Hercules Graphics Card

{{Short description|IBM PC graphic adapter and display standard}}

{{Infobox GPU

| name = Hercules Graphics Card

| image = KL Hercules HGC.png

| caption = HGC with parallel port

| codename =

| created = {{Start date and age|1982}}

| transistors =

| architecture = Motorola 6845

| entry = Hercules Graphics Card

| midrange = Hercules Graphics Card Plus

| highend = Hercules InColor Card

| predecessor = MDA, CGA

| successor = Enhanced Graphics Adapter

}}

The Hercules Graphics Card (HGC) is a computer graphics controller formerly made by Hercules Computer Technology, Inc. that combines IBM's text-only MDA display standard with a bitmapped graphics mode, also offering a parallel printer port.{{Cite web |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, HTC // retrocmp / retro computing |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#hgc |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=retrocmp.de}} This allows the HGC to offer both high-quality text and graphics from a single card.

The HGC was very popular and became a widely supported de facto display standard on IBM PC compatibles. The HGC standard was used long after more technically capable systems had entered the market, especially on dual-monitor setups.

History

The Hercules Graphics Card was released to fill a gap in the IBM video product lineup. When the IBM Personal Computer was launched in 1981, it had two graphics cards available: the Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and the Monochrome Display And Printer Adapter (MDA). CGA offered low-resolution ({{resx|320x200}}) color graphics and medium-resolution ({{resx|640x200}}) monochrome graphics, while MDA offers a sharper text mode (equivalent to {{resx|720×350}}) but has no per-pixel addressing modes and is limited to a fixed character set.

These adapters were quickly found to be inadequate by the market, creating a demand for a card that offers high-resolution graphics and text.{{Cite news |last=Gibson |first=Steve |date=19 Sep 1988 |title=IBM's EGA unified backward-compatible CGA, MDA, Hercules standards |pages=49 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mDoEAAAAMBAJ&q=IBM+MDA+more+popular+than+CGA&pg=PA49}} The founder of Hercules Computer Technology, Van Suwannukul, created the Hercules Graphics Card so that he could work on his doctoral thesis on an IBM PC using the Thai alphabet, impossible with the low resolution of CGA or the fixed character set of MDA.{{Cite news |date=16 May 1989 |title=Monitors for VGA and beyond |pages=96 |work=PC Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jkWJsu_9CoC&q=van+suwannukul+hercules&pg=RA1-PA96}} It initially retailed in 1982 for $499.{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Mark |date=1 September 1986 |title=Hercules improves its monochrome card |pages=42 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cS8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=hercules+graphics+price&pg=PA42}}

Hardware design

The original HGC is an 8-bit ISA card with 64 KB of RAM, visible on the board as eight 4164 RAM chips, and a DE-9 output compatible with the IBM monochrome monitor used with the MDA. Like the MDA, it includes a parallel interface for attaching a printer.{{Cite news |date=27 September 1982 |title=Hardware News |pages=77 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzAEAAAAMBAJ&q=infoworld+1982+hercules&pg=PA77}}

The video output is 5 V TTL, as with the MDA card.{{cite web |title=IBM PC-Compatible EGA Video Reference |url=http://nemesis.lonestar.org/reference/video/ega.html |access-date=2007-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511072035/http://nemesis.lonestar.org/reference/video/ega.html |archive-date=2014-05-11 |url-status=dead}} 070822 nemesis.lonestar.org{{Cite web |last=White |first=Ray |date=2004 |title=Monitor Ports - Obsolete Interfaces |url=https://whitefiles.org/b1_s/1_free_guides/fg1mt/pgs/h10f.htm |website=Technology Guides|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322001323/https://whitefiles.org/b1_s/1_free_guides/fg1mt/pgs/h10f.htm |archive-date=2017-03-22 }}{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=PC video hardware page: Monitor connections |url=http://www.epanorama.net/links/pc_video.html#monitor |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=ePanorama.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317051011/http://www.epanorama.net/links/pc_video.html#monitor |archive-date=2017-03-17 }} Nominally, the Hercules card provides a horizontal scanning frequency of 18.425 ± 0.500 kHz and 50 Hz vertical.{{cite web |title=Industrial monochrome monitors 7"–14" |url=http://www.adm-electronic.de/pdf/MNL115_ita_eng.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202201848/http://www.adm-electronic.de/pdf/MNL115_ita_eng.pdf |archive-date=2007-02-02}} 070822 adm-electronic.de It runs at two slightly different sets of frequencies depending on whether in text or graphics mode, providing a different vertical refresh rate and a different aspect ratio via a different pixel clock and number of scanlines.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

Capabilities

File:Hercules Graphics Card test image.png

File:Wikipedia logo on Hercules display (adjusted).png

File:Hercules graphics simulated image.png

File:Hercules graphics (aspect ratio corrected).png]]

The Hercules card provides two modes:

{{resx|80×25}} text mode with {{resx|9×14}} pixel font (effective resolution of {{resx|720×350}}, MDA-compatible)
{{resx|720×348}} graphics mode (pixel-addressable graphics){{Cite news |last=Pointing |first=Bob |date=June 26, 1989 |title=High-Resolution Standard Is Latest Step in DOS Graphics Evolution |pages=48 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lTAEAAAAMBAJ&q=infoworld+1982+hercules&pg=PT47}}

The text mode of the Hercules card uses the same signal timing as the MDA text mode.

The Hercules graphics mode is similar to the CGA high-resolution ({{resx|640×200}}) two-color mode; the video buffer contains a packed-pixel bitmap (eight pixels per byte, one bit per pixel) with the same byte format—including the pixel-to-bit mapping and byte order—as the CGA two-color graphics mode, and the video buffer is also split into interleaved banks, each 8 KB in size.

However, because in the Hercules graphics mode there are more than 256 scanlines and the display buffer size is nearly 32 KB (instead of 16 KB as in all CGA graphics modes), four interleaved banks are used in the Hercules mode instead of two as in the CGA modes. Also, to represent 720 pixels per line instead of 640 as on the CGA, each scanline has 90 bytes of pixel data instead of 80.{{cite book |title=Hercules Graphics Card Owner's Manual |page=16}}

The 64 KB RAM of the HGC can hold two graphics display pages. Either page can be selected for display by setting a single bit in the Mode Control Register. Another bit, in a configuration register exclusive to the HGC, determines whether the second 32 KB of RAM on the HGC is accessible to the CPU at the base address B8000h. This bit is reset at system reset (e.g. power-on) so that the card does not conflict with a CGA or other color card at address B8000h.{{cite book |title=Hercules Graphics Card Owner's Manual |page=3}}

Use

In text mode, the HGC appears exactly like an MDA card.{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-12/1983_12_BYTE_08-12_Easy_Software#page/n343/mode/2up |title=The Hercules Graphics Card |work=BYTE |date=December 1983 |access-date=2013-10-20 |author-last=Wadlow |author-first=Tom |pages=343}} Graphics mode requires new techniques to use. Unlike the MDA and CGA, the PC BIOS provides no intrinsic support for the HGC. Hercules developed extensions, called HBASIC, for IBM Advanced BASIC to add HGC support{{Cite news |last=Wadlow |first=Tom |date=December 1983 |title=The Hercules Graphics Card |pages=343 |work=BYTE Magazine |url=https://www.tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/acrobat/8312.pdf}} and Hercules cards came with Graph X, a software library for Hercules graphical-mode support and geometric primitives.{{r|wadlow198312}}

Popular IBM PC programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet,{{r|wadlow198312}} AutoCAD computer-aided drafting, Pagemaker and Xerox Ventura desktop publishing, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.0 came with their own drivers to use the Hercules graphics mode.{{Cite web |date=May 1984 |title=Microsoft Flight Simulator (v2.0) back cover scan |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/pc-booter/microsoft-flight-simulator-v20/cover-art/gameCoverId,2149/ |website=MobyGames}}

Though the graphics mode of the Hercules card is not CGA-compatible, it is similar enough to the two CGA graphics modes that with the use of third-party terminate-and-stay-resident programs it can also work with programs written for the CGA card's standard graphics modes. As the Hercules card does not actually have color-generating circuitry, nor can it connect to a color monitor, color appears as simulated grayscale in varying dithering patterns.{{Cite web|title=ibm pc - How do CGA emulators for Hercules graphics work?|url=https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/6963/how-do-cga-emulators-for-hercules-graphics-work|access-date=2021-02-07|website=Retrocomputing Stack Exchange}}{{Cite web |title=CGA Simulators for Hercules Cards |url=https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/cga_simulators_for_hercules.php |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=DOS Days - Old PC Computing Resource}}{{Cite web |last=Guzis |first=C. |date=1987 |title=SIMCGA - A CGA SIMULATOR FOR MONOCHROME GRAPHICS CARDS |url=https://www.pcorner.com/list/GRAPHUTI/SIMCGA41.ZIP/INFO/ |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=The Programmer's Corner |archive-date=2022-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203150326/https://www.pcorner.com/list/GRAPHUTI/SIMCGA41.ZIP/INFO/ |url-status=dead }}

Clones of the Hercules appeared, including generic models at very low prices, usually without the printer port. Hercules advertisements implied that use of generic Hercules clones can damage the monitor.{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1985-04-rescan/page/n25|title=Hercules ad from Byte Magazine April 1985|work=Byte Magazine|date=April 1985}}

Reception

The Hercules Graphics Card was very successful, especially after Lotus 1-2-3 supported it, with one-half million units sold by 1985. {{asof|1986|06}} Hercules Computer Technology had 18% of the graphics card market, second to IBM.{{Cite news |last=Bright |first=David |date=June 23, 1986 |title=Hercules graphics card to debut |pages=52 |work=Computerworld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mop2UUCt4kIC&q=computerworld+hercules+1982&pg=PA52}} Hercules-compatible graphics cards shipped as standard hardware with most PC clones. As a de facto standard, support in software was widespread.

Card versions

The Hercules Graphics Card had several versions.

= Hercules Graphics Card =

Several updated versions of the original Hercules Graphics Card exist. The original board from 1982 is referenced as GB100, with updated versions in 1983 (GB101), 1984 (GB102) and 1988 (GB102Z).{{Cite web |last=Brase |first=Thomas |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, Hercules Graphics Cards (HGC) |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#hgc |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=retrocmp.de - BRING OLD HARDWARE BACK TO LIFE AGAIN}}

= Hercules Graphics Card Plus =

The Hercules Graphics Card Plus or HGC+ (GB112) was released in June 1986 at an original retail price of $299.{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Mark |date=September 1, 1986 |title=Hercules improves its monochrome card |pages=41 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cS8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41}} It was an enhancement of the HGC, adding support for redefinable fonts called RAMFONT in MDA-compatible text mode.{{cite web |author-last=Elliott |author-first=John C. |date=2012-08-09 |title=Hercules Graphics Card Plus: Notes |url=http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/hercplus.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123124757/http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/hercplus.html |archive-date=2016-11-23 |access-date=2016-11-23 |website=John Elliott's homepage}} It was based around a specialty chip designed by Hercules Computer Technology, unlike the original Hercules Graphics Card, which used standard components.{{cite journal |date=October 1986 |title=Inside the IBM PC: Before you consider the Hercules Graphics Card Plus consider the technology behind it |url=https://archive.org/stream/198610ByteMagazineVol1111InsideTheIBMPC/198610%20Byte%20Magazine%20Vol%2011-11%20Inside%20the%20IBM%20PC#page/n259/mode/2up/search/RAMfont |journal=Byte Magazine |type=Advertisement |volume=11 |access-date=2016-11-24}} Software support included Lotus 1-2-3 v2, Symphony 1.1, Framework II and Microsoft Word 3.

= Hercules Network Card Plus =

In 1988 Hercules released the Hercules Network Card Plus, (HNC NB112) a variant of the Graphics Card Plus with an integrated TOPS/FlashTalk-compatible network adapter.{{Cite news |last1=Stephens |last2=Moran |date=March 21, 1988 |title=Hercules to ship card after 3-month delay |page=21 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9j4EAAAAMBAJ&q=hercules+network+card&pg=PA21}} Like the HGC+, it supported RAMFONT, but lacked a printer port.{{cite journal|author=CW|date=1988-04-22|title=Hercules bringt neues PC-Board mit Ramfont: Grafik und Netzwerk auf einer Karte|url=http://www.computerwoche.de/a/grafik-und-netzwerk-auf-einer-karte,1154889|journal=Computerwoche|language=de|access-date=2016-11-24}}{{cite journal|date=1988-05-31|title=Hercules Network Card Plus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=voPUUGTC56UC&pg=PA262|journal=PC Magazine|access-date=2016-11-24}}{{Cite news |last=Patton |first=Carole |date=October 26, 1987 |title=Hercules Weds Networking and Video on 1 Board |pages=20 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_z4EAAAAMBAJ&q=hercules+network+card+parallel&pg=PA20}}

= Hercules InColor Card =

The InColor Card (GB222) was introduced in April 1987. It included color capabilities similar to the EGA, with 16 colors from a palette of 64. It retained the same two modes ({{resx|80×25}} text with redefinable fonts and {{resx|720×348}} graphics), and was backward-compatible with software written for the earlier monochrome Hercules cards.{{cite web |author-last=Elliott |author-first=John C. |date=2012-08-05 |title=Hercules InColor Card: Notes |url=http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/incolor.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123123816/http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/incolor.html |archive-date=2016-11-23 |access-date=2016-11-23}} (Pictures and programming information){{cite book |author-last=Wilton |author-first=Richard |title=Programmer's guide to the PC & PS/2 video systems |date=1987 |publisher=Microsoft Press |isbn=1-55615-103-9 |edition=1st}} (NB. The second edition does no longer discuss the InColor and MCGA cards at detail level.){{cite web |author-last=Brown |author-first=Ralf D. |author-link=Ralf D. Brown |date=2012-01-21 |title=Public Files on FTP.CS.CMU.EDU - The x86 Interrupt List aka "Ralf Brown's Interrupt List" (RBIL) |url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ralf/files.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616113421/https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ralf/files.html |archive-date=2016-06-16 |access-date=2016-06-16 |orig-year=2000-07-16}}{{Cite web |last=Brase |first=Thomas |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, Hercules InColor Card (GB222) |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#hicc |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=retrocmp - retro computing}}{{Cite news |last=CBR Staff Writer |date=March 1987 |title=PERSONAL GRAPHICS: HERCULES TO BURST INTO 16 COLOURS |work=Tech Monitor |url=https://techmonitor.ai/technology/personal_graphics_hercules_to_burst_into_16_colours}}

= Hercules Color Card =

The Hercules Color Card (GB200) was a CGA-compatible video board and should not be confused with the InColor Card.{{Cite book |url=https://minuszerodegrees.net/manuals/Hercules/Hercules%20Color%20Card%20GB200%20-%20Owner's%20Manual%20-%20PARTIAL.pdf |title=Hercules Color Card GB200 - Owner's Manual |publisher=Hercules}} This board could coexist with the HGC and still allow both graphics pages to be used.{{Cite web |last=Brase |first=Thomas |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, Hercules Color Card (GB200) |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#hcc |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=retrocmp.de - BRING OLD HARDWARE BACK TO LIFE AGAIN}} It would detect when the second graphics page was selected and disable access to its own memory, which would otherwise have been at the same addresses. A version without printer port exists{{Cite web |last=Brase |first=Thomas |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, Hercules Color Card/NP |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#hccnp |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=retrocmp.de}}

= Hercules Text Card =

The Hercules Text Card was a text-only MDA clone, but offered a parallel printer port.{{Cite web |last=Brase |first=Thomas |title=Hardware / Hercules Computer Technology, Hercules Text Card |url=https://retrocmp.de/hardware/hercules-card/hercules-card.htm#htc |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=retrocmp.de - BRING OLD HARDWARE BACK TO LIFE AGAIN}}

Clone boards

Other boards offered Hercules compatibility.{{Cite web |url=http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/component/content/article/59-vlasks-articles/index.php?option=com_customproperties&view=show&task=show&cp_made=&cp_bus=&cp_memsize=&cp_year=&cp_memory=&cp_family=&cp_cardtype=hercules&cp_owner=&cp_directx=&cp_opengl=&cp_pipelines=&cp_manufacturer=&cp_process=&cp_text_search= |title=VGA Legacy |access-date=2014-06-28 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140629122627/http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/component/content/article/59-vlasks-articles/index.php?option=com_customproperties&view=show&task=show&cp_made=&cp_bus=&cp_memsize=&cp_year=&cp_memory=&cp_family=&cp_cardtype=hercules&cp_owner=&cp_directx=&cp_opengl=&cp_pipelines=&cp_manufacturer=&cp_process=&cp_text_search= |archive-date=2014-06-29 |url-status=dead}}

SiS 86C12, 86C22
ATI Small Wonder Graphics Solution, 18700, Graphics Solution Plus
Tamarack Microelectronics TD3088A, TD3088A2, TD3088A3, TD3010, RY-3301, TD3010
Yamaha V6366C-F, V6363-F, V6363
Winbond W86855AF, W86855AF
NEC μPD65042GD
Tseng Labs ET1000-A
DFI MG-150
Hitachi HD6445P4, HD6845SP
RAM MCG2502, MCG2502
Proton PT6121T
Acer M3127
Sigma Designs 53C101+53C280A
CM607P
AST Research AST Preview!{{Cite book |url=https://vintageapple.org/byte/pdf/198509_Byte_Magazine_Vol_10-09_10th_Anniversary_Issue.pdf|title=Byte Magazine September 1985, page 19|year=1985|pages=19}}

Certain later models of the Tandy 1000 (such as the 1000 TL and SL) and the Epson Equity{{Cite book |url=https://files.support.epson.com/pdf/e1p___/e1p___u1.pdf |title=Equity I+ User's Guide and Diagnostics |publisher=Epson |year=1986 |pages=}} contained circuitry built into their CPU boards that supported Hercules display modes in addition to their standard CGA modes.

ET1000-A.JPG|Tseng ET-1000 Hercules compatible card

ATI Hercules Card 1986 (cropped and transparent).png|ATI Hercules compatible card from 1986

HGCclone.jpg|A Tamarack Microelectronics Hercules compatible card

Uncle-RAY.jpg|Uncle-RAY Hercules compatible card