Adafruit GPIO Arcade Controller not Working in MAME
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Yes I have verified that the controls are being read as keyboard inputs, I did this while I selected the GPIO pins they would send the output too. I downloaded the ROM from MAME and then connected from my computer through the IP addresses and navigated to the ROMS folder then to MAME-libretro sub directory. The whole system is emulation station, and the ROMS on emulation station are in the MAME category.
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@mrinfected101 said in Adafruit GPIO Arcade Controller not Working in MAME:
I downloaded the ROM from MAME
This makes no sense - MAME is an emulator, you do not acquire or download roms from it. You still need to specify which romset you are using and which emaulator you are trying it with?
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Okay, I downloaded a ROM. The emulator on my raspberyy pi is Emulation Station, can you please explain what you mean by romset as I'm not sure what you mean.
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@mrinfected101 You should edit your last post and remove that URL. It is against the forum rules (that you should have read and agreed to) to post locations of ROMs.
That said, I think we understand, you downloaded a ROM. However, the emulator is not Emulation Station. Emulation Station is merely a "front end" software package that allows the user to browse through a list of installed emulators and their corresponding game lists and pick a specific game ROM and launch it. The emulator is probably MAME, but there are many many versions of MAME that could be used to launch a ROM. With MAME, we are really talking about arcade games here, and it gets even more complicated from there because MAME is not the only emulator(s) that can launch arcade ROMs. Another emulator called Final Burn Alpha is a popular choice too, as it can also launch a specific set of arcade ROMs.
This brings us to your question about ROM sets. Each version of MAME, and each version of FBA can only launch a certain set of game ROMs. As MAME development has evolved over the years, more and more games were added, AND existing games became more and more accurate. This often required that the ROM chips themselves be re-loaded, as more and more capabilities were programmed into the emulator. The result of all of this development means that the "set" of ROMs that works with one version of MAME for example, does not match the "set" of ROMs used in another version of MAME. Sure, there is often a lot of overlap, but over the years, many of the ROMs themselves (the actual ZIP files) have changed in perfect step with the evolution of MAME. SO. . . when you are running a ROM game with MAME, you have to know which version of MAME you are using and exactly which version of ROMs it requires (the ROMset version number). Then, you have to be sure that the ROM you happened to download is from the correct set, given the version of MAME (or FBA for that matter) you are using.
Sometimes, you can get away with a ROM from the WRONG set, and it will work. However, this kind of success is very troubling, as it leads people to ignore ROMset versions and they end up asking a lot of questions in forums like this about why this game or that game doesn't work--when the explanation is that they don't understand how MAME works!
Do yourself and everyone on the forum a favor and read through the Docs linked above--especially as it pertains to Arcade emulation, MAME and ROMsets--all of which are referenced there. Once you understand the details and can read through everything I just wrote above, your questions will answer themselves and you will be on your way to really understanding what it is you are trying to build.
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Sorry my mistake about the link.
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@caver01 Okay, so for emulators I've tried using Lr-mame2003 and Lr-mame2010, still no response from the GPIO controls, the ROM sets I'm using, I assume they are merged, are Robo Roto and Star Fire (set1).
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@mrinfected101 you really can't assume anything when dealing with romsets and arcade emulation mate. I'd advise reading the many guides on this forum and the official docs properly, as well as getting hold of the correct roms (Google!!). I have and they're sufficient enough to get you up and running.
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I have read the docs and forums many times, and still do not have a solution, I looked through where I got the rom sets and can say they are merged files, so any suggestions with whats wrong with the Joystick would be much appreciated.
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@mrinfected101 said in Adafruit GPIO Arcade Controller not Working in MAME:
and can say they are merged files
yes but is it the correct romset? 0.78? for lr-mame2003?
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That is where I'm confused, I've checked the excel compatibility list and only found starfire on the list, is there somewhere in the zip file it will tell me if it's 0.78? Or can you provide me a link for further reading into 0.78 compatibility?
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@mrinfected101 The RetroPie docs have an Arcade dedicated section that explains which romset is used by every emulator and a compatibility list - see https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Arcade/ for a start.
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@mrinfected101 said in Adafruit GPIO Arcade Controller not Working in MAME:
is there somewhere in the zip file it will tell me if it's 0.78?
There is nothing in a single rom file that I am aware of that will identify it as coming from any set. However, a tool like CLRMAMEPRO can examine a rom and its contents inside the .zip and compare hash values to known working files from a particular set using a .dat file as a reference. It is effectively a validation program that can also rebuild specific sets out of other sets provided you have all of the pieces.
If you simply download a "merged set" labeled 0.78 in the description of the download, you are basically trusting whomever put the file together that it is indeed what they claim it to be. The only way to be sure is to prove it with CLRMAMEPRO. I wish I could help more with that part, but I have never been successful using it, although others have. It may not be your problem, but having a known good rom from a set that matches the emulator you are using is an important troubleshooting step.
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@mitu Okay I've found the page with validating, rebuilding, etc. one of the romsets I am using I have found on the Lr-mame2003 compatibility list, should I go through validating it still?
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@mrinfected101 The compatibility list merely describes what works on the Pi given you have a valid rom from the correct set. It does not validate your rom.
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@caver01 okay thanks, I'll have to work on the validation later, as I don't have access to download CLRMAMEPRO at the moment, I will make another post when I have successfully verified the romsets. Thank you very much.
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@mrinfected101 The best thing to do is acquire a full "reference" set for 0.78. That way, you do not need to use clrmame.
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@rbaker I agree, and this is what I have done. But it can be a catch22--how do you know for certain that what is described as a reference set is what it claims to be? Testing the ROMs is one way I guess.
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@caver01 you can never be 100% but generally I find the ref sets are reliable. I guess my message is that hunting single roms from random places is the path to madness and frustration where the full set can sit somewhere and can be dipped into to find roms when needed. My early experince was launching a rom in mame and tab wouldn't do anything. I sat for ages then tried another rom and then another then another mame and so on. I then discovered this project and read the docs and became born again :)
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@rbaker SO true.
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