Molecular Expressions: Science, Optics & You - Olympus MIC-D: Integrated Circuit Gallery (original) (raw)

Integrated Circuit Image Gallery

Weitek 91460 Graphics Processor

The Weitek 91460, released in 1992, was the "brains" behind some of the innovative graphics abilities displayed by the Commodore Amiga. Assisted with 2 Mbytes of memory, Ameristar Technologies featured the 91460 chip on their Model 1600GX graphics adapter card.

View a medium magnification image of the Weitek 91460 processor.

View a high magnification image of the Weitek 91460 processor.

Ameristar's 1600GX graphics adapter card featured the Zorro III bus and met Amiga's then-brand-new RTG graphics standard. An acronym for ReTargetable Graphics, RTG was an Amiga-specific true color standard that allowed processors to direct output from any graphics chipset to a monitor, a big step for computers at the time. The card had programmable resolutions from 640 x 480 pixels up to 1600 x 1280 pixels for non-interlaced video based on 256 colors from a 24-bit palette. Connectors included both BNC (British Naval Connector or Bayonet Nut Connector) and VGA (video graphics array) standards.

The Weitek 91460, an 8-bit chip, featured a 180-MHz dot clock, 100 million pixels, 2 Mbytes random-access memory, and 16 ZIP screen modes. Weitek went out of business in 1997, but was absorbed into the Brooktree Division of Rockwell Semiconductor, which survives as an independent spin-off, Conexant Systems. Although no longer manufactured, Commodore Amigas still capture some retro aficionados' hearts and minds.

Contributing Authors

Omar Alvarado, Thomas J. Fellers and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.

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