First post, by yjfy
Sample of computer hardware board and card (3) Chip evolution
Intel i750 graphics card evolution
This article commemorates the 30th anniversary of the release of Intel's first graphics card
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Intel has produced and sold display chips such as KU82706 and A82786 chips. Intel built the i750 chip in December 1986 and was visualized by DVI (Digital Video Interactive) Technology to develop the DVI Pro 750 graphics card with the DVI (Digital Video Interactive) concept. DVI is an all-digital sound, text, and graphics processing system that supports multiple multimedia sources and information formats. Intel is optimistic about this concept and is more optimistic about the development prospects of digital multimedia technology. On November 14, 1988, it acquired the pioneer of digital media such as DVI Technology. In March 1989, Intel Pro 750 was released. This is the first graphics card that Intel officially released, and it has entered the field of PC graphics.
The Intel i750 graphics card project lasted for 6 years and it is obvious that it is doing its best. In order to expand the impact, even with the PC giant IBM. Unfortunately, in the era of the heroes, Intel's efforts still have no breakthroughs, gradually disappeared. So senior hardware enthusiasts only think that Intel's first graphics card starts with the i740 chip...
This article takes the unique INTEL i750 sample card and the above-mentioned chip as an example, showing the long and arduous and unknown process of computer chip and graphics card development, trial production, trial production and mass production.
1. i750PA/DA Chip
1.1 About the i750PA/DA ES chip
Intel's i750 chip consists of i750PA (82750PA pixel processor) and i750DA (82750DA display processor). The technical parameters are: The 82750PA is a 25 MHz wide instruction processor that generates and manipulates pixels. When paired with its companion chip, the 82750DA, And used to implement a DVI Technology video subsystem, the 82750PB provides real time (30 images/sec) pixel processing, real time video compression, interactive motion video playback and real time video effects.
Originally Intel's i750PA/DA chip was made in December 1986. In March 1987, a chip evaluation board for the i750 chip, codenamed Tower, was made. The Intel Pro750 was released in March 1989 and will be available for sale in July. The Intel Pro 750 consists of 3 cards (Video, Audio, Utility) and 4 daughter cards (Video Digitizer, Audio Digitizer, 2/4MB VRAM). The Intel Pro 750 Engineering sample collected on this site lacks a video daughter card. The main card model of the Intel Pro 750 is DVI VIDEO BOARD 02, and the PCB date is 8907. It is the second version made by Intel after the acquisition of DVI Technology on the DVI Pro 750 main card DVI VIDEO BOARD 01 version. As shown below, unfortunately there is no intel i750PA/DA chip.
Intel Pro 750 Engineering sample
When Intel continued DVI Technology, a commercial-oriented Intel Pro 750 project, it also developed the ACTIONMEDIA series of graphics cards for civilian use. ACTIONMEDIA literally understands that it is universal media. The first generation of ACTIONMEDIA graphics card is the commercial digital media development technology of the Intel Pro 750 to the ACTIONMEDIA 750 DVI for civilian consumption digital multimedia graphics. The product development code for the ACTIONMEDIA 750 DVI is DS1, which is paired with the CS1 secondary card. The following DS1-AT is an ISA interface Product Evaluation board. Although the main chip of this board is missing, the chip used in this board is the same as the chip used in the ACTIONMEDIA 750 DVI product test board. It can be known that the missing chips are Intel i750PA/DA and VLSI VTG8001/8002.
DS1-AT Product Evaluation board
DS1-AT + CS1AT
The board below is a blank PROTOTYPE board without a chip.
DS1-AT PROTOTYPE board
The i750PA/DA chip of the engineering sample version has been hidden by Intel. Is the official version of the i750PA/DA chip looking for it? In the past, whether it was Intel Pro 750 or ACTIONMEDIA 750 DVI, "Only available in limited quantities", even when it was a picture of these products, it was not easy, let alone the drawings of engineering samples. Thanks to the computer hardware collection, I have not seen it in the past, but now I can have it!