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2x DMD problem


Jed

Question

Got an issue with my Vpin, hoping someone can help.

 

After some PC problems I had to do a restore to an old backup for my vpin, and i now have 2 DMD's - one software DMD overlaid on the playfield and one on the Pin2DMD.

 

I've checked VP options and show external DMD is checked.

 

How do I get rid of the software DMD ? I have had this issue in the past, but I'm stuffed if I can remember how I fixed it.

 

Thanks.

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Go into your setup for pinmame and turn off dmd in default.

 

I think.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Yeah, I did that when I setup the new 3.1 SAM.

 

this is how the default Pinmame setup looks:

 

vpm_options.jpg

 

there's no reason why the software DMD should be there, but it $#%%^@#% is and it's driving me nutso.

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I've had this issue several times before also and never discovered the real reason behind me fixing it.

 

Sometimes the VPinMAME checkbox fixes the problem

 

Also look at your B2S Backglass settings on the tables and hide the DMD, this has sometimes worked for me

 

And the 3rd trick I've found that sometimes works is adding a Hidden = 1 parameter into the table script in the Controller block under the 'Table Init section

 

EG from my Avengers table script:

 

With Controller

.GameName = cGameName

.SplashInfoLine = "Avengers Pro Stern 2012"

.HandleKeyboard = 0

.ShowTitle = 0

.ShowDMDOnly = 1

.ShowFrame = 0

.HandleMechanics = 1

.Hidden = 1

.Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("rol") = cDMDRotation

 

Again these sometimes fix the problem and sometimes don't. I've never had a great solution to this problem but once I've got it fixed it seems to stay fixed until I need to rebuild again through a stupid mistake of my own tinkering.

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2x DMD problem

 

Yeah that’s the next thing.

 

Add the hidden =1 to one rom then use dmdmover to do the rest in one hit.

Actually just checking the default may not work if the script overrides it.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I've had this issue several times before also and never discovered the real reason behind me fixing it.

 

Sometimes the VPinMAME checkbox fixes the problem

 

Also look at your B2S Backglass settings on the tables and hide the DMD, this has sometimes worked for me

 

And the 3rd trick I've found that sometimes works is adding a Hidden = 1 parameter into the table script in the Controller block under the 'Table Init section

 

EG from my Avengers table script:

 

With Controller

.GameName = cGameName

.SplashInfoLine = "Avengers Pro Stern 2012"

.HandleKeyboard = 0

.ShowTitle = 0

.ShowDMDOnly = 1

.ShowFrame = 0

.HandleMechanics = 1

.Hidden = 1

.Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("rol") = cDMDRotation

 

Again these sometimes fix the problem and sometimes don't. I've never had a great solution to this problem but once I've got it fixed it seems to stay fixed until I need to rebuild again through a stupid mistake of my own tinkering.

 

This is exactly what happens to me every time I have some sort of issue.

 

I've already tried all the above except for script editing as I really don't want to do that on a p/table basis.

 

Another issue is the DMD will not stay where I move it. I can fix the issue by making the software DMD so small it's almost invisible and hide it, but the next time I load the table the DMD is back to being huge and overlaid on the playfield.

 

I"m starting to think it's more likely to be a .dll issue with the Pin2DMD stuff or a duplicate somewhere. but I've got latest firmware for Pin2DMD from lucky's Github as well as his latest ,dll files.

 

I'll keep trying and hopefully stumble on the solution...

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This is exactly what happens to me every time I have some sort of issue.

 

I've already tried all the above except for script editing as I really don't want to do that on a p/table basis.

 

Another issue is the DMD will not stay where I move it. I can fix the issue by making the software DMD so small it's almost invisible and hide it, but the next time I load the table the DMD is back to being huge and overlaid on the playfield.

 

I"m starting to think it's more likely to be a .dll issue with the Pin2DMD stuff or a duplicate somewhere. but I've got latest firmware for Pin2DMD from lucky's Github as well as his latest ,dll files.

 

I'll keep trying and hopefully stumble on the solution...

 

Ooh.

 

Sounds like you don’t have the cabinet dll if dmd won’t remember its position.

What was the old backup from?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Ooh.

 

Sounds like you don’t have the cabinet dll if dmd won’t remember its position.

What was the old backup from?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Backup was an image i took back in March. I thought it was a clean image but for this dmd issue.

 

Is the name of the file cabinet.dll or what should i look for?

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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A request..... Can someone please look at the contents of their dmddevice.ini file (should be in your visual pinball root folder, or vpinmame root folder) and paste the contents in this thread ? should be some lines that look like:

 

[virtualdmd]

show=false

 

stuff like that....

 

thanks!

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2x DMD problem

 

Backup was an image i took back in March. I thought it was a clean image but for this dmd issue.

 

Is the name of the file cabinet.dll or what should i look for?

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

 

From memory I think if you open up the pinmame it will have a version number and cab or not.

 

That’s unless things have changed in 10, but being pinmame I highly doubt.

 

Edit

 

Well it doesn’t look like it shows.

Must’ve been how I saved them.

 

That’s my memory exhausted.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by Dedrok
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Hey there Jed,

 

Is the "software" DMD that's appearing the nice looking one with the rounded pixels, or the fuggly VPinMAME generated one?

 

The two important entries in the dmddevice.ini file when running a PIN2DMD are as follows:

 

[virtualdmd]

enabled = false

.........

[pin2dmd]

enabled = true

.........

 

If VirtualDMD is set to TRUE as well as PIN2DMD then that's why both would be appearing, presuming it's the virtual DMD with the ROUND pixels that's showing up on your playfield.

 

It's a real bugger when you have everything working just right but no backup. Not that it helps now, but rather than using a restore point as a form of recovery make sure you backup all your relevant file structure AND do a backup of the relevant section(s) of the Windows Registry file to make sure of it. Better still, install some cloning software and keep a cloned backup of your "live" pinball drive. It may seem excessive, but it's the best way to insure the literally hundreds of hours you've no doubt spent getting the whole thing just how you want it........

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@JustAnotherRat @Wob you guys got any idea how i could solve this ?

 

I've never had the problem but I know people have complained about it in the Visual Pinball Junkies Facebook group.

 

Jens seemed to help out with this

Jens: Have you installed like mentioned in the faq? Especially Read point how to colorize dmd ;) Please Read it Maybe you Checked show dmd also (Obviously the FAQ he refers to is the one on their Facebook page)

OP: Will do, but I have unchecked show DMD

Jens: Then Maybe you use the wrong DLL somewhere ;) Place the Pin2dmd dmddevice.dll like mentioned with freezys

 

So it sounds as though maybe you need to try downloading the Pin2DMD dmddevice.dll and using it to replace all other copies you have of it (depending on your setup it could be just 1 copy or multiple).

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Hey there Jed,

 

Is the "software" DMD that's appearing the nice looking one with the rounded pixels, or the fuggly VPinMAME generated one?

 

The two important entries in the dmddevice.ini file when running a PIN2DMD are as follows:

 

[virtualdmd]

enabled = false

.........

[pin2dmd]

enabled = true

.........

 

If VirtualDMD is set to TRUE as well as PIN2DMD then that's why both would be appearing, presuming it's the virtual DMD with the ROUND pixels that's showing up on your playfield.

 

It's a real bugger when you have everything working just right but no backup. Not that it helps now, but rather than using a restore point as a form of recovery make sure you backup all your relevant file structure AND do a backup of the relevant section(s) of the Windows Registry file to make sure of it. Better still, install some cloning software and keep a cloned backup of your "live" pinball drive. It may seem excessive, but it's the best way to insure the literally hundreds of hours you've no doubt spent getting the whole thing just how you want it........

 

Thanks Chris,

 

Yes both those lines are in my dmddevice.ini. The software DMD appearing has the rounded pixels.

 

I take snapshops of my Vpin's C drive semi-regularly, this captures the full file structure of everything. I also back up my tables folder weekly cause of how often they come out nowadays. However this time when i restored, the software DMD appeared, and I know it wasn't like that when I took the image, as I would not image unless everything was working.

 

I think @JustAnotherRat you might be onto something with freezy's dll. I am not using it, i've just got the ones from lucky's github.

 

Anyone know where I might find freezy's ?

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Thanks Chris,

 

Yes both those lines are in my dmddevice.ini. The software DMD appearing has the rounded pixels.

 

I take snapshops of my Vpin's C drive semi-regularly, this captures the full file structure of everything. I also back up my tables folder weekly cause of how often they come out nowadays. However this time when i restored, the software DMD appeared, and I know it wasn't like that when I took the image, as I would not image unless everything was working.

 

I think @JustAnotherRat you might be onto something with freezy's dll. I am not using it, i've just got the ones from lucky's github.

 

Anyone know where I might find freezy's ?

 

This is where you find Freezy's stuff: https://github.com/freezy/dmd-extensions/releases

 

but... I only use Lucky's one, not Freezy's.

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It definitely sounds like it is running Freezy's DMDDEVICE.DLL, however if you have VirtualDMD set as FALSE then it shouldn't show up - simple as that!

 

As a work around you can always add extra variables to the DMDDEVICE.INI file to move the Virtual DMD output so it appears offscreen. To begin with, try this:

[virtualdmd]

enabled = false

left = 200

top = 0

width = 320

height = 80

 

By rights that should hide the DMD, but if it doesn't then it should at least now appear 200 pixels away from the top left corner of your playfield monitor. You can tinker around with those setting to offset the output wherever you want it - negative values can be used for left and top as well, so you can make the display disappear off the playfield to the left and/or top if you prefer.

 

At the end of the day I found the easiest way to make the Virtual DMD disappear is to use "width = 0" and "height = 0", then it's gone.:cool:

 

**IMPORTANT** make sure there are no typos or extra characters, including spaces, in the lines of the INI file or it will use the default for that variable instead. So if you have "enabled = false " rather than "enabled = false" then it will use true instead!!!

 

I know it's not a solution, but some times it's easier to resort to an acceptable workaround than trying to figure out wtf happened to stuff it up in the first place!!!!!

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Someone on another forum suggested registry settings might also be the problem. I've looked through the reg, and can't find anything to do with the DMD though.

 

I've tried making the dmd tiny and moving it off screen, but next time i load it, it's back to being huge again and in the default position. .

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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I've tried making the dmd tiny and moving it off screen, but next time i load it, it's back to being huge again and in the default position.

So a script somewhere or something is rewriting the settings?

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All fixed FINALLY!!!

 

JAR sent me some info from Bambi's FAQ (starting to sound like a secret society here lol) and it contained something which fixed it. IN case anyone else ever gets this freaking annoying issue, here's what fixed it:

 

copy the relavent dmddevice.dll and your dmddevice.ini files to:

 

windows/syswow64

vpinmame/dmdext

vpinmame/pin2dmd

vpinmame

 

So after copying the files into those directories, it's got rid of the virtual dmd at last.

 

After i take a new system image, Back to playing :) Thanks to everyone who offerred help and suggestions.

Edited by Jed
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All fixed FINALLY!!!

 

JAR sent me some info from Bambi's FAQ (starting to sound like a secret society here lol) and it contained something which fixed it. IN case anyone else ever gets this freaking annoying issue, here's what fixed it:

 

copy the relavent dmddevice.dll and your dmddevice.ini files to:

 

windows/syswow64

vpinmame/dmdext

vpinmame/pin2dmd

vpinmame

 

So after copying the files into those directories, it's got rid of the virtual dmd at last.

 

After i take a new system image, Back to playing :) Thanks to everyone who offerred help and suggestions.

 

Easy to say AFTER you sorted it out, but yeah, that rings a bell.........

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All fixed FINALLY!!!

 

JAR sent me some info from Bambi's FAQ (starting to sound like a secret society here lol) and it contained something which fixed it. IN case anyone else ever gets this freaking annoying issue, here's what fixed it:

 

copy the relavent dmddevice.dll and your dmddevice.ini files to:

 

windows/syswow64

vpinmame/dmdext

vpinmame/pin2dmd

vpinmame

 

So after copying the files into those directories, it's got rid of the virtual dmd at last.

 

After i take a new system image, Back to playing :) Thanks to everyone who offerred help and suggestions.

 

That is what I meant by "So it sounds as though maybe you need to try downloading the Pin2DMD dmddevice.dll and using it to replace all other copies you have of it (depending on your setup it could be just 1 copy or multiple). "

 

Glad you got it sorted.

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That is what I meant by "So it sounds as though maybe you need to try downloading the Pin2DMD dmddevice.dll and using it to replace all other copies you have of it (depending on your setup it could be just 1 copy or multiple). "

 

Glad you got it sorted.

The FAQ is very useful ! Now i can almost understand all the READ THE FAQ that goes on in those groups [emoji1]

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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