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thetinkerer

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Joined: 16/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 68

Posted: 09:21am 21 Jul 2011

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For interest sake I thought that I would post this code:
It's a big clock and was/is an experiment in showing large 7 segment type display with the maximite while keeping the execution time down.
While there were many different ways to tackel this, I choose to have a subroutine for each digit. This uses program space but keeps the program complexity and execution times down as the call to the fonts is carried out by one line of code (line 50).

The other thing I have done is only update the digit that has changed to that we don't have to re-paint the whole clock on the screen every second.

It seems to work pretty well and the code is structure so that using this in an other program is straight forward as is modifying the fonts to look prettier.

Here is the code:

'********************************************************
'* M Y B I G C L O C K - The Tinkerer 2011 *
'********************************************************

1 cls
3 dim DigitX
4 dim DigitY
9 dim LastTime$
10 dim currentTime$

20 DigitX = 10
21 DigitY = 10
22 CurrentTime$ = time$

24 If CurrentTime$ <> lasttime$ then 'only do this if the time has changed
33 for Loop = 1 to 8
34 newchar$ = mid$(currentTime$,Loop,1)
35 oldchar$ = mid$(lastTime$,Loop,1)
36 If oldchar$ <> newchar$ then 'only redraw the character which has change
47 If asc(newchar$) > 47 then
48 If ASC(newchar$) < 58 THEN
49 NUM = ASC(newchar$)- 48
50 GOSUB 2000 + (NUM * 100) 'calcute which address to goto

58 EndIf
67 If asc(newchar$) = 58 then

69 GOSUB 3000

71 EndIf
80 EndIf
81 EndIf
82 DigitX = DigitX + 40
83 next Loop
84 EndIf

90 LastTime$ =currentTime$
100 goto 20
450 end

1200 return
2097'*********************************************
2098' Draw 1
2099'*********************************************
2100 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2110 LINE (DigitX + 10,DigitY + 0)-(DigitX + 15, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2120 LINE (DigitX + 10,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 15, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment C
2170 return

2197'*********************************************
2198' Draw 2
2199'*********************************************
2200 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2201 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2210 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2230 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2240 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment E
2260 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2270 return

2297'*********************************************
2298' Draw 3
2299'*********************************************
2300 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2301 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2302 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2303 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2304 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2305 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2306 return

2397'*********************************************
2398' Draw 4
2399'*********************************************
2400 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2401 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY )-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2402 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment C
2403 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2404 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2410 return

2497'*********************************************
2498' Draw 5
2499'*********************************************
2500 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2501 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2520 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2530 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2540 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2545 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2570 return

2597'*********************************************
2598' Draw 6
2599'*********************************************
2600 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2601 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2620 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2630 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2640 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2650 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment E
2660 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2680 return

2697'*********************************************
2698' Draw 7
2699'*********************************************
2700 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2701 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2702 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2703 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment C
2704 return

2797'*********************************************
2798' Draw 8
2799'*********************************************
2800 LINE (DigitX,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2801 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2810 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2820 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2830 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2840 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2850 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment E
2860 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2880 return

2897'*********************************************
2898' Draw 9
2899'*********************************************
2900 LINE (DigitX,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2901 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2910 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2920 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2940 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2945 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 20 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 25),1,bf 'segment G
2980 return

1997'*********************************************
1998' Draw 0
1999'*********************************************
2000 LINE (DigitX,DigitY )-(DigitX + 30, DigitY + 50),0,bf 'blank out digit
2001 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY)-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 5),1,bf 'segment A
2002 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
2003 LINE (DigitX + 20,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 25, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment C
2004 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 40 )-(DigitX + 20, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment D
2005 LINE (DigitX,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment F
2006 LINE (DigitX ,DigitY + 25)-(DigitX + 5, DigitY + 40),1,bf 'segment E
2007 return

2997'*********************************************
2998' Draw the Colon
2999'*********************************************
3000 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 5)-(DigitX + 15, DigitY + 20),1,bf 'segment b
3002 LINE (DigitX + 5,DigitY + 30)-(DigitX + 15, DigitY + 45),1,bf 'segment C
3006 return

Gizmo

Admin Group

Joined: 05/06/2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 5012

Posted: 09:58am 21 Jul 2011

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Yep, works fine.

Quote The other thing I have done is only update the digit that has changed to that we don't have to re-paint the whole clock on the screen every second.

Yeah thats a good idea. I had the same problem on a program I'm working on, a wind/solar controller. It displays the battery volts, amps and watts in big numbers, I used a block fill "BF" to clear each number before drawing the new number. To reduce the flicker, I first check if the displayed number is the same as the new number before block filling and drawing the new number.

Glenn

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now.
JAQ

thetinkerer

Regular Member

Joined: 16/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 68

Posted: 10:35am 21 Jul 2011

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I carried out a trial with a modified version of this program which wrote 6 clocks down the page to see if there was any visible delay. With writing the 6 clocks to the screen, it still performed well. I think that as long as we don't do too many calls to lines,rectangles or circles to create large fonts and keep things efficient, we should be ok.

I was looking at the Maximite soruce code today and was thinking that it should be fairly straight forawrd to have a font mutiplier.
1 - normal size
2 - double the size
3 - three times the size ... etc

The fonts would get chunky as the size of the pixels will go from 1 to 2 x2 to 3x3 etc. but that would be Ok.

This could be handy for the type of project that you are doing. .. and some of the things I have in mind too.

Marc

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