Happy programmer's day! Does your DAC have an SDK? DAC interface library released.

[drlava]

Happy programmer's day, everyone. This day comes once a year on the 0x100th day of each year. It's a day where we appreciate the programmers who work in dark caves, putting together the patterns of ones and zeroes that make your life and entertainment better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmers%27_Day

If you're using a laser DAC that does not have an interface SDK which allows fellow programmers to write you cool applications to use with it, now's the perfect day to send (another) request to your manufacturer that an SDK be released. You could be using Laseroids, LaserPong, LaserCam, ILD SOS, Spaghetti, LSX, and more.


In honor of programmer's day, I'm releasing a universal DAC interface library for Free to developers of free and open source software. This is the same DAC interface library that ILD SOS, LaserCam, and LSX use to control most all of the DACs available on the market. To use the library and gain access to 10 of the most popular DAC types out there, all you have to do is link to the library, query it to see what DACs it detects, and send frames to one (or more) selected DACs, all with the same easy-to-use functions. You don't have to bother with the different DAC dlls and interface types, the Laser DAC Library takes care of that for you, so writing a program to support the most popular DACs is very easy.

Every DAC that has an interface SDK published is supported, including the best laser projector controller DACs in the world:

RIYA
Lumax (LaserWorld)
EzAudDac (Sound cards)
QM2000
Medialas Mamba
Netlase
Easylase
OLSC
Showtacle Moncha
Showtacle Fiesta
Etherdream(coming soon)

If you're a programmer and have had an interest in hacking in the laserspace, this is a great time to start. Send me a PM for more info.

Cheers!

[swamidog]

drlava,

thanks for releasing the sdk!

the hobbyest community needs to band together, stop re-inventing the wheel, and start providing professional level products to compete against a largely stagnant industry dominated by a few key players. this is an excellent first step.

Happy programmer's day, everyone. This day comes once a year on the 0x100th day of each year. It's a day where we appreciate the programmers who work in dark caves, putting together the patterns of ones and zeroes that make your life and entertainment better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmers%27_Day

If you're using a laser DAC that does not have an interface SDK which allows fellow programmers to write you cool applications to use with it, now's the perfect day to send (another) request to your manufacturer that an SDK be released. You could be using Laseroids, LaserPong, LaserCam, ILD SOS, Spaghetti, LSX, and more.


In honor of programmer's day, I'm releasing a universal DAC interface library for Free to developers of free and open source software. This is the same DAC interface library that ILD SOS, LaserCam, and LSX use to control most all of the DACs available on the market. To use the library and gain access to 10 of the most popular DAC types out there, all you have to do is link to the library, query it to see what DACs it detects, and send frames to one (or more) selected DACs, all with the same easy-to-use functions. You don't have to bother with the different DAC dlls and interface types, the Laser DAC Library takes care of that for you, so writing a program to support the most popular DACs is very easy.

Every DAC that has an interface SDK published is supported, including the best laser projector controller DACs in the world:

RIYA
Lumax (LaserWorld)
EzAudDac (Sound cards)
QM2000
Medialas Mamba
Netlase
Easylase
OLSC
Showtacle Moncha
Showtacle Fiesta
Etherdream(coming soon)

If you're a programmer and have had an interest in hacking in the laserspace, this is a great time to start. Send me a PM for more info.

Cheers!

[mikkojay]

Woo hoo! This is great- thanks Andrew!
Happy programmer's day too
^^ good points too swamidog, I agree completely.
Thanks, Mike

[Things]

Hmm, something tells me that the FB3 is at the heart of this point

If Pangolin get around to reading this, I'd really love if a SDK for the FB3 were released. I love all the software like Zoof games, but I don't have a DAC I can use with them

Cheers,
Dan

[flecom]

Hmm, something tells me that the FB3 is at the heart of this point

If Pangolin get around to reading this, I'd really love if a SDK for the FB3 were released. I love all the software like Zoof games, but I don't have a DAC I can use with them

Cheers,
Dan

would be nice to play LazyMAME on my netbook/FB3

[cfavreau]

Woop!

Thanks for the interface!

Let's get to work now.

[chad]

That's great thanks lava!

I wouldn't hold your breath for a sdk for the fb3, there is no upside for pango to do this. The qm2000(as in year) sdk was intended for funky things like laser mame, probably omniscan and some other special stuff. They didn't intend on other people writing full blown replacement software for lasershow designer.
The qm is not a cheap card to build. Parts are most likely getting harder to find and more expensive. The qm-net is huge and a little kludgey. The fb3 is, I am guessing, going to be the new base product. Computers with pci slots are going the way of the dodo, and people are getting tired of dragging around desktops or rack mount PCs.
Dac hardware is getting cheap to do so the value will be in the software. If they release a sdk and it can get around some of the artificial limitations of the fb3 (30k...) then they loose value in the big-bux qm hardware. That is also the reason that there is no net interface board to replace the usb. It would cost them all of $10 in parts to do this but it would rob from the money shot product.

Soon hardware is going to be cheap and plentiful and with your good (and getting better) software you will be a direct threat to them, like LA studio was. When people find out that they can have a board about the size of a credit card with 30* the processing power of the qm all the same I/O and net, dmx in and out, 6 channel-12bit color, extra spi ,i2c and open source for about $150 + your software spending 6k on a setup will start looking like a hard pill to swallow. Right now they have the advantage of a much more polished software, but time will change that.
The bottom is going to drop out of the hardware dac market pretty soon I think.

Any way I have no insider info, I am just thinking out loud, I could be all wet.

HAPPY PROGRAMER DAY!
.02c
chad

[cfavreau]

I spoke with Bill about the FB3 a while back. He basically had said there was not incentive/reason to do it and that it was not in their best interest to do so (correct me if I am wrong).

The best way to get them on board is to give Pangolin a reason to get on board.

Now we have 4 cents.

[mikkojay]

I'll add .01 to make it an even nickel-
I have followed the FB3 sdk topic since the FB3 came out and all the above is all correct. I think that Pangolin has a good business model going with what they have, so I can see why they wouldn't want to rock the boat. Adding another sdk would introduce a whole new layer of technical emails that Bill would likely have to field himself (or another of their high-level guys), and with all they have been working on, I could imagine that they consider that a very low priority. FB3's are really nice and compact, and it would be awesome to be able to communicate with them, but I don't see it happening. Alternates like a mini Riya are so cheap that if someone really wanted to do some of their own homebrew, there would be no reason not to get one of them in addition to whatever they might already own. If a cheap extra dac breaks someone's bank, they are in the wrong hobby

I might dust off some music visualizer stuff I was playing with, but no promises at the moment (still kind of rough). Anybody got any super secret wicked projects cooking? I am just enjoying the fact that a programming topic popped up in the programming sub forum! Imagine that

Cheers and thanks again drlava!
-Mike

[chad]

Anybody got any super secret wicked projects cooking?
-Mike

Not really secret, but not well known. The j4cbo DAC (hence fourth refereed to as: ) Etherdream, Is steaming ahead nicely. I described it's attributes in my earlier post. I also know that LSX is in the early stages of talking to it

chad

[andythemechanic]

Hey Dr. Lava,

that sounds very interesting! PM sent. Pehraps that encourages me to continue a long forgotten work on my XML based Frame creation and playing software.

Greetings
Andreas

[dchammonds]

Sounds good!

Thanks for your contribution to freeware.

Dean

[drlava]

I've finished up the first revision of this, with a demo app to get you familiar with how to use it. Send me a PM if you're interested!

Woo hoo! This is great- thanks Andrew!
Happy programmer's day too
Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike, I do hope this inspires some fellow enthusiasts to finish (or start) some projects they have been meaning to do. Hopefully we'll see some really creative and new things.

would be nice to play LazyMAME on my netbook/FB3

Have you requested it? A DAC dealer will never know their users desires unless they communicate them.

Hey Dr. Lava,

that sounds very interesting! PM sent. Pehraps that encourages me to continue a long forgotten work on my XML based Frame creation and playing software.

Greetings
Andreas

Hi Andreas,
link, PM sent. Your project sounds very interesting and I look forward to seeing the results.

[db3306]

i read somewhere on the forum that the SDK for FB3 should come, but it was posted a year ago, anyone knows if its coming or not?

[White-Light]

I would think Beyond is taking priority. In the long term who knows.

[djlorenz]

sorry lava... maybe i'm a little bit stupid... the SDK are the source file for communication with dac? only usb or ehternet version also? i'm not an expert programmer but i have a lot of university nerds... ehm... guys that eat coffee and java for breakfast

[cfavreau]

The SDK allows someone to develop software for a bunch different DACs without having to write code specifically for the DAC. So that more people can take advantage of the software. USB (most supported DACs are USB) and Ethernet (Netlase and EtherDream?)...

[djlorenz]

a lot of times i use only dmx for lights without laser... and i have only one usb dmx... my fiesta.net has dmx in and out... and i will be really happy if i can use it for wifi/ethernet dmx control without buy other devices :P

[eyceage]

I am VERY interested in an SDK for the FB3. In fact, I think it would be incentive to buy more units.

[Osithlon]

HI drlava

I have tried to contact you via IRC and PMs, but not answer recieved.

I talked to Jacob from etherdream, i am beggining a project with etherdream but i also want to use UDAC, so my answer is where can i download it?

Thanks in advance