"Applied" ASCII art
Hello, Habr! The author of a recent article spoke about a variety of ASCII art, which seems to be not quite “art,” that is, art. Because it serves practical purposes: to show a small sketch, graph, electrical or other diagram ... I decided to remember something on this subject.
Once upon a time, IDCs for PLCs worked the same way as most other serious programs of the time - in text mode. The programmer could peer at something like this (taken from here ):
Those modern PLCs that are equipped with integrated displays on the HD44780 can still do that today.
But even when he was at the computer, where the graphic mode is the only and no alternative (for example, BC), the compiler of the instruction or reference could by inertia do this (a fragment of the structural diagram of the K1801BM1 microprocessor, from here ):
Inertia continued in the nineties, and even at the beginning of zero. Here, for example, a sketch made in 1997:
This is a vortex ring generator familiar to many ( from here ): on one side of the membrane, on the other - a wall with a hole.
They could have depicted the electrical circuit as well. If at the same time we took pseudographic characters from the second part of the code table, we obtained a binding to the encoding. It is still possible to transfer from KOI-8P to 866 and vice versa, but in 1251, where there are no such symbols, this is already a problem. When using the additional features of editors, for example, Vortex (for BC) or “Word and deed”, a general binding to a specific editor was obtained. Vortex was generally the most convenient thing: you won’t immediately understand in which editor the diagram is executed, in text or graphic. But the rejection of all this provided a real cross-platform. It was possible to draw up a diagram, for example, at Amiga, and look at Corvette. Here is the polarity converter from + 5V to -5V, a useful thing for experimenting with KR580VM80, diodes with anodes up, from here :
There was no standard for ASCII schemes. Especially with regard to how to indicate the intersection of conductors without a connection, but as with a connection. Some preferred this method:
Others are like this:
In both cases, quickly navigating was easy. A breakdown of the scheme into fragments made it possible to practically get rid of intersections.
Why did they continue to do so when almost everyone had VGA and higher video cards? There are several reasons.
Well, why now all this? Firstly, nostalgia. After all, they write beeper music, although today even a push-button telephone for 400 rubles plays MP3. Secondly, fragments of diagrams explaining where to connect in ASCII format are conveniently placed directly in sketches. This is how (taken from here ) you can save the Arduino conclusions by connecting indicators to it through the counters:

Use this technique both you and the one who decides to repeat your design will save unnecessary gestures. If he downloaded the sketch for a long time, and forgot where it came from, he would not have to remember or search.
WA1-o-o-+VD1-o-+
| | | |
L C C R<-+
1 1 2 1 |
| | | | |
|-o-o------o-+ |
+-----------------+ +--R3--+C6--|
| |
o--C3+-o-|4 8|-o-C7+-o-BA1-Vcc
| | DA1 | |
+------+ | К174 | |
| | УН4 | |
o-C4+-R2-|2 6|-------+
| |
|--C5+---|5 7|-Vcc
| |
|--------|9 |
Once upon a time, IDCs for PLCs worked the same way as most other serious programs of the time - in text mode. The programmer could peer at something like this (taken from here ):
| (N.C. physical (N.C. physical |
| Switch) Switch) |
| Low Level High Level Fill Valve |
|------[ ]------|------[ ]----------------------(OUT)---------|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| Fill Valve | |
|------[ ]------| |
| |
| |
Those modern PLCs that are equipped with integrated displays on the HD44780 can still do that today.
But even when he was at the computer, where the graphic mode is the only and no alternative (for example, BC), the compiler of the instruction or reference could by inertia do this (a fragment of the structural diagram of the K1801BM1 microprocessor, from here ):
1 34 30 29 35 31 32 33
| | | | | | | |
CLC| | ACLO| DCLO| VIRQ| IRQ1| IRQ2| IRQ3|
| INIT| | | | | | |
\|/ | \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/
| \|/ | | | | | |
|___|___| /|\ |_|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_|
|схема | | | Блок |
|такти- | | | Прерываний |
|рования| | |_______________|_________________|
|___|___| | |
| | /|\
/|\ | |
| | |
Inertia continued in the nineties, and even at the beginning of zero. Here, for example, a sketch made in 1997:
__________________________
/ /\
| | |
| SOUP CAN | |
| | |
| | |
| | __ |
RUBBER | | ( ) |
SHEET __\ | | (__) |
/ | | | /__ WITH
| | | \ HOLE
| | |
| | |
| | |
\_________________________\/
This is a vortex ring generator familiar to many ( from here ): on one side of the membrane, on the other - a wall with a hole.
They could have depicted the electrical circuit as well. If at the same time we took pseudographic characters from the second part of the code table, we obtained a binding to the encoding. It is still possible to transfer from KOI-8P to 866 and vice versa, but in 1251, where there are no such symbols, this is already a problem. When using the additional features of editors, for example, Vortex (for BC) or “Word and deed”, a general binding to a specific editor was obtained. Vortex was generally the most convenient thing: you won’t immediately understand in which editor the diagram is executed, in text or graphic. But the rejection of all this provided a real cross-platform. It was possible to draw up a diagram, for example, at Amiga, and look at Corvette. Here is the polarity converter from + 5V to -5V, a useful thing for experimenting with KR580VM80, diodes with anodes up, from here :
+V
^
|
+-------+---+
| | | -V Output
R1 |8 |4 +----+--->
| 7 ------- | | Parts List:
+-----| | D2 | IC1 = 555
| +--| | + | | R1 = 1.5K
R2 | 6| IC1 |---C1--+ | R2 = 10K
| | | |3 | | C1 = 10uF,16V
+--+--| | D1 C2 C2 = 22uF,16V
| 2| | | |+ C3 = 1500pF
| ------- | | D1,D2 = 1N4001 diodes
C3 |1 | |
| | | |
+---------+-----------+----+
|
===
(GND)
There was no standard for ASCII schemes. Especially with regard to how to indicate the intersection of conductors without a connection, but as with a connection. Some preferred this method:
|
-+- соединение
|
| |
--- или -|- пересечение
| |
Others are like this:
| |
-o- или -*- соединение
| |
|
-+- пересечение
|
In both cases, quickly navigating was easy. A breakdown of the scheme into fragments made it possible to practically get rid of intersections.
Why did they continue to do so when almost everyone had VGA and higher video cards? There are several reasons.
- The format was suitable for newsgroups and Fidonet.
- Text (or HTML) and a set of illustrations in ASCII are one file, and it is not an archive. For text editors that allow you to combine text and graphics into one file (one of them is again “Word and Deed"), there was no single standard. In general, and now there is not, but modern office suites at least somehow import formats each other, and then ... Yes, and binding to a particular editor, again, not everyone liked.
- No less "zoo" took place in the world of graphic formats. The current de facto standard “PNG, GIF, JPEG” did not come immediately. There were BMP, PCX and others. Then, of course, they came up with multi-format viewers, such as PV.
- Not always there were sites with built-in photo hosting, such as "Habr" or "At Samodelkina." Third-party photo hosting demolished images over the years ago or due to lack of views.
- Older VGA cards in graphics mode provided a lower frame rate. When everyone had CRT monitors, that mattered. And dot-matrix printers printed text in Draft mode very briskly.
Well, why now all this? Firstly, nostalgia. After all, they write beeper music, although today even a push-button telephone for 400 rubles plays MP3. Secondly, fragments of diagrams explaining where to connect in ASCII format are conveniently placed directly in sketches. This is how (taken from here ) you can save the Arduino conclusions by connecting indicators to it through the counters:

Use this technique both you and the one who decides to repeat your design will save unnecessary gestures. If he downloaded the sketch for a long time, and forgot where it came from, he would not have to remember or search.