Zektor Vector generator
 

Do y'all have any experience with the Zektor Vector generator http://www.zektor.com/zvg/index.html

I have one and it uses the printer port, but does not work in Windows XP, because the printer port for the command prompt is virtual and this hardware expects a physical printer port. Unfortunately there are no Windows drivers for this hardware.

that thing looks cool ! Well the description says DOS not the command prompt. Most likely DOS because you are running some game ROM emulator and the MAME I have not read about, so I guess lower memory addresses like the olden days. I use to fix those old arcade games, and Atari games came with a huge theory of operation manual. This was good for explaining about the circuitry, programing, and how the display worked. This book was invaluable since like how I got my start in game repair, the people that had them often took them to the local tv repair shop to get them worked on. Atari's were the best documented games!

The ECP printers had an address on them. So you are needing something like a parallel port, but selected off the main board? Does this thing have several ports to write to? And ECP was bidirectional..... Anyway while running this MAME program, you need the drivers in DOS not XP so there should be some printer driver around the net for it. You don't install it in XP.... Anyway it looks like a neato project. What was the name of that vector game with the head and the one eye at the start of the game that talked. I really liked that game... The picture is on the Zektor page you linked to? Its on the "requirements" page.

The only thing I can think of is the fact that the command prompt in xp uses a virtual printer port which I think simply writes to the printer driver instead of allowing access to the actual printer port. That may be the issue, but I am not totally sure.

I thought about it last night a little more. X-Y-Z monitors were 3 channel devices. 3 input lines, one for each letter. So I think they needed the ECP printers so they can write to 3 different D to A converters, and ECP's did have address lines on them, while XP most likely has no legacy stuff that old, its all usb, serial, single channel. It requires more reading, I saw a few sites where they had that card working using XP, and linux, so there is an answer out there. Just google MAME and read everything.

I know it will work in DOS MAME which I have, but I cannot get the zvgtweak program to recognize the card. When I run that program it sasys it cannot find an ECP compatable printer port on my computer. I think XP with its command prompt may use a virtual printer port which simply takes what you want to print from the command prompt program and writes it to the printer driver.

Once I get the card ruinning I intend to use it with an old SUN engine analyzer my dad has and don't use any more. It is from the 70's and from what I understand and from trying to fix the analyzer the display is very similar to a vector monitor except there is no easy way to control the intensity aside from the intensity control without modifying the circuit some. The only use for the display is for displaying waveforms. Everything else is shown on meters. The tester sits on its own movable stand with a door and two shelves inside which would be perfect for hiding a computer, small monitor, audio amp and speaker inside. For a controller I will just use a game pad for a computer.

I found the answer to my problem http://www.radiantbacon.com/

Its possible that SUN machine just displayed spark images from a induction coupling on the center line of the car's distributor. So that would make that monitor a large oscilloscope with limited bandwidth just to show the spark. Like a scan 1/60 sec or so to fit a V8 or V6 engine firing all 8 or 6 on a single screen trace. What for? Well cylinder pressure will allow a spark to jump with certain shape on screen with a good plug. So this simple trace can show quickly spark plug quality, deposits on plug, and really bad compression, it would let you know which cylinder to go to. The good news, easy xyz monitor conversion there.

Should be since the vertical and horizontal deflection boards are the exact same.

sounds like you got a nice project going...... good luck!

Followed that link you posted; http://www.radiantbacon.com/ I learned a little about Win XP, and how that OS differs from older ones.

Thanks and have a great night!

You're welcome. have a great night as well.

Only thing is I have no service manual for the analyzer and the only way so far I have found to control the intensity is from the intensity control. Now I could build a circuit that will apply the necessary voltage to that control I suppose while using the control to adjust overall intensity. I am thinking that there has to be a circuit to control intensity as I am sure the retrace would need to be blanked.

Just remembered that I read somewhere online where the CRT in the analyzer was used in a vector monitor.

Now if I could just find a service manual for the analyzer or at least a schematic.

I got the card running in XP, but I need to find the vector game roms in order to see if it works properly.

I got a buncha old game roms once years ago off WinMX. Today you could try Frostwire, I think you may even find them on game builder sites. They must be public domain by now. I don't think anyone will sell those games again. They may recycle the names of those games, but not the boards, or low res graphics on those roms.

a prime number
 

How would I write a prime number generator in java?