Blu (+?) Light Software Based??

[EvilDragon]

Well... we always thought the keeping select-pressed-to-turn-light-on-and-off function is hardware based, right?

I don't think so... why?
Because... I CAN'T SWITCH THE LIGHT ON AND OFF WITH RLYEH'S BETAS!

It's not a faulty machine, I can turn the light on and off without any problems, it just doesn't work with Rlyeh's betas... interesting, is it not?

 

[Blah]

Some version of Drmd did that on BLU+ My theory is that the software accesses something so much that the hardware doesn't get a chance to check the select button.

 

[Vimacs]

thats actually intresting, couse when it woul be ahrdware than it should be parallel to the µc and not be in any way affected of it.

 

[TelcoLou]

:blink:

Um .. I'm sure I was able to turn off the light whilst in the latest fGB32 ... I must check this when I get home ...

 

[Blah]

@Telcolou: I think it only does that on BLU+

 

[Drag]

If it IS software, I would very much appreciate if I could see the snippet that disables this. It'd be great to have in my software.

It'd be great for everyone's software, actually.

But how do we know that Mr.Evil isn't lying? I mean, he's the only one with the betas, isn't he?

Or maybe not, I have no idea, I don't read the news. :S

 

[Magus 86]

I don't know about the emulator he mentioned, but I have a BLU+, and it's definitely disabled in GMadMP3. I think it's also disabled in DrMD, but I don't remember for sure. It's also disabled in... nsfplay. So it must be software, and there's a way to disable it.

 

[Blah]

Yeah, but they weren't trying to disable that feature. And it only effects the BLU+ because I can turn the light off on my BLU in Drmd and GPMadMP3 and NSFplay.

 

[Magus 86]

oh... well nevermind, then. I dunno...

 

[shinneri]

I think Gamepark must have gotten pretty smart and found a way to stop the light from turning at bad times. I remember someone stated that in DrMD the light could be turned off/on when in the menu, but not when in gameplay.. that's really nice.

Can't understand how Gamepark would accomidate for that, but however it's happening, it's really nice.

 

[Drag]

There's probably some new register or something that not everyone knows about.

When's the last time you looked at the gamepark SDK's .h files to see what registers are #declared?

There could be a new one, like "LIGHTTOGGLE" or something, which enables or disables the ability to turn the backlight on or off with the select button.

There also might be another register which lets you control the light's on or off status directly, but probably not.

But Gamepark may not be THAT convenient, to include a new register like that.

Edit: Maybe the timer or whatever that delays the toggling when you press select gets reset whenever the application reads the select button's status.

 

[Blah]

Except that, for that to work, the programmer would have to be aware of it. Reesy was suprised that the light wouldn't turn on with a BLU+, which kind of ruins your theory. Also the SDK is old. Gamepark has never updated it. And Drmd isn't made with the official SDK so that also ruins your theory even more.

 

[Fishbong]

My theory is that the software accesses something so much that the hardware doesn't get a chance to check the select button.

​

That would make sense.
Maybe the Backlight toggling uses an interrupt that may also be (somehow, i really don´t know if that is possible at all) used by the running software and if the usage of this interrupt is too frequent, the status of the select button can´t be determined (by whatever instance does this normally) an gets timed out and/or reset.

 

[EvilDragon]

Ahha... so BLU+ light can be affected by software somehow? Now it's getting interesting...

 

[bast525]

I had mentioned this a long time ago and it got dismissed pretty rapidly...


On ALL versions of DrMD I have tried on my BLU +, when I FIRST start the emu and am in the main menu, I can turn the light on and off with the Select button. BUT, once I pick a rom and it starts, I can hold select all day long and the light will NOT turn on or off anymore. Also, once I exit that rom and go back out to the menu, the select button still has no effect on the light... I have to reset the GP before select can turn it off again. So there is something in DrMD that causes Select to stop affecting the light once a rom starts...

 

[Talyz]

That could be interesting for software development; We could add flash effects, etc to games...

 

[markusdragon]

Indeed, there does appear to be something that disables the on/off function of the backlight. Not being a programmer, I have no idea what it is though.

Useful if someone fixed it tho; it's summer and I can stand my BLU+ without backlighting.

 

[shinneri]

Could it have to do with the clockspeed the GP is running at the time? Doesn't DrMD reduce clockspeed when in the menu? Of course, if that were true, you should be able to turn it off/on every time you're in the menu, which Bast says you can't...

 

[aapje89]

That could be interesting for software development; We could add flash effects, etc to games...

​

yeah, that would be fun , too bad I dont have a blu

 

[Blah]

Yes, but that would give the BLU+ owners a reason to gloat over us BLU owners. Which I wouldn't like