult to read unlike the beautiful modern picture then we have blackjack and this is what it looks like on the picture not as beautiful and clean as on the modern picture and sometimes they are a bit small because there was a feature that shows too much and that is what it looks like on the picture and you can see that live and that is one of the test programs that Guy has mentioned that is the picture of the test then we found out that we lost the last bit so that it did not show a edge so you can test that it really shows everything what you want and that is a swinging side that runs really slowly it is also only drawn from points so there are few programs that really use the vector feature the mad game is the only original program and others use the character but otherwise there are few vectors I did a few for that even meins is but please be careful with the switches and the chain subs I would like to ask you that is the newest version but I know the documentation is not yet complete it is not that it is not there and my other activities can be found here at RCLEP.de my biggest is of course Guy who did this huge work to download the program of the tapes and to find out what is there and also who was an important discussion partner I stand on the shoulders of a huge and we received support from the MRT museum in Cambridge from the Computer History Museum and from the Heinz-Nixdorf Museumsforum in Paderborn now time for questions any questions back there the thing with the vector you set the xy point and then you set the integrators for both directions with a certain speed that is the second time that I set a xy value if you remember with the record command there was this 2x5 bit that gives the speed that's exactly it when setting points you have this 50ms timer how do you know the speed it has to lock now the point will be to the end and then you can set the next one and on the swinging side you have a lot of points that means you can't give out faster no, no, no, I can't give out faster I have a time loop in the raspy that says now I have to give out 50ms and then I can start to consider the next thing more questions there were a few example programs with different positions for the light points that were found about this light gun how do you get it with which position? is it only about timing? yes, only about timing as soon as I don't know where I had here at the moment I had as soon as I move a point I set the flip-flop back and as soon as the light gun sees a flank it sets the flip-flop and then the poison code has enough time to ask this flip-flop and when the next movement is drawn a point that is this draw impulse for example but before I draw I have to make a move and then the flip-flop is set back and the information is gone the documents are printed the recognition of a light gun works only immediately after the drawing of a point that is a point we also make a software but that is another story more questions please go ahead we still have enough time also to this light gun if it works only immediately then you have to go in a refresh and then it comes again and again then you can go in there you can see the point and then it fits together always from the computer refresh nothing remains to be understood I have a display a later display of the kind that let the information but in my environment that was always the refresh and that is exactly the problem that means if the programmer also fits he will get the information on the same point again that's why I said there is no direct feedback here feedback only through programming that means either he takes the point away I have as a look not yet in the original wire and assembler code but just written in Python to try it out I made Tic Tac Toe for two players and there is always only this side the points that are now on it that means when I click one the point goes away there comes a circle or a cross and I don't have a point that I can click on that is the logic that is behind it otherwise you have to with the track with the blackjack so I don't have to have this key otherwise it's no problem with the conductor who makes the solution once and I think I have to let them go so that I can get an impulse next time that's quite important you thought about it afterwards there is a remark that you could maybe miss this key and then paint more graphics and that's what you did in the Wektrex for the Wektrex graphics console there is a drawing program where you quickly paint a lot of points around the center or even a whole circle and then determine in which direction it went but I think you didn't do that when you were choosing you had too many other things to do and otherwise when you play a mad game the point disappears when it was clicked and when the point lets the whole line disappear then the whole line disappears again ok more questions I don't see the case then I think we have a full hour break until the next one thank you thanks