Displaying a message on the progressive display

[qbert]

I am trying to program a message and cant seem to get it to work. I get into the PSP message programming menu and select #6 MESS.DO. The text window opens and I start the commands as follows F1 (start paragraph) F3 (travel motion) F6 (Speed command) then I enter 3 for speed. S-F3 (Dance command) S-F4 (Foreground color) CTRL-F4 (Double with char)  then I add my text    Blazing   Sevens    Free    Play      Then I hit F10 to exit and F1 to load, I look at the machine and it does say loading on the display but nothing ever happens. I even tried it without the S-F4 command thinking it would default as a normal scroll. 
 :103- :103-

[qbert]

Despite the appearance that it can, the ChamII+ in stand alone cannot display the mess.do file.  However, you can get custom messages displayed by tinkering with the jpot.do file -- insert jackpot token(s) (token number 8 ) to get the current amount to display, and add text and optional commands with that text as part of one long jpot.do file.  Make sure that the MFILE is set to 0 (set within the on-board buttons on the Mikohn unit), too, or it'll never display.
Start with just a word or two to make sure that it's working as you expect, then expand your jpot.do file.  There's a lot of trial-and-error involved, but once you get it displaying *something*, it's a matter of tweaking it until you get it how you like.
Edited to add:
Here's a video I took a long time ago of my meter (out of the machine) -- everything displayed in the video is just one long jpot.do file:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag94RWzZF2k

[qbert]

I got over the hurdle of sending programming changes to the controller, but now I want to see a message on the display.  The only thing displayed is the Jackpot.  I am using psp v2.0, from the menu old selection not con1 or con2.
Thanks
Gary

[qbert]

Hi Gary,
Assuming you have a CHAM II+ (Standalone), the only way to get a text message is using the JPOT.DO file on PSP.
PSP 2.0 Manual page 27 (8.2 Message programming data fields)
If you want the message scrolling + the jackpot amount you must insert jackpot token (#8) in the file.
The best way is to make a long JPOT.DO file.
See this post above

[qbert]

Gary,
In order to see a message on the display you must first make sure the ChamII is set with MFILE1 =0 or you will not get messages to display.
That being said you will place the message you want in the JPOT.DO file.
In the psp go to message programming and open the JPOT.DO (press #5)
You will see some wierd symbols, it will contain a spade symbol and an 8 along with some other stuff. That is the command to display the current jackpot value. What you want to do is add to this with your message. Put the curser after the jackpot command and start a new paragraph by pressing F1, if you want the message to scroll then press F3, next if you want the message to dance press ShiftF3, now type the text you want to see. You can add more paragraphs and change colors etc. I suggest you start simple.
Press F10 to exit out of the JPOT.DO. From there send to the Cham2. Note My cham2's do not like to accept this command. I have found that you must reboot the cham2 and as soon as it finishes it's self test press the F1 key on the PSP. Sometimes the message will not show up until you reboot the cham2 again.
Hope this helps let us know
Rich

[qbert]

This is a good point. Many times sending a JPOT.DO message will not work unless right after a reboot. So just always send right after the reboot completes the startup!
  to qbert

[qbert]

That's right, you must be patient and tenacious.
Sometimes you have to reboot and reboot and reboot again...
It's the great mystery of the Mikohn stuff !

[qbert]

Thanks Uni,
 I think foster told me that a while back, that guy is a wizard.
This can be really frustrating especially if your new at using the PSP software.
I understand the PSP3.0 may fix the issue but I have not tried it.
Rich (Qbert )

[qbert]

Thanks everyone.  Got the sign up and running now.  Now I need to decide if I want to take on the challenge of programming the progressive side of it.
Gary

[jms7465]

TIPS! --
After being up late last night tinkering, I discovered a couple tips that might help someone out in the future:


TIP #1 - Simple - When Programming my text sting in JPOT.DO, I put my personal messages in front of the existing progressive jackpot string. The first word I put was "WELCOME1" with the "1" being each individual upload to the CHAMII+ and changing that # as I tweeked my message (2,3,4,etc.).  The advantage of this is that "WELCOME1" (2,3,4....) is the fist thing I see after an (attempted) F1 SEND.  If you don't see that number change, the F1 SEND didn't work.  After you get your whole message the way you want it, of course last thing would be to remove the # from "WELCOME".


TIP #2 - After tweeking your message in JPOT.DO press F10 to exit, but stay on the Message Programming page.  Press and [big]HOLD[/big] F1 (SEND) for just a second or two then press F10.  What this will do is send like a dozen (or two) SEND commands to the CHAMII+.  Once you you see it drop back to the main config menu (takes a minute to complete all the send commands that you created by holding F1) you will see the display refresh.  I have found that this works to upload your message almost every time.  One of them must have successfully completed the send.

TIP #3 - surrender to the DOS startup disc.  I tried to be lazy, but PSP just wouldn't communicate with the CHAMII+ when I ran it in a DOS prompt inside windows.

[qbert]

Great tips thanks for sharing.
I can't wait to see how well tip #2 works!
Rich

[knagl]

Are you saying that by holding the F1 (send) for a few seconds that it would work without having to reboot the controller first?  If so, that's a great trick.

[jms7465]

Seems to be working for me about 90% of the time.  And if it doesn't seems like just one more F1 and it works.

[qbert]

Tip #3 depends on the age and operating system you are using. I have an old Dell laptop running XP that I use for PSP and the DOS window works fine.

Rich

[jms7465]

Yea I am using windows Me! 

[LINDAM]

I've been using PSP 2 on an XP laptop in the dos box and a PCMCIA to serial card for ever and it works great.

[knagl]

Yea I am using windows Me! 

Ha, the first computer I used to connect to a Mikohn ChamII+ was a Windows ME box.  I had to do the DOS boot disk thing.

I now have an ancient laptop with a serial port and Windows XP on it that I keep around exclusively for Mikohn programming, and I am able to connect with the DOS window inside of Windows XP.

Thanks for Tip #2.  I'll try it when I finally get around to re-programming my ChamII+.