[PLUGIN] LCD/LED Plugin 1.92

[headkaze]

LCD/LED Plugin 1.92

==============

-: SUPPORTS :-

- BetaBrite

- BPP-440

- CrystalFontz

- PJRC

- ProLite

- LEDWiz

-: FEATURES :-

- Multiple hardware support at a time (for any of the above devices)

- Game display and/or button hilighting while scrolling through a game list

- LEDWiz attract mode/s (lwa's/demo/audio/plasma)

- LEDWiz audio attract mode (LED's dance to music)

- LEDWiz speak button actions (Each button is lit up one by one while the action is spoken)

- LEDWiz plasma attract mode (10 paletted effects)

- Create your own LWA animation files for LEDWiz attract mode

- Uses real game CP colors to light up your RGB LED's (uses colors.ini which currently supports 1210 ROMs)

- Uses Mame Interop (Mame.dll) to receive events from Mame in realtime and sends them to the LEDWiz or LCD (Eg. Flashing start buttons when you drop in a coin, flashing buttons on LEDWiz or output to LCD "PAUSED" message when paused)

-: LATEST FEATURES :-

- Test attract and lcd test modes in the configuration

- Realtime color feedback while you configure your LED's

- Color mapping so you can map custom colors for colors.ini

- Now LEDs lights up and flash leaving last LED lit with speak button actions feature

- Skip speak button actions feature with button

- Includes over 70 lwa animations

- LEDWiz plugin now works with cfg files in Mame so it will light up buttons correctly for custom key mappings

-: INSTRUCTIONS :-

- Just copy the files into your GameEx\PLUGIN folder and run the GameEx Plugin Manager to configure the devices. It should be pretty straight forward.

- You can place LWA files in the GameEx\PLUGIN\LWA folder and the plugin will randomly show your own custom made animations in attract mode. You can create them using the GGG LEDWiz software. You must have GameEx 7.50+ to use this plugin.

-: VIDEOS :-

You can check out some videos of my plugin in action here

-: THANKS :-

Big thanks go out to the Mala team (loadman, swindus, edge) for help, testing and inspiration and Sliver (thanks for LCDGen source!), Time Pilot & ourgrace for testing and MikeQ for ledwiz.dll. Also thanks to RandyT from www.GroovyGameGear.com for the donation of a LEDWiz. And of course Tom!

*************************************

NOTE: This plugin is no longer available because there is a newer version. The PluginLCD V2 page can be found @ http://www.gameex.in...?showtopic=4564

*************************************

[Adultery]

Pretty awesome Kaze! You were able to code this plugin without any of the hardware... You're some kind of sick computer genius you are!

I never thought to add LEDs to my cab before, but on my new cocktail cab I'm refurbing I'm gonna swallow hard and invest. I can't wait to try this out!

Kudos to you, sir!

[headkaze]

Of all the FE plugin's for LEDWiz, I'm the only one who wrote one without the hardware. So I did rely alot on beta testers which is why I thank them so much for helping out; without them it wouldn't have been possible.

Also, this is the only LEDWiz plugin with an attract mode "dance to music" and "speak button actions" that I know of

Still I need people to test it, so we'll have to wait and see if it even works yet as I don't even have a clue if it does!

[ourgrace]

Headkaze

I dont think the audio mode is working.

The first time I selected a game from the all games list the buttons lit up and read the name off. then when I started the game the led turned off. after exiting the game and selecting another one, the leds and speach wouldn't work.

Ill be in and out for the next few days so let me know what you need done and Ill get to it as I can.

Thanks

Bob

Here is my GameEx log

Log.zip

[headkaze]

Hey ourgrace.. the audio mode isn't on there yet.

I think the plugin must be crashing after launching a game.. I'll look into it today.

[ourgrace]

I added my log to the last post

[headkaze]

Can you try again, I've added some exception handling that should give us a message if an error occurs.

[loadman]

LCD/LED Plugin 0.9 BETA

================

-: SUPPORTS :-

- BetaBrite

- BPP-440

- CrystalFontz

- PJRC

- ProLite

- LEDWiz

-: FEATURES :-

- Multiple hardware support at a time (for any of the above devices)

- Game display and/or button hilighting while scrolling through a game list

- LEDWiz attract mode/s

- LEDWiz audio attract mode (LED's dance to music)

- LEDWiz speak button actions (Each button is lit up one by one while the action is spoken)

-: INSTRUCTIONS :-

- Just copy the files into your GameEx\PLUGIN folder and run the GameEx Plugin Manager to configure the devices. It should be pretty straight forward.

-: NOTE :-

I have not implemented all the LEDWiz attract modes just yet, just need to add a bit more code to cycle through them. Currently only standard attract mode is available. As soon as we have the basic plugin tested and bug fixed, I will add them in. Just thought people would like to have a look at this and play now

Again, as usual, I don't own any of the hardware so if you want this plugin, you can help make it happen by beta testing.

-: THANKS :-

Big thanks go out to the Mala team (loadman, swindus, edge) for help, testing and inspiration and Sliver (thanks for LCDGen source!), Time Pilot & ourgrace for testing. And of course Tom!

Nice One :-)

[Tom Speirs]

Nice One :-)

Not being funny or anything, but Loadman and anyone else on the Mala team, thanks for helping out HK, and if you want a free GameEx license you are most welcome to it. Just drop me an email.

EDIT: Silver too.

Thanks,

Tom

[ourgrace]

Headkaze

It's getting better, It seems to work ok on most games, but on some I get a error message

"system invalid cast exception: query interface for query interface speachlib,Ispeach failed at speachlib sp voice class. speak(string text speach voice speak flag flags) at gameex plugin speach buttons(controls dat control)"

or some thing like that

Bob

log.zip

[headkaze]

Okay, that bug should be fixed now. Can you try again thanks.

Can you also verify as working..

1. Scrolling through the list the correct buttons light up for the game

2. When attract mode starts the buttons go into attract mode (random lighting effects)

3. Selecting a game from the list highlights each button one by one saying the action, then lights up all buttons

4. Running a game will turn off all LED's

[ourgrace]

Okay, that bug should be fixed now. Can you try again thanks.

Can you also verify as working..

1. Scrolling through the list the correct buttons light up for the game

2. When attract mode starts the buttons go into attract mode (random lighting effects)

3. Selecting a game from the list highlights each button one by one saying the action, then lights up all buttons

4. Running a game will turn off all LED's

I know 1,3 and 4 work Ill do some more testing tommorow,

Bob

[Quixote Quest]

I was just reading reviews about LED-Wiz and the ICE buttons last week and drooling over adding those as my next cab mod. Seeing that you are pluggin away on GameEx support--and particularly one of the coolest things--lighting up applicable buttons on a game-by-game basis all I can say is you guys are too cool. To see that this will be realized as an integrated plugin for GameEx makes me that much close to going forward on that mod.

Anybody yet using the LED-wiz with Athlon chipset? I've read some performance issues with non Intel systems.

[ourgrace]

Quixote Quest

I have been testing this for headkaze, the computer I use for benchtesting is a amd 2400 I havent had any probs so far. this plugin is very cool looking on a cab after HK gets the bugs worked out I'm going to post a link to a movie file of this running on my cab. look for it Headkaze has done a hell of a job with this

ourgrace

[ourgrace]

Headkaze

Im still getting the same error on some games.

I didnt have time to play with it to much. Im off work thursday to sunday. I should have plenty of time then to do testing.

Bob

[headkaze]

There's no rush ourgrace, just test when you get some spare time.

If you can, post the ROM thats causing the error.

[edge]

Nice job, headkaze. Did you recreate the LEDWiz attract modes using your own code, or are you reading LWA files?

Tom - Thanks again for the generous offer.

Edge

[headkaze]

Nice job, headkaze. Did you recreate the LEDWiz attract modes using your own code, or are you reading LWA files?

Tom - Thanks again for the generous offer.

Edge

Basically I took the lwa animation files and pasted them into string arrays then just rotate through them. I will eventually change it to read the lwa files into arrays by reading them in through file IO and use those instead though, that way users can add their own animations to it.

I read through the array elements one by one converting them from string format to the commands and int's to send to Mike's ledwiz.dll (C#'s Split method is obviously handy for this). I will loop through each LEDWiz device and send the command to each one at a time so all LEDWiz's play the animation. I can send you the source if you like (although it's in C#) but you can just as easy get it off loadman (he already has it and I gave him permission to share it with you and swindus). Some of the concepts might be helpful.

Thanks again for all you help with LEDWizGen, and your interface ideas, everyone here appreciates you guys helping out including me.

[loadman]

I read through the array elements one by one converting them from string format to the commands and int's to send to Mike's ledwiz.dll (C#'s Split method is obviously handy for this). I will loop through each LEDWiz device and send the command to each one at a time so all LEDWiz's play the animation. I can send you the source if you like (although it's in C#) but you can just as easy get it off loadman (he already has it and I gave him permission to share it with you and swindus). Some of the concepts might be helpful.

..and thanks again for that.

Swindus has already written some 'kick-ass' delphi code to read LWA files using RandyT's OCX.

But I greatful for the code as I may have the defealt attract mode built in rather than readinbg a LWA

So I was interested in the basic concept of that.. Thanks

EDGE let me know if you want me to post you those BEN CODE SNIPLETS

:-)

[ourgrace]

Headkaze

This is what is going on now,

1. Go to all games list and scroll, the right buttons are lighting up.

2. Select a game and it lights up the buttons one by one and says the function.

3. Start the game and the buttons turn off

4. Exit the game and return to the list

5. Select another game and some times it lights up the buttons one by one and says the function, and other times it gives the error message.

6. If it doesn't give the error on the second game then on the third it does

It doesn't seem to matter which games you choose, I did this about 20 times with different games. I also tried this on one of my other 'puters and got the same results

A couple of other things, when I am in a game the leds are off, can these be left on? And when I scroll through favorites, the leds stay on when I "highlight" a none mame game

Bob

[headkaze]

5. Select another game and some times it lights up the buttons one by one and says the function, and other times it gives the error message.

6. If it doesn't give the error on the second game then on the third it does

It doesn't seem to matter which games you choose, I did this about 20 times with different games. I also tried this on one of my other 'puters and got the same results

You shouldn't be getting that error message anymore, I'm pretty sure I fixed that bug. Download and try again, and post the exact message if you can.

A couple of other things, when I am in a game the leds are off, can these be left on? And when I scroll through favorites, the leds stay on when I "highlight" a none mame game

Okay, I've made an extra option in the Configuration to leave LEDs on during game play. Hopefully scrolling through favourites and hilighting a non-mame game should turn the LED's off now.

[ourgrace]

Downloaded it again and the leds stay on in the game but the second or third game selected gives this error

System.InvalidCastException: QueryInterface for Interface SpeechLib.ISpeechVoice Failed at SpeechLib.SpVoiceClass.Speak(String Text,SpeechVoiceSpeakFlags Flags) at GameEx.Plugin.SpeakButtons(ControlsDat.control)

I wish I could help with that but its almost gibberish to me. I've been around computers since punchcards but always on the hardware side. LOL

Bob

[headkaze]

I understand the error, but as far as I can see it shouldn't be there, and I can't get the same problem to occur on my machine. Although I don't have a LEDWiz I can't imagine the error being related to that.

I've just changed the plugin so it dosn't pause the whole FE when speaking the game names. It may have solved this other bug at the same time but I'm not sure. Give it a go when you get some spare time if you can.

[ourgrace]

Ok it seems to be working now!

EDIT: it did work good a few times, but now I am getting the same error again

System.InvalidCastException: QueryInterface for Interface SpeechLib.ISpeechVoice Failed at SpeechLib.SpVoiceClass.Speak(String Text,SpeechVoiceSpeakFlags Flags) at GameEx.Plugin.SpeakButtons(ControlsDat.control)

Bob

[Nologic]

I've been around computers since punchcards but always on the hardware side. LOL

Heh back when debugging the system literally meant removing insects out of the hardware.

Dang thats dating your self...I recall reel to reel, tho didn't do any hands on till 5.25 single sided floppys came out.

Heh well its good to know I"m not the oldest here.