Post-install help request

[mrtexasfreedom]

Installed ARpiCADE into my cabinet with an image I downloaded from this site. Very easy install, but the post-configuration is challenging me.

Issue 1: Command line unusable due to some key commands coming from JAMMA. After I exit to the command line, I can't type anything on my keyboard without somehow a carriage return being added after each letter. If I try to type "sudo," as soon as I hit the 's' the shell returns "display all #### possibilities? (y or n)." It seems like the JAMMA harness stuff is interfering with its own input to the shell. I see this also when selecting some games from the menu and the brief text that flashes onscreen has some additional characters added. Sometimes the selected game will launch, sometimes I get bounced back to the menu.

Issue 2: Need to rotate screen for cocktail (vertical) orientation. What files do I need to edit? Screen is low-resolution CGA monitor. I am comfortable with Linux, raspberry pi, etc. Just need pointer on what I need to change. Goal would be to have game menu oriented for vertical and then when playing games have vertical orientation flip for player 1, player 2.

Any guidance appreciated!

mtf

[dee2eR]

Hi,
it's possible your keyboard doesn't work well with Linux (or maybe just doesn't suit the default keyboard settings). Do you have another USB keyboard you can try? Most should work with Linux. The JAMMA controls shouldn't interfere with the keyboard at all (except for the Retroarch/Hotkeys bug - which isn't this).

You should be able to rotate your screen from the service menu. There are 2 different low res vertical configs available, the difference is basically one will use 480i for the menus and one will use 240p. The menu themes do not rotate automatically so when the system reboots after you have selected a vertical mode you will want to change the Attract-Mode layout (the theme in the game select menu) to a vertical one.

If after setting the system to vertical your screen appears upside down the image can be flipped in the file /boot/config.txt.

Cocktail mode (alternating screen flipping) will need to be set in game for each game that supports it. The exception to this is games in AdvMAME variations as AdvMAME has a setting to use cocktail dipswitches automatically in its config file.

Finally are you using the latest version of ARpiCADE? The statement "and the brief text that flashes onscreen has some additional characters added" makes me wonder... The latest version is 3.83, it uses pictures for the now loading message so additional characters really shouldn't happen.

[mrtexasfreedom]

dee2eR-

Thanks for your hard work on arpicade and quick response! I am loving how this package is shaping up so far...

Answers:

1. Tried multiple (2) USB keyboards known to be good with raspberry pi running raspbian. I will probably try to sidestep this by pulling the raspberry pi out of the arpicadeJAMMA rig and connect to an HDMI display and USB keyboard so I can enable WIFI & SSH. Then I can remotely connect for any command line work without having to use keyboard while pi is connected to arpicade board & JAMMA harness.

Finally are you using the latest version of ARpiCADE?

Image was the Release 3.7 (full) downloaded yesterday.

More Questions:

You should be able to rotate your screen from the service menu.

From the main page (seen in picture above), how do I navigate to the 'service menu'?

Cocktail mode (alternating screen flipping) will need to be set in game for each game that supports it.

How do I "set in game"? Is each game referencing its own text cfg file somewhere? I could mass edit using linux command line tools if available in multiple text files. Per your reference to AdvMAME, it sounds like I might be better off putting these roms in the AdvMAME rom directory rather than standard MAME folder if I can make the setting there... I'll look into that.

Again, thank you so much for your work on this Raspbian distro and also your guidance via this forum. Much appreciated!

mtf

[dee2eR]

Assuming you're on the current ARpiCADE (or close enough) 'service' (cabside) or 'F4' (keyboard) exits the game selection menu and loads the service menu. Older versions with the service menu may use 'esc' instead.

To modify an individual games dipswitches (to put it in cocktail mode for instance), press 'tab' or the joystick combo "player 1 start" + "player 1 joystick right" to open MAMEs menus (only works in MAME not all emulators). Adjustments to dipswitches made here will usually require the game restarting to take effect.

If you haven't already found it ARpiCADE 3.83 can be grabbed here: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=766

[mrtexasfreedom]

dee2eR - Thank you for this guidance. Will try these steps tomorrow and report back. Much appreciated!

[mrtexasfreedom]

dee2er-

I've had some good success here thanks to your guidance. One of the other resources that was very helpful that should probably receive addition to the online docs is this post with the default button configuration (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=782):

The default hotkeys are:
P1 start 'long hold' (about 2 seconds) = exit game
P1 start + P1B1 = coin
P1 start + Joy1 down = pause/unpause
P1 start + joy 1 right = MAME menus (in MAME)
P1 start + P1B6 = Retroarch menus (in emulators running in retroarch)

In Attract-Mode the following are set as defaults:
P1B1 = launch selected item
P1B2 = systems menu
P1B6 = random game (in current list)
Cab 'test' switch opens Attract-Modes menus (OR 'tab' on keyboard)
Cab 'service' exits Attract-Mode (opening the second instance of Attract that is the service menu) (OR 'f4' on keyboard)

There's also this guide to what buttons are used by which emulators: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aTaPB ... ajySikhlts

Seems though many roms offer 'cocktail' within the dip switch settings, whether they will flip the screen for player 2 is hit-and-miss. As a quick example, Donkey Kong Jr. keeps the orientation the same for both P1 and P2.

Oh, btw. I think the keyboard interference was coming from a stuck button on the P2 control panel. I noticed it was kind of depressed and I pushed it and let it pop back up and now my keyboard is able to type in the console.

Next challenge is to develop a set of roms that properly support cocktail orientation....

[dee2eR]

Which version of MAME are you trying for the cocktail mode dipswitch? If you've only been trying an older version of MAME there may be better support for the cocktail mode for that game in later versions of MAME. Pretty sure DK Jr cocktail mode should work so it may be the MAME you used...

A good trick for cocktail mode is AdvMAME has a setting in it's config file to set that dipswitch automatically. Can save a bunch of messing around getting games into cocktail mode.