SmartDmd is a software that runs on a Rapsberry Pi. It displays DMD images on a screen. But it also does much more
Pinball Browser can be used to colorize images, receive and display DMD images througth the network, configure the system, and more...

Installation
- You can download a ready-to-use SmartDmd image here (v2015-06-28) and flash a 4Gb SD card with DiskImager. You can update this image with the latest SmartDmd executable : v2015-11-04 (beta version) (just replace the executable on your SD card).

The previous version (without the "side-channel" feature, for Raspberries that don't support the turbo overclocking) is here : v2014-10-06.

Display features :
- Display DMD images on any screen (HDMI or video composite)
- Several display modes are available (Raw, Upscaling 2x, Upscaling 16x, Anti-aliasing) ! See examples here
- Display colorized images (16 colors per image, and a different palette can be specified for each image).
- Pinball Browser now has an embedded editor to colorize images. When you select a SmartDmd palette for a specific image, it will also generate a macro so that your can share your mods
- Define as many color palettes as you want with Pinball Browser (15 for side-channel mode); choose the default one for images that are not colorized with Pinball Browser
- In-Frame and Side-Channel color modes (see here)
- Display background bitmaps
- Adjust the DMD dot and shape with Pinball Browser (many models provided or design your own with the integrated editor)
- Choose your screen resolution, orientation, borders, ...

Network features : (wired network or wifi)
- Broadcast your pinball Dmd over your network : any computer running Pinball Browser can display it
- Post DMD snapshots on your Facebook wall
- Change the SmartDmd configuration througth the network with Pinball Browser (and a samba share on the Rapsberry) while SmartDmd is running. The following video show this feature :

Pinball compatibility
- 'SAM' Stern
- Data East (thanks to pinsider Winteriscoming)
- Williams/Bally (thanks to Tatanka1961)
SmartDmd should be compatible with other pinballs in the future

What you need :
- The last version of Pinball Browser and the SmartDmd executable (see above)
- a compatible pinball (see above)
- a Raspberry Pi (model A, B, or B+; not v2 !) with a SD card
- a SmartDmd adaptor or a "DMD Extender" board or a custom cable (described below)
- a SmartDmd license (actually not needed for tests)
and optionaly :
- a screen :-;
- a "side-channel" cable
- a network cable if you want to broadcast your DMD over your network to see it remotely with Pinball Browser, and configure SmartDmd without having to remove the Raspberry SD card.

Ready-to-use kits
PinballMikeD provides a nice kit : See here
This kit includes everything (LCD panel, Raspberry, SmartDmd adaptor, Software, ...).

SmartDmd adaptor
The SmartDmd adaptor is a small PCB that can be plugged on the Raspberry.
It has 2 connectors : 1 for the pinball and 1 for the DMD.
If you want to order one, see here

SmartDmdAdaptor-579.jpg
















The adaptor also works with the Raspberry B+ :
Raspberry B+.png

Custom cable
If you don't use a pre-build adaptor (SmartDmd adaptor or DMD Extender), you can build your own cable. You will need the following components :
- a 14-pin HE10 connector that will be crimped on the SAM-DMD cable (example). For those who don't want to crimp anything on the orginal ribbon, there is a solution with male connectors (but hard to find)
- some resistors and 2 HE10 headers (examples : Resistors and Header)
- a ribbon cable (like the one you have in old PC to connect a floppy : example here)
- No PCB or breadboard, just some welding skills...
- The pinout can be seen on the photos below. The connections are as follow (some of them are optional but might be used in future versions of SmartDmd) :

<br />
Pinball Header => RPI Pin / Through resistor<br />
1 => Not connected<br />
3 => 23<br />
5 => 21 (optional)<br />
7 => 19 (optional)<br />
9 => 15<br />
11 => 13<br />
13 => 11 (optional)</p>
<p>For the ground, it is pin 14 and 20 on the Rpi, and all even pins (2,4,...14) on the pinball<br />
I have used the following ones to keep the connector simple :<br />
8 => 20<br />
14 => 14</p>
<p>

How it works :
The DMD signals are taken from the SAM board.
Resistors (along with Raspberry embedded clamping diodes) are used to adjust the SAM signal level (5v) for the Raspberry (3v). Purist won't like it, but many commercial products are doing the same :-; Also note that it will work without these resistors (Raspberry also have them) but it's safer to have them :-;
SmartDmd app is running on linux in real time mode to sample and decode the DMD signals; this app is fully written in C.
It displays the DMD on the screen and deals with network operations.
It works on a linux Raspbian distro, so you also have all the convenient tools that go with it (ssh, samba, ...)
You can stop the app with Ctrl-C, change the config througth network and restart the app (no need to remove your backglass to change the config)

Miscellaneous :
- Only "rom" images can be colorized; images that are dynamically build by the firmware will use the default palette
- I'm currently merging this with another project : Scores on PC
It will be possible to display the current player score above the emulated DMD (in fact, anywhere on the screen as an overlay); usefull for an apron isn't it ?
- When you use both the pinball DMD and a screen, images with specific color palettes might show some corrupted pixels (on the original DMD only); I'm trying to make a firmware patch to hide this
- The upscaling alogorithm I use is not the best one : it's a tradeoff between quality and available cpu time; it will be improved in the future

What do you think about it ?

Without Upscaling :
NoUpscaling.jpg
With Upscaling :
WithUpscaling.jpg

Installation :
Install1.jpg
Install2.jpg
Install3.jpg
Connectors.png

Configuration :
Config.png
with a custom dot :
ConfigCustomDot.png

Image edition in Pinball Browser :
EditImage.png

Network display :
NetworkDisplay.png

Facebook post :
facebook.png

Yes, in place or in parallel, as long as it has a HDMI or Composite input

Very easy :
- Config file : share the file "smartdmd.txt"
- Color infos : share the Pinball Browser macro file that is generated when you select a palette for a frame; run the macro to apply all the changes on a stock firmware. See the "Macro" section here

I'm not sure it's better : ColorDmd can colorize all frames
SmartDmd cannot do this for computed frames (full-screen scores for example) where the default color palette (that you can choose) will be used instead.

Already the case for Pinball Browser with all the SmardDmd stuff (here, v3.00 is online)
SmartDmd app for Raspberry Pi should be online soon (for free).

I saw DMD Extender a few weeks ago (but it was not working for SAM boards).

I first started with this
My goal was to interface a screen with the most reduced hardware to get a very low cost.
I also wanted to integrate it with Pinball Browser (colorization, score display, broadcasting, ...)

The total cost for this project is less than 50$ (40$ for Raspberry and SD card; less than 10$ for connectors).
I could design a PCB (I did a lot of them) but that would cost more money and I don't think it's worth it as the cable is easy to build (correct me if I'm wrong).

The SmartDmd software could easily be adjusted to use the same board (to use the same IO), but I don't have it yet; [EDIT] It is now compatible

Pinball Browser always uses grayscale images (so that they can be used by the internal DMD); it only stores additional palette information so that SmartDmd knows how to display it.
I could add a color export, but, imo, it would be useless (re-importing it would change the colors).
Alternatively, you can do a 'PrintScreen' followed by a 'Paste' in your prefered image editor software.

Unfortunately, No (at least with the current version)

IMO, you can use a flat lcd monitor that you slip behind the backglass so that its lower part is aligned with the dmd hole (the upper part would stand between the electronic boards and the backglass).
Then you can adjust the position of the emulated dmd on the screen so that it correctly fits.

The first pixels (top left) of a colorized image will contain the palette info.
As long as these pixels are not hidden by something else, it will work.
If they are hidden (full-screen score for example), the default palette will be used.

SmartDmd is now compatible with the DMD Extender board
Many thanks to David from Dr Pinball who allowed this possibility.

Also, many thanks to Winteriscoming who helped a lot in getting SmartDmd to work on Data East

Probably in around 2 weeks
Regarding the cable, I'll post some infos in a few days. In the meantime, you can have a look at the photos in the OP.

I made a video that shows the 'live configuration' feature (adjust parameters with Pinball Browser while SmartDmd is running) :

Thank you !

SmartDmd is currently compatible with Sam-Stern and Data East pinballs.

I can modify it to make it work on Bally pinballs.
If you want to help for this, and you know a little about Linux (how to install a distro, ssh and samba - but a tutorial is provided), and have the ability to build the cable (or use a dmd extender board), please PM me !

To install the system, you can either download the Raspbian image (link in the OP), or build your own.
If you choose the Raspbian image, follow step #3,#4,#6 and go to step #13 below,
otherwise start at step #1

1- Download the latest "Raspbian wheezy" distribution here

2- Unzip the downloaded file

3- Download DiskImager

4- Use DiskImager to write the above image on a 4Gb SD card

5- no step #5 :-; Grab a cup of coffee !

6- Plug the SD card in your Raspberry Pi and boot it
If you can't see anything on the screen :
- Power the Raspberry off, and put the SD card back into your PC
- Edit the file config.txt to modify the following line : hdmi_force_hotplug=1
- Goto step 6 again

7- The Raspberry will automatically run "raspbian-config"
- Select Advanced/Update to update the tool
- Select Expand Filesystem
- Select Advanced/Change hostname and enter 'smartdmd' (without the quotes)
- Select Advanced/SSH to enable SSH
- Optionnaly : adjust Internationalization options (keyboard and timezone)
- Exit the tool; the Raspberry will reboot

8- To login, use the following credentials :
- User : pi
- Password : raspberry

9- Change the root password :
'sudo passwd root' and use 'raspberry'
'exit'

10- Log in again as root

11- Update your config :
'apt-get update'
'apt-get upgrade'
'rpi-update'

12- Remove the Swap
apt-get remove dphys-swapfile

13- Install Samba (so that Pinball Browser can be used for Live Configuration)
'apt-get install samba'
'apt-get install samba-common-bin'
'smbpasswd -a root' and use same password than for root
- Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf (you can use 'nano /etc/samba/smb.conf')
- and add the following lines at the end :
[smartdmd]
comment = SmartDmd
path = /boot/smartdmd
read only = no
public = yes
- Create the smartdmd directory :
'mkdir /boot/smartdmd'
- Restart Samba :
'service samba restart'

14- to automatically run SmartDmd at startup
'crontab -e'
and add the following line
@reboot cd /boot/smartdmd && sync && sync && /boot/smartdmd/smartdmd

15- Access to the SmartDmd directory from your PC
- You can now see the SmartDmd on your PC with this path : \\smartdmd\smartdmd (use root credentials); it is highly recommander to create a "mapped drive" : right-click on Network on your desktop, select "Map network drive", enter the path \\smartdmd\smartdmd and click "Connect using a different username and password".

16- Copy the SmartDmd application files (see the OP for the download link
- From your PC, copy the smartdmd files into \\smartdmd\smartdmd
- Altenatilvely, if you don't use network, you can copy them directly on the SD card (in the smartdmd directory)

17- Reboot the Raspberry. SmartDmd will start
Depending on your pinball, you might need to adjust the configuration (see below). If the DMD type does not match your pinball, you might either see nothing or some crap over the background images.

18- You can modify the configuration with Pinball Browser :
On the SmartDmd tab, click on "Configure" and select the smartdmd.txt file :
- on your Raspberry mapped drive (defined at step 13); this way, you can modify the configuration while SmartDmd is running (no need to remove the SD card)
- directly on the SD card (smartdmd sub-directory)

19- When SmartDmd starts, it displays your Raspberry serial number on the screen.
Provide this number when you buy your license.
Once you have your key, edit "license.txt" and enter the key.
Without this license, you can still test SmartDmd but it will automatically close after some time.

That's it. You can either keep or remove the original DMD.

You don't need to order it unless you don't have any free SD card to use. The url is in the tuto (#1) or a pre-configured image is in the OP.

In many situations, you'll need to edit the smartdmd.txt configuration file (either with Pinball Browser or with a text editor if you don't want to use PB ) to select your DMD type, resolution, borders, dot shape, upscaling, background images...

It works fine for me with this adaptor : http://fr.rs-online.com/web/p/cordons-videos-pour-ecrans/7781882/
You can also find it on amazon with a better price.

Make sure that the option "Force HDMI output" is checked in Pinball Browser. By doing so, SmartDmd will configure the Rpi so that the HDMI output is always used (some HDMI/VGA adaptor, including the one I mentioned, are not recognized by the Rpi - in this case, the HDMI output is disabled)

hdmi.png

[EDITED]
The pinout can be seen on the photos in the OP. The connections are as follow (some of them are optional but might be used in future versions of SmartDmd) :

Pinball Header => RPI Pin / Through resistor
1 => Not connected
3 => 23
5 => 21 (optional)
7 => 19 (optional)
9 => 15
11 => 13
13 => 11 (optional)

For the ground, it is pin 14 and 20 on the Rpi, and all even pins (2,4,...14) on the pinball
I have used the following ones to keep the connector simple :
8 => 20
14 => 14

You can but, imo, this is very error-prone

I have edited my post and the OP to show that some connections are optional (but my advice is to wire them because they might be used in future versions).

A new version can be downloaded (2014-04-19).
The old one (2014-01-08) was not working on XMen.
Many thanks to Monster_Bash for his help on this issue !

I've already made one. Not tested yet.
It fits on top of the Rpi (same width - no overhang outside of the rpi).
I will have somebody in the US to provide them it when it's ready.

This is the prototype (made on a breadboard) :
SmartDmdPcb.png

I'm waiting for the final prototype. Yes, available in Europe

Actually, you can do this by adjusting the DMD dot size : only the DMD area will be resized.
The whole image can be adjusted with the overscan parameters.

1- Use the overscan parameters to adjust your whole screen,
2- Then reduce the dmd size by adjusting the dmd dot. To do this, use the "Dot shape and size" section of the SmartDmd config screen to remove some right and/or bottom lines (an unused right or bottom line will reduce the size of the dot). In the above example, the dot size is reduced by a half :
dot.png

The SmartDmd adaptor is now available

It 's a small PCB that can be plugged on the Raspberry.
It has 2 connectors : 1 for the pinball and 1 for the DMD.
SmartDmdAdaptor-541.jpg

The price of this adaptor is 69 USD + 10 USD for shipment; it includes the PCB, a 11" flat ribbon cable and a license for SmartDmd (but no Raspberry or SD card !).

If you are interested in the license only, the price is 35 USD.

(for European users, the adaptor with license is 50 euros + 7 euros for shipment, and the license only is 25 euros).

If you want one, just PM me.

Alternatively, you can use a "DMD Extender" board or build your own cable (see OP for more details).

Pinball Browser allows you to colorize each frame (with a 16-color palette).
You can also select a different palette for each frame (with some drawbacks/limitations - see OP)
Pinball Browser has some tools that simplify the colorization process : "FloodFill" with a specific color and "ReplaceColor" to change all the pixels that have the same color in a frame.

Whitestar is not supported (yet); It's currently being tested and I'm still working on it.
It is very unlikely that Pinball Browser will support jollypark It really takes a lot of time and I'm concentrating on what's the most demanded !

Did you install the pre-configured distrib or did you follow the tutorial to configure yours ?
Check that your /etc/samba/smb.conf has the following lines :
[smartdmd]
comment = SmartDmd
path = /boot/smartdmd
read only = no
public = yes

1- Did you install the pre-configured distrib or did you follow the tutorial to configure yours ?
2- Can you write into /boot/smartdmd when you logged in ?

The pre-configured distribution uses 'raspberry' for the root password (step #9).
You should use the same one for "smbpasswd -a root" (step #11)
Anyway, this should not be an issue as the [smartdmd] share is public and not read only.

What I suggest :
- Check that your sd card is not write protected
- Remove or rename "smartdmd" on your sd card (so that it does not automatically starts). Log in and try to write in /boot/smartdmd.
FYI, you can also connect to the raspberry through ssh (use putty for example) - to stop smartdmd, enter "pkill -SIGINT smartdmd".

Great !

Pinball Browser and SmartDmd are 2 different things :
- Pinball Browser allows (among other things) dmd frame modifications on a frame by frame basis. You can use the free license to colorize a game. Making a donation will activate some additional functions that ease the colorization process (and other things), but this is not compulsory.
- SmartDmd displays your dmd on a lcd screen (it also has network features). A license is needed (the test version will close after some time).

Of course, both Pinball Browser and SmartDmd can work together. In this case, you'll be able to colorize your game with different palettes.

Macros can help when a new firmware is released but some work is still necessary.

Yes if you want to adjust the colors on a frame-by-frame basis. This is the best way to colorize a game with Pinball Browser.

No if you just want to use a game-wide color palette (each dot level will be displayed with the same color for the whole game). Pinball Browser is not needed but will help to configure SmartDmd.

Pinball Browser can only colorize Stern Sam games

I'm currently working on WPC games but I can't say now whether frame-by-frame colorization will work for these games

Which game ?

I'm back since yesteday... but I still have to recover from the jetlag.

Some signals are different on the IO connector.
Use a model B rev 2 with 512Mb (rev 1 only has 256Mb).

Yes, rev 1 only has 256Mb

No, the difference is not visible

This means that your SmartDmd installation is correct but that :
- the pinball is not properly connected to the Raspberry
- or the Dmd Type (SmartDmd configuration) does not match your pinball

No need to copy the .BIN file onto the SD card. Only the smartdmd.txt file needs to be copied.
But I strongly advise that you use the network share on the Rapsberry (\\smartdmd\smartdmd) : this way, no need to remove the SD card from your Raspberry. The SmartDmd configurator (Pinball Browser / SmartDmd tab) will directly modify the smartdmd.txt file on the Raspberry and your modifications will be immediately taken into account (no need to reboot !).

See #13 here :
The key point is to connect to the network share with the root credential

Good idea but, unfortunately, this is not possible : at the time these pixels are drawn, SmartDmd has no idea of the ones that are below.
These pixels are not always black : there is an algorithm (to be improved) that determinines what to use (pattern and color).

Also, the option "Use current palette when a frame has no information" will minimize the visual effect as the palette information is only needed in the first frame of an animation (and the following frames won't have these lost pixels).

The single frame delay is not an issue.
There is simply not enough time to draw a whole dmd between 2 frames (the signal is far too fast !).
A frame is drawn as the data arrive.

Yes, as long as you only import images that have been modified.

You can do this with a macro that you can copy/paste several times. You just have to change the image id :

To import an image :

Image,0x5A5,"NewImage-0x5a5.png"
Image,0x5A6,"NewImage-0x5a6.png"
...


And to change the palette information :

EditImage,0x5A5
{
Palette,1
}
EditImage,0x5A6
{
Palette,1
}
...


I have tested SmartDmd with the new Raspberry B+ and it works

The SmartDmd adaptor perfectly fits to this model :
Raspberry B+.png

Yes, SmartDmd is compatible with these games. And you can add Stern/Whitestar to the list, soon (it's in beta test).

It means that it is compatible with the dmd signals : you can connect SmartDmd to your Pinball and it will display the dmd on a lcd screen, using a different color for each shade level.

Pinball Browser can colorize Stern/Sam games : you can modify any color you want on any frame. But this only works for Stern/Sam.

Williams games have 4 levels of shade.
With SmartDmd, you can assign whatever color you want to each of these levels.

PM sent

There is a new SmartDmd version !

2x Upscaling :
The upscaling is now working perfectly on Stern pinball machines
You can have colorization and upscaling, both at the same time.

SmartDmd now has 2 methods of frame-by-frame colorization :
1- "In-frame" colorization : it's the mode that was used until now. The color information is stored in the 8 first pixels of a frame.
Some people did not like this method because of the 8 "lost" pixels.
IMO, these lost pixels could barely be seen when the colorization was properly done :
First of all, SmartDmd has a 'persistent palette' option. With this option enabled, only the first frame of an animation carries the color information which means that the 8 pixels are only used in this frame, not in the following ones.
Moreover, SmartDmd uses an algorithm to replace those pixels by something that is computed at run-time. This algorithm might not be perfect but there are technics (when colorizing a frame) that minimize the visual effect of these 8 pixels (see what monster_bash did on FG !)
But I accept the criticism and this is why I have developed a new method :

2- "Side-channel" colorization : in this (new) mode, the color information is carried by additional wires (that are currently not used by the pinball machine).
This is very similar to the YUV signal on a video monitor : the luminance and the chrominance are carried by two separate signals.
Here, the luminance is carried by the standard DMD signals while the chrominance is carried by an additional one.
In this mode, you don't have to worry about the 8 lost pixels anymore : just add colors to your frames with Pinball Browser and that's it
Pinball Browser v4.20 is required to configure this mode ("Advanced" tab and "SmartDmd configurator").
To build the "side-channel" cable, see here

I decided to keep the old "In-frame" method for backward compatibility : the side-channel only works on a Raspberry B+ and requires additional wires.

The following video is an extract from PinballMikeD AC/DC colorization with upscaling and side-channel.
See the different color schemes that are used in the different animations !

Yes, SmartDmd is adding dots
Each original pixel is converted into 4 pixels. The color of the added pixel is adjusted to make the image smoother. The resolution is doubled (width and height).
Example with and without upscaling :

UpscalingOrNot.png

Yes, there is a new Rasbperry SD image in the OP

I've recently received quite a few email inquiries regarding upscaling and how it relates to SmartDmd.
To clarify, Pinball Browser is already equipped with ability to replace each dot with up to 64 individual pixels, so upscaling isn't an issue. We chose to offer upscaling at 2x because we thought it looked better, as it’s less cartoony. I didn't really think people would like the look of 16x upscaling, but I guess I was wrong

Anyway, as SmartDMD is highly configurable (especially for dot shape configuration and upscaling in particular), I’ll add 16x upscaling in the next release. The programming for this is already done, as it’s essentially the same as 2x upscaling. I just need to unlock the feature in the next release or Pinball Browser, which should be available in a few days.

Here is what it looks like with AC/DC (PinballMikeD colorization) :

acdc_up16x-7.png

I have tested it on the A, B and B+.
As the B+ is a replacement for the B, it should alwso work on the A+ that replaced the A.

Raspberry models A and B were very sensitive to the SD card (especially when a micro-SD adaptor was used), but AFAIK, it's not the case anymore with A+/B+ that use a micro-SD card.
I know some old Raspberry won't boot with the new image (that was made for the B+) and that's why the previous one is still available.
I have to get an A+ to see why you can't boot.

Of course not ! You just have to send me your Raspbery serial number (that is displayed when SmartDmd starts).

It depends on the SD card : some are slightly smaller than others.

I'll try to shrinken the next images before uploading them.
(in the meantime, if you're familiar with linux, you can bypass this issue : use dd instead of diskimager, but it's more tricky).

SmartDmd supports 2 different colorization modes :
- "In-Frame" mode : the color information is embedded into the frame. For some frames, this can lead to 8 missing pixels in the upper-left corner (but there are ways to minimize this)
- "Side-Channel" mode : the color information is transmitted from the pinball machine to SmartDmd in a separate cable.
There are 2 possibilities for this mode : a GPIO cable (15 palettes max) or a Serial cable (255 palettes max).
(More info about these modes here)

For the ones who want to build a "side-channel" cable, make sure that your game is compatible with the Pinball Browser Communication Patch (try to load the comm117.hex patch), and choose either the GPIO or the Serial one (only one is needed, not both !)
Once the cable is made, use Pinball Browser to colorize your game
Don't forget to select "side-channel" in the SmartDmd tab (before assigning palettes to your frames) and to configure SmartDmd accordingly (select "side-channel" in the SmartDmd configurator).

Side-Channel (GPIO) :
With this cable, you can have 15 palettes.
You need 4 wires between the Sam-Cpu-Board-J1 connector and the Raspberry B+ J8 connector :

Pinball -> Raspberry
J1-6 -> J8-37
J1-7 -> J8-35
J1-8 -> J8-33
J1-9 -> J8-31

Here is a photo of the connections :
The Raspberry B+ is on the left (with a SmartDmd adaptor installed) and the pinball machine is on the right.
Side-Channel.png

On the cpu-board, I have crimped the wires directly on the connector
On the Raspberry, I have used the following connectors :
http://fr.rs-online.com/web/p/connecteurs-idc/5067036/?searchTerm=506-7036
but any similar connector will work.

Side-Channel (Serial) :
With this cable, you can have 255 palettes.
You need to connect the Raspberry to a TTL-RS232 adaptor, like this one : http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00G23NUNI/ref=pe_386181_37038081_pe_205631_30430471_3p_M3T1_dp_1
The TTL-RS232 is then connected to the Sam-Cpu-Board-J4 DB9 connector with a straight DB9 cable.

Raspberry -> TTL-RS232 adaptor
Rpi-4: TTL-RS232-VCC
Rpi-6: TTL-RS232-GND
Rpi-8: TTL-RS232-TXD
Rpi-10: TTL-RS232-RXD

Here is a photo of the connections between the Raspberry and the TTL-RS232 adaptor. I have taken the Raspberry signals on the SmartDmd adaptor :

serial.png

The last version of SmartDmd has several display modes.

Each of these modes can be used for the whole game or for a single color palette.
If you want to use "Anti-Aliasing" for videos and "Upscaling 16x" everywhere else, you can

Standard mode :
PlainDots.png

You can adjust the shape and size of your dots :
Dots.png
These are just examples and you can define each pixel of the dot
Dots2.png

For example, with "Cross 8x8" dots, the result will look like :
CustomDots.png

You can also use one of the upscaling modes :
2x :
Upscaling2x.png
16x :
Upscaling16x.png
Or the anti-aliasing mode :
AntiAliasing.png
IMO, the anti-aliasing mode is the best one for videos like the ones in AC/DC :
AntiAliasing2.png

Try to modify the following lines in smartdmd.txt (do not use notepad.exe; use wordpad.exe instead) :
dmd_type=1
dmd_width=128
dmd_height=16

Yes

I'm not aware of the game issue but SmartDmd stores each frame into a buffer before displaying it.
This is necessary for the upscaling and network features.

Yes, but not exactly. There are some tricks about the display rate to avoid some (fast blinking) animations to flicker.

I've never seen this game but I agree : it is very unlikely that SmartDmd will improve this kind of issue.

To have a small lcd screen on the apron.

A new version is available : v2015-06-28.

Side-channel palettes can now be used with 2 different cables : GPIO or Serial (only one of them is needed).
The GPIO cable is easier to build but only supports 15 different palettes.
The Serial cable supports 255 palettes.
See here for more details on these cables

It can happen with old SmartDmd versions AND a slow wifi network. Not the case anymore with the latest image.
Also, do not copy large files (like bitmaps) when SmartDmd is running. Only use PB to update your configuration over the network.

4.42 is for Pinball Browser, not SmartDmd.
Check that you are using the latest SmartDmd image : v2015-06-28

The resistors are ok.
The issue is with you palette. I can't check right now, but I think you have to define colors 0, 1, 3 and 7 (not 0, 1, 2 and 3).

Because in some cases, instead of increasing the shade intensity, you turn the pixels to black (the color you have selected in your palette)

Side-channel is also selected in your configuration. This could explain spurious palette changes as the side-channel port is left unconnected.
Other than that, I'd try the previous image (available in the OP) to see if it's a bug in this version.

This is weird as the v2014-10-06 image has been tested on several Williams games.

The resistors are definitely not the issue.
The wires could be an issue if they are too long (I use 12") or too thin (wrapping wires for example) or if they are too close from a transformer, relay or fluorescent tube.

Which Raspberry are you using ? Can you take a picture of your installation ?

The scores always use color #15 in the current palette.
The current palette is selected by the background.
If this palette has white for color #15, the scores will be displayed in white. If an animation selects another palette with green for color #15, the scores will then be displayed in green.

If you want to have the scores displayed in the same color all along the game, you have to use the same color #15 in all palettes.

AFAIK, Custom coloring is not possible on DE (Pinball Browser is not able to modify DE firmwares and I'm not aware of other methods).
That's why SmartDmd can only use a single game-wide palette on DE games.

1- The Broadcom chipset is different and the memory map is not the same; this point has been fixed in the latest image.
2- The overclocking parameters are not the same; this point can be fixed by hand in the config files (define overclock=0 in smartdmd.txt and adjust the overcloking parameters in config.txt).
3- The v2 has 4 cores instead of just one for the v1. However, a single v2 core seems to be a little slower than the v1... just enough to prevent SmartDmd from correctly sampling the signal (SmartDmd can only use 1 core); this should only be an issue on Sam/Stern games

Yes, it comes from the Raspberry.
First of all, do not place the Raspberry board inside an enclosure so it can cool down.
You can increase the temp limit by adjusting the following parameter in smartdmd.txt :
temperature_max=50000
50000 means 50°C. You can increase this value but I would not go above 70000.
If necessary, a heatsink can also be used on the processor.

The SmartDmd adaptor has no active component. No current is drawn from the Raspberry

I agree

Yes

It is now possible to swith the video signal off when the game if turned off (instead of a "No Signal" message).
To do this, use the latest SmartDmd executable : v2015-11-04 (beta version)
and add the following line into smartdmd.txt : video_off_enable=1

Many thanks to pinsider Crash for this idea !

When the cpu temperature is too high, SmartDmd will display "Temperature is too high"
In this case, check the temperature_max=50000 in smartdmd.txt
By default, it's 50000 (50°C) which is a little low, but you can increase it up to 70000 (70°C).
If necessary, use a heatsink on the cpu.

I've been whatching the news all night long
Yes, the cpu is overclocked. Most of the time, the cpu overheats when the Raspberry is fitted into a closed box.

When the temperature is too high, SmartDmd does not shut down, it only displays a message and reduces power consumption.
If your lcd goes black, it might be something else (driver board overheat ?)

Post your macro header so that I can check it's correct

The TTL-TX led (or RS232-RX) should blink each time a new palette is selected


When configuring the side channel, there are 2 important points :
- Configure Pinball Browser to store the palette information in the side-channel : "Config Tab" / "Store Colors" drop down list
This has to be done before any frame modification. It is generally automatically performed by your macros (if they are designed for side-channel of course).
- Configure SmartDmd to use the serial port :"SmartDmd configurator / "Color mode" drop down list
You have to do it manually and copy your new smartdmd.txt file on your SD card.

sc_(resized).png

Not at this stage. AFAIK, the goDMD editor is computing hash values on frames whereas SmartDmd is working with frame ids (either embedded into the frame or transmitted on a side channel).

Can you see the frames on the lcd screen (if not, the broadcast can't work) ?
Are you running in demo mode (10-second countdown when SmartDmd starts - if so, the broadcast stops after some time) ?
Which broadcast address did you use (a network address is needed, not a computer one) ?

Post the following smartdmd.txt parameters so that I can see if ther's something wrong :
dmd_type=
nice=
broadcastenabled=
broadcastaddress=
broadcastport=


You can also make a "diff" between the smartdmd.txt file that works and the one that doesn't.

Yes, you have found the issue

I'm not sure but probably if this message never poped-up before

Adjust the following parameter in smartdmd.txt :
temperature_max=50000
The default value is probably too low (50000 = 50°C) and you can use a value up to 70000 (70°C)

Are you using Pinball Browser in a virtual machine ? if so, make sure you use the IP of your VM, not the one of your PC
If your network frame capture was not done in the VM, it also explains why you can see the frames and PB cannot .

Try 192.168.168.255 : if your VM is on the same subnetwork, it will reach it.

I think that Pinball Browser v5.52 will fix this.
Something related to the firmware abstraction level, introduced in PB v5, prevented PB from displaying the frames.

FYI, you can increase the broadcast frame-rate with the following parameter :
timeout_frames=5
This parameter has to be defined after the line dmd_type=xxx in smartdmd.txt
The remote display fps is equal to (62/timeout_frames) on a Sam game (might be different on other games).
For example, timeout_frames=5 will give you about 12 fps on the remote display.
The minimum value is 2.

Just keep in mind that increasing the remote display fps will lower the LCD fps.

Yes, you can force the resolution by modifying your config.txt file.
See 'hdmi_mode' here : http://elinux.org/RPiconfig