Export for DEIMOS SD

This function copies the domain animations to an SD card, so that the DEIMOS board plays them on its own, without a PC. Each animation is linked to a physical button wired to the Arduino Mega: when you press the button, DEIMOS starts the matching animation.

Open it from the start window → DEIMOS menu → 📤 Export to DEIMOS SD, after selecting a domain. Press F1 in the window to open this page.

Before you start

Firmware: the board must run DEIMOS 1.8 or later (see Load DEIMOS firmware).
SD card: formatted FAT32, maximum capacity 32 GB.
Activation mode: the window only lists animations with activation mode trigger (see Animation properties).
A single port: each animation must use elements connected to one port only, that is to a single DEIMOS board.
Up to 10 animations per SD card (indexes 0 to 9).
The DEIMOS board does not need to be connected to the PC during the export.

Window fields

Field	Purpose
SD folder	Root folder of the SD card (e.g. `E:\`). It is detected automatically when a single compatible removable card is inserted; otherwise use Browse....
Browse...	Choose the SD card folder manually. If the card already holds a `MENU.TXT`, its pins and indexes are loaded back into the table.
Select	Tick the animations to export.
Name	Animation name, also used in the file name on the SD card.
PIN	Arduino Mega pin wired to the button that starts the animation. If the animation has a trigger button assigned, its pin is suggested.
Index	Animation number on the SD card, from 0 to 9. Each animation needs a different index: if two ticked animations share an index, the export is blocked with a warning.
Description	Animation description, for information only.
Auto-assign	Assigns pins 8, 9, 10… and indexes 0, 1, 2… in sequence to the ticked animations.
Export	Writes the files to the SD card. During the export the controls are disabled and the window cannot be closed.
Close	Closes the window.

Step by step

Insert the SD card into the PC.
In the start window select the domain, then open DEIMOS → 📤 Export to DEIMOS SD.
Check the SD folder; if it is empty or wrong, press Browse....
Tick the animations to export.
Set PIN and Index for each one, or press Auto-assign.
Press Export and wait for the confirmation message.
Safely remove the SD card, insert it into the DEIMOS board reader and power the board up again.

Export time: each animation is run in simulation to record its commands, so the export takes as long as the animation plus about 3 seconds. The main editor opens during the export: do not close it and do not remove the SD card until the confirmation message appears.

Files written to the SD card

File	Content
`<index>#-<name>.d5s`	The animation commands recorded tick by tick (e.g. `0#-greeting.d5s`). One file per animation. Any previous files with the same index are deleted, because DEIMOS would play the first one it finds.
`MENU.TXT`	Button → animation mapping, one line per animation (`PIN,INDEX,NAME`). Lines of animations already on the card and not exported again are kept.
`DEIMOS.CFG`	Options of each animation (`INDEX,START,LOOP,RAND_MIN,RAND_MAX`): immediate or random start, continuous loop, random delay in ms. Lines of animations not exported again are kept here too.

Example of MENU.TXT:

PIN,INDEX,NAME
8,0,greeting
9,1,bow
10,2,laugh

Exported animation options

These settings are read from the animation properties and written to DEIMOS.CFG:

Continuous loop: the animation repeats until you press the button again.
Random start: when the button is pressed, DEIMOS waits a random time before starting. The longest delay DEIMOS accepts is 65 seconds: higher values are limited to 65 s.

If a button seems not to respond, check the random start: with a long delay the animation only starts after several seconds.

Wiring the buttons

Wire each button between the pin shown in the PIN column and GND. No resistors are needed: DEIMOS enables the internal pull-up and detects a press when the pin goes low. Pins 8 to 13 are the usual choice. Pressing the button again during playback stops the animation.

How DEIMOS uses the SD card at power-up

SD card content	Behaviour
`MENU.TXT` present	DEIMOS waits for the buttons listed in the file. This is the mode created by this function.
Only a `0#-*.d5s` file, no `MENU.TXT`	DEIMOS immediately plays the animation with index 0.
Neither	DEIMOS waits for commands from the PC over serial.

Parametrized animations

Parametrized animations are exported like the others. The D5S file also holds the parameter source and the servos to scale, and can only be read by DEIMOS 2.0 or later. The animation is recorded in full: the editor's Parameter slider does not affect the export. With the analog pin source wire the sensor to the chosen pin; with the serial command source the external program sends fv before or during playback.

Common problems

Problem	Cause and solution
The table is empty	No domain animation uses activation mode trigger. Change it in the animation properties.
"Select an SD folder"	The SD card was not detected: use Browse....
"Index N is assigned to both … and …"	Two ticked animations share the same Index: change one of them or use Auto-assign.
"… uses N ports: DEIMOS supports only one"	The animation uses elements on several ports. Split it into animations that use one port each.
"… has no segments" or "… does not use any port"	The animation is empty, or its elements have no port assigned.
"Playback did not start"	The diagnostics found problems in the animation: open it in the editor and use Diagnostics → Diagnose current animation.
"Timed out"	The recording did not finish in the expected time. The incomplete file is deleted: stop any other running playback and try again.
DEIMOS does not react to the buttons	Check that pins and wiring match `MENU.TXT`, that the card is FAT32 and that the firmware is 1.8 or later.