The Three Modes: Bits++, Colour++ and Mono++
The three modes each allow you to display a different set of colours. It is important to remember that every Matlab script written for the Bits++ is aimed at one of these modes and the Bits++ must first be placed in that mode for the script to work as intended. The mode is changed by loading firmware into the Bits++ through the USB cable. On the PC you do this by running the CRS Desktop application, double-clicking on the picture of the Bits++ and selecting the 'Firmware Update' tab. On the Mac it is done in the Bits++ Utility.
Bits++ Mode
This is the default. It is a palette mode. Each pixel value is an index into a palette of 256 different colours. Each colour is a 42 bit value. 14 bits of red, 14 bits of green and 14 bits of blue.
Colour++ Mode
This is not a palette mode. Every pixel on the screen has a 42 bit value. To achieve this, the pixels are 'doubled up'. Each pixel on the display attached to the Bits++ is controlled by two pixels from the graphics card.
Mono++ Mode
This is not a palette mode either. It allows every pixel to have the full 14 bit dynamic range but there is no colour. The red and green outputs from the graphics card are combined to form a 16 bit value (of which the lower 2 bits are ignored) that is used to set the luminance of the pixels on the display.
