Fix for imon VFDs! (this is a solution) (1 Viewer)

[SwissBuster]

@swisBuster I have added something for your clock display too. For a static single line time you could check "add clock" and disconnect the serial or disable minidisplay so the display doesn't get MP updates.

I'm a little wary about playing with this because of the huge amount of time I've wasted getting no further with my display! Here's my situation:
1. Harmony remote works flawlessly.
2. PC does not shut down into sleep mode, which I'd like to fix.
3. FrontView works and displays date/time and basic remote commands, but this is not readable at a distance.
4. I can't get Minidisplay to work. The one time it briefly worked before a reboot, it had displayed too much detail to be readable at a distance, BUT you can get a readable display because you can control both the contrast and the brightness.
5. I'd like a display that is readable from a distance. The detail is not so important; anything more than a static clock is just a bonus.

So, can your plugin fix item 2 and 5 without messing up item 1? If yes, do I need to follow all 7 steps in your first post or is there a simple install in my case.

Thanks for your help!

 

[kiwijunglist]

explain #2 in more detail, can you never ever go into S3 sleep, or does it just not work with remote control or what?

 

[SwissBuster]

explain #2 in more detail, can you never ever go into S3 sleep, or does it just not work with remote control or what?

Correct - I can never get into sleep mode. If I shutdown, no matter what method I use (keyboard or remote, from inside MP or via Vista start button) the PC appears to shut down but then immediately reboots back up.

 

[mrkaras]

your display is a VFD? or is it the LCD? it is unlikely (but I don't know for sure) that mp2imon would work with LCDs. as far a I know VFDs don't have a contrast adjustment (I think it may be nearly impossble to dim a VFD).

I had the same problem with my PC imediatly restarting, in my case it was because the if anything is connected to the USB (ie possably the display at least) it will not shut down. as far as I know it is because ASUS can't do USB properly, they don'd suport USB 1.0 (1.1 works) and they dont suport a lot of power manegement features (such as the usb thing and wake on lan/magic packet), on every asus board I have tried and on on other board that I have tested. my solution was to get a PCI usb card and connect my display to that.

I doubt mp2imon is the solution for you. my big clock was actualy not all that serious, as the 2 rows on a VFD can only display charectors (I think the LCD can display anything) there is no way to show a clock covering both lines, so my solution is a clock about 5 lines high the scrolls onto the screen. it takes a practice but is actualy quite readable at a distance.

I can now also turn on the built in clock (the one that can run after the PC is turned off). I havn't posted this version yet but I can if anybody wants it. I am looking int a few other things, I don't think it is realy soposed to work with 2 programs accessing the display/remote receaver, soundgraphs multimedion software does not use SG_VFD.DLL directly at all but somhow goes through imon. I am trying to either figure out how to go through imon or how to receive the remote commands and replace imon completly, otherwise I sometime have it a bit unreliable, need to start things in the right order etc.

 

[kiwijunglist]

explain #2 in more detail, can you never ever go into S3 sleep, or does it just not work with remote control or what?

Correct - I can never get into sleep mode. If I shutdown, no matter what method I use (keyboard or remote, from inside MP or via Vista start button) the PC appears to shut down but then immediately reboots back up.

so what happens if you close both mp2imon and the vspe programs does S3 sleep then work?

 

[gru]

Hi mrkaras,

would you mind attaching your source-code?
I'm really interested in how to use the SG_VFD.dll.

greetings,
Jo

 

[mrkaras]

the majority is in the API downloadable from soundgraph but about all youl need is:

function iMONVFD_Init(vfdType: Integer;resevered: Integer=0 ): byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';
function iMONVFD_Uninit: byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';
function iMONVFD_IsInited: byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';
function iMONVFD_SetText(szFirstLine: PChar;szSecondLine: PChar):Byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';
function iMONVFD_SetEQ(var arEQValue: array of integer): Byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';
function iMONVFD_SetWakeupData(Year,Month,Day,DayOfWeek,hour,Minuite,Second,pram8,pram9,
pram10,pram11,pram12,pram13,pram14: integer): byte; cdecl; external 'SG_VFD.dll';

imon_init should be called asiMONVFD_Init(4,0)with the API supplied SG_VFD and iMONVFD_Init(16,34952) for any other later version.
iMONVFD_SetWakeupData turn on the built in clock, set it to the current time and the prarm8 - pram14 can all be 0 except pram10, set that to 1 (I'don't what those last prams do).

I will concider releasing my full sorce code tomorow, there not rely that much to it anyway.

iMONVFD_SetWakeupData is not in the API version, and is therefore not documented officialy.

 

[disaster123]

How do i setup my keys / the buttons for the imon pad your solution?

 

[mrkaras]

just set them up through iMON

 

[animale81]

This is my configuration:

OEM or PC case Manufacturer and Case model : Case Silverstone
MediaPortal Version : 1.0.0.2
Cyberdisplay/Minidisplay version :
Operating System : XP Pro SP3
Motherboard : Asrock 4 core dualvsta
Imon Display Model : iMON OEM VFD
Connection kind :USB 2.0
IMon Manager Version : 7.40.806
Remote Controller : Imon pad controller

My problem is that all the input command setted in imon manager doesn't work in mediaportal. It works just the windows command but not the input related to mediaportal. . (Example STOP; PLAY ; PAUSE....)
Any idea?