vdr-plugin-targavfd¶

targavfd is a plugin for the Video Disc Recorder and shows information about the current state of VDR on a USB Graphic Vacuum Fluorescent Display (Futaba MDM166A).
This Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) build into some Targa computer series. The display offers a graphical area with 96x16 pixels and a small set of symbols, each of the symbols can be controlled.

Installation Notes¶

Library libusb-1.0¶

You need installed library libusb-1.0 to use the vdr-plugin-targavfd. This library libusb-1.0 is used to access and interact with a USB HID device.

http://www.libusb.org/wiki/libusb-1.0

If Debian used, you can install them with the command :

#> apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev libusb-1.0-0

Package vdr-plugin-targavfd¶

Unpack the vdr-targavfd tarball to $VDRSOURCE/PLUGINS/src directory. Variable $VDRSOURCE stands for a directory, where source archive of VDR package was be decompressed.

#> cd $VDRSOURCE/PLUGINS/src
#> tar -xzvf vdr-targavfd-0.0.1.tgz
#> ln -s targavfd-0.0.1 targavfd

Compile the plugin (from VDR's source directory)

Change the working directory to VDR source root and compile this plugin like all other VDR plugins.

#> cd $VDRSOURCE
#> make plugins

After everything has been compiled without errors, copy the plugin to their target directory.

#> make install

Direct access to developer sources¶

Git-Repository (read only):

#> git clone git://projects.vdr-developer.org/vdr-plugin-targavfd.git

Check follow requirements¶

Device still detected and writable

#> lsusb -vd 19c2:6a11 | grep iProduct
iProduct                2 Targa USB Graphic Vacuum Fluorescent Display

Add a udev permission rule, if required (writable for group vdr) e.g. /etc/udev/rules.d/92-vfd.rules

  ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="19c2", ATTRS{idProduct}=="6a11", GROUP="vdr"

Start VDR with the plugin¶

Example:

#> vdr -P'targavfd'

Setup options¶

This options are editable at run time. (Menu: Setup > Plugin > targavfd ... )

Brightness
- Set brightness from display. (Default: 1)

Default font
- Used font, there should installed like other FreeType supported fonts
Height of big font
Height of small font

Render mode
- Single line
- Dual lines

Exit mode
- Do nothing - Just leave the "last" message there
- Showing clock - Show the big clock
- Turning display off - Blank the device completely
- Show next timer - Show time and title of next timer
- Show only present next timer - If present, show time and title of next timer

Show volume bargraph
- Never - Show the volume bar never
- Timed - Show the volume bar only a short time, if volume changed
- Ever - Show the volume bar every time

Plugin SVDRP commands¶

HELP - List known commands
OFF - Suspend driver of display.
ON - Resume driver of display.
ICON [name] [on|off|auto] - Force state of icon.

Use this commands like follow samples

#> svdrpsend.pl PLUG targavfd OFF
    220 vdr SVDRP VideoDiskRecorder ....
    250 driver suspended
    221 vdr closing connection

#> svdrpsend.pl PLUG targavfd HELP ICON
    214-ICON [name] [on|off|auto]
    214-    Force state of icon. Names of icons are:
    214-    Play,Pause,Record,Message,Message,Mute...

This commands can have follow responses

OFF :   250 driver suspended           
        251 driver already suspended
ON :    250 driver resumed
        251 driver already resumed
        554 driver could not resumed
ICON :  250 icon state 'auto'
        251 icon state 'on'
        252 icon state 'off'
*       501 unknown command

Spectrum analyzer visualization¶

This plugin can show a spectrum analyzer visualization on audio playback.
As middleware you need the 'Sp'ectrum 'An'alyzer Plugin.

vdr-plugin-targavfd

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