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uOLED-96-PROP Object Design Contest — Parallax Forums

uOLED-96-PROP Object Design Contest

Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax EngineeringPosts: 14,406
edited 2008-06-04 14:15 in Propeller 1
H3_uOLEDContest.jpg


The µOLED-96-PROP currently includes an object for drawing primitives (dots, lines, circles, etc.) however it does not currently support images read from the micro-SD Card interface. The object of this contest is to develop an object that allows images stored on a micro-SD Card from a PC to be displayed on the µOLED-96-PROP display via serial command. The serial commands should be formatted similar to those used by the µOLED-128-GMD1 to essentially make the µOLED-96-PROP function similar to the µOLED-128-GMD1 and include the primitive functions from the current object code available on our website product page.

http://www.parallax.com/tabid/620/Default.aspx

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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support
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Comments

  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2008-02-06 23:05
    Wow that's a very specific contest, lots of wheel (re)invention.
  • dfletchdfletch Posts: 165
    edited 2008-02-06 23:29
    Is it just me, or do you pretty much already need all of the prizes to develop a solution? tongue.gif
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-02-06 23:47
    Gentlemen,

    The winner will come closest to duplicating the functions of the other display. The prizes are a different display (actually LCD), but you must have the uOLED-96-PROP to develop objects for it. I guess I could have probably made that more apparent. In any event we’re looking to see if someone can add useable image display functionality to the display. It’ll be interesting to see what different people can come up with. Take care.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-07 03:18
    Is there an over/under on how long it takes Rayman to win this?[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Rich
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2008-02-07 09:36
    Will he want to win the chance to be a very cheap consultant?

    It just looks like a way to get a job done that will further your own products on the cheap rather than a true competition.

    Am I being over sensitive?
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-02-07 23:38
    Currently the uOLED-96-PROP is a nice Propeller Development platform with the display and card reader. I came up with the idea for the contest to encourage someone to write a nice friendly object to make the uOLED-96-PROP more useful to more people. Parallax has no plans to develop such an object for it. The winning object may not necessarily be really close to the operation of the uOLED-128-GMD1, but if it’s friendly and useful then that will help other customers and that’s the goal of this. Take care.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2008-02-08 00:11
    But if someone wants to win they are hardly likely to ignore the factors that would help them win.

    If it had been a contest for a novel use of the uOLED-96-PROP including use of the SD card then I would have been silent, it would have been like a typical competition and the upshot may have been even more useful objects than in this case.

    Now I WILL be silent, I know you guys are not up to anything I was just surprised and turned off immediately.

    Graham
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,817
    edited 2008-02-08 00:43
    Wait a minute...· There's no show bitmap command?· How did they get the butterfly and the frog pictures on the display as shown in the datasheet?

    I noticed the command structure is very similar to the Nokia LCD I was toying with.· I had to convert to assembly to get good speed there...· Anybody know if this interface will run at assembly speeds?

    I just remembered this is a parallel interface.· I guess that makes it much faster than the serial Nokia.· So maybe SPIN speed is good enough...

    Post Edited (Rayman) : 2/8/2008 1:25:05 AM GMT
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2008-02-08 01:52
    I have a parallel aseembly 8-bit interface working just fine on the display. I need to get a new display becaus I cracked mine when installing it into a breadboard. Once the new display arrives I can continue work on it. Overall, an ASM routine to clock data out to the dispaly is really easy in my opinion.

    This contest is great, it helps the community get what it has been asking for an offers a little encouragement. I don't think this contest is suppose to offer fame and fourtune like the Propeller Contest or like Circuit Cellar contests. It simply offers a little incentive to speed up the development of an object in a certain direction that is beneficial to everyone.

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    Timothy D. Swieter
    tdswieter.com
    One little spark of imagination is all it takes for an idea to explode
  • Fred HawkinsFred Hawkins Posts: 997
    edited 2008-02-08 03:24
    Perplexed? I am:



    {{
etherVision, inc (c) 2007 
Authors:  Chris Howell
Built upon works by:
         Atilla Aknar
         Steve McManus
         
uOLED-96-PROP Image Loading demo.
}}
CON
  _CLKMODE      = XTAL1 + PLL16X                        
  _XINFREQ      = 8_000_000
  SECTORSIZE = 512
  CS_OLED         =  8               ' OLED Chip Select Signal
  RESETPIN_OLED   =  9               ' OLED Reset Signal
  D_C             =  10              ' Data/Command
  WR_OLED         =  11              ' OLED Write Signal
  RD_OLED         =  12              ' OLED Read Signal
  CS_VHI          =  13              ' OLED VCC Enable
OBJ
  OLED  : "uOLED-96-Prop_V4"
  DELAY : "Clock"
  sdspi: "sdspiqasm"

    This fragment is from a file from 4d.au.· It is called "uOLED-96-Prop-image05.spin"

    edit: this·file·is from our forum in this thread: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=688831

    Post Edited (Fred Hawkins) : 2/12/2008 9:52:45 AM GMT
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-11 14:10
    Graham,

    No need to feel that you have said too much or were out of school on this one. Your comments are interesting and invite responses. That's what the forum is for[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I promise I'm not kissing butt here... this is actually how I look at it[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I also had a very strong reaction, but in exactly the opposite reaction. In my mind, one of the strengths of Parallax is that they strictly avoid vertical integration. This means that there are all kinds of opportunities for true developers, who might otherwise be frozen out. The disadvantages are that some of the development is left open to the community and can be patchy from time to time. This structure presents major opportunities for those that can get themselves organized around it!!! If you believe that the Prop is THE way of the future and you are right... then there are obvious ways to leverage Parallax's orientation to the market.

    With regard to this specific contest, in my opinion it represents an opportunity for someone to display his/her talent without giving away work for free... AND his/her name will be advertised every time the object is downloaded. Lots of people create "freeware" as a way of getting their name noticed. And lots of the objects in the exchange were created by their authors for the dual purpose of promoting development and promoting themselves.

    In my mind, this contest is a way for Parallax to say to the community... "hey guys... look here for a second." Those that notice will be noticed... by 4D and Parallax... what more can a budding developer hope for?

    If we want terrific products like this for our Props, we have to embrace them when they come along.

    Rich
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-02-11 18:46
    Rich,

    Thanks for your insight. In the end we hope the Propeller community will have a nice object they can use to realize certain projects without having to have the programming experience that many of us have. Some prefer to use mostly existing objects to get their projects up and running and that is fine. That’s what they’re there for. I don’t think we need to make this a sticky thread necessarily. I will let Paul Baker make that determination. I just wanted to get the word out and hopefully see some nice attempts at getting some good use out of this nice display. Take care.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • Fred HawkinsFred Hawkins Posts: 997
    edited 2008-02-12 09:45
    Chris Savage (Parallax) said...
    H3_uOLEDContest.jpg


    The µOLED-96-PROP currently includes an object for drawing primitives (dots, lines, circles, etc.) however it does not currently support images read from the micro-SD Card interface. The object of this contest is to develop an object that allows images stored on a micro-SD Card from a PC to be displayed on the µOLED-96-PROP display via serial command. The serial commands should be formatted similar to those used by the µOLED-128-GMD1 to essentially make the µOLED-96-PROP function similar to the µOLED-128-GMD1 and include the primitive functions from the current object code available on our website product page.

    http://www.parallax.com/tabid/620/Default.aspx

    From that link:
    [*]SUPPORTED MEDIA FORMATS - Supporting multiple formats of images and/or animations. More is better.
    The -128-GMD1 command merely loads a bitmap image that has already configured for the µOLED screen. That is, it is already in correct·RGB format with the appropriate·number of bits for each color. All·of the hard work of conversion from image types to an·µOLED image·is processed and saved to the micro-SD card by a·separate pc program. 'Animation', such as it is on the -128, consists of·rapidly loading sequences of images already parsed and saved by GraphicsComposer.exe. GraphicsComposer supports a wide variety of image and video files.

    But the contest details suggest that·you have other ideas, like using the·propeller to·parse .jpg's, .gif's and·so on. Obviously, that entails·knowing the ins and outs of various image types and is not a trivial problem...

    To merely duplicate the -128·command, ie·loading a·preprocessed bit of image memory, is a no-brainer and is already solved. (see my first reply)

    But to use the propeller to parse, say, a digital camera photograph of almost any useful size, while not impossible is a much more difficult task.

    Can you clarify which of these alternatives is the aim of this contest?
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-02-12 10:14
    Just make the best object you can with features you think will come in handy. This isn't a job specification, it's a contest.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-02-12 16:25
    Exactly...I was trying to give some direction. The confusion was not intended. Have fun with it. If it does something useful to the average user then all the better!

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,817
    edited 2008-03-14 23:28
    rjo_ said...

    Is there an over/under on how long it takes Rayman to win this?[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Rich

    · Well, I happen to have just received a working Prop OLED thingy.· (Note to Parallax:· You might want to ask for better QA from 4D...· My unit arrived with the display seperated from the Prop chip.· The Prop chip was covered in glue, but looks like it didn't stick to the display).

    Here's my problem:· If I enter and win, then I might feel bad.· If I lose, then I'll feel humiliated...· And, why isn't a Prop-Oled one of the prizes?· I guess I don't understand that...

    On the other had, I probably would have posted code for this thing anyway at some point.· And, I think everybody has had a pretty good head start on me...

    I think I'll go for video playback.· Wouldn't that be neat?· Watch a movie with the Prop?· Resolution would be bad, but still might be interesting...
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,817
    edited 2008-03-17 00:39
    This maybe more of a challenge than I thought...· I see several people have been working on assembly drivers for displaying images/video for months now...· Since I have very limited time to work on this, my chances may not be too good.

    Still, I think this is a very·interesting device...· I've started collecting info on a page here:· http://www.rayslogic.com/propeller/3rdPartyHardware/uOLED-96-Prop/uOLED-96-Prop.htm

    It does seem that this device·was intended·to be controlled via serial commands, like the rest of the product line, not as the main controller.· So, the reasoning·behind contest makes sense...· But, this is a bit counter to my usual thinking, where the Prop is the main device in control...· It really pains me to see that some of the Prop's I/O pins are NC...· But, there are basically 6 pins available and 2 could be used for stereo sound, which I think would be a nice addition...

    I think somebody should advise people that they should drop to PLLX8 (64 MHz) when·utilizing multiple·cogs...

    Knew there had to be some control logic on the display somewhere...· Didn't realize that rectangular bump where the flex-ribbon connects is the silicon controller...

    Did anybody actually post code for a circle function?· I see people talk as though it was available, but I couldn't find it anywhere.· I'm sure it's trivial, but don't need to re-invent every wheel...

    One thing I don't understand is why 4dsystems doesn't aim toward porting their "GraphicsComposer" output files toward this platform.· They already have a nice tool for importing images and video.· But, I don't see any easy way to access these output files because it wants to save directly to the device·or it's SD card, which is not formatted for FAT...
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-03-17 00:55
    There's a simple circle function in uOLED-96-Prop Basic. It was added to the uOLED-96-Prop driver.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-03-17 15:30
    Just FYI, there is still over a month left for submissions, so let’s see what you can come up with! There is no shame or humiliation in trying. Have fun! Who knows...You might just be the winner!

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • joeldjoeld Posts: 49
    edited 2008-03-18 01:16
    After reading the previous post by Rayman,·I noticed I'm not the only one that has experienced quality issues with this device. My screen also came unglued from the chip. From the start it was always finiky about booting up. Went through all the troubleshooting advice on the 4d site. It was running a program just fine then after sitting powered off for a day, refused to come back to life.

    Left me with mixed feelings on its reliability out in the field.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-03-18 19:25
    Joe, this thread is for the contest...If you are having issues with the display please start a new thread or contact us directly for assitance. If there are issues we can try to resolve them.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • joeldjoeld Posts: 49
    edited 2008-03-19 03:28
    Sorry Chris

    I have (at least in my opinion) a great product idea for the device and am eager to see the objects that come out of the contest. It was just a little frustrating and difficult to get excited about the contest with the part failing. I sent an email to support.

    Thanks

    Joel
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,817
    edited 2008-04-30 03:36
    I wonder what "12:00 AM" means for the deadline... If it means 0000 hours, I don't think I'll make it [noparse]:([/noparse]
  • hippyhippy Posts: 1,981
    edited 2008-04-30 14:17
    12:00 AM and 12:00 PM are both meaningless, ambiguous and illogical at best. My digital clock uses 12:00 PM as noon but there's no universal agreement.

    I spent *days* in specification meetings once which was arguing over what's logical and consistent ...

    1) 11:59 AM, 12:00 AM, 12:01 PM ... 11:59 PM, 12:00 PM, 12:01 AM

    2) 11:59 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:01 PM ... 11:59 PM, 12:00 AM, 12:01 AM

    The second is what I supported as the period 12:00:01 to 12:00:59 PM is all post meridian, but the opposite view prevailed, even though it's almost certainly already PM when one looks at a clock showing 12:00 AM.

    The compromise of showing neither AM nor PM until one second after was rejected, because that meant 12:00:01 after midday would show as PM ( logical and correct by definition IMO ) when they wanted 12:00:xx post midday to show as AM ( bizarre IMO ).

    I've seen clocks which use ...

    11:59 AM, 12:00 AM ... 12:59 AM, 01:00 PM !

    Countries still using archaic, illogical and inconsistent time and date formats should drop them as soon as possible.

    Post Edited (hippy) : 4/30/2008 2:25:19 PM GMT
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-04-30 14:53
    Would an extra day help? [noparse];)[/noparse] For the record as far as I know there is a standard. This is a bit off-topic but...when a clock rolls over from 11:59A to 12:00 noon that is PM. noon starts the PM block. At 11:59PM when the clock rolls over it is now AM. I have never heard of or seen a clock that rolls from 11:59A to 12:00A and then a minute later switches to PM. That would just be weird and I wouldn't buy that brand again. Of course, I don't buy clocks these days...I build them from Parallax products! =) I guess I could make my own 'time standard' if I wanted to...SDT = Savage Daylight Time?

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • hippyhippy Posts: 1,981
    edited 2008-04-30 22:01
    Of course, I don't buy clocks these days...I build them from Parallax products! =)

    Maybe that's something we'll see in the entries; the wearable Propeller.
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-04-30 22:10
    Good reason to use military time [noparse]:)[/noparse]

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-05-01 14:46
    Hello everyone! As of today the contest is closed and we will post the winner’s name here for fame, glory and best of all some free products! We should have it posted by Wednesday of next week. That would be May 7, 2008. Stay tuned!

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • parskoparsko Posts: 501
    edited 2008-05-01 15:38
    Chris,

    Is there a TOP3 you are looking at that you would like to share? Maybe the public can have a voice???

    -Parsko
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2008-05-02 21:11
    In this case there will just be one winner. No runner-ups or anything were set up for this contest. It was reall just to generate some code production for the uOLED. One lucky person will gain the fame and fortune this round... =)

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
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