Updated iMON (Soundgraph) LCD Driver (1 Viewer)

[cybrmage]

Thx for the reply cybrmage, sounds like it´s not an ease job at all, looks like that aint gonna happend hehe.

For your laptop, you might want to consider a display that takes power directly from the USB port... like a Matrix Orbital MX series (2 x 20 character LCD) (will require a housing) ....

The other option... Which would make it relatively simple....

Parts required:
1) An external USB enclosure designed to hold a CD-ROM drive... (These can be found for under $25CDN).
These enclosures have a USB-to-IDE controller and the required circuitry to provide 5V and 12V power.
2) An internal USB cable adapter (like the one supplied with the Antec Fusion cases... converts a motherboard USB pin connected into a USB Type-A female socket)
3) A 4-pin molex to 3-pin power cable adapter (optional... but less "destructive) You can also cut off the power header on the display and wire the power directy to the IDE controller board)

Steps:
1) Disassemble the external enclosure and remove the USB-to-IDE controller board.
2) Cut the traces on the USB-to-IDE controller board that connect the USB Type-B Socket to the rest of the controller board. (as close as possible to the USB socket)
3) Test that the USB port has been isolated from the IDE controller. Connect the power supply to the USB to IDE controller board, and turn on the power... connect a USB cable from your computer to the USB to IDE controller board... If the controller board is detected, you have not isolated the USB socket from the controller circuitry.
4) Disconnect power from the USB-to-IDE controller board, and disconnect the USB cable from the computer.
5) Using a continuity tester, determine which pins on the back of the USB socket are for which signal.
6) Cut the Pin Header from the Internal USB cable adapter.
7) solder the appropriate wires on the Internal USB cable adapter to the corresponding contacts on the back of the USB socket.
8) use a continuity tester to verify that the wires are soldered to the correct pins on the USB socket.
9) mount the VFD into the enclosure. Connect the VFD usb cable to the USB adapter. Connect the Power connector on the VFD to the power cable adapter, and the power cable adapter to the USB-to-IDE adapters power plug.
10) verify all your connections.
11) close the enclosure.
12) enjoy your external VFD display.

NOTE 1): These are generic instructions... You follow them at your own risk. If you wire the USB socket incorrectly, you could damage your VFD/LCD or your computer! If you wire the power connector incorrectly, you could damage your VFD/LCD or the power controller on the USB-to-IDE controller board.

NOTE 2): You could skip steps 2 through 8 and instead remove the USB socket from the USB-to-IDE controller board... you would then either:
a) route a USB Type-A to USB Type-A extension cable through the resulting hole in the back of the enclosure directly to the USB cable on the VFD/LCD ( you will probably need to enlarge the hole to get the cable through)
b) remove the USB cable from the VFD/LCD controller and route this cable through the hole in the back of the enclosure and then roconnect it to the VFD/LCD control board.


Again... These are just ideas... Use them at your own risk!

 

[Testudo]

Sourcecode from Extrenal Display plug-in

Hello cybrmage,
for your good work.
It's fantastic, that my Ultra Bay now works with MediaPortal.
I will try to map the buttons like play, FF etc. in iMON Manager and will test if the front buttons work.

I'm not a programmer, but I will try to learn it (with MS Visual C# 2005). Few years ago I learned programming with Pascal and C++ under DOS, but last years I didn't have written programs. I Think it is possible for me to learn actually techniques.
For a example I like to understand the functionality of the iMON section in the External Display plug-in.
Can you post the actual sourcecode, please?

Thanks,
Testudo

 

[edsche]

Hello

ive tried your driver but it doesnt work for me :/ i have this no name case http://www.arlt.com/out/1/html/0/dyn_images/z1/1170529_z1.jpg (a HTPC-DE02 MultiMedia HTPC)

and it has imon vfd display in it. it works fine with the soundgraph software (v7 beta, v6.2 from the installation cd) but with no other program. the imon vdf api test programm also dont work.

hope you can help me and sorry for the bad english

 

[chemelli]

edsche,

look in this thread for the version "B"of 12-11-2007 and it should work fine.
I'm also not able to have version of 19-11-2007 working with vfd.

Simone

 

[cybrmage]

New version:

Fixed: VFD does not function if display type is explicitly set to "VFD"
Fixed: Configuration does not allow setting graphic display options under certain circumstances

 

[deathnite]

Cybermage,

Thanks for the update. Could I ask for a slight variatiion. Its more to do with the WAF actually.

The cook loves the fact that when playing video/tv the LCD display sleeps after 20 seconds.

Could this also be implemented also from the home screen. My box stays on all night as its a server/client arrangement. Its illuminating that room more than the christmas tree <smirk>. I think that the blue glow is great but its annoying the crap from the missus .

Thoughts??

 

[cybrmage]

Cybermage,
the LCD display sleeps after 20 seconds.

Could this also be implemented also from the home screen.

Umm... do you mean... turn off the display when on the home screen (for a specified period of time)... or... turn off the display when MediaPortal is idle (for a specified period of time)??

You could always think of the display as a (very expensive) night-light... 8-}

 

[deathnite]

Umm... do you mean... turn off the display when on the home screen (for a specified period of time)... or... turn off the display when MediaPortal is idle (for a specified period of time)??

You could always think of the display as a (very expensive) night-light... 8-}

Yup ..turn of the display when its idle

I like it and the kids like it but its the Boss who rules our domain <SMIRK>

 

[ethan23]

force grahpical text

Hi,
first, thanks everyone for the plugin, this is awesome !
I finally managed to get it to display the text (tip for the noobs like me, don't set you contrast too high or you won't see the text on the vfd ).
I just have one question. Is the option "force graphical text" is supposed to work on the VFD? (antec fusion 430 Case). When I try to use this, I only got half of the text on the screen :
the classic display shows:

Spiderman
1H12/2H35

but the graphical mode only shows:
Spiderman

This is also the case in the menus, I only got the top line, preventing any real use without a monitor/TV connected.
I searched this thread without succes on this.
Thanks!

 

[cybrmage]

Is the option "force graphical text" is supposed to work on the VFD? (antec fusion 430 Case).

No... The graphical text does NOT work with a VFD...

But, since you have an Antec Fusion 430, you have an LCD.

When I try to use this, I only got half of the text on the screen :
the classic display shows:

You have your font size set too high.... The "Force graphical text" option uses the font and font size you set.... If you set the font size too high then you get cropped text.


Here is a new version:

Fixed: If "turn off display while playing video" was selected, VFD would not turn off if "Use Equalizer" was not selected.
Added: Option to turn off the display after a period of time if MediaPortal is idle (does not work with "Force Graphical text")