Pin2Dmd Editor

[marioc]

_Hi,

_{This question relates to pin2dmd editor used for a Real Pinball.}

_{I have been able to get the display running on a real pinball, Theatre of magic.}

_{If I use the editor version 1.0.11 and make a .dat file by doing Palettes/Mode>Configure Device , Device mode WPC, Default Pallete Pink or any other selectable colour I get a pin2dmd.dat file with the following code only.}

_{02 04 0f 0a 0f 0c 0f 00 0f 0f 00 00
From the little I understand of the source code 02 = wpc mode 04 = Pallette Pink.}

_{I put this on an SD card and start my machine and the led display performs as expected and uses a PINK pallete.}

_However.

_{When I use the editor and load some animations and create keyframes and new palletes and then export the project by doing File>Export Project ,save as type Export dat. .}

_{That files first 12 bytes are as follows}

_{01 00 0a 00 00 00 10 00 00 00 00 ff}

_{The file is longer than that of course and you can pick out the keyframe hash's in it but when you load it into an SD card and run the machine there is no display on the LED screen.}

_{Now if you simply copy the first 12 bytes from the other .dat file as above  into the one that is not working then that .dat file will run the LED display in the default pallete PINK.}

_{The rest of the pin2dmd.dat file must be ignored as there are no palette switches happening.}

_{I can only assume that the editor is not correctly creating the dat file for a Williams WPC machine, or I cannot find where to tell it to do that.}

_{Thanks again, This is very interesting project.}

 

 

[lucky1]

We will check this. You can also create a .dat with the pin2dmd.exe tool by choosing the desired mode

and default palette and pressing save. Device must be connected via USB and sd-card must be inserted 

of course.

[marioc]

Hi,

I am a little confused.

Do we need a pin2dmd.dat file and a pallettes.dat file loaded on the SD card?

I saw you mention palletes.dat in a previous post.

Looking through the source code I can see it looks for pin2dmd.dat and palletes.dat on the SD card.

[lucky1]

pin2dmd.dat is the config file of the device containing device mode, brightness values etc.

palettes.dat is the custom file for the table you use the device for containing palettes and

keyframe information.

[marioc]

Sorry , I still don't understand.

Do I need to load a pin2dmd.dat file AND a palettes.dat file onto an SD card so that the palette switching and key frame information will be recognised by the software on the STM32 board.

This is for real pinball not Virtual.

[lucky1]

Yes, but we are currently reworking the keyframe detection to make it faster using hardware accelerated processing.

We are also working of ne detection mechanisms to colorize animations containing dynamic score numbers.

So don´t expect it to work with the latest firmware and the old exe of the editor.

We will release a first working test version soon.

However choosing a palette for the whole game and loading it from palettes.dat should work.

[marioc]

Hi,

I got it to work with a pin2dmd.dat file with just those few bytes I mentioned before.

Then used the editor to set up keyframes and palettes and exported as a .dat file.

Renamed that .dat file to palettes.dat.

Saved both to the SD card and the machine palette switches where I expected it to.

Colours are a not so nice but its my first attempt and I am sure it will look better with a longer pinmame recording and better colour selections.

Once again I am greatful to your work, its excellent.

regards

Mario.

[marioc]

some stills from my video.

Unfortunately the colours on the video are not as vivid as those on the led display , you cannot see the orange of the tiger very well on the video capture but its quite bright on the led display.

 

[marioc]

Yes, but we are currently reworking the keyframe detection to make it faster using hardware accelerated processing.

We are also working of ne detection mechanisms to colorize animations containing dynamic score numbers.

So don´t expect it to work with the latest firmware and the old exe of the editor.

We will release a first working test version soon.

However choosing a palette for the whole game and loading it from palettes.dat should work.

Hi Lucky,

Is the latest firmware you speak of  1.27 or will it be something else?

Is the editor being updated too?

I have been comparing 1.27 to older code to see changes.

I think I see that earlier version had expected palette.dat file to contain keyframe duration in rxbuf[24 and 25] and 1.27 expects it in rxbuf[26 and 27].

Vesion 1.0.11 of the editor puts duration in rxbuf[24 and 25].

 This is great, please keep up the excellent work.

I wish I understood more of the source code.

[lucky1]

There will be a new release of firmware and editor as soon as we have finished first implementation of hardware

accelerated frame recognition. Version 1.27 is the latest binary, but the public source of the editor is ahead.

The 1.011 binaries of the editor should work for the palette part of the dat but not for the keyframe table. 

[winteriscoming]

I can't seem to get the executable to do anything in Windows 10.

 

I need JRE installed, right?  I've tried x86 and x64 versions of JAVA and the respective versions of the editor.  I've also tried running as administrator.  I get absolutely nothing opening up.  In fact, Windows Explorer seems to freeze for the folder containing the executable with a processing animation for the cursor, and I don't see any related tasks running in the task manager.

 

Any advice?

 

Here's what I currently have installed:

java version "1.8.0_73"
Java SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_73-b02)
Java HotSpot Client VM (build 25.73-b02, mixed mode)

[winteriscoming]

I can't seem to get the executable to do anything in Windows 10.

 

I need JRE installed, right?  I've tried x86 and x64 versions of JAVA and the respective versions of the editor.  I've also tried running as administrator.  I get absolutely nothing opening up.  In fact, Windows Explorer seems to freeze for the folder containing the executable with a processing animation for the cursor, and I don't see any related tasks running in the task manager.

 

Any advice?

 

Here's what I currently have installed:

java version "1.8.0_73"

Java SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_73-b02)

Java HotSpot Client VM (build 25.73-b02, mixed mode)

I have discovered that my issue was due to my antivirus.  It was apparently blocking the executable from running, but not actually notifying me that it was...  I can run the editor now.

[fly]

editor version 1.014, I want to run the file "dump" jump out of me this error:

 

 

[Dann]

Im having all sorts of issues trying to load palettes and save projects. Im running the latest versions of the editor and firmware. If i make just a simple project to test, it will save it but when opening that project i get the below error. Also when i try and upload a palette i get another error as below..

 

Is there a specific version of java that has to be used?

Is there an outline of how to use the editor, export palettes.dat files. Specific instructions anyone can point me too please..

 

I have everything working except the editor. Pin2dmd.exe works flawlessly and i can change everything i  choose to, it just seems to be the editor and creating palettes i am having trouble with..

 

Im using this on real machines not virtual ones.

 

 

Thanks

Daniel

 

 

 

[Dann]

double up sorry

[lucky1]

I don´t use the upload button of the editor, I export the palettes.dat using the export function and

then copy it to the sd-card. The path error can be fixed by opening the xml file with an editor and

removing the path completely. I have attached a newer version of the editor. I think the path problem is

fixed there.

editor 18032016.zip

[fly]

 

if anyone help me ??

[Dann]

I don´t use the upload button of the editor, I export the palettes.dat using the export function and

then copy it to the sd-card. The path error can be fixed by opening the xml file with an editor and

removing the path completely. I have attached a newer version of the editor. I think the path problem is

fixed there.

Thanks... that did the trick..

There is one issue that comes up now and then... When i set a palette i want as the default the dmd will reset and come up with that palette and it will work fine like it should, but sometimes it will reset and not keep the setting i just made or it will reset and come up saying " NOT ACTIVTATED" .. To clear this i have to reset it back to it's default palette and try again..

[mageek]

Great! The palette upload works now. Will there be capability for the editor to record real pinball play? The dump from pin2dmd.exe does not seems to be properly formatted for the editor. This is terrific stuff !!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fly]

editor version 1.014, I want to run the file "dump" jump out of me this error:

[lucky1]

Reading dumpfiles from real pinball machines is not yet supported.

[fly]

It's already fine

[Dann]

Im trying some simple palette switching to get used to using the editor but i have been unable to get it to switch to the palette i set a keyframe on.. I export the project and copy it to the SD card but the palette stays as the default palette and does not change. Included the palette file below renamed to .TXT

 

What i have found is that when i run pin2dmd.exe and select palette 1 RED ( with the palette.dat on the SD card i just exported) it displays the palette switch color i have chosen in the project, So instead of switching to the selected palette it has put it as RED palette option1.

 

Can anyone advise what am i doing wrong please?

palettes.TXT

[lucky1]

Im trying some simple palette switching to get used to using the editor but i have been unable to get it to switch to the palette i set a keyframe on.. I export the project and copy it to the SD card but the palette stays as the default palette and does not change. Included the palette file below renamed to .TXT

 

What i have found is that when i run pin2dmd.exe and select palette 1 RED ( with the palette.dat on the SD card i just exported) it displays the palette switch color i have chosen in the project, So instead of switching to the selected palette it has put it as RED palette option1.

 

Can anyone advise what am i doing wrong please?

palettes.TXT

Hi Dann,

please always attach your complete project xml and dump file in a zip. Otherwise it will be hard to help you.

Lucky1

[Dann]

Hi Dann,

please always attach your complete project xml and dump file in a zip. Otherwise it will be hard to help you.

Lucky1

ok will do in future..

 

I found that if there is only ONE keyframe set in the editor its palette will always be palette 0 and cant be changed, it will always default back to palette 0. So it looks like the palette switch does not occur when it actually does as the green led on the board  will indicate a palette switch has occurred   . If i set more than one keyframe all of them will work except for number 1 as its palette cant be changed and will stay the default one.

 

I was able to get it all working by making a dummy palette 1 and then all subsequent palette switches  2.3.4..... will work ok..