1473 replies to this topic

[russdx]

snotz has the cabinet version of the dll with all the spash screens disabled im gonna test very soon then will upload it

ill also upload my logo creator tool in a min
(u will need adobe air installed)

i thought it would be extra protection if i wrapped the board up into the ribbon cable hehe (looks like it needed it, dam mail lol)

smaller the pcb = cheaper i really did try and cram it in hehe




@kruge99 ill create a few tests you can run on the display that will scan the whole dmd with a line vertically / horizontally. if there is a dead pixel / one half shorting out it should show up

if all else fails and you don't mind paying postage (you can take tracking off and it will be £2) i can ship you another board then the next batch comes in as im 95% confident its not the pinDMD at fault! but least this way we will know

[russdx]

[DMD img conversion tool]


you will need
http://get.adobe.com.../?promoid=JOPDE

then download
logoConvert.air

then load a 128x32 Gif,Png or Swf, make sure the colour palette is the same as written in the app

click Export and save the .txt file with your tables.

this image will now be displayed on your dmd between games!

this does not remove the start up firmware pinDMD logo!!!! (ill upload another version of the firmware that removes that logo)

Edited by russdx, 30 March 2012 - 07:59 PM.

[Zablon]

Hey russdx, maybe this has been talked about already, but I started going through my tables and have seen this issue:

When running UVP for light effects on a backglass that does not also have scoring on it (using the Leds timer) = NO PinDMD. It only affects tables that use alpha numeric displays.

I assume because VPinmame isn't actually controlling the score in this case? Is there a workaround for this? (Perhaps something we can add to the script)


Also, on a few tables (like Circus Voltaire, Flipper Football) I would like to put the DMD on the playfield - is there a way to shut off the PinDMD for tables you don't want it running on?

Thank you. This is awesome by the way!

Edited by Zablon, 30 March 2012 - 08:15 PM.

[kruge99]

@kruge99 ill create a few tests you can run on the display that will scan the whole dmd with a line vertically / horizontally. if there is a dead pixel / one half shorting out it should show up

if all else fails and you don't mind paying postage (you can take tracking off and it will be £2) i can ship you another board then the next batch comes in as im 95% confident its not the pinDMD at fault! but least this way we will know

Don't worry Russ, you've been amazing help to the community so I won't complain - it's such a small issue for me. All I was worried about was possibly damaging the pinDMD, because I didn't believe it was caused by the pinDMD anyways. Just trying to dissect the issue to figure out a solution.

If I find a way to test the Vishay LED display and I find it works perfectly fine in a real pinball machine, I'll get in touch with you to send it back for repairs or whatever!


Best Regards,
Todd.

[chriz]

that logo tool is awesome, thanks a bunch russ!

[gStAv]

Looks fresh Chrisby!

[Zablon]

Chris is that animated or 2 different ones. I see .swf, can we do animated with that?

[kruge99]

Russ, can you explain how to do this:

"make sure the colour palette is the same as written in the app" I may have a bit of graphic experience, but this is kind of out of my comfort zone.

also, that faint vertical line on my DMD, none of the pixels in that column are dead, I can see every one of them light up at some point in time during an animation.

Could the vertical line be caused by another dead pixel in a different row/column????

Also, I tried a second USB 2.0 cable and the faint vertical line is still visible.

I have measured the voltage at the molex connector attached to the Vishay LED display and it is hovering around +4.92 VDC and +4.96 VDC so I'm fairly certain that the display is getting enough power. (yes, I also have a 1.5Amp inline fuse on the +5VDC wire)

btw - I'm not complaining, just trying to dissect this weird issue in order to help you and others solve it! gimme another beer!!

And why does the "default" dmd graphic keep disappearing after the first table is exited?!?


Best Regards,
Todd.

Edited by kruge99, 31 March 2012 - 12:08 AM.

[gbeef]

Ok a a couple questions I hooked everything installed everything the board is detected on the system.
Am i suppose to see anything on the DMD once the board is installed? Or the the screen suppose to be black still. When does the pinDMD graphic load in after you start hyperspin? Or once windows boots?

I may have a power issue but i want to be sure ive done everything correctly.

[Zablon]

Krug: what the palette means is you can only use those 4 colors that you see listed on the application. (Black, Dark Grey, Grey, White - the color codes are provided on the application and represent the 4 positions of the LED levels).

Gbeef: once you have the PinDMD board hooked up and power to the DMD, upon applying power to it(as soon as you power on the cab), it should come up with a PINLED logo or something (depending on what you got). Then once you start a game controlled by VPinmame you should see it go black then "boot" the ROM.

N/M it worked. However it only seems to have taken the "full on" lights..not the C0C0C0 or 808080




I have a really odd thing happening with mine. I think the PinDMD board is not shutting down when I power off the system. The DMD goes off, but when I power everything back up, it still has the custom logo on it. If I completely unplug the system, then it boots with the PinDMD logo. Also, when it is plugged in, when powering down the system, my LEDWIZ lights stay lit (but dimmer). If I unplug the PinDMD board, the lights go off like they should....I've messed around with it a bit, and moved power to separate legs..but something is definitely a bit off here.

Edited by Zablon, 31 March 2012 - 07:37 AM.

[kruge99]

Krug: what the palette means is you can only use those 4 colors that you see listed on the application. (Black, Dark Grey, Grey, White - the color codes are provided on the application and represent the 4 positions of the LED levels).

Gbeef: once you have the PinDMD board hooked up and power to the DMD, upon applying power to it(as soon as you power on the cab), it should come up with a PINLED logo or something (depending on what you got). Then once you start a game controlled by VPinmame you should see it go black then "boot" the ROM.

N/M it worked. However it only seems to have taken the "full on" lights..not the C0C0C0 or 808080

Where are we told what to name the file?

Edited by kruge99, 31 March 2012 - 02:15 AM.

[Zablon]

You're not. The program names it for you. Just take what it dumps out and put it in your Tables folder.

[H4CK3R]

yeah, seems only the on or off work... so far =)

[Spektre]

Iv got one left. For a member who has not paid / got in touch yet. I will wait another week. If still no contact u can have this board

If this one is still unclamed, I'll take it!

[chriz]

you can test your "real DMD" in every pinball DMD/settings menu, like Attack from Mars. So you can see dead pixels or rows/lines.

Here is a little vid/how to for you

[russdx]

@Zablon im not quite sure what UVP means? my board will only work with tables that use pinmame. any tables that dont use that will not update the display. or have a got confused what your question was hehe?

your board is not resetting because when you turn ur pc off its not completely killing power to your usb ports. its sending just enough power to keep the pinDMD alive. so its remembering its current state hehe, maxxsinner has rhe exact same thing. i cant really do any thing about this. you might have some options in ur bios to completely power down usb when the pc is off?



the logo conversion tool does support the full 3 colours (it did when i tested it). ill have another look at it today see why people are having trouble with it . i think you have to be careful what program creates the image file. as i noticed just using paint doesn't work very well but (adobe fireworks, what i use) works very well.

this tool does not support animations at the moment. it will only convert the first frame of a swf,gif BUT this feature will be added soonish so you will be able to use animated swfs,gifs

i might change the colour palette or let you set the palette so you can find colours that work best for you but dont worry it does support the 3 colour. ill work on it today


the new release of the .dll will include an extra com option you can add to the table script which will disable the pinDMD for tables like Circus Voltaire



chriz that's exactly what i was gonna write, thanks for that saves me doing it haha
try running that kruge99, and when it does the horizontal line down i think one pixel might act weird as it gets lit. some thing is slightly shorting out causing that whole column to be hurt slightly



last thing lol
the pinDMD default logo (stored in the pinDMD firmware) this is only displayed when the board first is powered up. the second you load a table or the board receives a frame it will be go and does not come back!
when a table is closed this is when the .dll sends the .txt file logo (if there is no .txt it just clears the display)

@gbeef

if your board is powered correctly the second you plug the pinDMD into your usb the DMD should display the pinDMD default logo, if this is not happening i think your DMD is not being powered correctly.

oh yeah, what programs are you guys using to create the images your using on the logo conversion tool? not quite sure why C0C0C0 or 808080 is not working

Edited by russdx, 31 March 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[russdx]

just created an image with photoshop using 000000,808080,C0C0C0,FFFFFF (with transparency turned off) and it worked fine in gif,png format.

not sure why thats not working for people hehe? what software are you guys using?

[russdx]

ok uploaded another version iv swapped the colours to #000000,#666666,#CCCCCC,#FFFFFF
makes sure transparency is turned off. this definitely works .

when you export the txt file quickly open it and check there are some 1's and 2,s in there as well for the dim,med colours . if there is not there is some thing wrong with the input image file, its either got some transparency info in there or some thing. iv used photoshop/fireworks/flash5 to create images.

any good image program will create images that can be used

logoConvert.air

[kruge99]

Thanks Russ! I will give this logo thing a shot.

Thanks Chriz for the display test - I completely forgot it was there! "Hey, why don't we use the ACTUAL test tools already available to us!"

So I ran the test and it's completely fine, not a single dead pixel.

This combined with the voltage being in the right area, and I've tried a second USB cable, I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to look like an idiot and request a Return Authorization number for my Vishay display.

Do any of you guys with high-end electric technician experience think that "noise" from one of the system fans could make that line appear? (coming through the USB bus or the power lines maybe?


Best Regards,
Todd.

[russdx]

its not the usb, as when the board first turns on its just drawing the default logo, not even receiving data from the usb.
i really cant think of a fault with the pinDMD that would cause that random faint line to appear in the same place like that, all its doing is streaming the DMD display 1s and 0s using SPI. it has to be the display. maybe not a dead pixel but some thing is shorting out im sure of it hehe.

shouldn't be USB noise either as i did add a little ferrite bead between the usb VCC and the boards VCC to clear any noise


let me send you another pinDMD when i get my next batch in and you send yours back. this way we can definitely pin point the problem

Edited by russdx, 31 March 2012 - 01:05 PM.