LightCrafter Version 2.0 GUI

Hi Eric,

Just to make sure the LightCrafter is booting  can you verify the following?

1. After power on and boot completion are you seeing R GB Color ramp pattern on the screen. In case if it is stuck at showing the LightCrafter splash image then check dip switch (s2) located near the microSD card slot is NOT towards the microSD card it should toward ON position.

2. If above step is pass then try to ping to this 192.168.1.100 ip to see if you are getting the response back.

Regards,
Sanjeev

Eric,

There is also a known delay between LightCrafter bootup and the ability to connect to it using the Windows GUI. This can be a delay of 90 seconds, or so. Please let the LCr boot to the colored vertical pattern (RGB color ramp). Then, wait about 90 seconds. At that time see if you can connect to the LCr from the GUI.

Gentlemen,

  The system is booting fine, but when I did the ping test, there was no response. I unplugged my network Ethernet cable from the computer and tried the ping again and then the LightCrafter responded. I then used GUI v3.8 and was able to control the device.

Thank you for your help.

Eric,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad you got it working. It sounds like the external Ethernet connection was keeping the computer from being able to talk to the 192.168.x.x domain which the LCr requires. I usually don't have an Ethernet cable plugged in (I'm all WiFi), so I haven't seen this before. Good observation, and we can keep this in mind.

Hi Pascal,

I eventually ordered a lightcrafter thinking my connectivity issues would be simpler than the PICO, but have had so many issues with the GUI tying to connect to the LC.  I'm running on Windows 7 from an Acer Ultrabook and tried using a usb hub.  It seems to work in an entirely random manner, and I'd say I get a successful connection about 1 in every 50 attempts.

We need to use the Lightcrafter for some live demos, and I'm terrified of trying this with the GUI in its present state.

Another strange thing is that the GUI has not been designed to run at the resolution of the Lightcrafter for some reason??

Is there any progress on providing a fix for the USB connection problem?

Also , is there a way of saving the mode the projector is in , so it doesn't need to be changed every time you boot up?

Sorry for the rant.  The Lightcrafter itself is a stunning bit of hardware, but the software has been painfully frustrating.

cheers

Gav

Gav,

I think that we can address your concerns about the LightCrafter.

Are you having any problems with the RNDIS (network) driver being installed, or showing up when you plug in the (running) LCr?

When you can connect the GUI to the LCr, can you tell me which versions of the FW are installed (DM365, FPGA, MSP430? You may need to update these - we'll see. Also, did you download and run the latest GUI?

I'm sure that you have read it on the E2E, but with Windows (XP and 7) there is a known delay of 70 - 90 seconds after bootup before the GUI will connect. This is because of the way Windows makes the network connection over the RNDIS driver, when there is no assigned IP address on the PC side. We can offer a suggestion to fix that.

You mention that the GUI is not at the same resolution as the LCr. The GUI isn't intended to be viewed on the LCr - but on the PC controlling it. You can easily get yourself into situations where you can't see the GUI if you are viewing it via the LCr itself.

Yes, there is a way to save the projector settings. Save your setup as a "solution". Mark the solution as "default" and the LCr will come up inside that solution when it boots.

In a little while, I'll send you some further tips about the USB connectivity problem. First, let me know the versions of the FW - if you can 

Let me do a little here, and I'll get back to you with some recommendations.

Hi Pascal,

Thanks again for the usual prompt and accurate replies. Much appreciated.

I ended up getting a different USB hub (4$!) and it seemed to work much better. I managed to access the GUI and save the state for 1bit green over hdmi.

my firmware is lists the following.

DM365 3.31

FPGA 2.3.34

MSP430 - 2.5

Are those the latest ones.

Also, I've not tried yet, but If I save 2 solutions, will the button on the Lightcrafter cycle through them so I can change between color and monochrome for example without the USB connection?

Also, if we requested custom firmware to allow us to use 120hz at 500*500 for example, to give us 2880 fps using structured light, would that mode be selectable as a solution or would that be a firmware flash that would mean we always had to use 120hz and not 60hz

 cheers

Gav

cheers

Gav

Hi again , in the GUI , there's a bit for changing resolution. Does this allow us to run the LC at say 800*600 whilst only using part of the display , like with the pico 2?

The reason I ask is the res of the LC does not work well when doing cloning of desktops which is often require to make the LC run on the sync signal from the gpu which does not allways work when running the LC as a second monitor with an extended desktop ?

Running as a second screen , we get a lot problems with screen tearing .

Thanks

Gav

Hi Pascal,

Thanks for the info.

I managed to upgrade the firmware, but the resolutions are all smaller than the supplied one, so not really any better. I was hoping for perhaps a 1024 * 768 or something that scaled down, and not up. 

Once thing thats been bugging us for a while, with regard to the occasional skipping that we get with the volumetric display is that although the projector lists itself as a 60hz device, it the refresh rate might be slightly less?  Is that correct?

I'm guessing that its more like 59.9 ? This might not seem like a big deal, normally for 2d projection, but it means that our syncing needs to be adjusted slightly. Can you confirm if this is the case please?

Cheers

Gav