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Pin2dmd working in pinmame but not vpx


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So i have a pin2dmd i just bought running version 2.65.  I have vpx 10.6 rev 3664 and vpinmame 3.2 sambuild 4732.  I have tried this with 10.5 vpx and 3.1 vpinmame too. My problem is the following.  If i use a dmddevice.dll for pin2dmd later than the version that came with the vpinmame 3.1 bundle vpx will not work with the DMD. Even thought ddraw is 0. External dmd is on in rom options. If i use dmddevice.dll from vpinmame 3.1 ( dated 8.2.2018 for me)  it works in vpx.  If i download the latest dmddevice.dll from pin2dmd, the vpx will not work with the dmd. BUT......  vpinmame will work???  Tests come up fine. Colorizations in altcolor all work. Everything works. But if i run vpx.  It doesn't work.   Now it doesn't do this with the vpinmame 3.1 dll provided in the pin2dmd directory. Vpx and vpinmame work, but no colorization support for the new colorizations.   So not a good options. Anybody??  I am baffled. I have been uninstalling, reinstalling. Trying new .dll's I am at a loss. 

I have replicated this on two computers.

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The thing i don't understand is why do i have to have dmdext.exe in the vpinmame directory in order for more recent .dlls to work in VPX, when without it pin2dmd works in vpinmame and will older .dlls  in vpx.  Is dmdext.exe required for pin2dmd???  Actually and it will only work if i use the freezy dll and not the pin2dmd dll. So i guess i am still kind of messed up.

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I was told that dmdext is just a utility that does mirroring of a screen area on to the dmd. I have very few use cases for it as I don't care for fx2, fx3 and other emulators. I use it however for putting the score from p-roc on to my pindmd3.

I believe that dmddevice.dll from freezy will work with the pin2dmd as it has a option for it in the dmddevice.ini. But, I've had performance issues and odd things with that since the start so if/when I put my pin2dmd to use I will definitely give lucky1' version a try. I still a feeling that your are having issues because you have multiple versions of on your system. You remind me of the first time I decided that pindmd.dll was going to be replaced in full on my cab. Wrong version of dmddevice or pindmd in a folder and everything went black and locked up.

Only until 1.7 series came out did I manage to NOT having to use lucky1 dmddevice.dll in eg. PBY and XDMD folder. If I used freezy,' it would go black. After 1.7, as long as I either have *.ini file or a softlink to the ini file in those folders it seems to work. There is a third option. Set env variable to tell where that ini file is located. Currently I just have same *ini file copied to the required folders. Mind you. I'm still running pindmd3, not pin2dmd. So, I'm not sure if this applies to you.

 

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I have taken all dmddevice.dlls out and just used luckys and they didnt work with vpx running. Only vpinmame. That is what is driving me nuts. I even tried on a pc that never had anything on it.   Yet it will work with freezy 1.71 but dmdext.exe has to be in the  pinmame directory too. ????   But cant get any lucky dlls to work that are recent.  What about the xdmd directory. Do you need to copy Luckys DLLs in that too?

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I have never had the problem you're having but with that being said

I also have a pin2dmd using version 2.60.  and vp-10.6 rev 3664 and vpinmame 3.2 sambuild 4732

Have you checked to make sure none of the files are blocked?
You should not need dmdext.exe file to have your pin2dmd work in VP
I am currently using freezy files from here..
https://vpinball.com/forums/topic/dmd-extensions-installer/
Once you get to the Artifacts page - I use --> dmdext-1.7.3-MSI-r45-x86-Release.zip

An out of this zip file I used - DmdDevice.dll and dmdext.exe - But you may also need the other files if you don't have them

If you want to use the new features add this to your InI file
[alphanumeric]
enabled = true

Info on new features

https://github.com/freezy/dmd-extensions/tree/master/LibDmd/Output/Virtual/AlphaNumeric

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=41291&page=2#entry419369

Here are images of my VPinMame folder and DmdDevice.ini file

11.thumb.jpg.3dc3f51a5b6ce0b464bec16964f544c7.jpg

22.thumb.jpg.8e3c6c6f2c1edc5e4fa99accaf4f54ff.jpg

dmddevice.ini

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I suggest you try what outhere mentions here. I would go that way too haven't it been for known performance issues for me and the pindmd3 on the newest beta code. Pindmd3 users should consider using mjr's 1.7.1. It has some fixes that seems to have done wonders for my cab.

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Thank you so much Outthere.  I did notice that you did have dmdext.exe in your vpinmame folder though.  Perhaps you need to have it there for it to work? If you remove this will it work in vpx?  1.71 will work for me when it is there, but i can't use any pin2dmd dlls. I have to use freezys.   If i remove dmdext.exe vpx doesn't work.   I will try this 1.73 beta version and see what happens and compare your ini to mine.  I really really really appreciate you taking them time. I am at work now, but will let you know.  Let me know if you remove dmdext.exe from vpinmame will your pin2dmd work with VPX???

I am starting to think that dmdext.exe needs to be in there if it isn't designated as an environment Path.  According to the link you sent about Freezy's new installer, one of the things it does is copies dmdext into program files and then adds it to the environmental path.  By adding it to the environmental path it is executable from anywhere since windows knows where it is. So maybe it is called up somehow when starting vpx.  I have a question out at GitHub asking if it necessary to run vpx.  

From freezy's description

Installs dmdext.exe into the Program Files folder and adds it to the environment PATH

 

I also upgraded my unit to firmware 2.66. It was at 2.65.  Can you downgrade the firmware. Wonder if i should go to version 2.6

 

Thank you Thalamas.  i will try this tonight. I have a rig with pindmdv3  and have never had this problem.  The Freezy 1.71 works and i don't need the dmdext.ext in  vpinmame.  I wanted to try a pin2dmd because of some of the hiccups i have been experiencing with colorization on the pindmdv3.  So i wanted to compare the two, but have been having problems as you can see.   I found that 1.71 and the latest sambuild 3.2 beta really benefits pindmdv3 a lot. 

 

 

 

 

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So i tried dmdext-1.7.3-MSI-r45-x86-Release.zip last night and it worked like a charm.  I did not need to have the dmdext.exe executable in the vpinmame directory like i did with freezy 1.71 and everything worked as it should. So many aspects of this still don't make sense to me.  Why I can't get lucky release drivers to work etc, but ill take it for now.  I can use the dmd and that is the most important thing.  Thank you so much outthere for pointing me in the direction of that download in the artifacts section. Didn't even know there was  a section to get early releases.   Thank you.

 

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I haven't tried.  Will have some time this weekend. I am feelin good that it will work. I finally got 1.71 working again normally on pin2dmd and I am back on it. I found the beta version of 1.73 wouldn't play tron classic mod and other similar dmd type games.  Could be just a problem I am having on 1.73  not sure.

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So you have to setups one with a pin2DMD and one with a pinDMD3
You are displaying your scores on your real DMD from a back glass that has the score on it, That's what you are trying to do?
The score Displayed on my pin2DMD with no problem Using the 173...

For your pinDMD3 you're going to want to do this

Use dmdext.exe from 1.7.2

And DmdDevice.dll use from here

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=40679&p=424932

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I have a rig with a pindmdv3. No backglass though.  Table and dmd.  bartop kind of setup.  I just bought a pin2dmd and just have it connected to pc standalone right now.  No rig..  May make a second bigger rig with a backglass for it, but just testing it right now.  

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