Help - how to make M$ Win Screensaver less dumb!?

[DaddyHoggy]

Those familiar with the simulator I'm responsible for at work will know that the simulator is mostly unattended.

To prevent screen burn in we'd started to turn on the standard windows screensaver - but we have the following problems.

Windows (XP) screensaver doesn't recognise Joystick (USB) input as "activity" so screensaver will kick in over the top of the simulator even if its in use.

Because of the above - joystick wiggling does not clear the screensaver (mouse and keyboard are deliberately removed/hidden)

The apps which run on the four main simulator screens are controlled via a 5th touchscreen which starts and stops the various simulators. The screensaver does clear when going from 2D (standard Desktop) to 3D when the simulators start and vice versa (when shutting them down and dropping back to desktop).

We've tried writing an app for the touchscreen monitor that sends (via the network) a "wiggle" mouse to each of the PCs controlling each of the screens - but it's not currently working and this doesn't get round the problem of the PC not noticing that the joystick is being used.

Does anybody know of a screensaver-like app that will react to joystick input?

Ideally we'd also like the wondrous-non-existent-Nirvana-like screensaver to notice that either lots of network traffic is going on (the PCs that make up the simulator are networked together to display to share a common view/knowledge of their environment) and not kick in (as only one PC has the joystick plugged in - so it would be the only one to react to the point above).

Anybody know of anything even vaguely like this? (that solves even a part of our problem(s))

Our in-house programmer is quite rightly getting a bit tetchy about not getting his PhD done, so we're looking for something already available (have trawled the net - but may be asking the wrong question - there seems to be loads of stuff like this for unattended Kiosks - photobooths etc) but for silly money - but it does mean that it all seems possible...

TIA

DH

[Disembodied]

I've no idea if this might do what you want it to, but – to me, anyway – it sort of sounds like it might:

Publisher's description of Pad2mouse 1.22
Control a computer using joystick
Allows you to control a computer using joystick. You will be able to use the pad instead of a mouse. To have complete control over the system,use the on-screen keyboard is available as standard in all Windows NT.

http://www.fiberdownload.com/Download/23689/Pad2mouse

[DaddyHoggy]

Thanks D - I think we've tried something similar (if not this exact package) - problem is - that these type of apps don't seem to like the mapping software supplied by Saitek for our X52 Pro (or vice versa) - and, unless you remember to press the button that mimics the mouse - the screensaver will kick in anyway...

My boss thinks he's found a way but its potentially quite dangerous (from an OS screwing up point of view)...

[Rxke]

To prevent screen burn in

I might get stoned for this, but isn't screen burn-in largely a thing of the past to begin with? What kind of screens do you use, are they very susceptible to burn-in? Maybe it isn't worth the hassle?

[Cmdr Wyvern]

The X52 has the ministick on the throttle handle that sends mouse input, and as long as that function hasn't been reprogrammed in a profile, wiggling the ministick should terminate a screensaver.

Of course you could disable the screensaver in control panel, but that defeats the purpose of enabling it in the 1st place.

Anyhow, I'm going to agree with Rxke about burn-in. Most modern CRT monitors are highly resistant, and with flatscreens, it doesn't happen.

[Thargoid]

Would the power options app setting for turning the monitor off suffer the same problem, or does that wake up with the joystick wiggling?

May be worth testing, as then you could just send the monitor to sleep instead of screensaving if the joystick is enough to keep the power down timer awake?

[DaddyHoggy]

Thanks guys.

To clarify:

It was agreed with BAe Systems who supplied (not quite gratis) the original setup of the simulator that we would leave their logo as the screen background when the simulators weren't running (so powering off/down is not an option) - the screens therefore are almost completely black except for the central logo - white text on a bright red backdrop - some of the Visiting Lecturers who specialise in Visual Systems noted that we should be wary of "pixel fatigue" even on our good quality (but still "home use") Sony Bravia LCD HD TVs.

The idea was simply to not have the static desktop wallpaper but use the screensaver to slide the logo all over the screen, meeting the advertising and anti-Pixel Fatigue requirements.

With regards the mouse emulator on the X52 - yep, BUT, it doesn't seem to always work AND unless it's wiggled regularly we could still end up in the position of the screensaver kicking in just as the person flying the simulator is coming in to land (the screen saver ignoring joystick inputs in my main bug bear as part of its "activity" checking).

This simulator is mostly unattended - it needs to be almost idiot proof to use - without the screensaver it is (although people still find new and interesting ways to screw it up).

It's turning out to be more complicated than we hoped/expected!

[Disembodied]

Could you make the logo into an animated wallpaper?

Does it show that I don't know what I'm talking about? Does my ignorance look big in this?

[Thargoid]

Print it on a piece of paper and blue-tack it to the monitors when not in use?

[Killer Wolf]

DH,
had a bit google, there's a bit of software called sitekiosk that may be of use?
http://www.provisio.com/es-ES/Help/Site ... nsaver.htm

"Monitor input of game controllers (e.g. joysticks)
You should turn this option on especially if you want to allow users to play DirectX games within SiteKiosk. If turned on, SiteKiosk will notice any mouse, keyboard, or joystick input and reset the internal counter counting down the time before the screen saver kicks in."
doesn't actually say if it deactivates it when running tho :-/

[DaddyHoggy]

Hi KW - nice find - I was aware of siteKiosk from other sites I'd searched (I think I mentioned kiosks in the first post) - but I couldn't find a download - so I will investigate further.

Cheers,

DH

[NigelJK]

Write your own screen saver!
This is a c++ method, should be too difficult to knock out one in another language. You could then intercept the Joystick wiggles and move the timer on ...

http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/topic ... een-saver/

[DaddyHoggy]

My boss fixed this in my absence - and did basically that - wrote his own idle detection routine.