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HP1345A (and Wargames) – PHKs Bikeshed

5 hours ago
  • #HP1345A
  • #vector-display
  • #WarGames
  • The author reverse-engineered the character generator of an HP1345A digital vector display.
  • The HP1345A has two built-in service modes with specific glyphs for alignment and focus screens.
  • The focus screen is displayed by an i8748 microcontroller when a jumper is mounted.
  • The original and newer Character ROMs differ only in the comma glyph.
  • The focus-window glyphs exist in two aspect ratios, hinting at a possible 1:1 aspect ratio option.
  • The movie WarGames (1983) featured a plot involving a kid accidentally triggering a nuclear war simulation.
  • WarGames is notable for its themes, including the Cold War, game theory, and social engineering.
  • The movie's graphics were designed on an HP9845 computer and drawn on an HP1345A vector display.
  • Some alphanumerics in the movie were generated as vectors, not matching the HP1345A's character generator.