SD card capabilities

Pokitto Hardware
21

These SD card capabilities are what I’ve been dying to see! Very exciting :slight_smile:

22

Yeah, the Gamebuino has that too, it really opens new horizons :slight_smile:

23

I hope the loader will be open, or at least usable in some way so that those who want to can have a go at making their own menus.

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24

pretty sure the loader is going to be part of the api, so any game that opens it up in there menu system would have it. similar to the gamebuino in a way

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25

I expect you all to make better menus :grin:

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26

Putting finishing touches on the file selector in hardware (the bit that you see running in the gif above). Will get to flash reprogramming soon.

File directory listing in C++ is not as straightforward as one might think because it has become a library standard only in C++ 17. On the PC I am using a lib called “tinydir” because it is simple and cross-platform. On the hardware I am using petitfatFS.

27

UPDATE: file selector is now running on hardware. I am making good progress at the moment.

next is hooking this up to the IAP flashing routines

IMG_20170624_032740.jpg1000×1245 130 KB

2 Likes
28

If anyone here wants to think/make a sketch of an UI for the file selector (showing that there is more files, which file is selected from the list etc.) then I am all ears.

File selector will run at 220x176 and use black, white, Pokitto green and 1 ? other color

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29

This basic manager reminds me of the 3DS homebrew file browser ORGANIZ3D. It does a few things well for manipulating files with buttons. May be worth taking a look at to get an idea. As for the second color I really think magenta will complement the Pokitto green very well.

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30

I can give it a try. What is the hex for pokitto green and what size font are you using?

I am also thinking magenta and/or cyan for color. Maybe even both if we have more than one mode to look at files (all files/game executables or view files/options?)

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31

I just noticed I didn’t bother to “play around” with the green tone when I made the logo on the hardware (:grinning: it’s been a while…) so it is full green, aka #00FF00 (R=0,G=MAX,B=0) but it looks OK on hardware. And that color can be changed as well, theres no rule against it. It’s just a couple of lines of code. I just liked the full green, it captures attention.

The font is 5x7, but it is quite small and I am not sure if it is the best way.

Filenames have to be 8.3 format (8 chars for name, 3 for extension)

Maybe we should have a startup screen a bit similar to that of Nintendo DS: we have RTC so we can show time, some settings icon (to set time, default volume, backlight brightness), battery level indicator and a file list? Ideas welcome

32

Something similar to retroarch maybe?

33

Maybe. I’d like to have a nice style for all the menu windows and popups and so. Something thats easily redable and use color effectively. 5x7 font is readable but still quite small… it lacks “arcadeness” … dunno

All bells and whistles add more code to the library, so unnecessary “flying toasters” need to be avoided. Simple, elegant.

Whats the font size in Pico 8?

34

I think pico-8 uses 5x7, but their screen is smaller also.

How about a nice 8x8 font, like the C64?

5 Likes
35

I like that style alot. Is that from some existing system?

220x176… you just drew that didn’t you? Nice.

36

It’s a C64 font, the menu layout is my own. Everything except the scroll bar are standard C64 characters. The style is based on something I used for my 3DS port of Frodo. (http://socoder.net/s2.php?Blogs=54303)

[edit] Yup, just now :slight_smile:

1 Like
37

Frodo for 3DS eh? That is really nice. I know we have some skilled cats hanging around here.

You are hereby drafted to work on the Pokitto core libs. No objections allowed. It was on the terms-of-service of the Pokitto discourse forums somewhere, just can’t find it right now :grin:

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38

Pico-8 font is 4x3 but it is usually displayed at like 4 or 5x.

I like the size of the c64 font on the screen… But I also like the c64 font in general, so I might be biased :wink:

I like the style that @spinal made. But, I would move the scroll bar to the right, so it shows instead of the right border (or just on it) and changing the selector row from white to green would make it more Pokitto-esque.

I am still half asleep (just approaching 7am here), but I had some ideas for icons that we can use. I will draw them up once I am fully conscious.

39

All I really did on frodo was code the gui, almost all of the rest of the work was done already, no skills involved.

40

Too late for that now. You’ve been tagged :wink:

Edit: kidding. You do what you think is fun.