feeling very much like the good dr. (in terms of following the
threads as best i can, lacking expertise, etc), and with similar
caveats (just ignore me if i'm not making sense)...
in terms of core functionality, a full featured LCD display seems
like icing on the cake rather than critical feature, at least to me.
frankly, i'd be completly satisfied with a few LEDs to display a
program number in binary, a la the miniwave... perhaps that's a
spartan extreme, but there ya are. there might be middle ground,
too, like a couple of 7segment readouts. but i think we should keep
in mind the matrix of critical features vs enhancements on one axis,
and low impact vs high (in terms of difficulty, as well as cost) on
the other.
a second consideration is programming complexity & compatibilty. one
of the beauties of the PSIM model is that even someone like me can
get into the code and at least tweak programs, if not create my
own... adding routines to manage the displays might make this less
accessible. and, assuming that folks may build implementations that
don't include a display (it would be optional, no?), hopefully most
programs would still need to be able to run with or without?
i guess behind this all is, the display thing seems to be presenting
difficulties. if these are resolvable and low-impact, that'd be
great; if it becomes a stumbling block, i'd just want to keep in
mind: is it a critical feature, or just a nice-to-have?
my $.02
bbob
--- In
ComputerVoltageSources@yahoogroups.com, "drmabuce"
<drmabuce@...> wrote:
>
> Hi All (especially John, Dave, Eric & any other LCD enthusiasts)
> first off,
>
> please feel free to tell me to [insert favorite euphemism for
consume
> feces and cease to exist here] because i lack the expertise and the
> time to pitch in on this suggestion in any substantive way....
>
> it's a fair cop...
>
> but here goes
>
> i've been trying to digest all the discussion about the LCD
> implementation and my (so-called) mind wandered into the question of
> using this gadget not only as a display but as part of an INPUT
scheme
> for user interaction as well.
> (yes! i know i've always been sort of indifferent to the LCD before
> and so i have to wear the 'hypocrite hat' for 24 hours too!)
>
>
>
> ------------
> but considering the following two design ideas:
>
> a separate (Samsung? Hitachi?) microcontroller residing on a
separate
> PCB with the LCD
>
> and
>
> a fairly flexible and open-ended interface, specifically:
piggybacking
> display data traffic on MIDI sysex
> (which strikes me as cleverer every time i think about it... kudos
Dave!)
> -------
>
> Is it feasible and practical to consider the addition of a few
(maybe
> 5) buttons to interact with the display via cursor? (up down left
> right enter)
> and THUS transmit some data to the main CSV processor (ie program
> selection parameter select etc.) via sysex
> Now as i have already expressed my readiness to be openly ridiculed
> for broaching such a can of worms. Let me say that i have a little
> experience with the software side of interpreting 'Keyhole'
interfaces
> and i realize that as a user interface, they are far from luxurious
> (ala the DX7 or the Mirage)
>
> i also realize that we'd have to "OR" into the RXD pin on the Main
> processor but that doesn't 'SEEM' to intrusive to my unschooled eye.
>
> so i'll shut up about this now
> and leave this notion to those better able to judge it's merits than
> myself
>
> a tip of the hat to all for keeping this barn-raising in motion,
> -doc
>
>
>