Anyone else using Mimo / DisplayLink USB mini-monitors?

[Neil Hewitt]

Hi all.

Needing a couple of small TFT panels for upcoming parts of my project, I just picked up a couple of Nanovision Mimo USB mini-monitors from Amazon. These are 7" 16:9 touch-sensitive screens that interface to the host PC entirely over USB - no video connection or video card support required, no power brick, just a single cable. The display draws power from the USB bus. Pics on this page (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mimo-UM-720S-USB-Powered-Monitor-Screen/dp/B002U0K7HY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics)at Amazon.

USB performance is clearly an issue for these screens - on test on my work PC I found the picture pixellate when sending video although I then found they have a 'video mode' in the control software which seems to improve the picture at the expense of fine detail. Since I won't be using them for video or fast-moving graphics in the sim I'm not too bothered. The CPU load doesn't appear to be significant, either. It does appear that you can use the screen as a DirectX 9 surface, although given how they work I'm not sure how.

At the price (150GBP a piece) I'm not too bothered if they don't work out - I can find other uses for them - but if they do then this is an inexpensive and largely hassle-free way of adding small TFTs to a MIP or elsewhere. If you were doing, say, an A380 sim then you know how many little LCD panels that thing has on it. It'd be a video card nightmare! DisplayLink may well be the way of the future.

I wondered if anyone else had had any experience integrating these or other DisplayLink panels into a cockpit project? I don't mind being a pioneer but if I can avoid common pitfalls, so much the better.

NH

[Shawn]

I have been planning to buy a Mimo monitor to display the Reality XP Garmin 530 on. What are the chances you might test the default (or Reality XP if you have it) GPS unit on one of your monitors for me and let me know if you find any performance issues? I would be great to know it's going to work before I spend the money. Cheers

[Sweetwater]

Guys,

I did this with a different brand and have issue with it... See here: http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php?18766-Question-on-this-7-lcd&p=98358#post98358

Jeff

[Neil Hewitt]

Hmm - that doesn't look promising. I didn't notice a major CPU hit running it on my work box, but then I didn't try to launch a DX game. I imagine this model and the Lilluput are basically the same hardware under the hood, so unless the drivers have really improved it may be a non-starter for the purposes you were using it for.

In my case, the PC it'll be running from won't actually be running FSX - I'm building some custom panel software - so I might not see this problem, but certainly it makes it less attractive as an extension monitor for many.


What are the chances you might test the default (or Reality XP if you have it) GPS unit on one of your monitors for me and let me know if you find any performance issues?

Happy to, but it'll be a while before I can. My system is currently not in a flyable (or even installed) state. I could potentially pop FSX on my dev PC with it attached and see if I get the same issues as Jeff. When I can get around to it I'll reply to this thread.

In a way I'm not entirely surprised - I imagine that in DX mode the driver is passing the whole screen across as a bitmap which will knock the CPU and the USB bandwidth, whereas in non-DX mode it can just pass over the GDI stream for the monitor to render. Eventually they'll probably implement DirectX in hardware on the monitor side and then that problem may go away.

Shame if so - it looked like a cool toy :-)

NH

[Neil Hewitt]

Of course, if I'd thought to look in the LCD Monitors sub-forum first I would have picked up on the other thread. Sorry for the duplication!

NH

[ebaw]

Hi,
I bought the SPF-85H samsung 8" minimonitor a few days ago, tried it for 5 minutes, because I don't have the time now to make an extensive test.
running fs9 and used it to display the undocked CDU from 767 level d. No frame rate hit so fare. Cant say anything about FSX tgough.
ivo

[rjvcarvalho]

I use one on vertical position to control fmc units, works great for me.

[Sweetwater]

Hi ebaw and kurby,

What version of Windows are you running?

Jeff

[rjvcarvalho]

Windows XP here.

[ebaw]

XP profesional with SP3
ivo

[Steve A]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chftRBtx_E0

I think this fella on youtube is using a Mimo touchcreen rotated 90 degrees, it looks pretty cool.

[ebaw]

Yes, I want to expand the view so the screen allone is visible, the whole display is than build in a frame.

[Sweetwater]

Hmmmm.... I am sensing it might have to do with my Win7 Ultimate 64.... I found a forum with some very unhappy campers regarding Win7 "DirectLink" driver software... In fairness to them I don't know if that is the issue... Now I am hunting for a different set of their drivers to try...

Thanks for the replies guys!

Jeff

[Neil Hewitt]

Jeff - my testing at work was on a Win7 Ultimate x64 box and I didn't notice any particular CPU problems. But then I didn't try running FSX so it could well be a 64bit - 32bit thunking issue in the drivers (given that FSX is 32-bit code).

I guess that your mileage may vary depending on exactly what you do with it. Certainly there are examples out there of people using the Mimo for FS-related stuff (per Steve A's post above). That at least makes me confident that it'll do nicely for my purposes.

BTW - while you can get the latest drivers from the manufacturer Nanovision (it's not easy, you have to click on a link in their news ticker on the home page), I found that installing these broke the touchscreen functionality (assuming yours has it) because there seems to be an error in their install INF file which buggers up the driver install so it can't be used. Generic DisplayLink drivers can be had from the DisplayLink site, and those seem to work; but even Windows Update has recent drivers for the Mimo / DisplayLink for Win7.

Let us know how it goes. I'll do likewise!

NH

[Sweetwater]

Thanks Neil!

I am still whacking at it.... I found an obscure set of beta drivers that I am going to try tonight... The thing that bugs me is that it may be the way my video card is interacting with the software... There is a legacy video setting in BIOS I am going to try tonight...

Crossing fingers...

Jeff

[DisplayLink]

Hi,

Some clarifications:
- DisplayLink drivers support DirectX in Vista and Windows 7 only (no XP)
- Please download our latest drivers on the web-site: www.displaylink.com/software, in order to have a higher frame rates than the ones you measured.
- IMPORTANT: the Samsung picture frames are not DisplayLink. Please check if the product is from DisplayLink at the online shop: http://www.displaylink.com/shop/minimons.

Happy to help with further clarifications,

DisplayLink Support Team

[Neil Hewitt]

Wow. Thanks for taking the time to reply to this directly - that's what I call support :-)

NH

[Sweetwater]

Yes,, Thank you! i will give that a try and let you know..

Jeff

[Sweetwater]

Hi Display Link Support Team,

In case you are watching this forum (and I hope you are) there was a slight improvement with the new drivers... Unfortunately FSX is still unflyable with the mini display running... Any ideas? It is a Lilliput 7" monitor USB...

I hope you can help as I love having the undocked GPS view but can't live with the performance hit.

Jeff

[pvjen1]

any updates on how flyable fsx is with the monitor now? any driver updates?

cheers

[Neil Hewitt]

Nothing here, I'm afraid. For various reasons I'm still far away from trying the screens out with FSX - in fact I haven't had FSX up and running for several months now.

When I do eventually get around to it I'll definitely report back, but meantime maybe someone else has had some experience?

NH

[bevhillsflygirl]

MINO monitor with FSX? My system 2- EVGA x58 w i7 and W7 Ultimate x64. EVGA display cards 3 9800 1g in box #1 and 2 8800 1g cards in box #2
Software is FSUIPC4 and WideFS with DodoSIM and SIOC for interface of some custom panels, lamps, encoders and controls
Mine is working fairly well.
2 problems.
1. The MINO uses a screen size and format which FSX regards as INCOMPATIBLE.
Therefore it is necessary to unplug or un-assign (monitor resolution page) the monitor, start FSX and once it's running in the main page (and before you select your desired aircraft or load a saved one, reactivate the monitor and set it up.
I originally purchased the 7" with touch screen, but I have another touch screen and have yet to understand how and IF, I can use 2 touch screens.

to make it work, I downloaded a software package called "DISPLAYLINK" www.displaylink.com which you mentioned above.
I have another small monitor, an outdated old GPS which has a video input. I got a generic VGA to video adapter and that seems to run in FSX without having to disable it during startup.

I did have the a program called http://www.touch-buddy.com and TOUCHDriver from my large format touch screen.
The large format is great and I like it so much, that I keep touching NON touch screens without thinking.

Hope this helps.
MGM

[50sqnwop/ag]

resurrection......

any update on this topic?

also is fs9 able to accomodate touchscreen technology or is it only fsx?

mat

[Sweetwater]

Hi Mat,

Still no luck on this on my end... Win7 and FSX and the above mentioned drivers have done nothing to help. My son thinks it is because USB monitors tap the vid card. Not sure on that but it has never been workable for me.

As far as FS9 goes... not sure. Maybe someone else has tried that.

I hope we can figure this out someday as I have a new 7" monitor that is always dark in my home cockpit.

[Holclo]

The MIMO 7" Touchscreen works with Win7 - FS9 without any problems. I used it for a while but then disconnected it as I didn't like it as an FMC (a bit small for my large fingers).
Bill