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

[mfo]

**EDIT**
You could try to run the program in this zip file: http://www.usbmicro.com/apps/app3.zip and see whether it detects your display. If it does than I can use the API provided with it.
**/EDIT*

**EDIT2**
Did you try the iMON display type? I found on the net that the iMON has a Samsung 16T202DA1E controller. That controller is HD44780 compatible AND iMONs are connected by USB.
**/EDIT2**

Joe

No the app3.zip application says USB Device not found ....
Also the iMon display type is not displaying anything.

I've got an idea though: the app delivered with my VFD (Multimedia Control Center) controls the VFD through the virtual COM3 port. Do you know of any way of sniffing traffic on a COM port ? This way we could reverse engineer the kind of info the serial to USB chip is expecting.

I also found this info on the FTDI site, maybe it is relevant to you, don't know ...
http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/ProgramGuides/D2XXPG30.pdf

Best regards,

Marc

 

[no_idea]

mfo and Joe

I may be wrong but I´m almost sure that the IMON vfd uses an FTDI usb2com chip. Check out this out http://www.iuneed.com/support.html and http://www.iuneed.com/Uneed International VFD.pdf.

Is your display looking like this one in described in the pdf?

Inside of course

no_idea.

 

[JoeDalton]

I've got an idea though: the app delivered with my VFD (Multimedia Control Center) controls the VFD through the virtual COM3 port. Do you know of any way of sniffing traffic on a COM port ? This way we could reverse engineer the kind of info the serial to USB chip is expecting.

I also found this info on the FTDI site, maybe it is relevant to you, don't know ...
http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/ProgramGuides/D2XXPG30.pdf

The SysInternals website has a PortMon tool http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/utilities.shtml that should be able to log traffic on LPT and COM ports. I tried it with LPT ports but that didn't seem to work. Maybe the COM port logging does work.

I'll read through the document to see whether it makes sense.

Joe

 

[JoeDalton]

Any of you feeling adventurous?

I uploaded 1.5 beta version:
http://users.skynet.be/fa303665/ExternalDisplay15b.zip

It has (a first try of) SED133x USB support.
Also some major refactoring was done on the other display types that should allow adding more display types with less code. (If I only could find a way to remove all the difficult parts :wink I would love to hear whether these still work...

Sorry, no docs yet. Be sure to press OK in the plugin setup form as some new config file options are added. Those will become visible then.

Joe

 

[mfo]

I've got an idea though: the app delivered with my VFD (Multimedia Control Center) controls the VFD through the virtual COM3 port. Do you know of any way of sniffing traffic on a COM port ? This way we could reverse engineer the kind of info the serial to USB chip is expecting.

I also found this info on the FTDI site, maybe it is relevant to you, don't know ...
http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/ProgramGuides/D2XXPG30.pdf

The SysInternals website has a PortMon tool http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/utilities.shtml that should be able to log traffic on LPT and COM ports. I tried it with LPT ports but that didn't seem to work. Maybe the COM port logging does work.

I'll read through the document to see whether it makes sense.

Joe

Excellent Joe, that's the tool !!!
I was able to make a capture of all the trafic sent to the virtual COM3 port by the MMC application (delivered with the VFD). You'll see in the trace the initialization, the sending of various screens (both ascii chars and graphics) and the shutdown of the app.

You can download the log here:
http://mfombaron.free.fr/lis2_vfd_portmon.zip

I also had another idea. The LCD Driver 3.7 plugin for Girder is able to control my VFD through the vlsyslis.dll. Maybe your plugin could do the same like it does for the iMon with the SG_VFD.dll.
The LCD Driver can be downloaded here:
http://www.promixis.com/download.php?ID=608

Again thank you for taking time to consider supporting my VFD.

Marc

 

[Anonymous]

jaLCDs

Hi JoeDalton!

Is there any chance for supporting jaLCD in your plugin?

I'm running jaLCD most of the time for having Info's about my system on the LCD and its annoying to first close jaLCD, if you wanna use MediaPortal.

I think the easiest way (not really clean, but working 8) ) if to simply "setvar" some variables over the TCP-Port. I tried this from VisualBasic, and it works.

Example:
use TCP-Port 9825 to 9834
setvar "Menu" to "on"
setvar "menuline1" to anything you want in the first line
.....
setvar "menuline4" to anything you want in the last line

anything else can be simply done in the jaLCDs config-file.
as soon as you quit Mediaportal (or the plugin) you set "Menu" to nothing or "off" or anything else. Thats it.......

Here are the Developer-files for jaLCD's TCP-Interface: http://www.jalcds.de/category.php?id=developer

Would be really great if you could add this "feature" to your plugin....

Cheers, Steve

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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[Anonymous]

jaLCDs

Upps......haven't been logged in....

Steve

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[JoeDalton]

I was able to make a capture of all the trafic sent to the virtual COM3 port by the MMC application (delivered with the VFD). You'll see in the trace the initialization, the sending of various screens (both ascii chars and graphics) and the shutdown of the app.

I also had another idea. The LCD Driver 3.7 plugin for Girder is able to control my VFD through the vlsyslis.dll. Maybe your plugin could do the same like it does for the iMon with the SG_VFD.dll.
The LCD Driver can be downloaded here:
http://www.promixis.com/download.php?ID=608

Now that is THE example of a very helpfull post

I didn't know about the Girder LCDriver plugin. It seems to be open-source hat the LCDriver plugin for girder is open-source, so when looking at the sources together with your log I have all the information I need to build-in support.

I'll have to check, but maybe it is easier for me to use the same API girder is using to communicate with this DLL and I'll have the whole bunch of displays supported in one go.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction...

Joe

 

[VincentD72]

Sorry Joe, but there is no way....
I've try test program but with no good result.

If I wirte less than 14 character on the first row, I've only a blinking prompt.

If I write more than 14 character on the firts row and send, the last character is write and after a few shift on right adding the precedent character for less of one second to back to previous.

If I write less of 14 character in total to the 2 rows, I've a blinking prompt on the first row and after a few time a flash with the last 3 character.

If I write 14 character on the first row and other character on the second, I've the character of the second row in the first row of the display (always with a flash that write on the first row the last 4 character, shifting down on the second, in the right place, what I've write on the second row of the test program).

If I write 14 character on the first row and other on the second, I've the display with the correct second row and a flashing first row (only 1 time after a random (?) cycle) with last character of the first row.

Like you can image, if I write more of 14 character, but less of 16, the first row have the character from 14 to 16 whit adding flashing other 3 previous character.

If I write more than 16 character on the first row (and other in the second) happen this:
blink prompt on the first row, nothing on the second; adding one letter at time (from the last to the first) of the second row in the first row of the display, finished the second line (that I've write on the test program) the row scroll back on the second row and on the first are added, one at time, the character that axcede 14 on the first row. After this there is the reverse action.

I don' t now why this acts, but I think I've a "ghost" on the display

I' ve try to change (on bios) the port from "normal", "EPP", "ECP", "ECP+EPP", on windows try to abilitate IRQ settings of the LPT port and so on....

I've examinate the ExternalDisplay.xml but is all OK.

One think is true, however, LCDSmartie work great whit my display.
The scheme that I've used for the display is like one milion that is on internet site...(and the fact that with LCDSmartie works is the proof).

I've tried to shut down the antivirus/firewall, too.

If you have an idea and want other info on my system there's no ploblem; always if I'm an "interesting case" for you.

Thank you for your attention, and sorry to all for the tedious explanation (and for my bad English).

:wink:

 

[JoeDalton]

Vincent, Erisan and every other HD44780 (LPT) owner....

I uploaded a new HD44780Test for you guys...
http://users.skynet.be/fa303665/HD44780Test.zip

This one uses a complete new approach. Instead of writing everything myself, I reuse the LCDHype driver for this controller.

If this one works OK for everyone, I think I'll replace all my driver code by LCDHype drivers. This way my plugin will support all displays that LCDHype supports.


:!: :!: This test program needs port95nt installed :!: :!:
You can download it here: http://www.driverlinx.com/DownLoad/dnload.htm#Windows 95/NT Port I/O Driver

Hope this works

Joe