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Rotating monitor - Yet another take

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DaOld Man:
Ok, here is a couple of screen shots of rotmala.exe
When you first run the program it will open up the setup mode. (First pic).
You need to set the paths to mala.exe and mala.ini.
Then you need to decide what to do if both inputs are made (stuck switch) or if neither input is made (monitor is between switches.)
You can choose whether to start mala horizontal or vertical.
You can also place a check on "display warning." If you do, and rotmala encounters a input error, it will display a box and allow you to hit any key to go ahead and run mala, or wait to enter setup mode again.
Next you need to choose which inputs your switches are connected to.
Next, choose if the inputs go low when the switch is made (to ground) or if they go high when the switch is made.
Printer port inputs normally "float" high. Its a lot simpler to bring them to ground through a 100 ohm resistor.
Ground pins are 18 thru 25. I suggest you tie all these pins together. Your limut switch will attach to one of these grounds pins, then go through a resistor back to one of the input pins.
Pin 11 on the port is inverted, so I dont suggest you use that one for this project.
Now set your printer port address. You can get this from control panel. (Device manager/ports/lpt port)
Its most likely 888 decimal or 0378 (You can switch between decimal and hex display)
You can look at the status of your inputs by pressing the "Refresh" button in the current input status box.
When you are done, save it and exit.
Next time you run rotmala, it should start your mala based on the input status.
Note: you will need to install a small program called port95nt, this is a driver for the printer port.
You can get it here
After you set up rotmala, a file called "rotatemala.set" will be created. This contains the settings you just choose for rotmala.
The second screen shot is it. You can run setup again by opening this file with notepad, change run setup =no to run setup =yes. Or you can delete rotatemala.set
When you start rotmala, setup mode will run.

So, download and install port95nt, then unzip this file to where you can find it easily.
Im sure someone can write us a mala plugin that will do the same as this program.
Let me know what you think.






EDITED To include latest version of Mrotate2. 06/26/09

DaOld Man:
Sorry about the misspellings, Ive been up all night..
Also, on the rotmala setup screen, in the "actions to take if both inputs....")
The choices say start glaunch vertical or horizontal. That should read start mala.
I am also developing this program to use with glaunch, I forgot to change those two labels.
When you try to run rotmala, if it asks for an ocx or dll file you dont have, let me know, I can post them.
VB6 (the language I wrote this in) requires certain dll files. When I package a program to install, I include this files.
But this is just the executable.
So the executable may not run, but no big deal if it wont, just have to place the proper dll's in your windows/system32 folder.
Have fun, and I'd like to say you guys are really doing a lot of professional work here. Your projects are really great.
Hopefully I will get back on my project soon, but I wonder, what's next?

DaOld Man:
One more note, then Im off to bed..
The rotatemala.set file tells you that you need dlportio.dll.
This is not correct. I must have had my head up my $$# when I wrote that.
You need to download and install port95nt.exe.

weisshaupt:

--- Quote from: javeryh on February 21, 2008, 09:10:19 am ---
--- Quote from: csa3d on February 21, 2008, 07:41:21 am --- Ultimately, I was hoping for something as strait forward as something you'd find on Makezine.com, without lots of expanation, and clear steps 1,2,3 etc.  Maybe I'm asking for too much. ::)
--- End quote ---

csa: I'm in the same boat as you.  I don't know anything about electronics, motors, voltage, etc. but I definitely want to give this a try. 
Maybe I'm way off but wouldn't you just use the same wires that go into the switch and wire them to the printer port and let software do the rest?  I will be using MaLa as my front end - hopefully it will be as easy as installing a plug-in).

--- End quote ---

Hi All,

My original intent was to document my rotating mechanism well enough that anyone could copy it, which obviously I have failed at. Probably because I know what I know and make the stupid assumption everyone else does too. If anyone has questions, I am perfectly happy to answer them in PM or here in the forum, and to use that info to better my descriptions and WIKI. I can also add glossary words into the Wiki... I just need to know what parts weren't understood..
 
My control program is just a separate BAT that can be called form the command line and which 3D arcade/emulaxian calls for me. I also call it at boot up to just tell it to put the screen in the horizontal position.   It looks like DaOldMan is writting a similar program/plugin for MALA. Once those pieces are done, there isn't a lot to this really.

Solarbotics sells the motors/and PCB board to drive the motor. The is some simple soldering required- and I stress that- Simple. Buy a socket for the chip (also carried by solarbotics) and you would have to work really really hard to screw it up.  I can post a list of the other useful stuff (a DB 25 parallel port to RJ45 adapter - though you could just cut open a printer cable and solder those wires as well) The instuctions provided by solarbotics are pretty complete and well written IMO..http://downloads.solarbotics.net/pdf/kit10.pdf

After that you need 5 wires to be run to the PCB  Board from the printer port. 1 to tell it to go right, 1 to tell it to go left, 1 to read switch 1, 1 to read switch 2, and a ground to current will flow.  The only thing that would be really useful if if DaOldman and I both agreed on a pinout for the DB25 so both our programs will work with the same wiring..


As with anything, group feedback is important in the evolution of these things, and I think psycotech's microswitch and casters approch and javeryh's lazy susan ideas are both improvements on my original design.  I will  update the Wiki to reflect these ideas, and provide links to other implementations. But then, its a wiki, so anyone can improve the page... and should!

DaOld Man:
weisshaupt: I dont think you failed at all.
Your writeup and information is very valuable, and if it wasnt for me already building an H drive (which is better for the heavy motor I will be using), I would use your circuitry.
Dont sell yourself short.. I know we all appreciate the work you have done.
As far as getting with you on the same inputs, my rotmala can be programmed to use any of the input pins.
Just run the setup mode and click the pins you are using..
Rotmala just automatically sets up your mala screen when you first power on, based on your current monitor position. (i thought it would be good for people who manually turn their monitors.)
It ends there.
Koz319 made a plugin that rotates the screen based on the game you have chosen in mala.
The only problem with his plugin was that you couldnt change its parameters.
It always looks for the inputs going high, which is a little more difficult to do, IMHO. Plus he limited his to pins 2 and 3 for outputs to the drive, and pins 12 and 13 for inputs.
He was supposed to be working on a version that allowed you to set it up, much like I did with rotmala, but I havent heard anything else from him.

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