Viva le (hi) resolution!
Viva le (hi) resolution!
I'm also glad to see a living instance of this rare creature.
The user manual and software for the TRS-80 Model I High Resolution Graphics hardware product (Cat. No 260-9800, available only in the UK) have been available on the web for more than a decade, but the manual scan is missing the cover page and catalog number, and it got miscategorized on Ira Goldklang's trs-80.com as a software manual, and as a result it seems little-known that this was a real official hardware product sold by Tandy.
See
"TRS-80 Manual: High Resolution Graphics (19xx)(Microware-Microfirm)",
High Resolution Graphics Demonstration Disk (19xx)(Author Unknown)[DMK].zip, and
High Resolution Graphics Setxy and Print (19xx)(Author Unknown)[DMK].zip
Also contributing to the hardware's obscurity is the lack of any online archives of the UK's Tandy TRS-80 Microcomputer NEWS. There's someone with a few issues of it for sale
on Ebay, and the listings include a picture of the front cover of the April 1982 issue, with a very exciting cover story about the high-res mod. I've typed in the whole thing below, and it's made me bloodthirsty for pixels. Who knew the King was hiding them in the Bastille?
UP THE RESOLUTION!
Like all revolutions the people -- Model I owners in this case -- had to win in the end. We've taken notice of the unrest on the streets and once again stormed the bastile [sic] of computer technology, liberating you to "HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS" (if there's a head you've been calling for, this is it!) ........ It's been a long time coming but HERE IT IS (you can stop 'phoning at all hours of the day and night now!)
In theory it's been easy; we've always known what you want but practicality has always been the big restriction. You want High Res -- but you don't want a sadly depleted memory (there's the rub) or a huge bill. There's the question of suitable design and the software to utilize the new features (not so easy is it?)
Now you'll be pleased to hear these fences have been jumped and the '4-faults' have been overcome:-
MEMORY -- The Memory capacity of your keyboard will hardly be used. The High Res Mod has all its own RAM and ROM on board! Now that the character generator is software controlled we can design up to 128 characters as well as the standard ASCII set (including lower case). This increases the resolution by twelve times to 384 x 192.
DESIGN -- Finding a suitable design was not at all easy. The upgrade consists of a small metal box, external to the Level II keyboard, connected to the expansion port (or expansion interface) and also via a new connector that needs installing inside the keyboard.
One of the most important criteria for a modification like this is that it must be invisible to the system when not required; with the High Res Mod an OUT Statement from BASIC will switch it in or out.
SOFTWARE -- Without software, of course, its like it's like [sic] having a car without a steering wheel. The software supplied provides the facility to design your own characters and save them on disk or tape. These characters can be used from BASIC in exactly the same way as existing graphics characters are called.
MONEY -- For £179 the modification includes the installation of the hardware, a comprehensive manual and the necessary software, with demonstration programs. (It's all British Too!)
We've been fascinated by the new capabilities that High Resolution Graphics can offer for design, animation and games -- but don't take my word for it, call in and try one for yourself.
VIVA LE (HI) RESOLUTION!
