stuck

[Guest PoRrEkE]

Pffffffffffffffffff *sigh*I got stuck with my sim. Ok I am working on the annunciators & stuff but other than that .. my sim isn't working as I want it to.Thing is that I removed the Photon interface to start testing with LCD's and haven't found time to do that since, thus my sim isn't working at all (just the joystick controls work, that's it).And I'm not sure what to do next. Either I try to find time and do start to mess with LCD's, or I just go back to the segment led thing.I just wish that there was an interface out there that would allow like .. 20 LCD's or so to be wired to USB or something. Would be super awesome. Even if it costs me $ 100 .. would save a lot of trouble.Sad thing is that not many people seem interested in LCD's eventhough I believe they are used in most real cockpits.Any thoughts ?

[Guest Erups]

You seem very proficient with VisualBasic.I suggest you study a bit of the parallel port, and understand how many command pins are free once you use 11 of them for an HD44780 LCD.Once you know this number, you know how many lcd a single parallel port can control.Eighter use one of the free pins for each lcd, or use a multiplexer or something to increase number.The trick is: using the same command and data pins for all the lcds, while using an ENABLE different for each lcd.Once you understand that, download a small file port95nt.exe which is an hacked driver to let application direct access on Windows NT/XP to ports (serial and parallel).It comes with VB and C++ examples with nice documentation.Then you build a simple routine and test it with one lcd, once you're sure it works, just parametrize it in respect to message and lcd to send, and build around a program to retrieve data from fs and send to lcd.It would be difficult for me, but seeing what you did in wb in very little time, i thrust you'll be able to do it :)

[tigert 0]

>Pffffffffffffffffff *sigh*>>I got stuck with my sim. Ok I am working on the annunciators>& stuff but other than that .. my sim isn't working as I want>it to.>>Thing is that I removed the Photon interface to start testing>with LCD's and haven't found time to do that since, thus my>sim isn't working at all (just the joystick controls work,>that's it).>>And I'm not sure what to do next. Either I try to find time>and do start to mess with LCD's, or I just go back to the>segment led thing.>>I just wish that there was an interface out there that would>allow like .. 20 LCD's or so to be wired to USB or something. >Would be super awesome. Even if it costs me $ 100 .. would>save a lot of trouble.>>Sad thing is that not many people seem interested in LCD's>eventhough I believe they are used in most real cockpits.>>Any thoughts ?My approach was to use one 20x4 character LCD for all radio frequencies - it is something that does work in practice very well. You could make a separate "panel" for the LCD display itself that fits the pedestal "rails", and use it temporarily to display the frequencies for now - until you figure out a solution. It makes little difference in practice, the only drawback is the looks - but your issue seems to be clearly that you cannot use the cockpit and this would solve it.//Tuomas

[Guest mbessler]

Philippe,>I just wish that there was an interface out there that would>allow like .. 20 LCD's or so to be wired to USB or something. >Would be super awesome. Even if it costs me $ 100 .. would>save a lot of trouble.I'm working on a prototype board that can control 8 LCDs.You can use multiple boards in parallel, no problem.Its for PHCC, but with a simple adapter for parallel or serial port (or a USB-to-(parallel/serial) converter) and a bit of programming, you could possibly use it without needing the PHCC motherboard.Manuel

[Guest PoRrEkE]

Sounds confusing ...What is PHCC ? Is that a print that you link to the PC ?And are you actually going to hang 8 LCDs to it or is it more like it could host it. Difference is .. if it can do it but you won't .. then I think I'll have to make software or whatever.What I would need is a divice that can be controlled via the PC which has like 25 or more pins which I can put high or low from the PC software. Ideally the software should be in VB.Net so that I can write it myself.We discussed here that Photon (which I have here) has pins for the leds that go high or low but that's not a true high. The signal goos up/down so fast the led seems to stay on. And I don't know if the LCD will like this. I was planing on trying it all out but it seems there is a lack of time here on my side ..

[Guest mbessler]

>Sounds confusing ...>>What is PHCC ? Is that a print that you link to the PC ?Its the Home Cockpit Interface I'm developing.http://cockpit.varxec.net/electronics/PHCC.html>And are you actually going to hang 8 LCDs to it or is it more>like it could host it. Difference is .. if it can do it but>you won't .. then I think I'll have to make software or>whatever.Its not a question if I am personally going to actually hang 8 LCDs on that board. But the possibility exists. The board has sockets for 8 LCDs.>What I would need is a divice that can be controlled via the>PC which has like 25 or more pins which I can put high or low>from the PC software. Ideally the software should be in>VB.Net so that I can write it myself.The protocol is pretty easy to implement. I have code in C.(Nearly) every programming language will work.>We discussed here that Photon (which I have here) has pins for>the leds that go high or low but that's not a true high. The>signal goos up/down so fast the led seems to stay on. And I>don't know if the LCD will like this. I was planing on trying>it all out but it seems there is a lack of time here on my>side ..I told you before that the scanning thats used for 7seg display driving will almost certainly not work for interfacing the LCDs.Regards,Manuel

[Guest PoRrEkE]

Ok, fair enough ..then what is your suggestion that I use as setup ? What should I get (hardware & software) etc.In the meantimer I read some more on this PHCC on your site.Just read USB is possible .. that sounds nice.And why you said "without the mobo" ? Is there a module of your system that works without the mobo ?If this system could work with software I write myself in VB.Net, than maybe it could replace my Photon and I might try to sell my Photon to the next builder. As long as I can tell via the software which led to go on, which text to show on which LCD, etc .. I'm cool. I don't know yet how to write software that writes to the LCD but it would be handy if I've got most controll over what's going on trough the hardware ..