Items Display_Alpha

Display_Alpha

See original

SYNOPSIS

Parameters:

  mode - transition or special animation (see %modes and %special_modes)
  color - text colot (see %colors)
  font - small,large or fancy
  fontsize - set to wide to double the number of fonts to 6
  position - middle, top, bottom, fill or left seems to make no difference on Beta Brites
  image - name of a BMP file* in ../data/alpha/images
  imageposition - left or right
  speed - usually best to use the default (slowest), makes little difference on Beta Brite
  wait - Set to 1 to buffer the message (buffered sequence is sent to the sign on the next message without the wait flag)

Examples:

  &display(device=>'alpha', wait=>1, speed=>'slowest', text=>'You have mail!', app=>'mail', mode=>'hold',image=>'mail');
  &display(device=>'alpha', wait=>1, text=>'Dog has left the yard!', app=>'dog' color=>'red', mode=>'runninganimal');
  &display(device=>'alpha', text=>"Now playing in the den: $Save{now_playing}", app=>'music', image=>'cd', rooms='den');

Note in the last line the presence of the rooms parameter and the absence of the wait parameter. This sends the entire sequence to the den sign. Any room parameters defined by previous messages in the sequence are discarded. The last message sent in a sequence defines the rooms that receive the message. Consider this example:

  &display(device=>'alpha', wait=>1, speed=>'slowest', text=>'You have mail.', color=>'green', mode=>'hold',image=>'mail');
  &display(device=>'alpha', wait=>1, text=>'Dog has left the yard!', app=>'dog' color=>'red', mode=>'runninganimal');
  &display(device=>'alpha', text=>"Now playing in the den: $Save{den_now_playing}.", app=>'music', image=>'cd');

Note that the rooms parameter is removed from the last line. This sequence will go to the rooms associated with the music application (or the default sign if none are defined.) In most cases it will be clearer to override the rooms parameter on the last message (as in the first example.) Also note that display_alpha is not called directly as it would bypass app parameter processing

Use standard 16 colour bitmaps and realise that a one-to-one mapping is impossible, at least not on an eight colour (nine counting black) Beta Brite. Most models are 7 x 80 pixels.

NOTE: Known issue (at least on older signs) - 2 bitmaps in a sequence will not display the second (1, 3, 4, 5+ in a sequence works fine) This is not a MisterHouse issue as it shows up at the command prompt with a stand-alone script. Also note that each bitmap file counts once, regardless of how many times it is referenced in the sequence (each file is sent to the sign once.)

DESCRIPTION

Use this module to send text to the Alpha LED signs using a serial port. Signs are available from:

  http://www.ams-i.com/
  http://alpha-american.com/

I picked up the Alpha 213C (a.k.a. BetaBrite, 2" x 30", 14 character) from the local Sam's Club for $150. It displays in multiple colours, in either scrolling or fixed text. SamsClub.com only lists a bigger version, but info on BetaBrite I have can be seen here: http://www.betabrite.com/Pages/betabrite.htm

The Alpha protocol is documented in its entirety here: http://www.ams-i.com/Pages/97088061.htm

Some Beta Brite PERL examples can be found here: http://dens-site.net/betabrite/betabrite.htm

INHERITS

None

METHODS

INI PARAMETERS

Use these mh.ini parameters to enable this code:

Display_Alpha_module = Display_Alpha
Display_Alpha_port   = COM1

If you have an older Beta Brite, include:

Display_Alpha_type   = old

If you have more than one display, point to the ports, and the rooms they are in, with this format:

Display_Alpha_port   = COM1=>living, COM2=>bedroom

Then use the display room= parm to pick the room. If room is not used, it goes to all displays.

Use the device parameter of the display function to direct text and/or graphics to the display.

 display device => 'alpha', mode => 'hold', color => 'amber', text => $Time_Now;
 display device => 'alpha', mode => 'rotate', color => 'green', text => $Weather{Summary};
 display "device=alpha $caller";

The easiest method to maintain schemes of colours, modes, graphics, fonts, etc. is with the application display parameters:

display_apps = control => color=amber mode=scrolldown, error => color=red mode=cherrybomb

AUTHOR

SEE ALSO

More examples can be found in mh/code/bruce/display_alpha.pl