King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

Chen Jianghe's thoughts and goals were formed on the way back from Base [601], the moment he made up his mind!

We must develop our own flagship product.

A high-performance universal Chinese character card branded as 【Xuanyuan】!

Unexpectedly, Su Wanqing not only saw through his thoughts, but also prepared the [Tiangong] platform for him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately threw himself into his work!

The core of the technology must first achieve ultimate compatibility.

To address the chaotic power supply and bus standards of compatible PCs on the market, an adaptive bus driver circuit was designed.

The drive current is automatically adjusted by using an operational amplifier to detect the bus level threshold.

Learning from the lessons of [Zhongka], significantly improving environmental adaptability...

Secondly, we need to increase the speed.

Abandoning the old approach of piling up general-purpose logic devices, we adopted the HP64000 development platform.

Targeting the core workflow of the Chinese character card—

Font retrieval, address mapping, and data buffering are all part of the design of a large-scale programmable logic array!

By embedding critical timing logic within a programmable chip, speed can be increased by an order of magnitude!

Third is to explore and expand potential.

It has a reserved standard serial port and an enhanced EPROM slot.

This provides a physical interface for future firmware upgrades, word association, and even external modules and printing control.

Another aspect is brand building.

Design an independent BIOS boot screen —

【Tiangong Xuanyuan·Huaxia Chip】!

From workshop-style, rudimentary steelmaking to a modern technological path based on programmable logic and system design!

In the days that followed, Chen Jianghe completely devoted himself to the Tiangong Technical Service Department.

The boundary between day and night is blurred, with only the green light flashing on the oscilloscope screen and the orange-red soldering flame from the soldering iron tip.

The only calendar was the ever-consuming rolls of solder wire.

He frantically wrote logic equations.

On the HP64000 system, simulate and program GAL chips for testing.

Debugging the BIOS display on a Great Wall computer…

Every small breakthrough is accompanied by exhaustion and an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Late that night, he was racking his brains over a timing deadlock in a DMA-controlled system.

The cold wind outside the warehouse made the corrugated iron roof creak.

A soft, rhythmic knocking sounded on the door.

Chen Jianghe cautiously put down the branding iron: "Who?"

"It's me." Su Wanqing's clear and familiar voice came from outside the door.

Chen Jianghe quickly opened the door.

Su Wanqing was wearing a woolen coat, carrying a thermos, her nose was slightly red from the cold, and fine snowflakes were falling on her shoulders.

"I'm on duty at the station, it's on my way."

She handed over the thermos, saying, "The mutton soup is still hot."

No further words were needed.

She walked in, her gaze habitually sweeping over the lab bench.

When her gaze fell on the HP64000 screen, displaying the latest programmable logic circuit state diagram…

When compared to the bare [Xuanyuan Card] board next to it, which was already about 70-80% welded...

His gaze paused slightly, then a barely perceptible hint of approval flashed across his face.

"The idea of ​​solving compatibility issues through adaptive drivers is correct."

She walked to the lab bench and pointed to the signal link marked "DMA BUS REQUEST" on the bare board.

"But here, you're still using 74 logic gates for delay control? Timing conflicts are inevitable..."

She picked up a pencil and quickly sketched a simple, improved circuit on a piece of scrap paper next to her.

"Try using this monostable flip-flop in conjunction with a NAND gate to build an asynchronous reset chain."

"Faster response, more stable timing window. There is a 74LS221 chip in the lower right corner of the parts cabinet."

Su Wanqing's few strokes instantly broke through Chen Jianghe's mental block!

"Thank you, Engineer Su!"

Chen Jianghe's eyes lit up, and his fatigue vanished.

"Drink your soup and get some rest. If your health collapses, nothing else matters."

Su Wanqing put down her pencil, her tone remaining calm.

But when he turned to leave, he stopped.

She looked at the cot in the corner and remained silent for a few seconds.

In the end, he said nothing, opened the door, and his figure disappeared into the snowy night outside.

The aroma of mutton soup from the thermos filled the cold air.

The warmth dispelled the fatigue and seemed to melt a corner of the ice on the lake of my heart.

Chen Jianghe sat down, holding the warm soup, and looked at the few precise design sketches left by Su Wanqing.

She gave more than just supplies!

It was the strongest climbing rope that he precisely handed over at the steepest point of his technical climb!

He is not walking alone.

This profound support made his blood boil even hotter.

The prototype of the 【Xuanyuan】 card, amidst the steaming mutton soup and in the icy warehouse, radiated a tenacious and unyielding light.

With only one month left until the Spring Festival of 1984, Chen Jianghe's goal was very clear!

Complete the Chinese character card sample before the new year!

A great start to the new year!

Fire the first shot of [Tiangong]!

...

As the year draws to a close, the capital city is filled with a festive atmosphere and a shortage of supplies.

The electronics street in Zhongguancun remains bustling with activity.

The booming computer market has spurred a gold rush among all sorts of people.

The controversy surrounding Chung Card gradually subsided after Chung Chao-fai "paid to avoid further trouble" and quickly processed claims for some of the defective machines, and it still maintains a significant market share.

That day, in the Tiangong Technical Service Department, Chen Jianghe frowned at the fleeting glitch on the Great Wall 0520 screen.

This is the fifth time I've flashed and debugged the BIOS.

The critical programmable array GAL20V8 still fails to meet some timing stability standards.

"Still a little short... data setup time on the bus is critical..."

He rubbed his sore eyes and his gaze fell on the small, exquisite bare [Xuanyuan Card] plate on the table.

Most of the solder joints were rounded and full, but the core programmable chip was covered by a thin veil.

He suddenly remembered the improved circuit sketch left by Su Wanqing…

They decided to work through the night to produce the necessary new circuit modules.

There were only a few 74LS221 chips left in the parts cabinet.

He took it out with great care, as if it were a rare treasure.

At 4 a.m., after countless soldering and wire connections, the new asynchronous reset module was finally connected to the critical DMA request link of the [Xuanyuan Card].

He re-flashed the BIOS and started the Great Wall machine.

The screen lights up!

Clear and stable! No screen tearing or glitches whatsoever!

The screen prominently displays the custom red regular script characters: 【Tiangong Xuanyuan·Chinese Character System】.

Below is a line of small print—

【Copyright 1984Tiangong Tech】!

An immense joy surged through Chen Jianghe's entire body like an electric current!

He slammed his fist on the lab table in excitement, making the parts rattle and clang.

After more than two months of torment, experimentation, failure, and starting over... I have finally emerged from my cocoon and become a butterfly at this moment!

His own sample card for the [Xuanyuan Card] has been created!

Its performance far surpasses that of the [Zhongka] and other domestic Chinese character cards on the market, and its compatibility testing is perfect!

Chen Jianghe immediately began preparations for the production of the [Xuanyuan Card].

He hand-drew more standardized PCB layouts and created more accurate bills of materials.

They filled out the individual business license application form for "Tiangong Technical Service Department" overnight.

In the legal representative section, he solemnly wrote his name: Chen Jianghe!