Atari Vector Generator

I'm lucky enough to own an Atari Asteroids Deluxe coin-op game, which I restored over a few years using all original components, including a vector monitor. I loved those vector games back in the late 70s and into the 80s. So, fast forward to today and the obvious thing for me to do is write some more games that use a vector display. While not many of us have an original vector display, many more of us do have old school analogue oscilloscopes which can be used instead.

So I thought I'd reproduce the Atari Digital Vector generator (DVG), as used in many of their games, and make it easy to program. Hence this project.

The DVG itself, along with the 68k interface logic will fit into some sort of programmable logic device. Three DACs along with support circuitry will take care of producing the analog X, Y and Z outputs.

Links

• Jed Margolin's "Secret Life of Vector Generators". Jed worked on the design of the original DVG.
• Original AD Sourcecode