8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro

robertclemens

@robertclemens said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

So I removed my controllers from my Retro Pi setup.
I upgraded to firmware 1.22. I started the remotes with only the "Start button mode" only as described above. I paired the remotes using the 98:XX MAC Address. I added the udev from the bluetooth menu. I restarted the device and so far everything seems normal. I haven't given this a ton of testing but so far this seems like it may work.

I was able to load a single player game and two-player game.

Hope everyone has a similar experience and with further testing declares these controllers good-to-go.

As I'm home sick with the Flu (yay), I've had some time to test this. So far this is working great.

Rion

@bmn001 Great!

louiehummv

I hate to break it to everyone, but we're still back where we started. First allow me to clear up this "miracle" of holding down just Start (not screwing around with any modes):

Every mode (profile) changes the way the LEDs light up:
-- "Switch" profile makes all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
-- "Mac" profile makes the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
-- "Windows" profile makes the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
-- "Android" profile makes the first LED blink repeatedly

When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware. The "Switch" profile still produces 85% of the full analog range (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767; thus can perform ample gameplay movement but certainly not specific joystick combinations), the "Mac" profile still has weird reconnection issues, and the "Windows" and "Android" profiles still don't recognize the left & right triggers.

FYI, I did receive an email from 8bitdo on 12/20 thanking me for my feedback and that they'll "submit this problem & test it soon." I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

robertclemens

@louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

I hate to break it to everyone, but we're still back where we started. First allow me to clear up this "miracle" of holding down just Start (not screwing around with any modes):

Every mode (profile) changes the way the LEDs light up:
-- "Switch" profile makes all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
-- "Mac" profile makes the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
-- "Windows" profile makes the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
-- "Android" profile makes the first LED blink repeatedly

When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware. The "Switch" profile still produces 85% of the full analog range (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767; thus can perform ample gameplay movement but certainly not specific joystick combinations), the "Mac" profile still has weird reconnection issues, and the "Windows" and "Android" profiles still don't recognize the left & right triggers.

FYI, I did receive an email from 8bitdo on 12/20 thanking me for my feedback and that they'll "submit this problem & test it soon." I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

This is good information to have. I wouldn't quite say we are back at where we started. I'm now able to successfully connect/reconnect without a reboot. So progress has been made, at least with bluetooth connectivity. I've played several hours since I'm sick with the Flu and the connectivity is amazingly better.

Hopefully an update will be made to adjust the range of motion on the joysticks.

Thanks for the update and hopefully we will get a new firmware soon to address that. Please update this thread if you see any positive or negative changes.

bmn001

@louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

Ahh okay, that makes sense. 8bitdo doesn't have the best documentation. Thanks for clearing that up.

I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware.

I just played a few games and things seemed to work. I didn't experience any game-breaking limits on joystick range, but don't doubt that they're still not giving the full values. Thanks for reporting that to them!

I think the moral of the story is that, as it stands today, the Switch profile is probably the best bet for Retropie, and it'll be perfect once they address the limited range of the analog sticks in a future firmware update.

louiehummv

@robertclemens I didn't realize connection without a reboot was an old issue, as I never had that problem even since the stock firmware v1.0somenumber. Only the "Mac" profile had, and still has, that problem.. at least for me. Glad people have found the profile most tolerable for them.

louiehummv

@bmn001 Personally I think the "Mac" profile is best if you feel you have a reliable bluetooth connection and don't anticipate walking away for a while (since the controller goes to sleep after some time). One of my favorite N64 games, Waverace, is frustrating without full joystick range. Otherwise, any non-joystick-combo game works fine with the ease-of-connectivity "Switch" profile, as you & meats implied.

robertclemens

One thing to mention about the Switch profile is that, per the manual, turbo feature does not apply to that profile. It would be ideal to utilize a "fully featured" profile instead. I just realized this trying to play a game where I would have liked turbo mode on a button for a short bit.

So as it stands it seems like the "Switch" profile is the easiest and best choice if you don't need the joysticks or at least full-range joysticks or turbo features.

The "macOS" profile appears to have the full joystick motion range but bluetooth re-connection issues upon sleep mode or other disconnection events occur.

Have any of the other modes (Android and Windows) been fully tested by anyone for RetroPie?

louiehummv

For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

Confirmed Issues

"Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized
"Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'
"Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized
"Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

Confirmed LEDs

"Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
"Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
"Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
"Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

"Switch" : START + Y
"Mac" : START + A
"Windows" : START + X
"Android" : START + B

Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

"Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller
"Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller
"Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro
"Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

Notes

Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile
Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START
click for manual
click for support/firmware

meats

@louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

Confirmed Issues

"Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized

"Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'

"Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

"Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

Confirmed LEDs

"Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth

"Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly

"Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly

"Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

"Switch" : START + Y

"Mac" : START + A

"Windows" : START + X

"Android" : START + B

Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

"Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller

"Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller

"Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

"Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

Notes

Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile

Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START

click for manual

click for support/firmware

great stuff here, thanks. I dont know if its an issue, but dont the other 8bitdo controllers tell you via LED lights which controller # each one is? Considering these controllers have different 'modes', that may not be possible anymore, but would definitely be a small let down to not know which controller is #1 - #4 etc when you have more than 1.

louiehummv

@meats I have 2 controllers (SF30 Pro & SN30 Pro) setup in RetroPie. During all my tests, I've never seen the LEDs distinguish player #s. Only the first LED lights when a controller is connected.

MRP2000

I've got two SN30 Pro controllers, both have the firmware upgraded to v1.22, and I'm running RetroPie 4.3 on a Raspberry Pi 3 model B.

They both will shut off by themselves after being used for about 20 minutes, and they will not reconnect unless I reboot the system.

I'm running them in "Switch" mode, and they are fully charged. I can't even get it to work at all in "MacOS" mode, and I've also tried changing the bluetooth setting from "default" to "background", but they just keep shutting off and not reconnecting. Am I missing something?

louiehummv

@mrp2000 In RetroPie's bluetooth menu, there are 2 options you should've also setup: (1) set the udev rule (only need to set once even if you have more than 1 controller of the same bluetooth name), and (2) turn off the 8bitdo mapping hack (for new firmware)... then reboot to take effect.

According to the manual, the controllers shut off after 15 minutes of non-use (no buttons/joysticks being pressed) while connected, and after 1 minute of no connection. If yours shut off during regular use, it's possible your RasPi's WiFi is interfering/dropping the bluetooth connection. I know that sounds strange, but once I disconnected from my wireless network, the bluetooth connection was wayyy more stable. I actually ran an ethernet cord to my network router & forced the RasPi's WiFi service off in the meantime.

Otherwise, please confirm your setup intricacies (particularly your connected profile's bluetooth ID/Name & LEDs) against the following, and note the confirmed issues too.

For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

Confirmed Issues

"Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized

"Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'

"Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

"Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

Confirmed LEDs

"Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth

"Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly

"Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly

"Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

"Switch" : START + Y

"Mac" : START + A

"Windows" : START + X

"Android" : START + B

Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

"Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller

"Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller

"Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

"Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

Notes

Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile

Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START

click for manual

click for support/firmware

MRP2000

@louiehummv it ended up being the WiFi that was causing the issue. Once I turned off the WiFi, I had no problems with the controllers. Thank you for the help, I appreciate it.

louiehummv

@mrp2000 You're welcome. Happy holidays

theelite1x87

Hello everyone. I decided to register and post this after buying a sn30 pro and reading this thread. I am using the controller in Dinput mode (android) and it works great. Analog sticks work. All 4 triggers work. Connects to Bluetooth just fine. Stays connected. After restart, controller hooks right back up after a few seconds. Here's what I did:

Before anything I went to my PC and updated its firmware (v1.22 as of Xmas day). Completed that. Not sure if this matters, probably not, but I next connected it via Bluetooth to my android tablet to test it in ps1 emulators (using android mode obviously). Worked great. Next I went to my pi3, running latest version of retropie. Used my existing controller to head over to search for Bluetooth. Did the pairing process. Saw it quickly and connected. I enabled the udev option as suggested here. I believe there was a option for Bluetooth connection to out it in background mode or something but I left that as default. Then I used existing controller to go to gamepad setup screen. Held down button on the sn30 pro to begin config. Mapped all buttons without issue (set select as hotkey as usual). And....thats it. Worked great in all games. All buttons, including triggers, worked as expected. Can't comment on range of motion with analog sticks as I'm not sure how to check that. I can say the analog sticks worked just as well as my 360 wired pad does. So it seems to be good. Perhaps latest firmware solved the android config issue? But I just wanted to leave a comment here for others, as this thread is top result on Google when looking up this issue

louiehummv

@theelite1x87 That's great news. Perhaps leaving your connect mode as 'default' allowed the left/right triggers on the "Android" profile to finally work.. as my (undesirable) results were tested on the v1.22 firmware with connect mode left on 'background'. Didn't even think to change it.. I'll retest everything tonight.

robertclemens

I've re-connected my controllers (SN30 Pro) in Android mode. So far so good -- it appears all is working quite well. I loaded a N64 game and did notice my triggers responded so that is also good news.

I'll keep testing out more. Thanks everyone for the good feedback!

louiehummv

I retested the v1.22 "Android" profile with udev settings in place.. but this time I changed the connect mode to 'default'. Not sure that had much effect since I couldn't get the left/ right triggers to recognize at first. The difference happened after I immediately tried configuring the buttons again without exiting the EmulationStation start menu. Somehow the left/right triggers became recognized on that 2nd attempt! I was able to repeat this bizarre behavior after exiting the start menu, going back in, & configuring my controllers again; triggers were only recognized on a 2nd config attempt following the incompleted first.

The fact that others don't face this hurdle could be attributed to my tests since older firmwares. Maybe some conflicting configuration files were left behind as I upgraded... who knows how RetroPie was reacting behind the scenes.

Bottom line, the "Android" profile is definitely solid now, not to mention its full analog range.

One thing to note, however, is that the controllers' Hotkey(Select)+Start combination that exits an emulator doesn't work in N64. As luck would have it, pressing the left/right triggers together exits N64 for me. Some N64 games even exit when pressing left-trigger+Y. Very wierd.. although I'm aware that N64 is not exactly RetroArch-friendly. For that reason, I can live with these varying exit button combinations. Good news is that the other consoles (Genesis/32x/NES/SNES) still exit as expected to Hotkey(Select)+Start.

BuZz

connect mode should always be left at "default" unless you have a controller that will not reconnect once powered on (it's a hack that forces a reconnect attempt every 10 seconds or so). for my 8bitdo controllers, "default" is fine.