Show Player

[klanger]

Has anyone got any thoughts on how to do a show player via SD memory cards?
Maybe a plug in unit before our boards that would run the shows without a pc. Wouldn't need to be the power supply just something to run the show

Kev

something like this for vixen
http://store.lightorama.com/dicawimp3pl.html

[Matt]

There has been idle discussion about this in the past, but I don't think anyone has come up with a working design yet.

I was thinking about this a little bit awhile back...

What if you had a PIC and mp3 player circuit (STA013) on a board together, along with a card reader and a clock for scheduling? The data to send to the controller could be stored in an ID3 tag, as the STA013 just ignores any non-mp3 data it gets. The PIC could feed the data through to the MP3 while simultaneously outputting the control signals to the lights.

Something like this project:
http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/ee476/FinalProjects/s2000/peterdan/final.htm

Just an idea.

-Matt

[klanger]

While hunting through Futurlec I came across these, they basicly got me thinking about the show player.

This is the sd card board.
http://www.futurlec.com/Mini_SC.shtml

This is the mp3 board.
http://www.futurlec.com/Mini_MP3.shtml

This lists all their control boards. I've got no idea which would be the right one to use.
http://www.futurlec.com/BasicControllers.shtml

probably not the cheapest way to go but it's a start.

Kev

[dvanteslaar]

Has anyone got any thoughts on how to do a show player via SD memory cards?
Maybe a plug in unit before our boards that would run the shows without a pc. Wouldn't need to be the power supply just something to run the show

Kev

something like this for vixen
http://store.lightorama.com/dicawimp3pl.html

Interesting idea, Kevin - that type of integrated design puts this DIY once step closer to competing with commercial ventures. I believe, if memory serves me correctly, that Light-O-Rama has a device that does just that - a "Show-in-a-Box" controller.

David

[grages]

I'm still new to this and have only really started looking at Vixen itself. If you want to put a Vix file on a memory stick and then plug it into a board that plays it may be difficult. The Vix file is an XML file that contains information about the show and Vixen then uses that information to send the correct signals to the correct pins of the ports.

It might be easier to create a device that records the signals coming out of the ports as if it was being sent to the different interface boards. And then play it back as if it is the computer.

Of course then we have to figure out how to sink the music to the signals.

[Matt]

I would think running from a straight Vixen file isn't a good option, especially with the complications of profiles and such. We can probably do file formats anyway we like with a simple conversion program on the PC end. The problem is the complicated routines needed to simultaneously operate an mp3 decoder, communicate with a card reader, use a real time clock for scheduling, and, of course, send signals to the lights!

One other idea that has been suggested before (P. Short? AMarchini?) is using a commercial mp3 player. Maybe we could write up a little app that runs on iPodLinux?

-Matt

[P. Short]

It's very easy to parse the vixen .vix file, so that should not be regarded as an obstacle.

--

Phil

[lbro]

I brought this idea up last year, I think it was Phil and I that had talked about it on one of the old forums. No one seemed to be to interested in it last time (is that correct Phil?), maybe somone who knows much more than I do will pick it up this time around.

Lou

[grages]

I brought this idea up last year, I think it was Phil and I that had talked about it on one of the old forums. No one seemed to be to interested in it last time (is that correct Phil?), maybe somone who knows much more than I do will pick it up this time around.

Lou

I remember reading about the idea and I think it is a good idea.



It's very easy to parse the vixen .vix file, so that should not be regarded as an obstacle.

I didn't really think it was but having a small device that can access a memory card (usb,sD,xD, etc) and read the vix file and the audio file and process and sync them and sent the signals and the audio out to the appropriate devices could take some doing.

I was thinking of something like
Enhanced Music and Audio Via Embedded Data in MP3 Files (http://www.rochester.edu/ott/technologies/tech?id=199529)

Now do I know how to do that? No, but it's an Idea.