Summary of OLED DISPLAY LETS VINTAGE PC ENGAGE TURBO MODE IN STYLE
Joshua Woehlke replaced his 486 PC’s two-digit Turbo display with a 0.96" SSD1306 OLED driven by an Arduino. The Arduino reads the motherboard Turbo LED state (not the CPU frequency) and shows an i8088 graphic when Turbo is off, a Cyrix Cx486 DX2 logo when Turbo is on, and a star field screensaver after inactivity. The OLED fits the original case cutout and provides a modern, graphical take on the classic Turbo indicator.
Parts used in the Vintage 486 Turbo OLED Display Project:
- 0.96" SSD1306 OLED display
- Arduino (model not specified)
- Wires for connections
- Mounting hardware to fit OLED into original case cutout
Back in the 486 days, it was common to see a “Turbo” button on the front panel of many PCs, which was used to toggle between the CPU’s maximum speed and a slower clock rate that was sometimes necessary for compatibility with older software. Usually an LED would light up to show you were running at this higher speed, or if your machine was very fancy, it might even have a numerical display that would show the current CPU frequency.
Just like the frequency indicators of yore, the Arduino doesn’t actually measure the CPU’s frequency, it’s simply reading the state of the Turbo LED on the front panel. When the LED is off the Arduino shows an image of a i8088 CPU on the screen to indicate the computer is running in compatibility mode, and when the LED is on, the screen shows the Cyrix Cx486 DX2 logo. When the button hasn’t been pressed in awhile, the display defaults to a star field screensaver.
Regular readers may recall we recently covered a similar project that used an Arduino to add a little flair to an era appropriate seven-segment LED display. We’d say there’s still a good deal of romanticism about computers having a big “TURBO” button you can smash whenever you feel the need for speed.
Source: OLED DISPLAY LETS VINTAGE PC ENGAGE TURBO MODE IN STYLE
- Does the Arduino measure the CPU frequency?
No, the Arduino reads the state of the Turbo LED and does not measure CPU frequency. - What does the display show when the Turbo LED is off?
The display shows an image of an i8088 CPU when the Turbo LED is off. - What graphic appears when the Turbo LED is on?
The screen shows the Cyrix Cx486 DX2 logo when the Turbo LED is on. - What happens when the button has not been pressed for a while?
The display defaults to a star field screensaver after inactivity. - Why was a 0.96 inch OLED chosen for the project?
Because the spot on the case where the original two-digit display would have been is the perfect size to hold a 0.96 inch SSD1306 OLED. - Is the OLED wired directly to the motherboard?
No, the OLED is wired to an Arduino which reads the Turbo LED state from the front panel.
