Author Topic: Johnny 5 and LedWiz (Read 29660 times)

horseboy · « **on:** June 21, 2006, 02:58:46 pm »

So, I had planned on using PowerMame to light up the buttons being used on my CP. Now, though, it appears that PowerMame will cease to continue to update with new Mame releases. Powermame has all sorts of cool features, but I was only really interested in the LedWiz features. I am also planning on using a PSone monitor to display Johnny 5. I am no programmer or anything, but it seems to me that Johnny 5 and the LedWiz function in Powermame are kind of similar. They both find out which buttons are in use and display accordingly (in a very different way of course). I thought that it would be really sweet to have the LedWiz controlled by Johnny 5. We could have the propper buttons lit without PowerMame. Also since Johnny 5 can be used to show generic controls for other emulators, we could the appropriate button lit for those as well. Is there any plans or any shot in hell at this getting added to Johnny 5. I am sure you could get assistance from Randy @ GGG and Mike of Powermame.

Just a thought.

Buddabing · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2006, 03:05:43 pm »

How about greasing the wheels? Send Howard a LedWiz on loan or enough money to buy one, and either send him some cash for his effort or fill out some referrals for him.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2006, 04:03:57 pm »

I have offered and still do to contribute an ledwiz for dual monitor features. This is a great idea horseboy and I would be completely behind it. You can chalk me down for at least $20 towards the cause.

horseboy · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2006, 04:46:18 pm »

Yeah, I really think that this could be the answer to many LedWizzers problems. I will definitely grease the wheels and throw in some cheese to get this going. Heck, if it would help I would even be willing to throw in some money.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2006, 05:44:27 pm »

I don't have any problem adding the feature, ledwiz interfacing seems simple enough.

But as the others assumed I do lack the hardware to work on it. None of the buttons on my panel are translucent, so I've never had a need for one. So yeah send me one on loan or something and I'll see what I can do.

No payment is required though, I'll be glad to do it... you guys don't want me to start asking for commission, you can't afford me.

Ledwiz is seriously lacking on the software end imho. What I'd like to do is get randy to show me how the device is controlled on the low level, then maybe some sort of module could be created for anyone's projects.

horseboy · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2006, 05:52:23 pm »

Sweet.

I am sure that Mike could help out a bunch as well.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2006, 05:57:03 pm »

Now to get an LEDWiz.

horseboy · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2006, 11:56:00 am »

I think that if this project gets done it would be very good for sales of the LedWiz. I would think that the easier it is to get it working correctly, the more people there would be that would buy it. With that said I think it would be a great idea for Randy at GGG to send 1 out for developmental purposes. I don't know if Randy will be very receptive to that idea, though.

So if that falls through, we need to round up a little dough (~$50) to get a LedWiz for Howard to work with. It appears that McCoy and I are in for this, but if we could get a few other people to throw down that would help out a bunch. I know that you guys want this feature. Fellow LedWizzers UNITE!!!

mahuti · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2006, 01:15:28 pm »

Use fundable.org to gather prepayment... their fees are now down to 7% of the total collected.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2006, 05:17:33 pm »

It's decided then. I'll setup an account sometime this weekend, or we could go the paypal route, your choice.

Depending upon how receptive everyone is I might break out my c++ skills (god help us all) and write a dll similar to randy's but with some added modes of functionality.

I could, for instance, easily bind a light to a physical keyboard key, so it does something when the key is pressed. Or better yet, bind a light to an analog control or bind a light to direct-x force feedback... you get where I'm going with this.

Somebody still needs to make a set of output ports for mame though.... the whiz could easily be used to control rumble motors and such, there just isn't any emulator support.

DaveMMR · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2006, 06:04:58 pm »

First of all Horseboy, you beat me to the post. I was going to ask the same question sometime soon, but held back until I finished researching. I have the same exact concerns as you, except that I want to be able to address a second Ledwiz. If it weren't for that one simple concern, Randy's prog. with Manuti's helper app would actually suit me fine.

Put me down as "highly interested" in this program. I will donate some money towards this project once Howard irons out the account and the proposed features.

Quote

I could, for instance, easily bind a light to a physical keyboard key, so it does something when the key is pressed. Or better yet, bind a light to an analog control or bind a light to direct-x force feedback... you get where I'm going with this.

Those are all great ideas and if they can be easily done, awesome! However, speaking for myself only of course, would be completely happy with a simpler way of controlling the lighting output and would be estatic if it also controls LW's that aren't device #1.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2006, 06:49:58 pm »

I would say set up the fundable.org account. That way people can keep track of the total and in general will feel safe to donate. Get the dang thing fired up tonight, and I'll make the first donation. Randy really should hook you up with a sample for testing. I feel okay in this opinion because he does charge for the product and this would help everyone, especially him, tremendously.

horseboy · « **Reply #12 on:** June 22, 2006, 06:56:39 pm »

Quote from: mccoy178 on June 22, 2006, 06:49:58 pm

Randy really should hook you up with a sample for testing. I feel okay in this opinion because he does charge for the product and this would help everyone, especially him, tremendously.

Exactly, but I don't think that he will do it. I pointed him in the direction of a similar thread recently that had to do with AtomicFE. He never responded, so I assumed he was not interested.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #13 on:** June 23, 2006, 09:19:49 am »

Quote from: mccoy178 on June 22, 2006, 06:49:58 pm

Randy really should hook you up with a sample for testing. I feel okay in this opinion because he does charge for the product and this would help everyone, especially him, tremendously.

Actually I would probably turn down one from him even if he offered. For the same reason I wouldn't accept anything from Kelsey (of OscarControls) or any other vendor for that matter. One of my unofficial functions here is to be the voice of honesty when others are just being overly supportive (in other words I have no problems saying a product needs work, may not be useful, or just plain sucks). If I were to accept something from a vendor I may feel obligated to "lay off" when the next product comes out. I would rather not be put in that position.

It's a personal thing, may sound silly to some but I'd rather have it this way.

(p.s. Kelsey has been kind enough to lend me spare space and b/w since the beginning and still does to this day, if you enjoy any of my products you should thank him some time because he makes them available for download.)

DaveMMR · « **Reply #14 on:** June 23, 2006, 01:04:05 pm »

I'm ashamed of myself for not offering before (blame lack of sleep), but Howard, I can send you both of my LedWiz devices (#1 and #2) on loan. They aren't hooked-up yet and since we're experiencing some rain this weekend, I'll be behind on the project anyway. I can also loan you some RGB LEDs if needed.

I can ship them to you and also provide return postage as long as you wouldn't need them for more than a couple of weeks or so. If there's anything else you would need, let me know.

All I really want out of this program is the ability to light up LED's from a second device outside of PowerMame (e.g.: for other emus, if PowerMame ceases, or even just for S's & G's).

Let me know Howard.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #15 on:** June 23, 2006, 05:10:44 pm »

I appreciate it man. Thinking on it more though I'm not sure if a loan is the best option, at least not if you guys want me to keep updating the code.

j5 is so convoluted (due to the mame cfg/ctrlr file parsing) that sometimes I find a minor bug months after I originally added the code. If that were to happen with the led-wiz stuff I'd be screwed.

I really want to leave the decision up to you guys though, I feel a little uncomfortable taking donations so I want to make sure everyone is happy.

horseboy · « **Reply #16 on:** June 23, 2006, 05:21:52 pm »

Well, if he wants to send them, that is fine with me. I think that you would need 2 anyway to add support for 2 of them. I don't need support for 2 and I don't know if you even want to do that. Just a thought. But yeah, I definitely think you will need your own, so you can keep it updated and such. I say set up a fundable.org account and lets get you one. If Dave wants to send them so you can get started, thats cool, but lets make sure and get you a permanent one. Thanks again.

DaveMMR · « **Reply #17 on:** June 23, 2006, 05:35:23 pm »

Quote

I appreciate it man. Thinking on it more though I'm not sure if a loan is the best option, at least not if you guys want me to keep updating the code.

That's cool Howard, the offer's on the table. Feel free to PM me if you change your mind and want me to send them, even if just to get the ball rolling until your own comes.

Quote

I think that you would need 2 anyway to add support for 2 of them. I don't need support for 2 and I don't know if you even want to do that. Just a thought.

Actually, I should take some sort of poll seeing if I'm the only one with this concern.

The problem with the RGB LEDS is that they take up three inputs each, so basically if you want an average sized panel to have full RGB capabilities, you'll need at least 36 inputs (that's not even counting the start buttons and trackball LEDs). Add to that all the little Bells N Whistles people are thinking about (the Q*Bert knocker that's already in PowerMame, the Gorf Lights, Force Feedback, etc.), and you can run out of inputs fast.

I do admit, however, that my lighting plans might be overkill -- but incredibly useful. Think "Mouse Trap".

Randy's software actually isn't all that difficult to use (esp. with Manhuti's helper app.), it could just use a few more features.

Ultimately, I'm not overly pushing that feature - it's just one of those "while you're in there, could you.....". Just having some LEDwiz support in a front end would be great.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #18 on:** June 26, 2006, 08:51:15 am »

Ok I looked over at Randy's site and here is the gist of what I need:

Led Wiz =44.95
RGB Leds =1.50 a pop

I'm not sure how many leds would be appropriate. I can probably do enough to test with around 6 or 7 (enough for a full 1p layout) but that is up to you guys.

Anything else I order would not be required for the development and thus I'll pay for it myself. (If I'm going to go to all the trouble of adding support, I might as well use the dang thing.

)

I'm thinking around 65 bucks should be a reasonable price goal.

The only reason I'm asking is fundable.org requires you to set a price goal up front.

About the second controller thing. I think it is a fair thing to ask but not initially. What we'll do is I'll get one working and if you guys are satisfied with the results I'll start another fund and order a second if enough are interested.

With mahuti's app starting to take shape, you guys might not even want me to do this anymore.

Just let me know.

horseboy · « **Reply #19 on:** June 26, 2006, 10:21:18 am »

Well, a bunch of people use Johnny 5, and IMO the less software you have to deal with the better. $65 sounds like a good price to me. One thing to keep in mind, though. There are probably just as many people that will be using single color leds as there are using RGB. I know that McCoy and I are using single color leds. Just a little food for thought.

mahuti · « **Reply #20 on:** June 26, 2006, 11:48:22 am »

That's the trick... some of the folks'll use 3 lines for 1 led, some 2, and some 1.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #21 on:** June 26, 2006, 01:47:48 pm »

Quote from: mahuti on June 26, 2006, 11:48:22 am

That's the trick... some of the folks'll use 3 lines for 1 led, some 2, and some 1.

That's the idea..... with rgb leds I can test for all three. What I'll do is have a user define virtual buttons (single, dual, tri), and bind them to a physical button, just like the labels work in j5. And of couse a seperate ini file to tell j5 which color/intensity/animation/whatever to use for each button will also be available.

DaveMMR · « **Reply #22 on:** June 27, 2006, 01:58:13 pm »

Quote from: Howard_Casto on June 26, 2006, 08:51:15 am

About the second controller thing. I think it is a fair thing to ask but not initially. What we'll do is I'll get one working and if you guys are satisfied with the results I'll start another fund and order a second if enough are interested.

Fair enough.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 06, 2006, 08:20:46 pm »

So, where are we with this?

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #24 on:** July 06, 2006, 10:01:25 pm »

Heh I forgot.

I'll look into funable.org tonight.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #25 on:** July 07, 2006, 11:19:16 pm »

Ok here we go:
https://www.fundable.org/groupactions/Johnny5ledwiz

The price goal is slightly higher than I calculated, but fundable complains if you don't setup the funds in multiples of 10. I configured it so you can donate as much as you like, but unfortunately 10 bucks is the minimum donation (not my fault, wanted it to be as low as $1).

Anyway, we have almost a month from the first bid, so if you guys are still interested feel free. Fundable sets it up so that you aren't billed unless the goal is reached so don't worry about that issue.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 08, 2006, 12:02:33 am »

I put in $20. Thanks Howard.

Extreme8 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 13, 2006, 10:55:35 am »

I just found this thread (usually just skip over the stickies) and think this is a great project.
I'm not an LEDWiz user but having an interface for it can only help the community. Just pledged $10 for cause.

Maybe Saint could make a mention of this on the main page to stir up some interest?

horseboy · « **Reply #28 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:21:38 pm »

Stickied... sweet. I just put in $20 as well. It appears we only need $20 more to go in. I am ready.

mahuti · « **Reply #29 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:42:26 pm »

I put my money where my mouth is. Funded.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #30 on:** July 13, 2006, 01:43:45 pm »

I was getting a little worried that no one would see it.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #31 on:** July 13, 2006, 03:57:07 pm »

Pending authorization from youze guyz this fund rasier is done!

I'd say record time considering I didn't pimp out the link at all.

I'll wait a few days after payment to compile my own list of GGG stuff I want (might as well get it now and save on shipping) and then we are off and running.

Are any of the contributors willing to beta test for me? (Warning! My beta testers often run off crying or angry due to my winning personality and people skills, so take heed before you volunteer.)

mccoy178 · « **Reply #32 on:** July 13, 2006, 04:55:15 pm »

I'd be happy to help. People love giving me beta stuff because I'm so smart with the software side of things. If you can get past the fact I'm a dumb

, I'll get past the fact your a

head.

mahuti · « **Reply #33 on:** July 13, 2006, 05:12:04 pm »

Sure send it on. Most of my clients also have winning personalities and people skills, so I'm used to it.

cdbrown · « **Reply #34 on:** July 14, 2006, 06:45:57 am »

Quote from: Howard_Casto on July 13, 2006, 03:57:07 pm

(Warning! My beta testers often run off crying or angry due to my winning personality and people skills, so take heed before you volunteer.)

This isn't just restricted to your beta testers

Well done on gettting this up and running and I commend you on your stance of not accepting free stuff from vendors

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #35 on:** July 16, 2006, 04:56:55 pm »

Fundable sent it on over this evening. Give me a few days then I'll go ahead and put in an order. I'll keep posting boring tidbits like this until I'm done.

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #36 on:** July 18, 2006, 01:10:45 am »

No I still haven't ordered it yet. I will very soon.

Anyway, I don't like to post a lot of stff about j5 here when it has it's own forum, so you can check progress from this thread.

http://fe.donkeyfly.com/forum/index.php?topic=119.225

If you want to make suggestions or comments for the ledwiz part of j5 specifically, please make a new thread in that forum.

thanks guys!

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #37 on:** July 21, 2006, 02:52:25 am »

Ok I placed an order tonight so I'll get the stuff sometime next week and we can get started.

Off-topic anyone know where I can get some fx-buttons at a fair price? I'm not fond of white so randy's buttons aren't an option for my panel (I did order a couple ice though so I could get the colors calibrated for you guys).

Izrun · « **Reply #38 on:** July 21, 2006, 04:28:42 pm »

Are you going to use any sort of open standard for this. For fun I was planning on making a (non-commercial) control with control built in, and I would love to be able to make it be able to use some standard that you or someone else sets. To make a long story short, can you document the output you will be creating so we could make it work with our own designs?

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #39 on:** July 21, 2006, 06:20:07 pm »

Yeah, that stuff will be covered over at fe.donkeyfly.com

When I first get it, I'll just be playing catchup to all the other utilites out there, I just intend to get it working.

Then I'll go into more advanced things, like possibly a new dat project (buttons.ini) where the original button colors of a game are documented.

Now adding support for another device is something all-together different. No matter how closely you mimic how the led-wiz works, your device is still gonna show up with a different ID in windows, so custom support would have to be added for any program that needs to support the device. I have no problem adding support for other stuff... I intend to add parallel port support, for instance. I just need the hardware.


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