In case you’ve ever tried to provide an analog video sign with an Arduino, then you recognize that it isn’t simple. That’s a bit counterintuitive if you happen to consider analog video as “previous” and assume that producing an analog video sign can be trivial with our highly effective fashionable {hardware}. However there are various methods through which analog alerts are tough and that’s very true in order for you one thing like VGA output, which requires very exact timing. That’s why it’s so spectacular that Slu4 was capable of construct this retro laptop with simply an Arduino Nano and a shift register.

This was no easy feat and it actually showcases Slu4’s programming prowess. His creation can output 320×200 decision VGA video whereas studying PS/2 keyboard inputs, with sufficient processing energy leftover to deal with primary online game logic and graphics. He demonstrates that with a Tetris­-like video games that runs very easily. And Slu4 says that it’s even doable so as to add 16 colours per row, although he doesn’t present that in motion.

Slu4 first achieved an analogous consequence a couple of years in the past, however that required a number of IC (Built-in Circuit) chips. This model solely wants one: a regular 74HC166 shift register. That helped him overcome a number of the challenges associated to VGA timing, which the Nano’s ATmega328 microcontroller can simply barely sustain with. This did necessitate some low-level programming to maximise effectivity, however Slu4 was capable of pull it off. Much more spectacular, he was capable of learn PS/2 keyboard enter on the identical time so the participant can management the sport.