Castle is based around 3-bit binary digital signals:
A binary number is a number expressed in the base-2 numeral system or binary numeral system, a method for representing numbers that uses only two symbols for the natural numbers: typically 0 (zero) and 1 (one). A binary number may also refer to a rational number that has a finite representation in the binary numeral system, that is, the quotient of an integer by a power of two.
The base-2 numeral system is a positional notation with a radix of 2. Each digit is referred to as a bit, or binary d...
Imagine 3-bit binary like an 8 layer cake. All combinations of 3 bits create 8 possible values. Ever seen NTSC color bars? If you send 3-bit binary into RGB, you get those colors.
The ADC module slices analog voltages up into 3-bit binary numbers:
In electronics, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC, A/D, or A-to-D) is a system that converts an analog signal, such as from fingers touching a touchscreen, sound entering a microphone, or light entering a digital camera, into a digital signal.
An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement, such as an electronic device that converts an analog input voltage or current to a digital number representing the magnitude of the voltage or current. Typically, the digital output is a two's complemen...
If you patch a triangle waveform into the ADC, you get a step pyramid waveform out!
In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function.
DACs are commonly used in music players to convert digital data streams into analog audio signals. They are also used in televisions and mobile phones to convert digital video data into analog video signals. These two applications use DACs at opposite ends of the frequency/resolution trade-...
There’s also a voltage controlled oscillator, these make horizontal or vertical bars in different sizes:
An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a periodic, oscillating or alternating current (AC) signal, usually a sine wave, square wave or a triangle wave, powered by a direct current (DC) source. Oscillators are found in many electronic devices, such as radio receivers, television sets, radio and television broadcast transmitters, computers, computer peripherals, cellphones, radar, and many other devices.
Oscillators are often characterized by the frequency of their output ...
You combine the binary outputs to make complex patterns with these:
A logic gate is a device that performs a Boolean function, a logical operation performed on one or more binary inputs that produces a single binary output. Depending on the context, the term may refer to an ideal logic gate, one that has, for instance, zero rise time and unlimited fan-out, or it may refer to a non-ideal physical device (see ideal and real op-amps for comparison).
The primary way of building logic gates uses diodes or transistors acting as electronic switches. Today, most logic...
It gets freakin crazy when you start messing with the counter, shift registers, and flip flops, which allow you to program memory states and reveal the true digital nature of everything:
In electronics, flip-flops and latches are circuits that have two stable states that can store state information – a bistable multivibrator. The circuit can be made to change state by signals applied to one or more control inputs and will output its state (often along with its logical complement). It is the basic storage element in sequential logic. Flip-flops and latches are fundamental building blocks of digital electronics systems used in computers, communications, and many other types of syst...
In digital electronics, a counter is a sequential logic circuit that counts and stores the number of positive or negative transitions of a clock signal. A counter typically consists of flip-flops, which store a value representing the current count, and in many cases, additional logic to effect particular counting sequences, qualify clocks and perform other functions. Each relevant clock transition causes the current count to increment or decrement (increase or decrease by one).
A digital counter...
It follows LZX standards, for patching and interfacing video signals, and requires Cadet 1+Cadet 2 or Visual Cortex as core modules:
[WORK IN PROGRESS, FEEDBACK IN THREAD WELCOMED]
LZX Industries Patchable Video Standard V1.0
The Patchable Video Standard proposes an electrical and interface specification for wide bandwidth analog computing instruments intended for creative and expressive applications. It is optimized for, but not limited to: (1) generating and processing analog RGB video graphics in SD resolutions, (2) affordable devices which are accessible to working artists and not just big studios, and (3) maximum patcha…
Read up a bit on video sync and how the raster works:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app-notes/index.mvp/id/1184
Stay inspired and have a creative goal to challenge yourself with:
And learn some history:
The Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card for the IBM PC and established a de facto computer display standard.
The original IBM CGA graphics card was built around the Motorola 6845 display controller, came with 16 kilobytes of video memory built in, and featured several graphics and text modes. The highest display resolution of any mode was 640 × 200, and the...
The phrase "computer graphics" has been credited to William Fetter, a graphic designer for Boeing in 1960. Fetter in turn attributed it to Verne Hudson, also at Boeing.
In 1961 another student at MIT, Steve Russell, created another important title in the history of video games, Spacewar! Written for the DEC PDP-1, Spacewar was an instant success and copies started flowing to other PDP-1 owners and eventually DEC got a copy.[citation needed] The engineers at DEC used it as a diagnostic program on...
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