LCD plugin supporting more than 70 display types (now with full graphics support!!!) (1 Viewer)

[Anonymous]

@Patric and Aurora13,

I'm sorry it didn't work :-(
I guess what I feared is correct: The USB device is also for the IR part, and not only for the VFD.

No problem, I'm already glad you are trying to help us!

In the meantime I have learned that every USB device has one or more endpoints. The test program you tried only sends data to endpoint 0. I have made a new version (same link) that tries endpoints 0 -> 15.
I hope this one works better...

Too bad, all the 16 entries didn't display anything

<EDIT>As you installed the USBLIB-Win32 drivers. Can you also send me the output of the Test Program that is included with it?
You should be able to find it in your start menu in the LibUSB-Win32 group.</EDIT>

Joe

• 
  DLL version: 0.1.10.1
  Driver version: 0.1.10.1
  
  bus/device idVendor/idProduct
  bus-0/\\.\libusb0-0000--0x1002-0x4347 1002/4347
  wTotalLength: 25
  bNumInterfaces: 1
  bConfigurationValue: 35
  iConfiguration: 0
  bmAttributes: 40h
  MaxPower: 0
  bInterfaceNumber: 0
  bAlternateSetting: 0
  bNumEndpoints: 1
  bInterfaceClass: 9
  bInterfaceSubClass: 1
  bInterfaceProtocol: 0
  iInterface: 0
  bEndpointAddress: 81h
  bmAttributes: 03h
  wMaxPacketSize: 8
  bInterval: 10
  bRefresh: 0
  bSynchAddress: 0
  bus-0/\\.\libusb0-0003--0x11ba-0x0101 11BA/0101
  - Manufacturer : Sasem
  - Product : Sasem Remote Controller V1.1
  - Serial Number: Serial #0001
  wTotalLength: 32
  bNumInterfaces: 1
  bConfigurationValue: 1
  iConfiguration: 4
  bmAttributes: a0h
  MaxPower: 50
  bInterfaceNumber: 0
  bAlternateSetting: 0
  bNumEndpoints: 2
  bInterfaceClass: 0
  bInterfaceSubClass: 0
  bInterfaceProtocol: 0
  iInterface: 0
  bEndpointAddress: 81h
  bmAttributes: 03h
  wMaxPacketSize: 8
  bInterval: 50
  bRefresh: 0
  bSynchAddress: 0
  bEndpointAddress: 02h
  bmAttributes: 03h
  wMaxPacketSize: 8
  bInterval: 50
  bRefresh: 0
  bSynchAddress: 0

Thanks!

Aurora13

 

[Anonymous]

Hi JoeDalton,

just a question:
Why don't you just interface to LCDHype instead of reprogramming LCDHype's plugin interface?

If you made your MP plugin an LCDHype plugin
- you would allow your users to use graphic LCDs
- you would allow your users to use a scripting language
- you would allow your users to use every existing LCDHype plugin

Sorry if this question is stupid, but I can't see the advantages of your approach.

Harald

 

[JoeDalton]

HdWagner,

Good questions!
Let me tell you the story if my plugin, then maybe you'll understand:

First of all, the idea behind MediaPortal is to be able to have a dedicated PC in your living room that replaces the VCR, DVD player, HD recorder, Radio tuner etc... The idea is that this PC is only used for that. At least that is how I use it. Not as some super-MediaPlayer that is started occasionally on my PC when I want to see a movie or so.

My HTPC case has a text-mode only VFD (HD44780) that I wanted to show meaningfull information about what mediaportal is doing, just like the displays of the devices it replaces. That means showing what TV channel you are watching, what music you are listening to, etc... The LCD programs I tried (LCDHype, LCDSmartie) had no way to extract this information from MediaPortal.

So I was left with 2 options:
Either create a plugin for an LCD program, or create a MP plugin. After some investigations, I learned that there needed to be some work done in MP itself to allow external programs access that information, so if I wanted to go with the first option, I had to write 2 plugins: 1 for the LCD program and 1 for MP. Second problem was that those LCD programs are written Delphi or C++ and it has been over 3 years now since I used those languages.

Since I have experience in communication with external devices via COM or LPT ports I made the choice to write a plugin for MediaPortal and let MediaPortal itself drive the display.

As soon as I put it online I got requests from other users to support their displays too, and that is how this plugin got born.

Since the beginning of my plugin I'm in contact with the mediaportal developers. They liked the fact that my plugin didn't need an external program to control the display, that it was extendable, and that it wasn't very complicated to set up using all kinds of scripts and stuff like that. So they decided to make my plugin part of MediaPortal itself.

So for me there is no question anymore whether I should continue this plugin or not. I know it will never live up to all expectations from all users. It will never be as good as or have all the features of (fill-in the name of your favourite LCD program) but it also has a number of benefits:

1) we are in complete control
2) I support more LCD display types than any other LCD program I've encountered.
3) no need to create and maintain plugins for other programs
4) no need to mess with configurations and scripts to get some basic functionality.

So, if anybody else wants to create a plugin for his/her favourite LCD program I will gladly help him/her to get the information they need, but don't expect me to do it....

Joe

 

[JoeDalton]

Patric, Aurora13

I see in the output of the usblib test tool that the Sasem device uses 2 endpoints: 0h and 81h

My test program only tries 0->15, so I uploaded a new version (same link) that explicitly tests endpoint 81h (129 decimal)

Please try again with this version...

Joe

 

[Patric]

Morning Joe

Please try again with this version...

I'm sorry, but it still doesn't produce any output...

found 3 busses
Found Sasem VFD IR
Device opened successfully
Trying to send data to endpoint 81h
Display should be showing something now



Press return to end

The Port95-driver is only needed for displays attached to the parallel port, isn't it?

Cheers

Patric

 

[AllenConquest]

So, if anybody else wants to create a plugin for his/her favourite LCD program I will gladly help him/her to get the information they need, but don't expect me to do it....
Joe

As Joe knows, there is already a plugin for LCDSmartie that I wrote. I have looked at doing one for LCDHype and if I can figure out how to interface with MP via COM then I'll do one for that.

Allen

 

[JoeDalton]

Hi Allen,

I may have an alternative to COM.
I have written a wrapper class in .NET for memory mapped files.
This allows (one-way per file) communication between 2 independent processes using a piece of shared memory. Both processes can access that memory at the same time.

See the CreateFileMapping, OpenFileMapping and MapViewOfFile API functions.

I was thinking of creating a display type in my plugin that writes the display contents it generates to such a memory mapped file or to dump all the GUIPropertyManager properties in that file. The latter may required some work in MP because not all needed information is available in the properties...

Joe

 

[JoeDalton]

Another option may be the MCE display plugin I'm also working on. This plugin emulates the same mechanism the Windows XP Media Center Edition uses to communicate to its displays.

If anyone wishes to use another LCD program to drive his display and there is a plugin available for that LCD program to extract information from MCE, this new plugin may be an option.

This plugin is still under construction and is not released to the public yet, but some functionalities are already working. Contact me by messenger or PM if you want to discuss the technical aspects of this plugin...

Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Aha, some sources in VB an C++. Always helpfull...

Just found another C-Example for GU800A:
http://www.picant.com/c2c/examples/noritake/noritake.c.html

hm... maybe too fast. this example uses a microcontroller to comunicate whith the display.

 

[Casper]

I tried the plugin for the first time today and I must say it works very well indeed and it's a great feature to have.

I just have one requests though. I use a VFD type display and these are prone to phosphor burn out if left on for too long displaying the same message. My Noritake Itron display for instance should not be left on for more than 5 hours at a time according to the data sheet. So I would like to have an option to have nothing displayed instead of MediaPortal and the time when MP is idle, just to prevent my VFD from getting damaged.

EDIT: SORRY, should have RTFMed before I posted, I just found out from the Wiki how to do this.

Also, there a small problem with it. The swedish characters ÅÄÖ aren't display correctly on my display, other characters are displayed instead like a greek sigma.