5t4nd1ng @ th3 3dg3 0f 5p3ct4t10n!
HOME . . . . .
Welcome to Walt Perko's Brainless.org-anizm
Altair 8800 Google Group Forum
S-100 Google Group Forum
Old and New DAZZLER Hareware and Software |
S-100 Boards and other Hardware For Sale or Trade ... |
|
In the Beginning there was NO Color Graphics Boards for the Altair 8800 Computer . . . ... |
|
Then came the CromemCo DAZZLER a Two S-100 Board Set ... |
|
The Cromemco Dazzler was the pioneering color graphics card for early S-100 bus microcomputers (like the Altair), launched around 1976, enabling home TVs to display color graphics, games (like Kaleidoscope), and animations, using Direct Memory Access (DMA) to read system RAM, and was crucial in launching the Cromemco company, later evolving into sophisticated broadcast graphics systems.
... |
|
Key Features & History
Pioneering Graphics: The first commercial bitmapped color graphics card for microcomputers, allowing hobbyists to display graphics on standard color TVs, a huge leap from text-only displays. ... |
|
S-100 Bus: A two-board set designed to plug into the standard S-100 bus, compatible with early microcomputers.
DMA Technology: Used Direct Memory Access (DMA) to access the host computer's RAM for video data, minimizing CPU slowdown while displaying images. ... |
|
Resolution & Colors: Offered various resolutions, like 32x32 or 64x64 pixels, with single-color or limited multi-color modes (e.g., 15 colors).
Origin Story: Developed by Roger Melen & Harry Garland (from Stanford's Homebrew Computer Club) to add graphics to the Altair, leading to the formation of Cromemco. ..... Impact: Famous for causing a traffic jam on NYC's 5th Avenue when displayed in a store window, captivating passersby. |
|
Evolution & Legacy
Super Dazzler: An upgraded version offered higher resolutions (756x484) and thousands of colors (12-bit RGB). ..... Broadcast Graphics: Evolved into Cromemco's ColorGraphics Weather Systems (CWS), used by TV stations for weather, news, and sports graphics by the 1980s. |
|
Software: Came with sample programs like
"Kaleidoscope," "Dazzle Doodle," and games like "Space War," showcasing its capabilities. ..... Hardware: Consisted of two boards connected by a ribbon cable, using common TTL logic chips and a rare shift register. |
|
DAZZLER Board 1
|
|
|
|
The Reproduction Rev.D Board Set Dazzler board 1.zip . . . . . . . . . . Dazzler board 2.zip ... |
|
The DAZZLER II Board 
... |
|
The S100 WebPage ... |
|
... |
|
Now comes the Software ... |
|
DAZZLER-Programs&Utilities.zip ... |
|
DAZZLER Games and Manual DazzlerII-V2.1d.zip DazzlerGames.pdf ... |
|
Cromemco Dazzler Graphics Instruction Manual.pdf" ... |
|
Bob Ammerman's DZMBASIC for the DAZZLER & DAZZLER II DAZZLER-CPM-GRAPHICSZ80.dsk ... |
|
Bob Ammerman's DZMBASHT for the DAZZLER & DAZZLER II adding the Pixel Hit Function DZMBASHT.COM ... |
|
< << <<< Dec. 2025 Pixel Hit Version of DZMBASIC for the Cromemco DAZZLER DOCX Guide Notes >>> >> > DZMBASHT.docx ... |
|
Walt Perko's DAZZLER Programs WKP-DAZZLER-Collection.zip ... |
|
LWong's DAZZLER Programs LWong-DZMBASIC-Collection.zip ... |
|
I have ported the SARGON chess program from 1978 to the DAZZLER. This program is a much stronger player than Dazzler Chess because it is based on the SARGON engine developed by Dan and Kathe Spracklen.
The SARGON program won the 1978 West Coast Computer Faire’s microcomputer chess tournament with a perfect win record. ..... I have replaced the original GUI and text UI, which was targeted to a Wavemate Jupiter II computer, with a Dazzler based one. ... |
|
DZMBASIC DAZZLER SARGON CHESS GAME DZSARGON.pdf . . . . . . . . . . DZSARGON.COM ... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
|
... |
I handcode my own pages: wperko@Brainless.org