New Cube Timer for Nintendo DS

[TurbulentTurtle]

I played around with this in class the other day and it actually works pretty well. So far, I am very pleased with it and it could actually remain like this without any crazy add-ons and I would be pretty happy with it.
Averages and time saving functions would be a pretty nice plus though, but otherwise this is a very well done timer.

 

[panyan]

when is 0.3 due?

 

[linkmaster03]

Wow I always thought how cool something like this would be. It works great! Seems like the timer is not in stackmat fashion though. I can just use one button. Maybe I'm missing something.

What if you had the timer on the bottom screen in a digital-like font and the scramble filling the top screen? I think that would be cool.

Thanks for making this, I hope you keep improving it!

 

[Zarxrax]

Wow I always thought how cool something like this would be. It works great! Seems like the timer is not in stackmat fashion though. I can just use one button. Maybe I'm missing something.

Yes, one button works, but you can also hold the buttons on each side. You can use either method that you prefer.
How does a real stackmat handle inspection time (or does it at all)?

 

[Zeroknight]

dang, I wish I had a ds flash drive...
I support this 100%, and with my limited programming skills, pm me if you need help.

 

[dmchale]

I think it would be nice to offer two options... stackmat-style button control, or "any button counts". I can see where people would like stackmat-style (IMO make it so any d-pad direction along with any of XYBA, exclude the LR buttons) but I also like just being able to press any button and be done with it. To me the one-button method is safer for my hardware, I'd probably end up breaking something otherwise

echoing panyan, is 0.3 in the works? Not trying to be impatient, just looking forward to any updates done here as well.

 

[shoot1510]

I know other timers for other type of phone.
Mult-stop watch for iphone and itouch, you can get at the appstore.(Free and no jailbreak needed)

Timers for PSP. (required to hack your psp to use it)

 

[Zarxrax]

I think it would be nice to offer two options... stackmat-style button control, or "any button counts". I can see where people would like stackmat-style (IMO make it so any d-pad direction along with any of XYBA, exclude the LR buttons) but I also like just being able to press any button and be done with it. To me the one-button method is safer for my hardware, I'd probably end up breaking something otherwise

echoing panyan, is 0.3 in the works? Not trying to be impatient, just looking forward to any updates done here as well.

Well like I said just two posts above yours, it *does* work like that. You can either press one button, OR you can do the stackmat style.

As for the next version, right now I'm just waiting to see if any code gets contributed by Musturd or Bounb. Aside from that I'm probably going to add an option to end the inspection time early as soon as I get some time.

 

[Bounb]

I need to get the timer to return a value so I can store that in a file. Everything I've tried so far has returned junk to the file. Here's the code I have at the moment.

You need libfat.

#include <fat.h> 

fatInitDefault();

 if (fatInitDefault == false) 
 {
//Display error
 }

  FILE * sTimes;
  char buffer[] = { "time" };
  sTimes = fopen ( "times.sav" , "wb" );
  fwrite (buffer , 1 , sizeof(buffer) , sTimes );
  fclose (sTimes);
  return 0;

 

[Musturd]

I have a ton of work for school right now, so I probably won't have time to work on anything substantial for a while...

 

[panyan]

I have a ton of work for school right now, so I probably won't have time to work on anything substantial for a while...

cant wait to have you back but i also have january modules so i dont blame you

 

[Zarxrax]

I need to get the timer to return a value so I can store that in a file. Everything I've tried so far has returned junk to the file. Here's the code I have at the moment.

Have you tried saving to sram instead of a file? http://palib.info/Doc/PAlibDoc Eng/group___saves.html

It might be easier. I don't really have much experience with either one though.
Also, have you converted the time to a string? Might be worth a shot instead of binary data.

 

[linkmaster03]

I did try holding down two buttons in stackmat fashion, but after that you can still stop it with one button. Am I missing something?

 

[pcharles93]

DSs don't function as multi-touch screens. If you try to push on two points, it'll register as the midpoint. Try playing with that in pictochat.

 

[linkmaster03]

I know that. This program doesn't even use the touch screen. I'm talking about the hard buttons.

 

[Zarxrax]

I did try holding down two buttons in stackmat fashion, but after that you can still stop it with one button. Am I missing something?

Ah so you are saying you dont want it to stop unless you press both sides... hmmm, I hadn't considered that.

 

[*LukeMayn*]

you DEFINATLY need an average thing.. maybe like www.cubetimer.com or JNetCube

 

[linkmaster03]

I did try holding down two buttons in stackmat fashion, but after that you can still stop it with one button. Am I missing something?

Ah so you are saying you dont want it to stop unless you press both sides... hmmm, I hadn't considered that.

Yes, that's how a stackmat works. If implemented you should have an option to choose one button or stackmat mode.

 

[Zarxrax]

I did try holding down two buttons in stackmat fashion, but after that you can still stop it with one button. Am I missing something?

Ah so you are saying you dont want it to stop unless you press both sides... hmmm, I hadn't considered that.

Yes, that's how a stackmat works. If implemented you should have an option to choose one button or stackmat mode.

Hmm, well I'm wondering if it's really worth it. I assume the most important thing here is keeping both hands off the cube when the timer *starts*, as once it's finished I don't think it would make any difference in your time whether you stop the timer with one hand or both hands (am I wrong?). Trying to slap both ends of a ds at the same time to stop it should actually be much harder to accomplish than slapping a stackmat, and would probably harm your times, I would think. (if you tend to miss or something )

As it is, you *can* slap both ends to stop it, it will just stop as soon as the first press is recognized. Is this that unacceptable? If it is I can try to change it this weekend.

 

[dmchale]

i actually found two close button presses restarted the timer again - granted those were two INDEPENDENT button presses, eg: 2 hits in quick succession. If you hit a button on the right side and then hit the dpad, it currently doesn't affect anything but it still takes the FIRST hit as the "stop timer" signal. The drawback of the current implementation is if someone TRIED to hit two buttons and succeeded in doing a "tap-tap" instead, the timer just starts counting again. Won't be as big a deal once time saving becomes part of the program, I suppose. But when I first started playing with the system I accidentally "wiped" some of my own times by having my finger roll from one button to another which caused the timer to just start at zero. Oops

I agree with whomever said it above - for the DS's capabilities I think simply trying to emulate what cubetimer.com does would be fantastic. Can save times, delete individual times from your list, have it generate Ao5/Ao12/best etc summarily. Build everything with the intent to then "branch" support later for other puzzles so that, same as cubetimer, you can have your 3x3x3 times, megaminx times, magic times, whatever.

i havent played with ds development myself, and only played with HAM *years* ago for the gba. wish i had the time myself to pitch in on this project but I'm unfortunately already spinning too many plates... cheers tho, like I said I think it's great so far and many of us just want to give our ideas towards what could make it even better