Using small VFD or LCD Displays for extra info

From Mandriva Community Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Antec Fusion 430 Silver 2.1 hardware information 2.2 Required Software 2.3 Usage with mnb Kernels 2.3.1 Install 2.3.2 Configure 2.3.3 launch lcdproc 2.4 Usage with tmb Kernels 2.4.1 Install 2.4.2 Configure 2.4.3 launch 2.5 building lirc imon manually for Antec Fusion 430 Silver 2.5.1 Configure 2.5.2 launch lcdproc

Introduction

Home Theater PC's (HTPC) have usually a small VFD or LCD display that can be used for showing system information like current cpu usage, played song or watched tv channel and program, etc.

Details how to configure the system are usually a hardware and even kernel versio specific, but usually you need to have installed:

* kernel modules from lirc project (lirc supports both the many remote controllers and vfd and lcd displays)
* lcdproc user space daemon for writing showed data to display

Antec Fusion 430 Silver

hardware information

1. iMON VFD display and remote controller:

lsusb | grep iMON

Bus 005 Device 002: ID 15c2:ffdc SoundGraph Inc. iMON PAD Remote Controller

Required Software

- lirc_imon kernel module
- lcdproc software

Usage with mnb Kernels

Tested with 2.6.29-desktop-0.rc8.3.1mnb and lcdproc-0.5.2-1mdv2008.1 This kernel does not include lirc_imon kernel module by default, but it can be installed from the dkms module.

Install

• urpmi kernel-desktop-latest (nmb kernel)
• urpmi lirc-kernel-desktop-latest (lirc kernel modules)
• urpmi lcdproc
• reboot

Configure

• edit /etc/lcdproc/LCDd.conf
  • specify that lcdproc communicates with imon driver by having there a following lines

Driver=imon [imon]
Device=/dev/lcd1
Size=16x2

• edit /etc/modprobe.conf

options lirc_imon display_type=1 (modinfo lirc_imon.ko gives: display_type:Type of attached display. 0=autodetect, 1=vfd, 2=lcd, 3=none (default: autodetect) (int))

launch lcdproc

• /etc/init.d/lcdproc restart

Usage with tmb Kernels

Tested with kernel-tmb-desktop-2.6.29-0.rc8.1mdv-1-1mdv2009.1 This kernel includes lirc_imon kernel module, so no need to install lirc dkms module separately. When booted it's registered to /dev/lcd0 (not to /dev/lcd1)

Install

• urpmi kernel-desktop-latest (nmb kernel)
• urpmi lcdproc
• reboot

Configure

• edit /etc/lcdproc/LCDd.conf and specify that lcdproc communicates with imon driver by having there a following lines
  

Driver=imon
[imon]
Device=/dev/lcd0
Size=16x2

launch

• /etc/init.d/lcdproc restart

building lirc imon manually for Antec Fusion 430 Silver

1. install lirc_imon kernel module

• wget http://www.lirc.org/software/snapshots/lirc-0.8.5pre1.tar.bz2
• tar -xvjf lirc-0.8.5pre1.tar.bz2
• cd lirc-0.8.5pre1
• ./setup.sh
• select 1 (driver configuration)
• select 8 (usb devices)
• select n (Soundgraph iMON Multimedian IR/VFD) (press ok)
• select 3 (save configuration and run configure)
• make
• make install

1. install lcdproc

• urpmi lcdproc

Configure

• edit /etc/lcdproc/LCDd.conf and specify that lcdproc communicates with imon driver by having there a following lines

Driver=imon [imon]
Device=/dev/lcd0
Size=16x2

• edit /etc/modprobe.conf

options lirc_imon display_type=1 (modinfo lirc_imon.ko gives: display_type:Type of attached display. 0=autodetect, 1=vfd, 2=lcd, 3=none (default: autodetect) (int))

launch lcdproc

• • /etc/init.d/lcdproc restart