Subject: Re: On topic: VAX graphics board question
To: Clint Wolff \(VAX collector\) <vaxman@qwest.net>
From: Michael Kukat <michael@unixiron.org>
List: port-vax
Date: 05/09/2001 16:12:31
Hi !

On Wed, 9 May 2001, Clint Wolff (VAX collector) wrote:
> Thanks for the info... I always thought the SPX indicated a single
> plane graphics system (IE the Mono on the motherboard), and DEC only
> called it SPX to differentiate it from the (identical) MicroVAX 3100.

Not really. SPX is the "high-end-graphics" of the 3100 series. It might be
very hard to find a more accelerated framebuffer for your VAX.

> Were these boards common or pretty rare? Or to phrase it another
> way, should I plan on getting a VS40X board because NetBSD isn't
> going to support it in my lifetime?

Oh, i think quite common in CAD areas. I have 2 3100m76 SPX, and even my first
3100m76 was a SPX machine. These machines were very often equipped with the
SPX cards. Finding it in a 3100m30-m48 may be a bit more uncommon.

Currently, it's a good idea to switch to serial or monochrome console, the
SPX support is far away i think. Missing documentation.

...Michael

-- 
In TV, there are bluescreens to put a faked reality behind a real played scene,
in Windows, you sometimes see the real scene, when the fakes go out for lunch.