- Joined
- Aug 2, 2011
- Messages
- 383
Hi
I've been working on the DotClk and thought some of you might be interested in an update.
Big thanks to @Paul who has a controller board and has helped with the tuning of some of the software aspects.
Software
I've made a few performance updates and added a few new menus - full menu now includes:
Set Time
Daylight Saving Time - Add / sub an hour easily
Sleep Time - Set a time when the display should go off
Wake Time - Set a time it should come on again
If Sleep and Wake time are the same then the clock will stay on
Brightness - Adjust the brightness of the dots
Clock Delay - How many seconds / minutes before displaying an animation
Clock Font - Choose a font to use for the clock. Anybody can create a new font using the Font Editor tool I've written - simply copy the file into the Fonts directory on the SD Card and choose from this menu.
Dot Colour - For multi colour displays choose from Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Cyan, Magenta or White.
Button Mapping - Swap the menu buttons around - useful if the control board is mounted upside down
Show Brand - Choose to repeatedly show a selected animation - could be used by shops and bars to have their brand logo on screen. Currently no means to generate a custom animation, but I'll be updating the Scene Editor tool to allow this.
Debug - Currently shows the name of the scene file during playback, and also displays the duration of the previous animation (good for performance tuning).
You use the buttons on the controller board to access and control the setup menu.
You can also hold the right hand button (button 4) to switch off the display.
Holding down buttons 1 or 2 at boot time select the correct drive for 2 different displays I've encountered.
All settings are remembered in non-volatile memory. The time is remembered by the on board Real Time Clock backed up by battery.
Also added small clock support that can be placed anywhere on the animation - fits in with the various styles of animation.
Animations / Scenes
I managed to rip the animations from the RunDMD SD image, so now have access to over 2000 animations. There is a bit of work to do to get the timings correct, but I've done about half of them now.
It's also possible for anyone to create their own animations using the Scene Editor tool I wrote - it's very easy to grab animations from any WPC or Stern rom file using either WPCEdit or Pinball Browser.
Frame
I just had a frame laser cut...
All of the software is freely available on github: https://github.com/sigmafx
Repository: DotClk - Arduino C++ code for the Teensy
Respository: DotClk-Support - Scene and Font editor applications
Repository: DotClk-Resources - All of the converted and created scenes (animations) and fonts.
The software is getting quite mature and I have designs and manufacturers for the frame and controller board. So, if anyone is interested in buying one of these then please get in touch - just send an email to dotclk@drpinball.co.uk.
At this stage I can't sell controller boards on their own - I have a stock of screens that are ready to go.
The clocks will be sold complete, but in kit form - some minor assembly of the frame will be required and grabbing files from the internet. No more than a screwdriver and a mouse is required!
I'm still working on the cost, but I'm extremely hopeful the final price will be £200 + delivery.
So, if you're interested, drop me a mail so I can judge interest and we'll take it from there.
I've been working on the DotClk and thought some of you might be interested in an update.
Big thanks to @Paul who has a controller board and has helped with the tuning of some of the software aspects.
Software
I've made a few performance updates and added a few new menus - full menu now includes:
Set Time
Daylight Saving Time - Add / sub an hour easily
Sleep Time - Set a time when the display should go off
Wake Time - Set a time it should come on again
If Sleep and Wake time are the same then the clock will stay on
Brightness - Adjust the brightness of the dots
Clock Delay - How many seconds / minutes before displaying an animation
Clock Font - Choose a font to use for the clock. Anybody can create a new font using the Font Editor tool I've written - simply copy the file into the Fonts directory on the SD Card and choose from this menu.
Dot Colour - For multi colour displays choose from Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Cyan, Magenta or White.
Button Mapping - Swap the menu buttons around - useful if the control board is mounted upside down
Show Brand - Choose to repeatedly show a selected animation - could be used by shops and bars to have their brand logo on screen. Currently no means to generate a custom animation, but I'll be updating the Scene Editor tool to allow this.
Debug - Currently shows the name of the scene file during playback, and also displays the duration of the previous animation (good for performance tuning).
You use the buttons on the controller board to access and control the setup menu.
You can also hold the right hand button (button 4) to switch off the display.
Holding down buttons 1 or 2 at boot time select the correct drive for 2 different displays I've encountered.
All settings are remembered in non-volatile memory. The time is remembered by the on board Real Time Clock backed up by battery.
Also added small clock support that can be placed anywhere on the animation - fits in with the various styles of animation.
Animations / Scenes
I managed to rip the animations from the RunDMD SD image, so now have access to over 2000 animations. There is a bit of work to do to get the timings correct, but I've done about half of them now.
It's also possible for anyone to create their own animations using the Scene Editor tool I wrote - it's very easy to grab animations from any WPC or Stern rom file using either WPCEdit or Pinball Browser.
Frame
I just had a frame laser cut...
All of the software is freely available on github: https://github.com/sigmafx
Repository: DotClk - Arduino C++ code for the Teensy
Respository: DotClk-Support - Scene and Font editor applications
Repository: DotClk-Resources - All of the converted and created scenes (animations) and fonts.
The software is getting quite mature and I have designs and manufacturers for the frame and controller board. So, if anyone is interested in buying one of these then please get in touch - just send an email to dotclk@drpinball.co.uk.
At this stage I can't sell controller boards on their own - I have a stock of screens that are ready to go.
The clocks will be sold complete, but in kit form - some minor assembly of the frame will be required and grabbing files from the internet. No more than a screwdriver and a mouse is required!
I'm still working on the cost, but I'm extremely hopeful the final price will be £200 + delivery.
So, if you're interested, drop me a mail so I can judge interest and we'll take it from there.
![IMG_20170520_163643[1].jpg](https://www.pinballinfo.com/community/data/attachments/45/45933-351147413afaf028889daf3599ad0b56.jpg "IMG_20170520_163643[1].jpg")
![IMG_20170520_163629[1].jpg](https://www.pinballinfo.com/community/data/attachments/45/45934-94c4234322aecca2562f1a150d1be5d0.jpg "IMG_20170520_163629[1].jpg")
May as well cancel the Sky subscription now... 
