From b57f6b73e6649ed5c9bd80713d47fe76877bfa9c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Philip Edelbrock Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 01:22:50 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] (Phil) Documentation for the matorb driver. git-svn-id: http://lm-sensors.org/svn/lm-sensors/trunk@485 7894878c-1315-0410-8ee3-d5d059ff63e0 --- doc/chips/matorb | 97 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 97 insertions(+) create mode 100644 doc/chips/matorb diff --git a/doc/chips/matorb b/doc/chips/matorb new file mode 100644 index 00000000..88ec0933 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/chips/matorb @@ -0,0 +1,97 @@ +Kernel driver `matorb.o' +======================= + +Status: 'Beta', but it's so simple that it may be in its final state + +Supported devices: + * Matrix-Orbital (www.matrix-orbital.com) displays. Developed and + tested on the LCD2041V, but should work with all their displays. + Prefix: `matorb' + Addresses scanned: I2C 0x2E + Datasheet: Publicly available at the Matrix-Orbital web site + (www.matrix-orbital.com) + +Author: Frodo Looijaard , and Philip Edelbrock + + +Main Contact: Philip Edelbrock + +Module Parameters +----------------- +(I'm not positive about these, so don't take this as granite) +* force: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,address pairs to boldly assume to be present +* force_matorb: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,address pairs which are unquestionably assumed to contain + a `bt869' chip +* ignore: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,address pairs not to scan +* ignore_range: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,start-addr,end-addr triples not to scan +* probe: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,address pairs to scan additionally +* probe_range: short array (min = 1, max = 48) + List of adapter,start-addr,end-addr triples to scan additionally + + +Description +----------- +This driver provides access to the Matrix-Orbital display devices. These +devices are usually in the form of a small LCD (20x4 is typical) screen +which is mounted in a carrier which is then mounted into a 5.25" drive bay +of a computer. + +This driver allows the user to send any data to the display to control or +display anything which the display supports. + +For more information on the displays or of particular features/command sets +go to: + +http://www.matrix-orbital.com + + +Use +--- +To use, just redirect the base-10 ordinal value of bytes (or chars) to the +display. For example, to clear the screen and write a simple message, you +could do this: + +# To clear the screen, send byte 0xFE and the char 'X' (ordinal 88) +echo "254 88" > /proc/sys/dev/sensors/matorb*/disp + +# To display "hi there" +echo "hi there" \ + | perl -e '$_=; while (/(.)/gc) { print ord($1)," "; }' \ + > /proc/sys/dev/sensors/matorb*/disp + +I've written a simple sample program (in Perl) to display a full screen +of text (which is fed in on standard-input) to the display. It is in the +prog/matorb folder of this project. + +I think the displays are very attractive and add a neat sort of 'status' +display to things like servers. It would be very simple to either +make a script daemon (or modify the healthd provided in this project) +to display a current status of health info (voltages, fans, temps, etc.) +on the display. Let's see Windoze do *THAT*! :') + + +Issues +------ +Redirecting too long of a string (32 ordinals seem to be the max) to 'disp' +seems to cause problems. Keep things in small chunks (like lines). + +Built in functions (screen clearing, etc.) were initially planned to be +added as other device files (other than just 'disp'), but these functions +are just as easily done by sending the command sequences to disp (as shown +above when clearing the screen). This also ensures that the driver will +be compatible with all the displays. + +Detection is very poor (as of this writing, anyway). It looks for a device +at 0x2E and asumes it is a display. Unfortunately, the 'beta' firmware +the Matrix-Orbital people gave me doesn't have good detection abilities to +it (it ignores reads... it used to lock up the bus on reads, so at least +it doesn't do that any more! :'). If they provide an easy way to 'sense' +that it is a display (and what kind it is?) then I will add support for it. + +Let me know if you have problems which you can't figure out +(phil@netroedge.com).