Hi folks, I've been working on installing Knoppmyth (R5F1) and I'm making great progress. It's installed, seems to pick up all of my hardware, and it looks great on the screen. I'm very impressed - so thanks to all that have put in their efforts to deliver it.

I have some questions about my Imon VFD that is sort of working - but needs a kick.

I followed this how-to http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/LCDproc to try and install my VFD. Went for this 'cos I have the same vfd. The main difference being that I used lcdproc-0.5.2 and not 0.5.1

Anyway, back to the very good mythtv how-to...

I did the same as the writer - and installed LCDproc's config file to the /home/mythtv folder (which allows for easy back-up and presumably also easy upgrading later).

Running the server using


worked a treat. Got exactly the same as the picture but with a bit of movement... looks great.

I then copied down only one of the init scripts - the one titled init-LCDd.debian. I chmodded it as described - no problems.

Mostly worked well - followed through easily enough - until it came to the end where it's based on a RH installation. Took me a while to work out how to do the same on a Debian base but got there in the end...

I did an



which I hope is correct. I was hoping that this would put the LCDd into an init file somewhere so that it would start up on boot. Please let me know if this is correct or not - and how I could just double-check that it's done correctly.

However, when it came to the end, and adjusting the /etc/init.d/LCDd file to show a new route to /home/mythtv I got a bit stuck.

It looks like the new LCDd file (from 0.5.2) is not like the old one - and I couldn't work out what to change. The suggested line just doesn't seem to exist at all in the new file. I opted for changing the 'prefix' line and put the correct route in there but I think it's wrong.

For info, the relevant section in my /etc/init.d/LCDd file now looks like this:



I am able to test the VFD from the command line. And it posts up whatever I echo to it. No problems. Very exciting too!! Couldn't believe that I could get that far at all... bit of a newbie really...

However, I'm not able to take the next step and get the lcdserver working when Knoppmyth is running the front-end display... I've enabled it in the config system of the front end and left the defaults that come up when it's enabled. But it doesn't seem to kick in.

How do I get the knoppmyth front end system to take control of the VFD? Why isn't knoppmyth picking it up automatically...??

Another curve-ball for you (whilst you're in the mood)... - although I suspect it's related...

I have adjusted the LCDd.conf file to take advantage of the newly configurable goodbye message. My system leaves the current message sent from the command line on the VFD even during shutdown. The message remains there even when the PC's powered down - and only goes when it's physically unplugged and the charge goes. The same message remains on the VFD even when the system is rebooted - and is never reset until I issue another echo from the command line - which continues to work.

For info, I have set the goodbye message to a double line of sixteen blank spaces to remove this on shutdown. This is to clear the VFD even though it retains power when the PC is powered down.

The fact that the current message remains makes me think that the VFD is currently not using my newly adjusted LCDd.conf file in the /home/mythtv/lcd directory... this would obviously tie in with the fact that I suspect that it is not being pointed in the right direction. Could it be using another LCDd.conf file? And if so, where is it? How do I change it?

Any help you could give would be most appreciated. Obviously, I've trawled a little on this one - couldn't see any relevant posts... Thanks in advance.

bag.

Since it displays what you send it via the command line, I would guess LCDd isn't running. what doesyield? And what errors (if any) do you receive if you start LCDd from the command line?

See http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12368 for more troubleshooting ideas.

OK, thanks for the quick reply slowtolearn...

Running



brings up the following:



and the command LCDd brings up errors as you probably suspected...



Will look at that suggested topic now - but if you have immediate suggestions - would be most grateful.

Thanks,

bag

Well, LCDd is running, so that's good. Do you know if 0.5.2 includes the iMON VFD patch? I'm running 0.4.5 with the patch (referenced in the post I mentioned earlier) and the VFD in my LC10M works fine.

I honestly don't know - but suspect yes...

The reason I suspect yes is that in the MythTV Imon VFD how-to at http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/LCDproc
it shows that you need to copy across the Imon driver to your lcd folder...

That was in version 0.5.1 - and i did the same procedure for 0.5.2

in addition, the LCDd.conf file states that it supports the Imon driver - so I suspect that it should work.

To be fair - I can echo what I want to the VFD, i just can't seem to get mythlcdserver to pick it up.

Do you understand what the error was about when it said that it couldn't read the config file? It's looking in the wrong spot, since I've put my config file in my /home/mythtv/lcd directory and not in /usr/local/etc/LCDd.conf

Any help would be great. Suspect that it's because it can't read the LCDd.conf file but don't know how to fix it...

Thanks,

bag.

OK, I just re-read your original post and I think I see where I got confused. Are you simply having trouble getting LCDd to run properly on reboot? If so, does it function properly if you place your updated conf file in /usr/local/etc and reboot? The Wiki entry seems overly complicated to me, I don't know why they would want to move the files from the default location...

What is the contents of this file? And since you ran update-rc.d, does it differ from the copy in /etc/rc5.d?

hey Slowtolearn,

My main problem is that the LCD works - and I can echo to it - so it makes me think that it's up and going. However, for some reason knoppmyth isn't able to run it or doesn't seem to pick it up on boot.

I've copied back my conf file to /usr/local/etc/ as you suggested - it's the only file in there... should it be?

i'm not sure why they wanted to move the location either - but presumed it made it easier to pick up in a back-up... which takes most data from the /home/mythtv folder...

having some difficulty getting the init-LCDd.debian file to you... Can't copy it accross to this PC because Windows doesn't seem to find the file... Apologies for that. Not sure how to get it to you from the mythtv box - not everything is working at the moment...!!

The contents of the file were a script that seems to be an init script, defining variables for local - prefix, exec_prefix, bindir etc, and then an installation check followed by qhat looks like a script that runs through starting the daemon...

Forgive me if I'm a little bit vague on this - i don't do code or scripting - and I can only make a best guess...

Any more ideas?

bag

Seems that LCDd is not running, or running on the wrong port, or not communicating with the iMON VFD. Try this, login as root on your KM box and

You now have the LCDd and LCDd.conf that work on my LC10M (BTW, I don't recall you mentioning which VFD you have?). You can test it to see if it works by

Give that a few seconds and see if mythlcdserver connects to it (Myth is still configured for an LCD device?)

thanks - great stuff. Unfortunately, couldn't resolve the address you gave - Name or service not known...

For info - my VFD is an iMon inside. Came complete with remote in my 3R mStation HT-1100 case (which I really like)...

Myth is still configured for an LCD device. So hopefully it should pick it up...

Always assuming that it works when I can download the files, do I then need to copy them to correct locations?

Thanks,

Mark.

Sorry, thinking about too many things at once. Try the edited URL...

Don't know that one, hope we're comparing apples to apples...

If the test works you can place them anywhere on your system, then create a script in /etc/rc5.d that starts LCDd on startup (called, for example, S98LCD):

Slowtolearn - edited URL was patchy... wouldn't get past 440 bytes on wget but managed to download all via a Windows box and transfer across...

Once i got it extracted, running your command started up a server. The VFD flashes, passes the title of "LCDproc server" and "0 Clis, 0 Scrs"

this is exactly what i get when I run the command using my existing LCDd.conf and LCDd

Very little difference at all.

What I don't get is MythTV picking this up and then connecting it to the mythlcdserver to show whatever it should show... i just get a continued "LCDproc server" and "0 Clis, 0 Scrs".

To my mind - the problem is not that the VFD does or doesn't work - it does. I can echo stuff to it which shows up fine - and can run the LCDproc server. The issue is more along the lines of the fact that i can't seem to get MythTV to connect to LCDproc in any way.

The mythtv front end is still configured to use the VFD/LCD. I have unchecked the "Use LCD" box in Utilities/Setup and saved, followed by rechecking the box and saving again - the issue is that it still doesn't pick up the working VFD and connect it to LCDproc.

Just out of interest, what should I see when it does work?

Any clues on how to get mythlcdserver to work and connect to LCDproc would be most appreciated.

thanks

bag

So, what is need to get the imon working out the box?

The iMON VFD support was supposedly added in the 0.5.0 LCDproc, with some fixes in 0.5.2. I don't currently have an R5F1 install so I don't know which LCDproc is included, and I don't see it mentioned in the changelog.

I will try to install R5F1 in my LC10M this weekend and see what, if anything, is involved and let you know.

OK, all the pieces are in the stock R5F1 install. Here's the script I came up with (I'm no scripting genius so please speak up if something is incorrect or could be improved):


Enable your LCD device in Myth (Utilities/Setup -> Setup -> Appearance) and you should be all set.

Cool! You can help to test this soon...