https://github.com/prefixfelix/mobitec-flipdot
Control your Mobitec Flipdot display via a Golang / Python library or a custom controller board.
https://github.com/prefixfelix/mobitec-flipdot
flipdot flipdot-displays flipdots mobitec
Last synced: 8 months ago
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Control your Mobitec Flipdot display via a Golang / Python library or a custom controller board.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/prefixfelix/mobitec-flipdot
- Owner: prefixFelix
- Created: 2024-01-30T16:46:25.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-03T22:21:25.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-03-20T16:48:03.226Z (over 1 year ago)
- Topics: flipdot, flipdot-displays, flipdots, mobitec
- Language: C
- Homepage:
- Size: 18.6 MB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
Mobitec Flipdot Display
> [!WARNING]
>
> This repository is still **work in progress**!
## Features
- Golang / Python library to control the mobitec flipdot displays via serial with the original controller (*completed*).
- Replacement of the control board with an Raspberry Pi Pico (W) to control the display directly (*under development*).
- Documentation of the original [control board](docs/controller.md) (*completed*).
## Serial libraries (original controller)
Controlling the flipdot display via the original controller is simple, effective and accessible, because very little additional hardware is required (namely just a RS-485 adapter, like [this one](https://www.berrybase.de/en/usb-rs485-konverter)). You can find further instructions on how to connect everything [here](docs/controller.md#Connecting-to-the-Board). Mobitec's own protocol is now used for communication via the serial interface (very detailed [protocol description](https://github.com/Nosen92/maskin-flipdot/blob/main/protocol.md)). Basically, the controller can accept and display *text* in different fonts/sizes, predefined *symbols* and freely designable *bitmaps*. A list of fonts / symbols for our variations of boards can be found in [fonts.md](docs/fonts.md).
**Capabilities / Limitations:**
The controller is slow. Processing a command and updating the display takes several seconds. Animations can therefore not be displayed (< 1 FPS). However, this limitation has nothing to do with the flipdot display but with the controller.
### Golang
### Python
> [!TIP]
> A complete list of all functions and their example use can be found in [example.py](serial-lib/py/MobiPy/example.py).
The python library offers the following features:
- Text with all available fonts / sizes.
- Symbols
- Bitmap: basic operations (fill, invert shift); basic geometric shapes (dot, line, rectangle)
## Replacement controller board
### Parts / Order
### Flash
### Usage
## Related projects
- **[flipdot-mobitec (Anton Christensen)](https://github.com/anton-christensen/flipdot-mobitec)**
- Custom controller based on an ESP32
- **[flipdot (Open Space Aarhus)](https://github.com/openspaceaarhus/flipdot)**
- Custom controller based on an ATmega
- [Protocol description?](https://groups.google.com/g/openspaceaarhus/c/YMDPcS3pnHA)
- [Photos / videos](https://www.vagrearg.org/content/dotflipctl)
- **[flipdot-games (Anton Berneving)](https://github.com/antbern/flipdot-games)**
- Custom controller board based on an Raspberry Pi Pico
- Firmware written in Rust
- **[mobitec-rs485 (duffrohde)](https://github.com/duffrohde/mobitec-rs485)**
- Basic C RS-485 API
- **[pymobitec-flipdot (Bjarne)](https://github.com/bjarnekvae/pymobitec-flipdot)**
- Simple Python RS-485 API
- **[mqtt-flipdot-driver (Chalmers Robotics)](https://github.com/ChalmersRobotics/mqtt-flipdot-driver)**
- Simple Python RS-485 API
- **[maskin-flipdot (Nosen92)](https://github.com/Nosen92/maskin-flipdot)**
- More advanced Python RS-485 API
- Detailed serial protocol [documentation](https://github.com/Nosen92/maskin-flipdot/blob/main/protocol.md)
- [**elektronikforumet**](https://elektronikforumet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65264)
- Protocol information
- [**buselektro**](https://www.busselektro.no/tips-og-funksjonsbeskrivelser/mobitec-rs485/)
- Protocol information
- **[Rainer Radow](https://radow.org/flip-dot-en.php)**
- Useful knowledge about flipdots