v0.6.2 Character Support - griffingilreath/Punch-Card-Project GitHub Wiki

v0.6.2: Enhanced Character Support

Release Date: March 25, 2024

Overview

Version 0.6.2 significantly enhances the character encoding support and visualization capabilities of the Punch Card Project. These improvements provide better compatibility with various punch card encoding standards and improve the visual representation of punch card data.

Key Changes

Multiple Character Encodings

  • Added support for multiple character encodings:
    • IBM 026 (original)
    • IBM 029 (extended)
    • UNIVAC (alternative standard)
    • Custom encoding (user-definable)
  • Implemented encoding selection via command-line arguments
  • Added encoding switching in the GUI interface
  • Preserved backward compatibility with existing projects

LED Matrix Visualization

  • Improved LED matrix visualization for all character sets
  • Enhanced grid rendering with better proportions
  • Added color coding options for different character types
  • Improved visualization performance for large datasets
  • Fixed alignment issues in terminal display

Hardware Integration

  • Enhanced error handling for hardware integration
  • Improved detection of connected hardware
  • Added graceful fallbacks for missing hardware
  • Fixed timing issues with LED updates
  • Improved GPIO pin mapping for Raspberry Pi

Documentation

  • Updated documentation with detailed examples
  • Added visual guides for each character encoding
  • Created comparison charts for different encodings
  • Enhanced troubleshooting section
  • Added detailed examples for custom encodings

Character Edge Cases

  • Resolved character encoding edge cases
  • Fixed issues with special characters
  • Added support for non-ASCII characters where applicable
  • Improved handling of unsupported characters
  • Added warning notifications for invalid encodings

Error Handling

  • Improved error messages for invalid punch patterns
  • Added validation for user-input characters
  • Enhanced logging for encoding errors
  • Implemented recovery mechanisms for corrupted data
  • Added debugging tools for encoding issues

Setup Guide

The hardware setup guide has been completely overhauled with:

  • Step-by-step instructions with images
  • Wiring diagrams for different hardware configurations
  • Tips for optimal LED matrix arrangement
  • Troubleshooting common hardware issues
  • Performance optimization suggestions

Installation

Installation instructions have been updated:

# Install with standard character sets
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install with extended character support
pip install -r requirements-extended.txt

Usage Examples

Using specific character encodings:

# Use IBM 029 encoding
python punch_card.py --encoding ibm029

# Use UNIVAC encoding
python punch_card.py --encoding univac

# Use custom encoding from file
python punch_card.py --encoding custom --encoding-file my_encoding.json

Version History

For a complete history of all versions, see the Version History page.