THRONE Emulator

To test the THRONE interface without using touchscreen panels, you may use THRONE emulator that can be launched in any operating system (Windows, OS X, Linux, Solaris...). With the help of emulator you can check THRONE interface and see how it will work on the touchscreen panels.

General Description

Instruction for using the THRONE emulator is based on russian version of 'VirtualBox 4.2.12 for Windows hosts' application, however these actions will also be actual for other operating systems.

Initial Installation

• Download the VirtualBox application here

  https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

  Install it using the default settings.

• Download virtual machine with a preinstalled demonstration project THRONE

  http://files.throne-bms.com/throne.ova

• Import downloaded virtual machine in VirtualBox:
  • run VirtualBox;
  • 'File' - 'Import configuration' - 'Open Configuration' (select the file of the virtual machine downloaded in the previous stage);
  • 'Next' button;
  • 'Import' button (at the end of the import 'THRONE' should appear in the list of virtual machines).
• Start the virtual machine:
  • choose 'THRONE' in the list of virtual machines;
  • 'Run' button.

Resume: demo project THRONE preinstalled in a virtual machine should start.

Notes:

• Virtual machine is configured to resolution 1280x800 (fixed THRONE touchscreen panels resolution). For convenience, you can turn on the 'Zoom mode' (in this mode, you can resize the window using THRONE interface):

  a combination Host+C (default Host key in VirtualBox application is assigned button RightCtrl).

• To close the virtual machine it’s recommended to give command 'Send a shutdown signal' instead of 'Turn off the machine'.
• The same virtual machine can be imported into VirtualBox more than once and thus a user can use several virtual machines with different THRONE simultaneously.

Shared folder

To run your own THRONE projects you should set up 'Public Folder virtual machine'. Using this folder you can import projects into the virtual machine, change the system configuration, and read the error messages (if they occur).

Shared folder setup:

• choose 'THRONE' in the list of virtual machines;
• 'Configure' button ;
• item 'Shared Folders';
• 'Add a shared folder' button - fill in the form:
  • 'Folder path' - select an existing folder on your local drive where you will copy the firmware, and from which the virtual machine will take them;
  • 'Folder name' - enter 'share' (strictly lowercase);
  • 'Read Only' - clear the checkbox;
  • 'Auto Connect' - set the checkbox;
  • 'OK' button - save your share folder settings;
• 'OK' button - save and close the settings.

Replacement of a project

• Download the firmware of the TRIAL type from T-Studio - file 'throne.bin'.
• Save the downloaded firmware file to the share folder in the virtual machine.
• (Re-) start the virtual machine.

Resume: the virtual machine will run the downloaded THRONE project.

Notes:

• If the virtual machine does not find the 'throne.bin' file in your shared folder when you start, it will run the previous virtual project.
• If the 'throne.bin' file is successfully loaded into the virtual machine, then:
  • the 'throne.bin' file will be renamed to 'throne.bak' (to avoid its re-download on the next time you restart virtual machine);
  • a message about successful download of the project will be added to the file 'throne-log.txt' (to the end of the file; if it doesn't exist, file will be created) in the shared folder in the virtual machine.
• If the file 'throne.bin' is damaged, or has incorrect type (not TRIAL), then:
  • file 'throne.bin' will be renamed to 'throne.bak' (to avoid its re-download on the next time you restart virtual machine);
  • a message about an error and its type will be added to the file 'throne-log.txt' (to the end of the file; if it doesn't exist, file will be created) in the shared folder;
  • virtual machine will start without the THRONE project;
  • a window with the error message will be displayed in a running virtual machine;
  • the next time you start the virtual machine (when there is no file 'throne.bin' in the shared folder) the demo THRONE project will be launched.

Network configuration

For advanced users.

If your project is supposed to connect with devices, you need to enable the virtual machine network, and possibly to reconfigure the network settings of a system installed in the virtual machine.

To turn on the support of a network of virtual machines:

• choose 'THRONE' from the list of virtual machines;
• 'Configure' button;
• item 'Network';
• tab 'Adapter 1';
• in the drop-down list of 'Connection type' select 'Network Bridge';
• 'OK' button - save and close the settings.

By default, the following network settings are configured:

• address: 192.168.1.1
• subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Resume: the system must be accessible (ping) on the address 192.168.1.1.

On each start of the virtual machine the following files are written in a shared folder (if files with the same names already exist - they are overwritten):

• interfaces.original

  Original (reference set at the time of download) network configuration settings of virtual machine.

• interfaces.current

  Current network configuration settings of virtual machine (configuration, with which it is running).

These files can be used as examples of the configuration or as means to restore the configuration of virtual machine network.

To change the configuration of the network:

• prepare the 'interfaces' file (for example, based on the file 'interfaces.original' or 'interfaces.current', located in the shared folder of virtual machine (note: the files will appear after at least one launch of a virtual machine)), where assign the necessary Ip address and subnet mask;
• save prepared file 'interfaces' in the shared folder of virtual machine;
• (re-) start the virtual machine.

Resume: the system must assume new network configuration.

Notes:

• If the virtual machine when you start it does not detect the file 'interfaces' in the shared folder, then the configuration of the network doesn't change.
• If the file 'interfaces' is found at the start of virtual machine, then it is downloaded into a virtual machine, and the file (in the shared folder) renamed as 'interfaces.bak' (to avoid re-downloading during the next restart).
• If the file 'interfaces' is damaged or has incorrect format, the virtual machine is not likely to be available over the network, to improve the situation, prepare the correct file (for example, based on the file 'interfaces.original') and repeat.

Troubleshooting

If you failed to set and can't remedy, you may import the downloaded earlier virtual machine to VirtualBox again and repeat.