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1.1 Release of ICE-GUI Software
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@jtshugrue jtshugrue released this 29 Jul 15:37
· 125 commits to master since this release
v1.1
3d97907

Supports Windows XP or greater. Below are Windows binaries. The software is written in Python using PyQt5 bindings. It is distributed as a frozen executable for Windows, so there is no need for the user to have Python installed on the system nor will it interfere with pre-existing installations of Python on the user's system. The user interface are stored in as scripts in the UI sub-directory, allowing users to freely modify the user interface without re-compiling the program.

Installation

Note: If you are running an older version of Windows 7 or XP, you may need to download and run the Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer first to update your OpenGL drivers. If you install the ICE GUI program and it doesn't run (usually signified by a console window briefly opening and closing with an error message), you likely need to update your DirectX drivers with this runtime installer.
Download: DirectX Runtime Web Installer

The program is distributed as a zipped executable. No installation is needed, just unzip the file to a folder of your choice and run "ice_control.exe". It is recommended to unzip the folder somewhere writable by the user (as opposed to Program Files) so that log files and UI script files can be read and updated.

Note: Binaries for other OSes can be compiled using PyInstaller following the instructions on the Readme.md

Drivers

The ICE Box uses an FTDI USB to Serial converter to present itself as a Virtual COM Port (VCP) to the host computer. If you are using Windows 7 or newer, this driver should be installed automatically by Windows upon plugging in the ICE Box. However, if your PC is not connected to the internet, the VCP drivers can be downloaded from FTDI's website here: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

Changes from Previous Version

Version 1.0 of the software was released as Python source code that used a portable version of Python to run. This version (v1.1) freezes the application's Python files into a Windows executable, eliminating further Python dependencies. The user interface scripts remain external to the executable in a sub-folder to facilitate end-user customization.

End User Application Development

The software is written in Python using Qt5 bindings and distributed in source form allowing the user to modify or expand the program as needed. It was written against Python 3.4.2 and PyQt 5.4. The program uses PySerial to do serial communications with the ICE Box and the UI logic is primarily written in QML (javascript) utilizing the QtQuick module of PyQt5. Downloading Python 3.4 or greater and installing PyQt 5.4 or greater should allow the user to run the python program in their own Python environment. In this case, they should run "main.py" from the source code.

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