Font of the MKS TFT + costume starting picture

Der_Muck

Hi,
I try to mod. the TFT style a little bit after I upgraded to the 3.0.3v 
I mixed the original firmware with the config. from the community firmware but with little changes.
Works well so far. I also made myself a more professional looking starting screen. You can also have it if you want, the file is added here.
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So my question is: Is it passible to change the font of the display? I hate that used font of the JGs display so much, it looks simply cheap. I tryed to turn a windows font into a .bin file but it doesnt do anything on the display after updateing it.
In the update files there are font files add. Its impassible to open them, that makes it impassible to find out what they used and how to change it.  
Do you have a idea how to do it?

Samuel Pinches

Is that laser sintering or EHLA?   nice work.

There is no way to change the font, I think. But, I think you can turn the font off in the mks config, and burn the labels into the button images.

Der_Muck

Hehe yeah its a EHLA its more action in the picture XD and metal 3D prints would be the goal

The font is off in the buttons, its about the upper task what gives you informations about in what menu you are.
I tryed to turn it black but than other text is covered to.
As I found out, the font files are chinese fonds. GBK16 and UNIGBK are chinese 16bit fonts as I think.
Maybe its passible to add 16bit fonds with english fonds on it but the problem is, how MKS called those english fonds. Without the right file name its impassible.

Samuel Pinches

The font is 1 bit. This is a section of the extracted font from the GBK16.bin file, in the mks_font folder. It is a 1 bit (black and white) file, 16px wide.

Der_Muck

How did you extract it? Can it be changed? Than its not the chinese font

Samuel Pinches

if you can update this png with the desired font I can probably prepare this into a GBK16.bin file.

Samuel Pinches

I used a powerful image software, "GraphicConverter", but it is only available on mac. I think there would be other tools for windows, like irfanviewer or faststone that might be able to do the same.

Der_Muck

Ah ok I have it open in Photoshop I hope I can add a total font to it otherwise its a pixelgame XD

Samuel Pinches

Exactly... not fun. Good luck!

Samuel Pinches

You may want to try some free software to make it easier to convert a font to bitmap, and automate part of this task:

http://docs.qiciengine.com/manual/BitmapFont/index.html

http://www.angelcode.com/products/bmfont/

http://hukka.ncn.fi/?fony

https://www.cylog.org/graphics/rasterfonteditor.jsp

Der_Muck

Cool thanks!   Hahaha I tryed it in PS but its awwwfull I am no designer XD

Der_Muck

Lets try it with that, I did it manualy because those programs drive me crazy

Samuel Pinches

this should work... please see attachment.

The ascii data starts at byte position 209792 (33380h), and goes for 2976 (BA0h) bytes. The characters are encoded as 1bit black and white, in 16x16pixel chars.

Der_Muck

How cool, lets see what it looks like
Thanks Sam!!!

Der_Muck

Ok well it doesnt change anything

Samuel Pinches

Did you replace GBK16.bin in the mks_font folder when flashing?

Der_Muck

ofcause otherwise I wouldnt have anything to flash Just renamed it, got it on the SD card and watch it flashing,
But no effect on the font on the display,

Samuel Pinches

hmm... if you flash without that file, what happens?

Der_Muck

nothing, there would be only the unigbk.bin on it and it would only reflash that file.
Strangely, when you flash the wrong file it is like it is protected, it simply has no error than and ignore the new flash

Samuel Pinches

I'm sorry, I'm really out of good ideas.

Can you try change mks_config.txt

#multi-language(enable:1, disable:0)

>cfg_multiple_language:1

If you set to english, does it use your new font on the button labels then?

Der_Muck

One moment I try it

Nope it doesnt change anything in the other languages to.
But I found out that the font on the display is a differnt to the font you have send me, the g looks different than the font you send here for example. There must be a different font to change

Der_Muck

Looks like its a Unifont like that: https://wiki2.org/en/GNU_Unifont
I mean the g looks like the one on that page and in the line you have send it looks like here in the forum

Samuel Pinches

Ooooh! Nice find!

Still no idea why it's not working... perhaps there is a separate font in the main firmware bin file.

Der_Muck

Maybe yes maybe its part of the tft basic firmware, the font looks just a normal programming font which is normaly in the background and overlayed from the user surface. An indicator is the upper task what says in which part of the firmware you are. If the user surface is overlayed, that wouldnt be visible. Maybe it is that way

Samuel Pinches

GBK is apparently a chinese character set

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBK_(character_encoding)

Samuel Pinches

this bitmap font was in the main firmware file, at around 216256b (34CC0h), approx 3296b (CE0h) in length.

Der_Muck

Yeah that with the GBK i knew. 
The problem with that font is, that it also not the right one, it looks different to the font in the display, how strange is that. Why is such a font in the firmware

Samuel Pinches

ok... one more (8x13 pixel font)

at 182976b, 15168b long.

Der_Muck

Yeahhh thats it! Good job and there are the numbers to we give it a try... And again.. pixle game maaannn

Samuel Pinches

of course... you can invert it first, and then invert it later on... good luck lol, fingers crossed...

Der_Muck

Lets give it a try, now it looks a little better not like out of the writing machine