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Pinball DMD displays (LED) - not ColorDMD or Pin2DMD but ZeDMD

@MadNat
The EVO board is great but too much on it really. The psu stuff could be got rid off.
I always fit an external psu with pin2dmd. I simply dont trust pulling it off a power driver board.
Most vpin users have a 5v psu tap they can pull off 2-3amps.

It should have a FULL SIZE USB. @russdx1 got that right with his first pindmd1. Seen a lot of people break off mini/micro usb.

Not exactly a lot on a pin2dmd when you take off the power side of things.

We are also taking an £85 delivered bit of kit vs a £200-250 device. Plus the activation charge with the later.

Due to my crossover with pinball repair and vpins (I had an ultrapin 15+ years ago) I think I was one of the first to show real pinballers what the pin2dmd/pindmd3 could do in the uk. In the early days both were vpin only.

It is an exciting product.
 
Pick Holder said:
The artists who colour charge real pinball folks. But its free for vpin!

I would say its best to charge everyone say $3 for files. Vpin or normal pin.
Click to expand...
I would agree, I do not grudge paying for a license as the time spent on colourization is mammoth bit never understood why real pin owners are descriminated.
 
crsedgar said:
I would agree, I do not grudge paying for a license as the time spent on colourization is mammoth bit never understood why real pin owners are descriminated.
Click to expand...

It's more about the vpin community kicking off about having to pay for it, since that breaks the open source ethos.
 
stumblor said:
It's more about the vpin community kicking off about having to pay for it, since that breaks the open source ethos.
Click to expand...
More than aware of that. It is also the fact that if you say sold a VPX table - then the manufacturer and license holders will want a cut of the cake (rightly so).

But Pin2dmd (what we are talking about generally here on this chat) is no longer opensource and they pay for that.
 
Pick Holder said:
@MadNat
The EVO board is great but too much on it really. The psu stuff could be got rid off.
I always fit an external psu with pin2dmd. I simply dont trust pulling it off a power driver board.
Most vpin users have a 5v psu tap they can pull off 2-3amps.

It should have a FULL SIZE USB. @russdx1 got that right with his first pindmd1. Seen a lot of people break off mini/micro usb.

Not exactly a lot on a pin2dmd when you take off the power side of things.

We are also taking an £85 delivered bit of kit vs a £200-250 device. Plus the activation charge with the later.

Due to my crossover with pinball repair and vpins (I had an ultrapin 15+ years ago) I think I was one of the first to show real pinballers what the pin2dmd/pindmd3 could do in the uk. In the early days both were vpin only.

It is an exciting product.
Click to expand...
Full size like this :D
1694006290895.png
 
MadNat said:
@russdx1 - you going to knock up design the ESP32 version for real pinball then?? Go on… it’ll be fun!
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I think there has been some work towards this. Going to have to have some kind of memory storage for the pin2dmd files.

But as it is an open source project then there is no 'cash' incentive for Russ to do this. He needs to earn money to get all his new solar panels.
 
Sounds like a panels for panels opportunity :)

Any corporate CFO’s on here? A perfect carbon offsetting investment… stump up some cash for @russdx1 solar panels by investing in a “multi functional, low carbon full colour graphical user interface”… everyone’s a winner!

File storage on ESP32 is a very very common function with a built in file store service (SPIFFS or LittleFS). It’s relatively easy to expand with a SD Card slot or maybe some FRAM - adds a bit of cost. Bonus that the required files are small…

Not sure how much memory would be left on the ESP32 (even with large PRAM) after the app is flashed, and not sure how big the biggest colourisation files are - could be very very lucky and maybe not need extra memory.

It would be cool to have a smart phone app to configure the display and transfer files via the built in WiFi or Bluetooth into the ESP32 memory. Save faffing taking the game apart to press inaccessible buttons, and swapping SD cards, copying files, etc

I make it sound so easy don’t I?! :D
 
My biggest problem is time these days, with a full time job and young family there is no time left over for little projects :(

I am pretty sure David (ZeDMD) is slowly working on a real pin version (he’s certainly more than capable) When it’s complete I’ll design a pcb for it :) The software is the complex parts on these projects pcb design is easy :D
 
Can somebody quickly explain how the colour dmds / pin2dmds work in terms of translating a b&w image into colour? i guess the processor has to examine each frame and somehow recognise it then lookup it’s colour equivalent?

some frames being static others dynamic - ie with scores that change, hstd names etc.

Is that it in a nutshell?
 
AlanJ said:
Can somebody quickly explain how the colour dmds / pin2dmds work in terms of translating a b&w image into colour? i guess the processor has to examine each frame and somehow recognise it then lookup it’s colour equivalent?

some frames being static others dynamic - ie with scores that change, hstd names etc.

Is that it in a nutshell?
Click to expand...
Colordmd have a patent.

US8773452B2 - Color display converter for pinball machines - Google Patents

A later generation display device may be connected to the video output port of an older electronic device which utilized an earlier generation display such as a dot matrix display. The early generation display is replaced with the later generation display. The display device includes software...
patents.google.com

Pin2dmd recolour the frame and I think colordmd replaces the frame.

It is all a little sketchy. Colordmd did not jump up for joy when pin2dmd came around. Pindmd1,2,3 did not really affect them as at the time it did not do complete game recolouring. That was introduced later with freezys software.

I am sure pin2dmd now feel like colordmd did now another kid is on the block.

MadNat said:
Sounds like a panels for panels opportunity :)

Any corporate CFO’s on here? A perfect carbon offsetting investment… stump up some cash for @russdx1 solar panels by investing in a “multi functional, low carbon full colour graphical user interface”… everyone’s a winner!

File storage on ESP32 is a very very common function with a built in file store service (SPIFFS or LittleFS). It’s relatively easy to expand with a SD Card slot or maybe some FRAM - adds a bit of cost. Bonus that the required files are small…

Not sure how much memory would be left on the ESP32 (even with large PRAM) after the app is flashed, and not sure how big the biggest colourisation files are - could be very very lucky and maybe not need extra memory.

It would be cool to have a smart phone app to configure the display and transfer files via the built in WiFi or Bluetooth into the ESP32 memory. Save faffing taking the game apart to press inaccessible buttons, and swapping SD cards, copying files, etc

I make it sound so easy don’t I?! :D
Click to expand...

The issue is that to get the pin2dmd files to work you will need freezys code running as well running, on vpin this is done on the host computer. Newer serum files for ZeDMD are few and far between.

You can bet your life soon there will be an upgrade to the pin2dmd firmware that will lock the files to your registration code for vpins as well as real pins (I believe the newer real pinball files are locked to your display now but I may have that wrong, so please correct me if you know any different).

On pin2dmd site - they say colour files are 10mb max. I will have to check.
 
This is why patents are a little pointless sometimes, the one colorDMD has is near useless due to the fact others have released the exact same product and they haven’t done or can’t do anything about it. Why have one if people still get away copying you? Just a waste of money in my eyes.

I agree with you Phil lucky will do what he does best and lock pin2dmd down even further lol.
 
S
AlanJ said:
Can somebody quickly explain how the colour dmds / pin2dmds work in terms of translating a b&w image into colour? i guess the processor has to examine each frame and somehow recognise it then lookup it’s colour equivalent?

some frames being static others dynamic - ie with scores that change, hstd names etc.

Is that it in a nutshell?
Click to expand...
suggest you have a play with the PIN2DMD colourisation app @AlanJ - gives you a good idea of what it does, but pretty much as @Pick Holder describes it I think.
 
UPDATE - Yeah had this running for a couple of days on and off just on my desktop - it is not good enough to run a game of VPX but the display works very well.
 
Wierd.. Mine weren't as i swapped the files between 2 dmds and worked fine on both
 
Mozie said:
Wierd.. Mine weren't as i swapped the files between 2 dmds and worked fine on both
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The older ones are not, but PAC files are I believe.

That is why on a real pin it is worth keeping to old firmware.

I just had a pin2dmd blow and I need to register the new one when it gets to me, that is another 20 euro down the drain.
 
Pick Holder said:
The older ones are not, but PAC files are I believe.

That is why on a real pin it is worth keeping to old firmware.

I just had a pin2dmd blow and I need to register the new one when it gets to me, that is another 20 euro down the drain.
Click to expand...
Surely the vender can transfer the licence?
 
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