But, I have made some changes that corrected a bug (I think it is corrected!)

Thanks!

OSX 10.6.8

Java SE 1.6

~ J

I'd love to hear from Win 32 and Win 64 bit users!  Thanks!

And, Jesse... the Neurosky toy is only about US$120.  Neat little piece of equipment.

Reading about it, it is related to which version of Explorer the user is running, not just the OS.  Win 64 comes with both bit versions of Explorer, and which you use determines which JVM you install and run.  So, even on a Win XP or 7 64-bit installation, you can still be running the 32 bit JVM.  This can be irritating and confusing.  I will have to update the installation docs and the manual to help with this.... basically, telling users to try both versions of the application after installing the JRE.

ref: http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/java_win64bit.xml

I am currently experimenting with a Mindwave Mobile and I would love to try Zen-Fire on either Linux or maybe even port it to Android. What would I have to do to get it running on Linux and where can I find the sources to try porting it to Android?

  Martin

I cannot say (without looking it up) if Neurosky has ThinkGear Connector for Linux.  If it does, then you could use Zen-Fire on Linux. Be aware that I haven't been able to test on Linux at all.  Later today I can make a version and put it on sourceforge for you.

On Android... The game is not really designed to be on a phone or tablet, so I can't say how it would work out.  It would be interesting to find out how it goes.  I am not familiar with porting to the platform, however, so I wouldn't be able to help with that.  Due to the fact that I haven't had many takers on the software, I have not been putting a lot of effort into cleaning up the code in a hurry.  Hope you can wait a bit for the code, I'd really like to refactor it before releasing it again.

On Linux: There is a third-party library that can read Mindset data. I haven't tried if it's compatible with the Mindwave Mobile though. Take your time for the refactoring, my calendar is quite stuffed anyway, so I don't know when I will find a big enough block of time to make real progress in porting.

My final goal is to implement the Alpha-Theta Training protocol on my mobile phone in some way or the other. I am currently working on a branch of Binaural-Beats for Android, but that project does not use EEG data per se and it would be advantageous to join forces on a more specialized project.

I can understand the desire for portable Alpha-Theta.  I built my app to support A/T for my own use.  It also includes a binaural "Theta driver" for the special game that starts at SMR for 5 minutes, goes to A/T for as many minutes as you want, then does SMR again for 5 mins.

I am also adding a new feature, music-as-reward, which is good for A/T.  I will be using this code in your Linux release.  My suggestion: in the meantime, see if you can get Neurosky's ThinkGear connector and some of the Neurosky out of the box games running on your Linux system.  That will get a lot of troubleshooting out of the way. 

Ok, with Windows, you have hit a problem that I have not been able to hunt down just yet.  But, what you wrote gives a major hint as to how to address it.  Most of the sounds are handled via the Processing version of Java Midi library, and the Theta Driver is handled via a separate audio library.  The Midi library is the hitch here, obviously.  (An older version used sound files, but it got quite weighty. And I couldn't provide the variety of sounds using files that the library could.  I wanted a smaller, more capable app!)

Can you supply what version of Windows you're using, including 32/64 bit, and what version of the Java JRE you have running?  I might need this info to ask for help from the midi library developer.

If you're running an old Java version, would you be willing to install a newer version and try again?  And -- once I get the chance to build a version Zen-Fire to help troubleshoot this -- would you be willing to help track this down?

**Edit:

The Processing Midi library that I am using is SoundCipher, and on its site, it states:

I then installed Processing itself together with the SoundCipher library and tried the examples there and they work (and sound quite good :)

My suspicion about the sound issue is now this: I am using the Minim Library sound controls for Gain and Volume. My understanding of these controls is that an implementation of the JRE either uses Gain or Volume, never both.  I have not sat in front of a PC that uses Volume, only Gain.  So, I have only been able to code accurately against Gain, and there might be problem areas for implementations that use Volume.  In the code, look for the variable "gainControl".  

Let me know what you find, I will make any corrections as soon as I can.  I hope the Linux version works for you.

unfortunately, I can't get my Mindwave Mobile to work under Linux right now, some strange thing with permission denied for the /dev/rfcomm0 device. But Puzzlebox Synapse (the Linux alternative to the Thinkgear Connector) has a simulation mode where it emits random data. When running the Linux version with the simulated data I also get no sound except for the Theta Driver.

On Windows I have tried to track down the problem and I have this minimal example:

- Windows version/Linux version

- JRE version

Not all Windows users experience this issue.  So, this is somewhat exceptional.  I will pose the problem for minim troubleshooting and see if I can get to the core of the issue and fix it.

Otherwise, to your other general questions, the SoundCipher library does not use mp3 play functions, to the best of my knowledge.  And, certainly not from my app.  I use Minim's mp3 play functions in the app to play either background music (which can be enjoyable), and to use mp3 music as the reward itself... which I find exceedingly helpful for closed-eyes practices, including A/T.  I would like this feature to work for you, and I will follow up the best that I can.  If you have music in wav format, it might be able to play it without that mp3 jar -- try it out.  

Please continue to let me know if you have any further questions. (And send me your Windows & Linux versions and their JRE versions)  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the other features of the game. 

I'll be on vacation for 3 weeks starting tomorrow  so I won't be able to do much testing in the next time.

Thanks for your help and for creating Zen-Fire!