README

Overview

This display driver for LCDSmartie allows control for Soundgraph's iMON 2x16 VFD display module that was being produced around 2008-2010. The primary target for this driver is the VFD used in the Chieftec HM-01, HM-02, and HM-03 home theater PC cases, but it is likely also compatible with other products from that time frame that use iMON VFD modules.

Required Software

As opposed to the earlier iMON VFD modules, which connect to the PC using the parallel port and communicate with it using the SG_VFD.DLL driver, the module targeted here is USB-based and contains additional functionality, such as knobs and buttons, in addition to the VFD display. The driver required for this module is iMONDisplay.dll, and it can be found as part of the API zip file, iMON_Display_API_1_00_0929.zip, released by Soundgraph in 2010. I am including the zip file here for convenience.

The iMONDisplay.dll driver from Soundgraph was only released as a 32-bit binary, so imon_2010_vfd.dll is also necessarily a 32-bit DLL. This also means that it will only run on the 32-bit version of LCDSmartie. It was tested on both v5.4.2.92++ and v5.6.

You will also need to have the iMon Manager software running, with the "Use Display Plug-in Mode" checkbox checked. The version that I used all throughout development of this driver is 8.12.1202, so I don't know if there are any issues with other versions.

How to Use

The imon_2010_vfd.dll file should be copied to the "displays" sub-folder of LCDSmartie. The iMONDisplay.dll file can exist in any folder, but it is probably most convenient to copy it to the same folder as the LCDSmartie.exe executable.

In the LCDSmartie GUI, simply choose the imon_2010_vfd.dll driver, and set the display size to 2x16. If iMONDisplay.dll is in the same folder as LCDSmartie.exe, then there is no further configuration required. However, if iMONDisplay.dll is in a different folder, then the folder for that DLL needs to be entered in the "Startup Parameters" field in the GUI.