FB3 tips and "quirks"...

[Stuka]

Would anyone else be interested in contributing to a thread dealing with quirks and tips for the FB3? I figure enough of us are using this board now that we're probably finding out a lot of things that would be helpful to share with other users.

I'll start with some "quirks" I've discovered in the vast FB3 knowlwedge I've accumulated over the last 48 hours of successful operation .
My info is based on an "older" (summer '07) FB3 equipped with a DMX daughterboard and SmartMedia card. I''m using ScanPro 30 scanners, currently with single-end signal connections to the FB3. FB3 is currently powered by the 5VDC tap on the scanner power supply. I'm using Pangolin LiveQ and LivePRO USB for my image generation.

1. For the DMX board-equipped FB3, the documentation page that shows the "projector" connections from the DMX board are for the connections between the two FB3 boards, NOT the DB25 pinout connection. Use standard ILDA pinout connections when hooking up the DB25 connector to the projector, or you might wind up with some bizarre, loud, potentially scanner-damaging results!!

2. Using LiveQ, uploading image changes from the workspace to the memory card (at least with SmartMedia-equipped boards) takes for frickin' ever, especially when reloading the whole card!

3. If the SmartMedia card is inserted upside down (easier to do accidently than you might think), the FB3 WILL NOT WORK and won't be recognized by the software!!

4. Using LiveQ and LivePRO USB - complicated animated graphic cues may take two or three passes before they display correctly. Similarly, animated text cues frequently display like crap after initial editing, but if you switch to another graphic cue and then immediately back to the text cue, the text displays correctly. If anyone knows a fix or workaround for this, please share!!

NOTE - UPDATED RESULTS - see below!!

[Pangolin]

Hi Stuka,

Regarding your point number 1, please take a very close look at the documentation. It is clear, once you look at it.

When we supply a FB3 Evaluation Kit, the DB25 connector that we supply with it is indeed ILDA compatible. Sometimes people get confused about the pin numbrers of that DB25 and the pin numbers of the board itself, but I have been on the phone with people when this happens and I can read it right there off of the doc. It is clear if you look at it. I think in a later rev of the doc, we made it even clearer. At least that's my hope...

Regarding your point number 2, make sure you have a true "high speed" (USB 2.0) connection for the fastest results. Unfortunately, the idiots who created USB have created a few, similar-sounding connections. There is USB "full speed" which is actually USB 1.1, and then there is USB "high speed" which is actually USB 2.0. "High speed" is the fastest...

Regarding your point number 4, I have no fricken idea what you are talking about, and have never heard nor experienced it. If you find something that is 100% repeatable, please let us know so we can track it down.

And lastly, I have said it before but... for the absolute fastest service, contact Pangolin, not this forum. I only have a chance to check this forum perhaps once every 10 days.

Best regards,

William Benner

[Stuka]

OK - here's my update:

Definitely NOT bashing the FB3 by the way - no complaints, just some observations and lessons learned!!. Also, this is just things I've seen with my particular setup, so "your results may vary"

# 1 (& # 3 !!) - noobie errors, easy to do without adult supervision - especially if the only page that happened to be printed out was the pinout page for the DMX board. Made aware of the "error of my ways" in another post. Woops!

And yep, agreed, USB speeds can be a bit unpredictable!
(Still beats trying to match IRQ's and DMA's on multiple devices - ahh, the good ol' days!!)

As for graphics and text quirks -

Again lessons learned, and being learned hourly, it seems!

Having a warmed-up system seems to affect image stability quit a bit - I'm assuming (yeah, I know, shouldn't do that!!) the scanner amps and power supply continue to stabilize somewhat after running a while. Also, things have actually improved since I made my first attempts at tuning using Buffo's guide posted here on the forum. Beginner's luck, no doubt!
(Thanks for posting, Adam!!)

Scrolling text frames appear to be the most likey cues to occasionally display distorted after editing and restarting the cue, although as mentioned previously, this doesn't appear to be quite as noticeable or even as frequent with a warmed-up system. With a tuned, warmed-up system, any text distortion appears to clear up quickly, and I haven't noticed any more distortion in the graphics cue that load with the workspace.

All-in-all, no show-stopper issues, and no desire to change the setup
(At least not until I can afford a full LD2000 system )

Anyone else have "field experience" with the FB3 they would like to share?