ZeDMD - a cheap open-source and DIY real DMD aimed at vpins and perhaps real pinballs

[zedrummer]

 

 

Hello

 

I created some months ago a new real DMD with support for 4 colours, 16 colours, 64 colours and full RGB. It supports colorized ROMs.

 

It is 100% open source:

- The device code, highly optimized thanks to @mk47, is here https://github.com/zesinger/ZeDMD_ESP32/releases.

- The computer code is part of @freezy DMD-extensions available here https://github.com/freezy/dmd-extensions , it is not up-to-date, but you can download the latest one here https://mega.nz/folder/LBRBUbSB#a0jB-IWa1YU7Ck_rW8hlwQ

 

For the DIYers, you may have a full 128x32 pixel real DMD for the price of an ESP32 (less than 10€) and two 64x32 LED matrix panels (less than 25€ each). Add some cables and, if needed, a 5V/2A power supply and you may have it for less than 70€.

If you want it without the boring wiring step, some resellers are providing a shield for cheap.

 

A full tuto in English, with links for the shields resellers in France (but they certainly can send abroad) is available here https://www.pincabpassion.net/t14796-zedmd-installation-english

[zedrummer]

ZeDMD code for ESP32 and DLL has been updated with huge speed improvements mainly for ZeDMD HD.

ESP32: https://github.com/zesinger/ZeDMD_ESP32/releases/tag/v2.1

The DmdDevice.dll update should be available in the next release of @freezy 's DMDext, but you can already use this build: https://mega.nz/folder/LBRBUbSB#a0jB-IWa1YU7Ck_rW8hlwQ . If you download the files, don't forget to unblock them if you are under Windows 10 or more recent https://www.isumsoft.com/windows-10/3-ways-to-unblock-app-or-file.html

[clemon79]

I’m building one of these using the instructions here:

 

https://www.pincabpassion.net/t14796-zedmd-installation-english

 

…and I notice in the part about the wiring harness between the ESP32 and the HUB75 cable, there’s no mention of what to do with the GND connections. Do I need to run a DuPont wire to GND on the ESP32 for those?

[clemon79]

The answer, because it’s not documented in the above article is: yes, you should run a DuPont wire from one ground on the HUB75 to a ground on the ESP32, or else you’ll be confused by the sparking on the ZeDMD. Once I did that my picture was clean as a whistle. All I have to do is figure out why color VNI/PAL isn’t working (haven’t tried SERUM yet) and I’m golden.

[zedrummer]

Sorry, @clemon79, I added it to the tuto to be sure it is clear enough, thanks for the suggestion!

For the colorization, did you follow the steps here

?

[clemon79]

So it occurs to me that I shouldn’t be expecting VNI/PAL combos to work natively on ZeDMD, maybe, I need to wait for people to convert them to SERUM (since I was watching your video earlier today on conversion)? SERUM colorizations work great, and of course all colorizations still work great through emulated DMD mode on my backglass screen. If that’s the case, then I think everything is working!

[zedrummer]

VNI/PAL should work if you follow the steps in the tuto. Only PAC doesn't. Hopefully, the number of Serum colorizations will rise quickly.

[clemon79]

Mmkay, I’ll double-check the tutorial, then. First time I set up for SERUM I ended up having to go back to that one Freezy post that has Everything You Need In One Zip File, but at the time I wasn’t setting up for a physical DMD because I didn’t have one yet. I’m guessing I just don’t have DMDExt set up to recognize the physical DMD. 

[clemon79]

Hmm. Having gone over the tutorial again, maybe I’m not explaining clearly.

 

Serum works GREAT on the ZeDMD. Absolutely perfectly. And all three color formats work on an LCD DMD screen. What specifically isn’t working is VNI/PAL on the ZeDMD. It displays a gameplay image, but it acts like it does when you have “Colorize DMD” on (because I do of course) but the DLLs aren’t picking up, where the colors are wrong because it’s using the default Colorize DMD pallete and not the VNI/PAL files. Meanwhile, at the exact same time, the DMD on the backglass screen is showing just fine in full color.

 

But since it works on an LCD screen, I know I have all of the right DLLs and so on, so I don’t want to go reinstalling things completely because I know I have a working setup and it’s just a setting someplace that I don’t have set right.

 

(Another thought I just had (and I will look into this as soon as I hit Submit here) is that maybe the Freezy extensions are only capable of sending color to one device at a time and I need to tell it which one to use? Like if I’m gonna use the ZeDMD I need to turn off the virtual, maybe? Doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’m grasping at straws here.)

[marco37]

Hi,

I had the same problem on my REALDMD (ZEDMD) with .vni .pal files,
files and often these files have random names.

=> I renamed all .vni and .pal file names to :

pin2dmd.vni
pin2dmd.pal

like this :

BEFORE:
VPinMAME\altcolor\
                               |------- \cc_13\
                                                              |-------- CactusCanyon.vni
                                                              |-------- CactusCanyon.pal
                               |-------\jd_l1\
                                                              |-------- judgedredd.vni
                                                              |-------- judgedredd.pal


AFTER:
VPinMAME\altcolor\
                               |------- \cc_13\
                                                              |-------- pin2dmd.vni
                                                              |-------- pin2dmd.pal
                               |-------\jd_l1\
                                                              |-------- pin2dmd.vni
                                                              |-------- pin2dmd.pal

etc.

Now these roms work (for me) in true color.

 

[clemon79]

Mine are all named as in your After, and as I said, everything works great on an LCD backglass with a virtual DMD in full, correct color, it’s just not full correct color on the ZeDMD…it looks like yours undoubtedly did before you renamed them, where the colors are wrong and such.

[clemon79]

I fixed this; I needed to install the new Freezy DLLs over the top, replacing Lucky1's DLLs, Which broke .PAC support on the backglass, but I'm kinda okay with that, because I'm kinda disgusted with the whole .PAC thing on the whole.

[marco37]

That's why, for me, the future of roms colors will have to go through the Serum format (.cRZ)
Closed formats are a bad thing.

This being said, this problem only appears for the owners of ZEDMD (realdmd), because on the LCD displays we can display correctly all the formats (thanks to an automatic switch of dll file via a script which was published on another post of the forum).

Personally I fell in love with Zedrummer's work. and I hope people will seriously look at his format.

[clemon79]

On 4/11/2023 at 2:46 AM, marco37 said:

That's why, for me, the future of roms colors will have to go through the Serum format (.cRZ)
Closed formats are a bad thing.

Yeah, I got ripped a new one for having that opinion on another group. Some people simply don't care so long as they are getting what they want for free.

 

The day someone figures out how to either a) crack a non-64 color PAC back to VNI/PAL or b) convert it to Serum will be a grand one indeed.