Updated iMON (Soundgraph) LCD Driver (1 Viewer)

[chemelli]

I found that reverting to 0.2.3.0 RC2 ( no SVN) I can have my VFD working as easy as enabling the external display plugin and then choising "Soungraph iMON VFD USB driver 1.0", nothing else.

Then your display is the older Soundgraph VFD and not the newer LCD. The new driver we are working on is an attempt to support both. The other VFD driver is an LCDHype driver. For some people that one works better than the one you are using.

I find it strange though that in your Soundgraph folder there is a driver version (SG_VFD.DLL 6.20.0829) that I thought is for the newer LCD display...

Joe

Yes I'm using teh old VFD hardware module bundled with my Silverstone LC20M.

If you download the iMON software from http://www.silverstonetek.com/download/d_contents.php?pno=LC20 you will have version 6.20.0830_Silverstone and it works perfectly with my VFD. The dll is versioned 6.20.0829.

I only think that something changed on the 5.x and 6.x Dll so it doesn't work anymore with your driver.

Simone

Why is so complicated in the SVN tree ? ( DLL to copy by hand, parameters to input by hand and so on... )

The SVN is still the test environment... If you want stability stick to the official release versions...

We put new things in it so people can test it and report problems, which we then try to solve...

Joe

You are right. :sorry:

Simone

 

[chemelli]

API

I downloaded the attached API demo from http://www.soundgraph.com/Eng_/Supp...rrentPage=2&searchFiled=BoardID&searchString= and inside I can find the old 3.x dll. Everything works fine

If I change it to the 5.x or 6.x dll the demo doesn't work anymore...

It's definitively a DLL change, I suppose there is a empy call for compatibilty so the entry point is there but the code to execute not.

Simone

 

[JoeDalton]

I'm sorry, but I don't have access to any iMON displays, so I cannot test what I am comitting.

I'm relying a bit on cybrmage and ralphy here to resolve the issues you are having... cybrmage assured me that the newer dll version is compatible with the older one...

As we are approaching the release of MP 0.2.3 I can only wait a few days. If we don't have a solution by then I have no other choice than to revert to the old DLL and disable the iMon LCD driver...

So, please come up with a solution that works for both the old and the new iMon displays. For example, rename the newer SG_VFD driver dll and modify the code of to use this new name. Then both the older and newer versions could possibly work...

Joe

 

[chemelli]

JoeDalton,

this is what I was suggesting on my old post: one dll should be called SG_VFD.DLL the other one SG_LCD.DLL. This will help identify what to do in future upgrade and can give more flexibility as VFD will not be probably updated anymore instead the LCD can go its way ...

Also instead of giving users one driver swith auto choice using SG_RC.DLL I think is simpler to give two entry to choice "Soungraph iMON LCD driver" and "Soundgraph iMON VFD driver".

Another think is to delete all unusefull entry line "imon VFD" and "Soungraph iMON VFD USB driver 1.0" so it's simpler to avoid any kind of mis-understanding.

Just my 2 cent...

Simone

BTW,

JoeDalton due to the final approach to 0.2.3 is somebody from the development taking care of the following post ?
I think it's really important due to the market share of ATI graphics card...

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/mediaportal_freezes_randomly-t27793p4.html

(In particular the Eisbaer as of 2007-10-09, 00:43 ).

Thank you.

Simone

 

[ralphy]

VFD Compatibility

I'm relying a bit on cybrmage and ralphy here to resolve the issues you are having... cybrmage assured me that the newer dll version is compatible with the older one...

Joe

I've been offline for some time now since I hadn't been able to post any messages. Now that that has been sorted out....

Unfortunately, I do not have a VFD either, so cannot determine what the problem is or test possible solutions. Cybrmage has also taken the original code I wrote, and made many improvements and changes, that, quite frankly, I have not followed all the details of, nor kept up with. Since he, and others, are much more capable progammers than I am, having started the ball rolling with the original prototype, I've stepped right back to let others more capable continue.

Since iMON Manager and the v6 dll works with both the vfd and lcd, I, like cybrmage, would have expected the v6 driver to work with the externaldisplay plugin for both the vfd and lcd.

Also take care that if I use the "Soungraph iMON VFD USB driver 1.0" in 0.2.3.0 RC2 is working fine, as far as I update to the latest SVN of 10-08-2007 I receive a red question mask saying hardward not identified.

At the risk of misleading information, I think the reason for this is that the initialisation is not successful in the VFD driver. You will not some additional coding in the LCD driver to address this possibility that doesn't exist in the original VFD code.

Have you tried
Fresh install of version 0.2.3.0 RC2 ( no SG_RC.dll, SG_VFD.DLL 5.10.1201 or SG_VFD.DLL 6.20.0829 )?

This would confirm whether or not the new drivers are compatible or not.

If this works (ie the drivers are ok), then a possibility might be an incompatibility of have the two VFD and LCD drivers in externaldisplay. I'd then suggest trying a build without iMON.cs (ie comment out this addition of this driver in settings.cs) on the basis that the 'red question mark' issue is causing the problem.

 

[iSP]

Well for me it has been working for a very long time now, the driver IS pretty stable if you ask me, at least the LCD part.
It won't crash, I don't see weird errors, it just keeps working.
The only thing I would love to see is the equaliser for music, but I know this won't be made available for now.
Unfortunatly I currently have no VFD to test woth these drivers, as I sold the antec fusion in order to make place for my new custom to be case.

 

[chemelli]

Have you tried
Fresh install of version 0.2.3.0 RC2 ( no SG_RC.dll, SG_VFD.DLL 5.10.1201 or SG_VFD.DLL 6.20.0829 )?

Yes and the VFD part is not working. Also the demo from Soungraph doesn't work with both this DLLs.

The only way to have VFD working is using the v3.71 DLL...

Simone

The only thing I would love to see is the equaliser for music, but I know this won't be made available for now.
Unfortunatly I currently have no VFD to test woth these drivers, as I sold the antec fusion in order to make place for my new custom to be case.

I would like to see this too. Did you write in the "Improvement Suggestions" forum ( https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/improvement_suggestions-f46.html) ?

Simone

 

[iSP]

The only thing I would love to see is the equaliser for music, but I know this won't be made available for now.
Unfortunatly I currently have no VFD to test woth these drivers, as I sold the antec fusion in order to make place for my new custom to be case.

I would like to see this too. Did you write in the "Improvement Suggestions" forum ( https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/improvement_suggestions-f46.html) ?

Simone

I didn't, they won't add this anytime soon anyways, as no new option are to be added to the current svn, just bug fixes.
Might ask for it later as soon as they're taking for new idea's again.
It would just make the LCD support complete in my opinion.

 

[chemelli]

It would just make the LCD support complete in my opinion.

I totally agree with you.

Simone

 

[JoeDalton]

I reverted the old SG_VFD.dll and renamed the new one to SG_LCD.dll.
The new iMon LCD driver now uses this new DLL

Hope this solves the troubles...

Joe