Open Graphics Project
Encyclopedia
The Open Graphics Project (OGP) aims to design an open source hardware
/ open architecture
and standard for graphics cards, primarily targeting free software
/ open source
operating systems. The project has created a reprogrammable development and prototyping board and aims to eventually produce a full-featured and competitive end-user graphics card.
graphics card dubbed OGD1, which uses a field-programmable gate array
(FPGA) chip. Although this card cannot compete with existing graphics cards on the market in terms of performance or functionality, it should be useful as a tool for prototyping the first application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) board, as well as for other professionals needing programmable graphics cards or FPGA-based prototyping boards. It is hoped that this prototype will attract enough interest to gain some profit and attract investors for the next card, since it is expected to cost around $2,000,000 to start the production of a specialized ASIC design. PCI Express
and/or Mini-PCI variations may follow. OGD1 began shipping in September 2010, some six years after the project began and 3 years after the appearance of the first prototypes.
Full specifications will be published and open source device driver
s will be released. All RTL
will be released. Source code to the device drivers and BIOS
will be released under the MIT
and BSD licenses
. The RTL (in Verilog
) used for the FPGA and the RTL used for the ASIC are planned to be released under the GNU General Public License
(GPL).
It has 256 MiB
of DDR RAM, is passively cooled, and follows the DDC
, EDID
, DPMS
and VBE
VESA standards. TV-out
is also planned.
{Root Number} – {Video Memory}{Video Output Interfaces}{Special Options e.g: A1 OGA firmware installed}
Open Graphics Architecture (OGA):The trade name for open graphics architectures specified by the Open Graphics Project.
Open Graphics Development (OGD):The initial FPGA-based experimentation board used as a test platform for TRV ASICs.
Traversal Technology (TRV):The commercial name for the first ASIC products, based on the Open Graphics Architecture.
Open Graphics Card (OGC):Graphics cards based on TRV chips.
Open Hardware Foundation (OHF):A non-profit corporation whose charter is to promote the design and production of open source and open documentation hardware.
Open source hardware
Open source hardware consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered in the same manner as free and open source software . Open source hardware is part of the open source culture movement and applies a like concept to a variety of components. The term usually means that...
/ open architecture
Open architecture
Open architecture is a type of computer architecture or software architecture that allows adding, upgrading and swapping components. For example, the IBM PC and Apple IIe have an open architecture, whereas the Apple IIc and Amiga 500 computers have a closed architecture...
and standard for graphics cards, primarily targeting free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
/ open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
operating systems. The project has created a reprogrammable development and prototyping board and aims to eventually produce a full-featured and competitive end-user graphics card.
OGD1
The project's first product is a PCIPeripheral Component Interconnect
Conventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
graphics card dubbed OGD1, which uses a field-programmable gate array
Field-programmable gate array
A field-programmable gate array is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing—hence "field-programmable"...
(FPGA) chip. Although this card cannot compete with existing graphics cards on the market in terms of performance or functionality, it should be useful as a tool for prototyping the first application-specific integrated circuit
Application-specific integrated circuit
An application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
(ASIC) board, as well as for other professionals needing programmable graphics cards or FPGA-based prototyping boards. It is hoped that this prototype will attract enough interest to gain some profit and attract investors for the next card, since it is expected to cost around $2,000,000 to start the production of a specialized ASIC design. PCI Express
PCI Express
PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
and/or Mini-PCI variations may follow. OGD1 began shipping in September 2010, some six years after the project began and 3 years after the appearance of the first prototypes.
Full specifications will be published and open source device driver
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
s will be released. All RTL
Register transfer level
In integrated circuit design, register-transfer level is a level of abstraction used in describing the operation of a synchronous digital circuit...
will be released. Source code to the device drivers and BIOS
BIOS
In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
will be released under the MIT
MIT License
The MIT License is a free software license originating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . It is a permissive license, meaning that it permits reuse within proprietary software provided all copies of the licensed software include a copy of the MIT License terms...
and BSD licenses
BSD licenses
BSD licenses are a family of permissive free software licenses. The original license was used for the Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix-like operating system after which it is named....
. The RTL (in Verilog
Verilog
In the semiconductor and electronic design industry, Verilog is a hardware description language used to model electronic systems. Verilog HDL, not to be confused with VHDL , is most commonly used in the design, verification, and implementation of digital logic chips at the register-transfer level...
) used for the FPGA and the RTL used for the ASIC are planned to be released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
(GPL).
It has 256 MiB
MIB
MIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision...
of DDR RAM, is passively cooled, and follows the DDC
Display Data Channel
The Display Data Channel or DDC is a collection of digital communication protocols between a computer display and a graphics adapter that enables the display to communicate its supported display modes to the adapter and to enable the computer host to adjust monitor parameters, such as brightness...
, EDID
Extended display identification data
Extended display identification data is a data structure provided by a digital display to describe its capabilities to a video source . It is what enables a modern personal computer to know what kinds of monitors are connected to it. EDID is defined by a standard published by the Video...
, DPMS
VESA Display Power Management Signaling
VESA Display Power Management Signaling is a standard from the VESA consortium for managing the power supply of video monitors for computers through the graphics card e.g.; shut off the monitor after the computer has been unused for some time , to save power.- History :DPMS 1.0 was issued by VESA...
and VBE
VESA BIOS Extensions
VESA BIOS Extensions is a VESA standard, currently at version 3, that defines the interface that can be used by software to access compliant video boards at high resolutions and bit depths...
VESA standards. TV-out
TV-out
The term TV-out is commonly used to label the connector of equipment providing an analog video signal acceptable for a television AV input. TV-out is different from AV-out in that it only provides video, no audio....
is also planned.
Versioning schema
Versioning schema for OGD1 will go like this:{Root Number} – {Video Memory}{Video Output Interfaces}{Special Options e.g: A1 OGA firmware installed}
| Field | Example Value | Example Description |
|---|---|---|
| Root number | OGD1P- | OGD1 board with PCI Bus |
| Video memory | 256 | 256 MiB |
| Video outputs, in order, skip any not installed | ||
| First interface | D | Dual-link DVI |
| Second interface | D | Dual-link DVI |
| Third interface | A | Analog video, 75 ohm, VGA compatible |
| Fourth interface | V | TV video |
| Special options, in alphanumeric order, each preceded by a dash | ||
| Factory firmware-RTL | A1 | OGA1 Firmware |
OGD1 components
Main components of OGD1 graphics card (shown on the picture)- A) DVIDigital Visual InterfaceThe Digital Visual Interface is a video interface standard covering the transmission of video between a source device and a display device. The DVI standard has achieved widespread acceptance in the PC industry, both in desktop PCs and monitors...
transmitter pair A - B) DVI transmitter pair B
- C) 330MHz triple 10-bit DACDigital-to-analog converterIn electronics, a digital-to-analog converter is a device that converts a digital code to an analog signal . An analog-to-digital converter performs the reverse operation...
(behind) - D) TVTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
chip - E) 2x4 256 megabit DDR SDRAMDDR SDRAMDouble data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. DDR SDRAM has been superseded by DDR2 SDRAM and DDR3 SDRAM, neither of which are either forward or backward compatible with DDR SDRAM, meaning that DDR2 or DDR3 memory modules...
(front, behind) - F) XilinxXilinxXilinx, Inc. is a supplier of programmable logic devices. It is known for inventing the field programmable gate array and as the first semiconductor company with a fabless manufacturing model....
3S4000 FPGAField-programmable gate arrayA field-programmable gate array is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing—hence "field-programmable"...
(main chip) - G) LatticeLattice SemiconductorLattice Semiconductor Corporation is a United States based manufacturer of high-performance programmable logic devices . Founded in 1983, the company employs about 700 people and has annual revenues of around $300 million, with Darin Billerbeck as the chief executive officer...
XP10 FPGA (host interface) - H) SPI PROMProgrammable read-only memoryA programmable read-only memory or field programmable read-only memory or one-time programmable non-volatile memory is a form of digital memory where the setting of each bit is locked by a fuse or antifuse. Such PROMs are used to store programs permanently...
1 MibitMebibitThe mebibit is a multiple of the bit, a unit of digital information storage, prefixed by the standards-based multiplier mebi , a binary prefix meaning 220... - J) SPI PROM 16 Mibit
- K) 3x 500MHz DACs (optional)
- L) 64-bit PCI-XPCI-XPCI-X, short for PCI-eXtended, is a computer bus and expansion card standard that enhances the 32-bit PCI Local Bus for higher bandwidth demanded by servers. It is a double-wide version of PCI, running at up to four times the clock speed, but is otherwise similar in electrical implementation and...
edge connector - M) DVI-I connector A and connector B
- N) S-VideoS-VideoSeparate Video, more commonly known as S-Video and Y/C, is often referred to by JVC as both an S-VHS connector and as Super Video. It is an analog video transmission scheme, in which video information is encoded on two channels: luma and chroma...
connector - O) 100-pin expansion bus connector
Divisions/terms related to OGP
Open Graphics Project (OGP):The group of people developing OGA, its written documentation, and its products.Open Graphics Architecture (OGA):The trade name for open graphics architectures specified by the Open Graphics Project.
Open Graphics Development (OGD):The initial FPGA-based experimentation board used as a test platform for TRV ASICs.
Traversal Technology (TRV):The commercial name for the first ASIC products, based on the Open Graphics Architecture.
Open Graphics Card (OGC):Graphics cards based on TRV chips.
Open Hardware Foundation (OHF):A non-profit corporation whose charter is to promote the design and production of open source and open documentation hardware.
See also
- Graphics hardware and FOSS
- Open-source hardware
- Open system (computing)Open system (computing)Open systems are computer systems that provide some combination of interoperability, portability, and open software standards. The term was popularized in the early 1980s, mainly to describe systems based on Unix,...
External links
- The official Open Graphics wiki
- Project VGA - another free graphics core project, aiming at cheaper hardware
- Manticore - an older FPGA-based free graphics core implementation. As of 2009-05-04 no source is available.
- The master thesis "An FPGA-based 3D Graphics System" illustrates very well the design decisions to make, while developing a FPGA-based 3D graphics core.
- The master thesis "A performance-driven SoC architecture for video synthesis" gives a more complete and hands-on approach of some aspects.