NeoSeg (CobraPin) Serial Segment Displays

Video about CobraPin serial segment displays. The video shows a prototype 7-digit 16-segment version versus the production 8-digit 14-segment version. Hence use the video only for general information. For configuration information follow the information below.

Add Segment Display Platform

NeoSeg displays consist of a string of serial LED controllers connected to segment display LEDs. Each LED channel is connected to a segment. You must add light_segment_displays as the segment_displays platform so MPF knows to send segment display commands to the light controller:

hardware:
  segment_displays: light_segment_displays

Create the NeoSeg Light Groups

For each neo segment you would like to use you have to use light group, in other words there is a 1:1 mapping between a light group and the piece of hardware you hold in your hands.

The creation of the mpf lights for a NeoSeg display is handled by creating a light_group using neoseg_displays. This is much easier than defining each light for each of the 120 segments in an 8-digit display.

neoseg_displays:
  neoSeg_0:
    start_channel: 0-0-0
    size: 8digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led
      color_correction_profile: NeoSeg_orange

Here we have created a neoseg_display light_group named "neoSeg_0." The group starts at light channel 0-0-0, which is the first light channel on Board 0 on CobraPin, for example. It is an 8-digit display.

Note that we are dealing with light channel numbers, not light numbers. If you have all RGB LEDs, the channel number is 3 times your light number. An 8-digit NeoSeg display occupies 120 channels while the 2-digit display occupies 30 channels. So if we added another NeoSeg display after neoSeg_0, its start_channel would be 0-0-0 plus 120...so 0-0-120.

We had to add a light template so that we could identify it as a single channel LED.

Also, the use of a color_correction_profile enables you to change the brightness of a NeoSeg display. This is especially handy when using NeoSeg displays of different colors since each color has a different default brightness. Use the whitepoint setting to vary the brightness:

light_settings:
  color_correction_profiles:
    NeoSeg_orange:
      whitepoint: [.9, .9, .9]

Create Segment Displays

Once you have the light groups defined, you can arrange them into displays. The light group is a neoseg_displays object and the logical display a segment_displays object. The segment_displays object is not specific for Cobra serial segments, but being used for all kind of segment displays. You can combine multiple light groups into one logical display. In other cases you might have a 1:1 mapping between light groups and segment displays. In the latter case it might seem to overcomplicate things but this concept gives you the flexibility you might need. These are the displays that can be targeted by a segment_display_player.

segment_displays:
  neoSegTop:
    number: 1
    size: 16
    integrated_dots: true
    use_dots_for_commas: true
    default_transition_update_hz: 30
    platform_settings:
      light_groups:
        - neoSeg_0
        - neoSeg_1
      type: 14segment

Here we create a 16-digit display called "neoSegTop" built from 2 8-digit displays -- "neoSeg_0" and "neoSeg_1". The "integrated_dots" and "use_dots_for_commas" settings are required to use the comma segments built into NeoSeg displays. NeoSeg displays have a type of "14segment."

Be sure to change "size" to the total number of digits that you intend to use in the display. In some cases, the opening in your backglass may only be wide enough for 7 digits for example. In that case, change the size to 7 and the 8th digit will remain unused.

Keep in mind that a segment_display is an own object regardless what light_groups you combine. In the above example the two groups neoSeg_0 and neoSeg_1 have been combined out of two 8-digit displays. Let us assume light_group neoSeg_0 is used for the score of player 1 and neoSeg_1 for the score of player 2. That would make it necessary to define two more display_segments, e.g. displayScore1 and displayScore2 which each consist of only one light group. The combined light_group could be useful if for example after the game ended you want to scroll the text "GAME OVER" from left to right along both displays (assuming they are mounted next to each other) - but is not needed if you only want to display the scores. Now assume the game is over and the final score is shown on displayScore1 and displayScore2. If you now run "GAME OVER" on neoSegTop that is independent on the other two displays, so the scores and the text "GAME OVER" is shown at the same time (and thus unreadable since it is a logical AND connection of the texts). Which means that before you run the text "GAME OVER" you need to erase the content of displayScore1 and displayScore2. In order to erase the text just send an empty String to it.

Complete Example Config for Hardware Definition

Below you find a complete example config file how to define your hardware. With this you can use a segment_display_player to diplay a certain text upon a given event.

#config_version=5

hardware:
  platform: opp
  driverboards: gen2
  segment_displays: light_segment_displays

#create light group for each NeoSeg display
neoseg_displays:
  neoSeg_0:
    start_channel: 0-0-0
    size: 8digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led
      color_correction_profile: NeoSeg_orange
  neoSeg_1:
    start_channel: 0-0-120
    size: 8digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led
      color_correction_profile: NeoSeg_white

  neoSeg_7:
    start_channel: 0-0-660
    size: 2digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led
      color_correction_profile: NeoSeg_blue
  neoSeg_8:
    start_channel: 0-0-690
    size: 2digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led
      color_correction_profile: NeoSeg_red

#use light groups to arrange into a segment display
segment_displays:
  neoSegTop:
    number: 1
    size: 16
    integrated_dots: true
    use_dots_for_commas: true
    default_transition_update_hz: 30
    platform_settings:
      light_groups:
        - neoSeg_0
        - neoSeg_1
      type: 14segment

  neoSegBot:
    number: 1
    size: 4
    integrated_dots: true
    use_dots_for_commas: true
    default_transition_update_hz: 30
    platform_settings:
      light_groups:
        - neoSeg_8
        - neoSeg_7
      type: 14segment

#use color_correction_profile whitepoint to adjust the brightness of each
#NeoSeg display
light_settings:
  color_correction_profiles:
    NeoSeg_red:
      whitepoint: [.8, .8, .8]
    NeoSeg_white:
      whitepoint: [.55, .55, .55]
    NeoSeg_blue:
      whitepoint: [.5, .5, .5]
    NeoSeg_orange:
      whitepoint: [.9, .9, .9]
    NeoSeg_yellow:
      whitepoint: [1, 1, 1]
    NeoSeg_green:
      whitepoint: [.5, .5, .5]

Complete Example Config for Show Definition

Below you find a complete example config file to display scored points. It is not using all possible hardware options like the example above, but it includes the display of a show on the LED segments. To keep this example simple the neoseg_displays object is mapped 1:1 to a segment_displays object.

#config_version=5

hardware:
  platform: opp
  driverboards: gen2
  segment_displays: light_segment_displays

#create light group for each NeoSeg display
neoseg_displays:
  neoSeg_0:
    start_channel: 0-0-0
    size: 8digit
    light_template:
      type: w
      subtype: led

segment_displays:
  neoSegTop:
    number: 1
    size: 16
    integrated_dots: true
    use_dots_for_commas: true
    default_transition_update_hz: 30
    platform_settings:
      light_groups:
        - neoSeg_0
      type: 14segment

show_player:
  player_score{player_num==1}: #of course for more than 1 player you need to have multiple entries
    p1_score:
      show_tokens:
        txt: "{(players[0].score):d}"

shows:
  p1_score:
  - duration: -1
    segment_displays:
      neoSegTop:
        text: (txt)

To learn more about show tokens and how to use dynamic values take a look here.

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