Plantronics Colorplus

The Plantronics Colorplus is a graphics card for IBM PC computers,[1] first sold in 1982. It is a superset of the then-current CGA standard, using the same monitor standard and providing the same pixel resolutions.[2] It was produced by Frederick Electronics, of Frederick, Maryland.

Plantronics Colorplus
Release date1982 (1982)
Cards
Entry-levelPlantronics Colorplus
High-endATI Graphics Solution, Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480
History
PredecessorCGA
SuccessorEGA

The Colorplus has twice the memory of a standard CGA board (32k, compared to 16k). The additional memory can be used in graphics modes to double the color depth, giving two additional graphics modes—16 colors at 320×200 resolution, or 4 colors at 640×200 resolution.

It uses the same Motorola MC6845 display controller as the previous MDA and CGA adapters.[2]

The original card also includes a parallel printer port.

Output capabilities

CGA compatible modes:

  • 160×100 16 color mode
  • 320x200 in 4 colors from a 16 color hardware palette. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:1.2.
  • 640×200 in 2 colors. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:2.4
  • 40×25 with 8×8 pixel font text mode(effective resolution of 320×200)
  • 80×25 with 8×8 pixel font text mode(effective resolution of 640×200)

In addition to the CGA modes, it offers:

  • 320x200 with 16 colors
  • 640x200 with 4 colors
  • "New high-resolution" text font, selectable by hardware jumper

(The "new" font was actually the unused "thin" font already present in the IBM CGA ROMs, with 1-pixel wide vertical strokes. This offered greater clarity on RGB monitors, versus the default "thick" / 2-pixel font more suitable for output to composite monitors and over RF to televisions but, contrary to Plantronics' advertising claims, was drawn at the same 8x8 pixel resolution.)

Software support

Few programs made use of these modes, for which there was no BIOS support. A 1984 advertisement[3] listed as compatible software Color-It, UCSD P-system, Peachtree Graphics Language, Business Graphics System,[4] Graph Power, The Draftsman, Videogram, Stock View and GSX. In addition, Canyon State Systems CompuShow[5] supports the 320×200 mode. Planet X3, released by American YouTuber David "The 8-Bit Guy" Murray in 2019, is the only video game known to have Colorplus support.[6]

Hardware Clones

Some third-party CGA and EGA clones, such as the ATI Graphics Solution and the Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480,[7] could emulate the extra modes (usually describing them simply as 'Plantronics mode'). The Thomson TO16 (a PC-XT compatible) had the Plantronics modes integrated on the motherboard, along with CGA.

See also

References
  1. "Colorplus High Resolution Color Graphics Adapter from Plantronics (1984)". Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  2. PC Mag Jul 1983, p. 435, at Google Books
  3. "Colorplus High Resolution Color Graphics Adapter from Plantronics (1984)". Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  4. PC Mag, p. 203, at Google Books
  5. http://cd.textfiles.com/clipart1996/UTILS/CSHOW860/ABOUT860.TXT
  6. Murray, David. "Planet X3 is Here! And with new video modes!". The 8-Bit Guy. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  7. PC Mag, p. 218, at Google Books
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