Jump to content

Pin2Dmd Editor


lucky1

Recommended Posts

Gday coyote

 

I had all sorts of problems also as the software is very early..

 

Does the Pin2dmd.exe tool work for you? If you load Pin2dmd.exe and select from the various defined palette options are the changes reflected on the DMD?

 

With the editor i just export straight to the sd card and rename palettes.dat at the same time just like your doing.

 

What do you mean by "Screen comes up with palette saved in "pin2dmd.dat", not "palettes.dat"." Do you mean on the DMD display? Pin2dmd.dat is created by the Pin2dmd.exe and palettes.dat by the editor..

 

When renaming a palette you have to select that palette, change the text to what you like leaving the number and dash at the start and then hit the RENAME button.. 

Hey!

Yup - if I use 'pin2dmd.exe' the colors are updated. If I use the 'Send Palette' button in the -editor, the colors are changed. The problem with the latter (-editor) is that upon reboot of the display, it reverts back. :(

 

I mean that I have a pin2dmd.dat that was created and saved by pindmd.exe. This file's required for me to set it to mode PinLED (for the PinLED display driver board setting). The mode (PinLED, WPC, Stern Whitestar, etc) and the palette is saved to the device when I set the mode. And the palette in that file seems to be taking precedence over any 'palettes.dat' saved to SD card. :)

 

And ah! Remaing that way worked. I was trying to get rid of the "0 -" - apparently that part has to stay.

 

 

Since you did´t set a keyframe please set your custom palettes with the pin2dmd.exe.

They should be available at the 0(VGA) and 1(red) button. 

Okay, if I click 'VGA (0)' or 'Red (1)', it just sets the color - I don't see a way to edit the 16 colors in those two palettes? (The 'Load palette' button also asks for a *.DMC file, which .. I'm not sure where that comes from, other than the 'Save Palette' button. :))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

The send palette button in the editor just uploads the palette in RAM for testing. It is not stored in palettes.dat on the sd-card.

To make them permanent, currently that must be done manually by export and copy to sd-card.

Set palette to 0 VGA in pin2dmd.exe and you should see your custom palette 0 when the palettes.dat is in place.

 

The .DMC import is mainly for 4 color systems to use the colorize profile database we have from pinmame for real pinball machines.

The store button only stores a vga palette.dat with 4 modified colors of the .dmc file.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The send palette button in the editor just uploads the palette in RAM for testing. It is not stored in palettes.dat on the sd-card.

To make them permanent, currently that must be done manually by export and copy to sd-card.

Set palette to 0 VGA in pin2dmd.exe and you should see your custom palette 0 when the palettes.dat is in place.

 

The .DMC import is mainly for 4 color systems to use the colorize profile database we have from pinmame for real pinball machines.

The store button only stores a vga palette.dat with 4 modified colors of the .dmc file.

Ah! okay, I'll give that a shot! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The send palette button in the editor just uploads the palette in RAM for testing. It is not stored in palettes.dat on the sd-card.

To make them permanent, currently that must be done manually by export and copy to sd-card.

Set palette to 0 VGA in pin2dmd.exe and you should see your custom palette 0 when the palettes.dat is in place.

 

The .DMC import is mainly for 4 color systems to use the colorize profile database we have from pinmame for real pinball machines.

The store button only stores a vga palette.dat with 4 modified colors of the .dmc file.

 

Okay, this worked. So, to sum up -

1. The palette has to be VGA in pin2dmd.exe

2. Define custom palette in -editor

3. Export project, save to palettes.dat

4. Copy to the SD card.

 

One thing I noticed - with firmware v2.07, my -editor reports that it could not find the device (display), but pin2dmd.exe can without an issue. Not sure if something woulda changed in the F/W or I have a strange version of -editor. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

I am using the editor for a Future pinball DMD.  For the most part, it looks like the most recent editor is working fine.  I know it is still early in development, but just a question regarding coloring capabilities.

 

Using my palette, I want to make some additional updates to a frame with the Pencil tool.  It colors the frame just fine, but when I advance the frame and come back to it - the color is lost. Is this not yet supported?

 

For example, I am trying to add additional coloring that was not there before (Make her eyes green).


post-883-0-99213900-1459869985_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

To use the described feature "replace frame" you need to cut the scene first with

mark start - mark end - cut.  For fp tables I recommend to edit the original picture instead

and use the pin2dmd editor only to define the keyframes when to change the palette. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

Okay, so I have a couple of more questions related to this:

 

 1) Is there a max number of keyframes \ project?

 2) How do you replace frames Using the Animations frames? (during playback, it only shows the original frames).

 

When I save my project, then retrieve again, it is superimposed with the current time.  Is this a know issue? Or something I may be doing incorrectly (see pic).

 

post-883-0-54193000-1459885479_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

A separate issue\question today.  Since my 2GB SD cards are not recognized by Pin2DMD (I have ordered 1GB sd ram card :D ), I am trying to use the above technique with the editor (send palette).

 

However, I am unable to get pin2dmd editor to run on my cabinet.  (I assume this is the only way to send palette - without using SD card).

 

Here is what happens (running Win7): a) execute latest version of editor.   B) Splash screen shows for a few seconds, then disappears.  c) Verify with task manager- it is not running.

 

Here is what I have done since- to no avail

  1) I have shut down\restarted - since updating my version of java to latest version.  

  2) I have the key in the same folder as the editor upon starting.

 

Is there a command line to load a palette and or project.xml to pin2DMD?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

Hi Dom-

  Tried Using 2 different 2MB PNY brand cards.  According to some early documentation, 2+ GB cards were unreliable.  Only 1GB (no-name) SD cards would work.  I suspect I would see the cards show up as an external device?  (But they do not).   I have a v1.27 board (Flashed to 2.06).

 

Running as admin did not help.  Runs fine on my laptop tho.  I will try to upload my palette via command line....

 

btw: what is the command line switch for help?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, they normally don't show up as external device.

I don't know exactly for win7 but for later versions you have to "unlock" the .dlls in the pin2dmd.exe-folder.

Right click them and under properties you can accept or unlock them, I don't know if it's this case for you.

Always ensure that you use the same versions of pin2dmd.exe and firmware and latest pin2dmd-editor.

The folder of the key for pin2dmd-editor is very sensitive I think. Did you copy it from your laptop? If yes, delete it and download it again and register it again. I ran in an similar issue when I cleaned up my pc and moved the keyfile to a different directory. I got it working only after I restored the old folder. The editor simply didn't want to start.mgreets,

Dom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

   Wow!  Just uploaded an edited palette for one of my FP Tables. It looks just awesome!  It brings the table to new life- Really nice to pick up colors that are in the table - onto the DMD.  For now, I will just run the palette changes via Hyperlauch akh script before each table launches.  I can worry about the SD card (when I get one of these for my real pin  :D

 

Kudos to Stefan and everyone who has got pin2dmd to this point.  Thank you for all your hard work!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

There is a new version of the editor out 1.0.15 that fixes a couple of bugs.

- no clock display over ani

- drawing palette only enabled when really drawable

- better error handling of license problems

 

A snapshot build for the windows versions of the editor will always be available at https://bintray.com/sker65/pin2dmd/Editor/latest#files

 

The about dialog now also shows build time stamp.

 

The bug where clock is displayed over cutted animation can't be easily fixed for already cutted animations, because there one wrong flag in the animation. For newly build project

the problem will be gone. If somebody already has a rich colored animation please send it to me I can repair it.

 

cheers Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

There is no step by step guide so far.

The basic steps are

- Check mask checkbox

- Draw the mask e.g. with the rectangle tool

Currently this is only possible when you first cut a scene (MarkStart - MarkEnd - Cut)

since the rectangle tools is greyed out. Will be fixed soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Steve,

I downloaded 1.0.15 of the editor and seem to have a problem.

When in Two Plane mode, which is what WPC was before you can only modify 3 colours.

From the attached image you can see my previous colourisation with version 1.0.12 and there are 4 colours.

Green, Yellow, Orange and black, yet the orange cannot be found on the colour selection bar.

Even if you start from loading an animation you cannot change 4 colours any more.

See the second image, now there is no white in the colour selection bar.

Even if you change to four Planes there is still no white in the colour selection bar.

What's happened?

 

post-10115-0-93786200-1460208885_thumb.jpg

post-10115-0-44371500-1460209162_thumb.jpg

post-10115-0-57662600-1460209281_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see in the above post version 1015 of the editor has a Live Preview option.. I have downloaded 1015 and my version does not have this live preview check box option at all. Also i have the color button and the above does not..

 

Is there multiple versions with the same number? or have i not done something correct ?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

"......currently can only use one mask for the whole project.

You end up with a pin2dmd.fsq file which you need to put on your sd too. it contains all sequences you create with mark/cut.

The keyframe then holds the offset information for the sequence....."

 

  Trying out the new editor and am having trouble getting the Mask to work.  In fact, when I try to use the mask and export the .dat file, it seems to be messing up the 'palette' and (not) switching data altogether.

  Like other users, I am trying to mask Scoring data (not high score)- so that I can have a stable background during scoring of X-files.

 

SOOOO, a couple of questions that may help me here:

 

1)  Above you mention saving data to pin2dmd.fsq file.  How do you save this .fsq file?

2)  Why when I go back and forth between keyframes, does the 'mask' checkbox disappear (for a frame I previously did check as a mask)?  This would be very helpful to see it selected AND the masked area on the DMD- upon return to frame.  Unless I am doing something wrong (I am doing Mark Start | Mark End then Cut)

3)  Another suggestion - perhaps a way to avoid certain frames needing masking- could you have any 'unknown' keyframe return back to DEFAULT palette?  Currently it seems if you don't specify a frame and its palette (and its duration)- it remains with the most recent palette....

  I DO see that this could be a BAD thing- it would require a duration for all keyframes.  

4) Not sure how\if duration works- can you briefly explain this too?

 

Thanks again for the most recent version of the editor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Content Provider

I see in the above post version 1015 of the editor has a Live Preview option.. I have downloaded 1015 and my version does not have this live preview check box option at all. Also i have the color button and the above does not..

Is there multiple versions with the same number? or have i not done something correct ?

Thanks

Yes there are when you Download from bintray you will always get the latest build.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
  • Create New...